Hi All,
Happy Friday! Welcome back to my newsletter! For those of you who are new around here — I’m Paula! I’m a TV Producer and MBA student who *loves* TV and all things pop culture. I’m that friend who always knows what’s on and what’s coming up. For years, friends have turned to me to recommend TV shows and to have conversations about pop culture . So I started this newsletter to share my picks and thoughts with my friends, family, and you!
I took a break from this newsletter for a little while but we’re back and ready to rock and roll. Each week, I’ll send you a list of things to watch on Canadian TV, some fun things I found on the internet, and most weeks will also send you a blog post with some deeper thoughts on TV, the media industry here in Canada, or on pop culture in general. I’ll also tell you what I’m up to and thinking about in the world generally, because if you’re reading this, you’re now one of my internet friends and I want you to get to know me :)
I’m in a pretty good mood today. I started it off with a coffee date at Hunter’s with my friend Emily. I’m a bit annoyed I’m in a good mood. All I really want to do is cry… because Adele released her new single!!!! 😭😭😭 I am truly ready to spend the day crying with Adele.
Hit play on this and join me:
Is there any other way to listen to Adele but through tears? I don’t think so.
But friends let’s brush those tears aside for now because I’ve got some fun things to get into today.
Things to watch this week:
Due to my break, I missed a few “you should check this out” shows so let’s start with some shows that are currently streaming/airing that you need to catch up on.
We need to talk about Sort Of. The official blurb describes the show as “a big-hearted series about Sabi Mehboob, a fluid millennial who straddles various identities. With everything going on in my life, I haven’t had the time to sit down and watch this yet, but everyone I know who has seen this is *obessed*. ” Watch it on CBC Gem here.
I loved the first season of The Babysitter’s Club. It was just a wonderful feel good tween show that was fun for everyone. The second season is out on Netflix and I’m already loving it. Watch the 2nd season’s trailer here.
For all my Drag fans out there, we’ve got two shows airing: we’ve got the thrid season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and the second season of Canada's Drag Race. I feel a loyalty to Canada’s because so many of my friends worked on it and the UK one is just so good, so you know I’ll be watching both. You can watch both shows in Canada on Crave.
Lastly… you’re probably already on the Squid Game train — but just in case you missed it, this new Korean drama became the most watched series debute Netflix has ever had. It’s not for everyone, but everyone seems to be watching it. At this point, I wonder how many of us are watching it because everyone is watching it and we don’t want to miss out, or if we’re all watching it because it’s actually worth it. I’ve seen the first three episodes and while I want to know what happens… I don’t know if I like it. I don’t love the main character yet and there isn’t another character that I’m rooting for. If you’re watching it LMK. I want to talk about it. 🦑
📺 Let’s talk about a few new things to watch this week…
Today we’ve got the third season of You premiering on Netflix. I hated the first season of this show. I obviously watched the whole thing because Penn Badgley is hot but wowwww did I hate it. That being said, I know a lot of people who are addicted to this show so this should be a fun weekend of viewing for you. Check out the trailer here.
On Sunday we’ve got the new season of Succession on Crave/HBO. New episodes drop on Sundays at 9:00 ET. This is a massively anticipated show and I know fans of this show will have a lot of thoughts. So confession… this has been on my ‘want to watch’ list forever, but I couldn’t get through the pilot… someone needs to help me get through it. Watch the trailer here.
On Wednesday, I really want to watch a documentary called Found. This film is about three teenage girls who were all adopted by different American families but discovered they were cousins through 23andMe. Together they go back to China to discover their roots and see if they can find their biological families. Cue the heartwarming/tear jerking music. I’m a sucker for a teen coming of age/friendship/family story and this one looks phenomenal. The producers of The Farewell are involved, the director Amanda Lipitz has won awards for her past projects, and Hamilton’s Phillipa Soo is singing the original song… I’m just feeling potential Oscar bait here. I’m really excited about this one:
Other things to check out:
🎶 I’m all about Adele today, so let’s start there. The BBC booked her ‘welcome back’ interview and it’s excellent. I love Radio 1. I am a massive CBC Music gal… but I wish we had a full pop station like Radio 1. Greg James is one of my personal favs so this interview is gold. Watch it here.
🎶 Rolling Stone Magazine brought Olivia Rodrigo and Alanis Morissette together to talk music and it’s fun. I’m here for it. Watch that here.
🎶 Peter Jackson’s Beatles doc has a trailer and it’s good. I love a music doc and this one is super interesting to me. It’s going to be on Disney+ in late November but watch the trailer now and get hyped.
🏒 NHL hockey is back and I’m thrilled. I’m always here for a Leafs game. They break my heart each year, but I still have hope. Some of the Leafs’ top players did a video with BarDown “calling out” their teammates and it’s really fun. I’m really into what BarDown is creating. They’re really drawing out the players personalities in a way traditional hockey coverage hasn’t. I’m impressed and paying attention.
🎭 Did you see the Robin Test Footage video this week?! Actor Jamie Costa has nailed Robin Williams. This “test footage” get’s an A+. Every Hollywood studio should be clamouring to get Costa on contract to do a full biopic. You will be blown away:
🎬 So fun fact about me: When I grow up I want to be Nancy Meyers. I also want to live my life like Nancy Meyers and have a house with a beautiful kitchen and slipcovered sofas. So Jimmy Fallon and Chris Stapleton are speaking my language with this incredible song. It’s a must-watch.
📺 The A.V. Club has an oral history of Degrassi that is lots of fun. Highly recommended that read.
📺 I’m actively following the Dave Chappelle-Netflix controversy. Hannah Gadsby has now weighed in and overall this whole thing is messssyyy. My opinion: Netflix’s CEO Ted Sarandos is on the wrong side of this. There isn’t a ‘both sides’ argument here. If you don’t know what I’m talking about read this article from Vox and let me know what you think.
🪧 I’m also actively following the situation with IATSE. IATSE aka “The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada, known as simply the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees” or IATSE for short… has overwhelming voted to support a strike if their demands are not met. They are in contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and as a Producer — I really don’t understand why reasonable work hours, a liveable wage, and safe conditions. It’s mindboggling to me that our industry treats people at the bottom so poorly and that folks at the top make so much $$$. If a deal is not reached, they go on strike on Monday. #IASolidarity
Lastly, I want to give a little plug to a project I worked on last year. One of my mentors, Alexandra Lazarowich, created a short film for Toronto History Museums and this Sunday it’s being showcased at Todmorden Mills. Showcased might be the wrong word to use here because technically the film is being projected onto the space by AVA Animations & Visual Arts (a badass women led annimation company that specializes in projection mapping and interactive content for immersive spaces). It’s going to be rad. If you are looking for something cool to do, please swing by and check it out! More info can be found here.
If you like reading my newsletter — it would really mean a lot if you could send this along to a friend. We’re going to grow this through word of mouth and I know you know cool people who would love this. So hit this button to help a girl out :)
Have a great weekend,
-Paula
p.s. I didn’t ask Editor Emma to look this over this week so please excuse any typos/spelling mistakes