Carol Off has a good point about escapism
Hi All,
I’m really tired of starting these newsletters with a sentiment of frustration with the world. I don’t even need to tell you what I’m talking about today because I know you all are also glued to the news. It feels like most weeks, I’m having to acknowledge that the world is falling apart in one way or another and it’s impacting all of us. There is always a new *thing* that is causing collective sadness, and yet each week I’m here trying to give everyone the escape we so desperately need.
But before we dive into the escapism today, I have a clip from Carol Off that I want to share.
I’m going to argue that Carol is one of this country’s greatest journalists and interviewers. Today was supposed to be her last day on As It Happens (they’ve bumped it to Monday because of the heavy news), so I think this is fitting to share this for numerous reasons:
My hope is that you’re all paying attention to the news because it’s critical to stay engaged, but maybe… let’s not spend the whole day doom scrolling. Today, I’m acknowledging my privilege of being able to tune out and I’m really not taking it for granted.
So today, I’m here to tell you about the shows you can watch when you’re not watching The National or tuning into your news hour/paper/radio show of choice.
Let’s get into it.
This week on the blog:
Well, this week was officially the last episode of Arthur. The LA Times and The Atlantic both ran tributes. Author Marc Brown was on q and had a great conversation with Tom Power about it.
But earlier this year when we first got the news the show was coming to the end, I wrote about what the show meant to me. I’m bringing that back. Read about some of my favourite Arthur moments here.
Plus — if you want to watch the last episode check that out here.
Things to watch this week:
I’m going to make this snappy today :)
Today on Netflix, we’ve got Back to 15. It’s a cute Brazilian teen show. Watch the trailer here.
Also on Netflix, Vikings: Valhalia. It’s a spin-off of Vikings. Should be good. There are lots of shirtless historical Vikings. Check out that trailer here.
On Sunday, the critically acclaimed Killing Eve is back with it’s fourth and final season at 8:00 p.m. on BBC America. Watch the trailer here.
On Wednesday, I’ll be tuning into Big Brother Canada’s 10th Season. It feels wild to me that it’s been on this long. I interned on season three and got my first real TV paycheck from being a stage-hand that year. I still have friends who work on this show and I’m really looking forward to watching it. New episodes drop three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays on Global.
I’m hearing all sorts of crazy-good buzz about The Dropout on Hulu. It’s streaming on Disney+ here in Canada as of Thursday. This is the Elizabeth Holmes/Theranos story starring Amanda Seyfried. Watch the trailer here.
Also on Thursday over on Netflix, we’ve got a thriller, Weekend Away. “A weekend getaway to Croatia goes awry when a woman (Leighton Meester) is accused of killing her best friend.” I’m into it. Check out the trailer here.
Finally, like the pandemic this is never-ending... on Thursday there is a new Tiger King show. Joe vs Carole on Peacock starring Kate McKinnon as Carole Baskin.
Other things to check out:
🎬 The Oscars are moving the presentation of certain award categories to before the live broadcast, but then will be editing them into the broadcast…. including editing. Thanks, I hate it. I know the general public only cares about the big six, but frankly, you don’t get the big six without the help of the other categories… like sound, makeup, production design. Plus — I know the “short” categories don’t mean much to the public, but they are life-changing for the folks who win them in a way that the big six will never understand.
🍿 Wendy William’s show is no longer airing, but Variety has a great tribute to her show and what made it so special. Highly recommend reading it.
🏅 Did you hear about the ratings for the Olympics? Incredible numbers. Bet on women.
📻 I’m here for the Carol Off send-off party. She is truly one of a kind and I’m going to miss hearing her voice after work. CBC Radio has been doing a lot of great tributes to her including this one, this one and especially this one.
Have a great weekend,
-Paula
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.