Amazon Prime is getting into Canadian content
Plus some true crime, true love, and true trash to get you through this weekend :)
Hi All,
We’ve got some new subscribers this week so, if you’re new around here, welcome, and if you’re an OG, welcome back! I always start my newsletter with a personal update and this week I’ve got a few :)
I finally got to take a bit of a break last weekend and went down to Niagara-on-the-Lake for a day trip. I love going on road trips around Ontario and I hadn’t gone in that direction in a while.
I also got to see a movie… in a movie theatre! I know. I was also shocked.
I took some friends to see a screening of the new JLo movie Marry Me. It is excellent. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a new rom-com. It’s a fun plot, Jenny from the Block and Owen Wilson are both fantastic, and the music is amazing. An all-around smash.
On Wednesday night, I stayed up way too late to watch Canada win the Gold Medal in hockey. From this point forward, when I talk about Team Canada I’m talking about the women’s team: it’s hockey and men’s hockey from now on. Just incredible.
This weekend, I plan on going for brunch and then once again, exclusively watching CBC News Network. I don’t even need to say what I’m watching. It’s a trainwreck, but phenomenal journalism and reporting. If you are also a news nerd, send me an email because I would love to do a deep dive into the coverage.
Okay — let’s get into the stuff I should be watching instead :)
Things to watch this week:
On Netflix today, true crime fans rejoice. The big doc of the day is Downfall: The Case Against Boeing. If you follow the news, you definitely have heard about the awful fatal plane crashes that involved Boeing planes in 2018/2019. This doc dives into the coverup. It’s a Sundance selection and getting good reviews on Rotten Tomatos so I’m expecting good things. Check out the trailer here.
Also on Netlfix, Steve Carrel’s Space Force returns for season two. Check out the trailer here.
Plus Netflix is continuing to drop new episodes of Love is Blind on Fridays. I can’t explain how much I hate-watch this show. Literally, none of the people on the show are enjoyable to watch, and yet… I cannot not watch. Especially egregious this season is Shayne. I don’t say this lightly, but he is the worst. Please email me if you are also watching this show. Anyways…
Over on Amazon Prime, there are two shows worth pointing out today.
Up first is Last One Laughing: Canada. If you’ve somehow missed having ads pushed to you about this show, the general concept is a group of Canadian comedians move into a Big Brother style room/house (I actually wouldn’t be surprised it is the Big Brother house) and try to make the other people laugh. The goal is to not laugh. If you laugh, you’re out. The last one laughing wins $100 000 for the charity of their choice. It has a stellar cast, and I’m really excited about this one. This six-part series is one of the first Amazon Prime originals specifically made for Canadians, so I’m also super interested in seeing if this does well. Watch the trailer here:
Second, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season four starts streaming today. This is a lovely show and it was just announced that a fifth and final season is also going to be made so enjoy this while you can. Check out the trailer here.
On Sunday Last Week Tonight with John Oliver returns to HBO. I’m not sure if I want them to open with the tr*ckers or if I really hope they don’t do anything with it and just stick to some bureaucratic/paperwork scandal.
On Monday, on NBC, Eurovision comes to America with American Song Contest. They’re taking the Eurovision idea and spinning it. Each state and territory in the US will perform a song, and then folks will vote on which song is the best. Hosted by Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dog… it should be very interesting. I don’t think it will have the same Eurovision flair, but I think the concept is strong. Watch the trailer here and check out the show at 8:00 p.m.
If that’s not your scene, here in Canada tune into CBC or CBC Gem and watch the premiere of The Porter. I saw the pilot as part of the CMPA conference last week and I was impressed. I’d really recommend checking this out. I think it has a lot of room to grow (in a good way) and I’m excited to follow along. Check out the trailer here:
Also on Monday, we’ve got the third season of Below Deck Sailing Yacht. I am pumped. Last season of Sailing Yacht was quite possibly the best Below Deck season yet, so I’m really excited to get back with Captian Glen and the crew!
On Tuesday, on Netflix, the Bubba Wallace documentary comes out. It’s called RACE: Bubba Wallace. It looks really good. Watch the trailer here.
Finally on Wednesday, millennials everywhere will be tuning into Disney+ to check out The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. I really loved the show when it was first on, and I will 100% be watching the remake. Check out the trailer here.
Other things to check out:
🎬 Baz Luhrmann’s long awaited Elvis biopic Elvis finally dropped a trailer today. It looks unreal. I cannot wait to watch it. Staring Austin Buttler as Elvis and Tom Hanks as his manager, Colonel Tom Parker — it is going to be a huge movie. Comes out in June 2022. Check out the trailer here.
📺 There is a new Below Deck franchise worth checking out — Below Deck: Down Under. My favourite stu Ayesha is back and I’m hoping it’s lots of fun. Watch the trailer here and check out the show in late March.
🍿 The Canadian Screen Awards released their nominations for digital, televison, and film for 2022 this week. The full list includes friends, colleagues, and a whole collection of wonderful Canadian creatives. I highly recommend you check it out and watch the projects nominated, like you would for all the Emmy’s and Oscars. Read the full list here.
Finally, this TikTok story brings me a lot of joy. A kid discovered their dad wrote a fantastic song in the 1970s, it never got released, but it’s now going viral. Jimmy Kimmel had them on to tell the story. Check it out here.
Have a great weekend,
-Paula
📝📝📝 This newsletter was once again not edited by Emma because I ran out of time because I was working today :) Ignore all the spelling/grammar mistakes 📝📝📝
This newsletter was written by me — Paula Sanderson — a freelance Television Producer and current MBA student based in Toronto. After years of recommending the best shows to my friends, I decided to start a newsletter so everyone could get the recommendations. If you want to learn more about what I do professionally or follow me on the various social channels click here.