WHAT I’VE RECENTLY WATCHED

Let me just come right out and say that I watched an obscene amount of shows this summer and during the first few weeks postpartum. Not going to lie, at times looking forward to another episode of tv was the only thing getting me through an evening or tough day. Towards the end of my pregnancy I was so flipping uncomfortable that all I could do in my free time was sit in bed with my laptop to watch more shows and needlepoint. And then when Jack was born, there’s just not a lot to do with a newborn and they sleep a lot and you’re exhausted so television it is!

Now that he’s a little bigger and sleeping for longer stretches at night and for shorter stretches during the day (and that I’m working again), I haven’t watched anything outside of an episode or two of a show with Mike after dinner. (We’re watching Ted Lasso and the Morning Show, of course, and he’s convinced me to try to get into Sopranos.)

Anyway. Because of my intense TV binging sessions, I have a bunch of shows to recommend…

NINE PERFECT STRANGERS (Hulu)

I weirdly loved and hated this show. It’s quirky and has a cast of characters that you simply won’t forget. The show is based on Lane Moriarty’s book of the same name. I didn’t read the book and I’ve heard that people loved the show a lot more than the book. (When does that happen!) It’s about a wellness retreat run by a mysterious leader (played by Nicole Kidman!) and follows the lives of the attendees of one of the sessions. It’s nuts but I was into it– even if it also kind of irritated me? So descriptive, I know.

CODA (Apple+)

If you only watch ONE thing from this list, make it this. It’s a film on Apple+ about a deaf family and their hearing daughter living in Massachusetts. Don’t watch without a box of tissues handy… I was sobbing. It’s a really, really beautifully done coming of age story about what it’s like being a child of deaf adults (CODA) but also just a teenager figuring out what the next steps after high school are.

THE D’AMELIO SHOW (Hulu)

This one may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I binged this in a very short amount of time. It’s about Charli D’Amelio (and her family) after Charli rose to extreme TikTok fame seemingly overnight. The family produced the documentary-style show so it definitely has a clear message they’re trying to express, but it’s still pretty fascinating to have the curtain peeled back a little bit.

LULARICH (Amazon Prime)

Wow, what a ride. This is a documentary series about the rise of LuLaRoe, a multi-level-marketing company, and its subsequent fall. It is insane. If you’re fascinated by MLMs in general, it’s a great watch… and a great warning for anyone considering joining any MLM really. (PS the IT guy is the best…)

NAOMI OSAKA (Netflix)

I really enjoyed watching this documentary series about Naomi Osaka. (I actually watched her play in the US Open a few years ago when she was still up and coming!) I will say, the series felt a little unfinished/rushed and I wonder if the pandemic changed plans for how filming went. I think it would have been better as one movie instead of episodic. But it’s still worth watching. Especially since Naomi has been so outspoken about her mental health recently, I think the series sheds additional light on her background and gives more context to the struggles she has been facing on and off the court.

THE CHAIR (Netflix)

Sandra Oh plays the lead in The Chair– it’s about a newly appointed chairwoman for a failing English department at a liberal arts college. Overall I really liked it. It’s funny while still tackling some bigger issues, namely “culture wars” on college campuses. The entire cast is phenomenal (seriously, the cast is perfect) but it’s Juju (the daughter) who really steals the show.

MY UNORTHODOX LIFE (Netflix)

Mixed feelings on this. First of all, it’s pretty entertaining and I couldn’t quite turn away. With that said, it feels incredibly fake and scripted, but not more so than your average reality show. The series is about Julia Haart and her family after they left an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. She’s now the CEO of a shoe company and talent agency…. They’re definitely trying to position themselves as a Kardashian-esque family. But the whole story feels a little fishy. But still, it didn’t stop me from watching the entire thing.