winter is long and your queue is short

This week: Britney, Lupin, & more TV suggestions cause it's still a pamplemousse

Hi friends!

If you like what you read, please send it to a friend. Consider it your belated valentine to them. Maybe that friend will even subscribe. (Hi new friends!) They can do so right here. Consider it your belated valentine to me. 😍

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Netflix

Lupin

Lupin is a great heist/mystery series based in Paris - like a French Sherlock if Sherlock was very tall and very hot. (Sorry, Cumberbitches.) The title character is played by Omar Sy from Les Intouchables. It’s the French film that The Upside was based on. I haven’t seen The Upside but can guarantee the original is better.

Lupin is also great because it’s based on the Arsène Lupin mystery novels, which adds a touch of literary caché to the entire thing. The show creates a meta entanglement between this “gentleman thief” character of the book series and the action that plays out on screen. It’s quite clever and pretty fun to watch.

Here’s the thing about Lupin, it won’t change your life. But if you just let it take you on its joy ride in a red Lamborghini that crashes through the Louvre, lands on an active police investigation, and somehow still manages to escape with Marie Antoinette’s diamond necklace — all in the first episode — well, that’s one evening of pandemic well spent.

Do you think this is the same dog actor from Call My Agent!?

There are only 5 episodes out right now, aka Part 1. Netflix says Part 2 will be out later this summer.

A note: Do watch Lupin in the original French because the dubbed English acting (which you’ll notice in the trailer above) is a little cartoonish. Up to you.

What to watch next: The Thomas Crowne Affair

Hulu

Framing Britney Spears

The Britney Spears documentary from the New York Times is absolutely worth your time, even if you’ve spent the last few years on the internet following the #FreeBritney movement.

Besides how much autonomy she had in the beginning, how deeply sexist we all were toward her (and most women in the public eye at that time), and how Justin Timberlake can fuck all the way off, what struck me most was the alarming way her brother talks about the women in his family having a mind of their own like it’s a bad thing and that one lawyer who described Britney’s conservatorship as a “hybrid business model” in court documents where he petitioned a raise for himself!

The whole thing is entirely suspicious!!

peytondix

A post shared by PEYTON DIX (@peytondix)

Oh and the paparazzi. We either did not actively recognize how absolutely horrifying the paparazzi were at the time OR we did but just figured this bombardment and lack of privacy was par for the course for being a celebrity?!

I have a lot more soul-searching and actual research to do as a millennial who very much remembers seeing the "…Baby One More Time" video for the first time. Until then, do watch this and let me know what feelings it brings up for you.

What to listen to next: The Las Culturistas “Britney Episode” 👇

Prime

Sylvie’s Love

Tessa Thompson is stunning from the opening shot to the closing credits.

This movie is for you if you want to be transported to a hot, 1950s Harlem summer or if you miss sunshine, live music, loud parties, getting dressed up, and a time before the pandemic.

Sylvie’s Love is gorgeous to watch, a feast for the eyes and the soul. Jewel tones abound, the acting is wonderful, and imagine my delight to learn that the male lead is none other than Kerry Washington’s husband and former NFL player Nnamdi Asomugha. We love a Wikipedia surprise!

There’s a lot of blue in this movie. That’s neither here nor there but it IS my favorite color so that’s something.

What to watch next: One Night In Miami

HBOMax

Chewing Gum

Chewing Gum is finally streaming again!

Those who were lucky enough to catch Chewing Gum when it was first on Netflix have already experienced the chaotic joy of Michaela Coel’s first series. Of course, we now know her as the woman who ripped her soul open to make one of the most incredible pieces of television ever of all time and was snubbed by those dummies at the Golden Globes.

It sucks that she wasn’t nominated. But seeing many people coming to her defense only proves what an absolute talent she is; and that the Golden Globes never mattered much anyway/are even less relevant now that there’s no sloshy Hollywood party to raise their profile.

One good thing - HBOMax just added both seasons of Chewing Gum! So you can bask in the glory that is Coel’s brilliant mind again and again while waiting for your turn in the virtual vaccine line.

People who’ve seen I May Destroy You will notice that even from Episode 1 of Chewing Gum, there’s quite a lot of talk of consent, making it clear that Coel was considering power and permission in relationships long before she gifted us her second opus.

What to watch next: I May Destroy You (for the first, second, or fifteenth time)

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Other things I watched:

• WandaVision tricked me into watching an MCU situation and now that I’m hooked, this Vulture post on the show’s Easter eggs is a big help with figuring out what the heck is going on.

Elizabeth Olsen is very good at Acting but it’s the TV nostalgia for me.

• Call My Agent! had a perfect series finale and I definitely cried about the dog. Then I started the series from the beginning and am now teaching Freddie commands in French. C'est normal, non?

• Please enjoy how extremely boring This Is Us dude Justin Hartley is telling Seth Meyers a story about his daughter learning to drive that ends with him saying he thinks she wants to kill him?!?! Who allowed this, Justin Hartley? Call your people because this, sir, is not it.

• City On The Hill is a ‘90s cop show about corruption in Boston that stars Kevin Bacon. That’s all I knew about it until I saw One Night In Miami and felt compelled to learn more about the guy who plays Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) and realized he costars in this. The show is great if you need something to distract you from your phone for one full hour at a time.

  

  Bonus points for this pretty awesome coat on Kevin Bacon.

• I Hate Suzie feels extremely experimental so when Billie Piper said that she wanted the show to feel like a panic attack, I finally understood the anxiety and claustrophobia I felt watching it. I’m only on episode 4 but will finish it one day.

• Pure is a British show about a young Scottish woman dealing with intrusive thoughts of an explicit sexual nature brought on by OCD while also being a 24-year-old in a big city and trying to do adulthood for the first time.

Pure made me nostalgic for an age when anything is possible and you have very little figured out.

• After spending months waiting for Wild Mountain Thyme to 1) be released and 2) be available for the reasonable rental rate, I am deeply disappointed to report that it is mostly just actors who should know better doing bad Irish accents in beige rooms. This movie is extremely boring, entirely nonsensical, and absolutely not worth your time or money. Just watch Moonstruck instead.

• To end on a good note: I thoroughly enjoyed watching many of Be Kind Rewind’s YouTube videos explaining how U.S. culture and Hollywood politics of the time contributed to key Best Actress Oscar wins. Specifically noteworthy: Cher winning for Moonstruck in ‘88 and Grace Kelly beating Judy Garland in ‘55.

  

  In 1955, NBC was so sure Judy Garland would win for A Star Is Born they sent a camera to her hospital room (she’d just given birth) to broadcast her acceptance speech. Instead, Grace Kelly won for The Country Girl.

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Final thoughts

• My writing services continue to be available for hire.

• If you want to take this conversation more online, you can tag me on Twitter.

• Do please share the subscription link so folks know where to find #theart.

Stay safe. Wear a mask. And let me know what you’re watching.

xoxo,
-delia

if dissociating is your goal, this'll do nicely

This week: TV show suggestions cause it’s slim pickings out there

Hi friends!

As our lives and the way we consume entertainment continue to change (example: when’s the last time you went to the movies???), so too does the style of this newsletter.

Thanks for coming on this journey. If there’s something you especially like (or don’t), please reply and let me know.

If replying to this email fills you with dread, I get it. You can also use Substack’s handy comment feature via the button below:

I’ve been working on accepting compliments and criticisms alike so you’d really be doing me a favor.

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Let’s get to the matter at hand

Today’s theme: TV show suggestions cause it’s slim pickings out there

It’s been rough going for us binge-watchers. Even as new things keep being released and Netflix announced their manic “new movies every week” plan for 2021, I can’t help but feel like there’s NOTHING to watch. And yet…there is always something to watch.

To save you from endlessly scrolling the menu of your preferred streaming service, here are a few shows I’ve seen lately that will definitely help you waste a few hours in isolation.

For the last round of recommendations, the theme was more light-hearted. You can find those “Shows to help you restore your faith in humanity” here. 10 months into this pandemic though, I’m less bright-eyed or bushy-tailed. So let’s just help you pass the time at home.

Netflix

Call My Agent!

If you feel like you miss your office, Call My Agent will dissuade you of that.

En français, this Netflix original is called Dix Pour Cent, or Ten Percent, after the fee most agents take out of their clients’ salaries. The series is set in Paris and centers around ASK, a talent agency. In that sense, it’s a little like Entourage. Don’t worry, that’s where the similarities end.

Aside from providing a glimpse into things our lives currently don’t have — like film premieres, glamourous trips, or…a social life — Call My Agent also highlights modern French work culture in case you happen to miss your own office politics.

The show’s main bit is that it gets real French celebrities like Cécile de France, Jean Dujardin, Juliette Binoche, and even Monica Belucci to play exaggerated versions of themselves.

Best yet, the fourth and final season just came out. So if you liked Emily In Paris but wish it was more down-to-earth and decidedly less American, then consider RSVP-ing “oui” to this gem.

What to watch after: The Hookup Plan (Netflix)

Hulu

Freaks and Geeks

I can’t in good conscience tell you anything about Freaks and Geeks that you haven’t already heard. The show among Judd Apatow’s and Paul Feig’s first big projects and basically launched a lot of careers, especially for Seth Rogen, James Franco, Linda Cardellini, Jason Segel, and Busy Phillips.

Phillips shares quite a bit about her time filming the sitcom in her memoir, This Will Only Hurt A Little. That includes juicy tidbits about Franco basically being a shit (read: generally terrible and evenly allegedly abusive) and Rogan being a sweetheart.

Basically, everyone considers this teen drama a must-watch regardless of where you fell in the lunch table hierachy. So make an evening of reliving your adolescence.

What to watch after: Sex Education (Netflix) or PEN15 (Hulu)

Prime

Beecham House

Please note Lesley Nicol (aka Downton Abbey’s Mrs. Patmore) on the left.

This is by no means a good show. But it is a beautifully designed show. Plus, the two male leads are pretty hot and India looks like a really lovely place to visit one day. Also good, it’ll eat up an entire evening or afternoon (or afternoon-into-evening, if you time it right) and provide you with a sliver into the horrors the British East India company committed in that country.

Beecham House falls into one of my favorite British TV genres - specifically, it’s a historical drama that partially deals with colonialism while also glamorizing those same oppressive ancestors; before inevitably getting canceled after one season.

6 episodes in, the story ends frustratingly, and I’m not sure the cultural politics are accurate or appropriate. But if dissociating is your goal…yeah, this show will do nicely.

What to watch after: Indian Summers (Prime)

HBOMax

Frayed

Sneakily, I have saved the best for last.

Frayed was a wonderful surprise, despite sitting ignored in my queue for a couple of months. It’s a bit like an Australian Schitt’s Creek, which should be recommendation enough.

It’s about a wealthy London woman named Simone (Sarah Kendall), whose husband dies suddenly. Left with two teenagers and the revelation of massive debt, she takes her kids back to her hometown in Australia where they’re greeted by a significantly more normal family than the one she’s fabricated; plus, a bunch of people who are super pissed about the way she disappeared 20 years ago.

The show is very fun and genuinely funny. It’s also heartwarmingly kind about adults making pretty big mistakes. Plus the late-’80s fashion is both ridiculous and inspiring.

Even better, there will reportedly be a season 2 so that’s something to look forward to.

What to watch after: Sisters or The Let Down (both Netflix)

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Other things I watched:

• The original Supermarket Sweep, which is the definition of soothing early-’90s nostalgia. For 20 blissful minutes, the SoCal contestants’ teased bangs and high-rise pleated pants pair nicely with the show’s extremely low-stakes challenges and make me feel as calm as a small child with absolutely no real-world worries. (Netflix)

• 9-1-1 and its spin-off counterpart 9-1-1: Lonestar have returned. Do yourself a favor and watch this lovely example of low-stakes prime-time network television. It asks nothing of you and in return, provides 40 minutes of wholly satisfying entertainment, led by either Angela Basset or Rob Lowe. As the kids say, choose your player. (Hulu)

• Five Star Life is an Italian movie that’s been in my queue for a while. It seems extremely up my alley and yet, I have still not actually finished it 6 days later. It’s about a single lady who reviews 5-star hotels for a living so just the travel component alone is perfect for These Times. Then Lesley Manville shows up at the 56-minute mark and things really start to get interesting. Tune in next time to see if I actually get to the end. (Prime)

• I wanted to hate Prom but, in fact, found myself thoroughly enjoying how much obvious fun Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman are having. After exclusively watching Nicole plays Very Upset Wives With Very Bad Husbands in Big Little Lies and The Undoing and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, it is genuinely refreshing to see her hamming it up for Ryan Murphy in short dresses and a French twist. (Netflix)

• Mr. Mayor is the newest Tina Fey/Robert Carlock production airing on NBC. It’s new, which is rare; stars Ted Danson, which is a no-brainer; and includes Holly Hunter in a role that’s entirely unexpected for her and to which she commits 1000%. If you like this kind of thing (I do), you should also watch Good News. (Peacock/Hulu)

• Late Night with Seth Meyers, which I watch most days for the Closer Look and because he’s a delightful interviewer who seems perfectly at ease chatting with his guests over video call. Right now, it’s extra endearing to see his on-camera interactions with the minimal staff and crew that are allowed in the studio. (Peacock/Hulu)

• Law & Order: SVU is obviously a streaming stalwart but Season 22 is particularly great because they’ve gone ALL IN on incorporating the pandemic into their narrative to results I love/cringe in equal measure. (Peacock/Hulu)

• Grown-ish is back with a continuation of season 3. I mostly watch this Black-ish spin-off because it makes me feel simultaneously old and cool - kind of like scrolling TikTok. (Freeform/Hulu)

• Finally, DO NOT make my mistake and rent Unfaithful, the 2002 thriller where Diane Lane and Olivier Martinez *do it* in a public bathroom and, later, a hallway. Cue The Ashleys. This overwrought cautionary tale wants us to believe a wife’s infidelity ruins her family forever but honestly, miss me with your patriarchal morals. In reality, it filled me with deep annoyance once I realized it is essentially the story of two white privileged narcissists, one of whom is also a murderer. (Just don’t)

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Final thoughts

• My writing services continue to be available for hire.

• If you want to take this conversation more online, you can tag me on Twitter.

• Do please share the subscription link so folks know where to find #theart.

Stay safe. Wear a mask. And let me know what you’re watching.

xoxo,
-delia

should you spend $20 to rent Promising Young Woman?

This week: 2 questions to help you decide.

Hi friends!

It’s been a very wild…since-April and there’s not much more to say except I sincerely hope you’re healthy and safe and that all your loved ones are as well. In this crap time, the only thing that makes it better some days is dissociating in front of the TV. Fortunately, there’s a lot out there to watch — and some of it is even good.

Even if your pandemic has devolved into reality programming the likes of 90-Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days from the monsters at TLC, trust that this is a safe space. You’re among friends here, understood and encouraged to discuss exactly how “Big Ed” is horrible or why so very many men feel absolutely fine sending thousands of dollars to women in Ukraine who very clearly hate them.

But that’s not what we’re here to discuss.

No, we’re here because of a movie so excellent, it propelled me out of my combination pandemic/insurrection/seasonal/regular depression and compelled me to write this newsletter again.

Today’s theme: Promising Young Woman, and why you should watch it

Some business first: If you like what you read, please forward this email to someone! It’s nice to hear from friends and nicer still to get an email that isn’t about coronavirus or a recipe exchange chain that you’ll no doubt forget to forward.

For new folks…Welcome! Hi! Thanks for opening! You can continue to receive A Waste Of Time by signing up here:

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Now to address the matter at hand:

Should you or should you not spend $20 American to watch the Carey Mulligan vehicle Promising Young Woman?

Unlike that time we discussed the latest adaptation of Emma, there are now only two questions to help you decide:

1. Do you actually have $20 to spare right now?

2. Are you, or do you care about, a woman?

These questions are simple. The answers should be as well.

In my opinion, the movie is fantastically well done.

On pure entertainment value, it was the most enjoyable thing I’ve watched all year, after Sylvie’s Love. Do watch Sylvie’s Love, now streaming on Prime.

Carey Mulligan’s performance is phenomenal and if she doesn’t win the Oscar, I will tweet angrily about it. The supporting cast is wonderful. The costumes and set design are bizarre and exquisite. The bubblegum colors that pepper the film act like visual reminders of the saccharine nausea Cassie must feel existing in her rage. Even the soundtrack is brilliant, from the all-strings cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” to the inclusion of Paris Hilton’s actually-very-good “Stars Are Blind” — one of the very few polytheistic pop songs, as my friend Jim always points out.

On social commentary, Promising Young Woman is necessary and devastating. Not only because of how horrendously common rape culture is in this patriarchal hellscape but also because of how much we have all been affected by it in some way — whether it’s happened to you, or to someone you love, or it affected a relationship, or your school, or your town, or women’s treatment in general, or the very fiber of our entire society.

Remember, we all watched in horror as people meant to uphold the law and provide justice worried more about a white guy’s future than the very real life and safety of Chanel Miller, the unconscious woman he raped behind a dumpster. There’s a reason “text me when you get home” has become a parting phrase in most female friendships.

On Instagram, the film’s marketing team is currently reposting stories that mention their film. It’s really quite cunning since it 1) uses free user-generated content as promotion 2) flatters the post-er by boosting their story to a larger audience, and in turn, thanks the fans for their posts about the film 3) rallies the community of fans that’s quickly building and 4) proves the film’s worth through the words of the people it’s impacted. If there are actual marketing terms for the concepts I’m clumsily describing here, please reply and let me know.

Reading through the recommendations — mostly from accounts bearing female names — it’s common to see the film referred to as “essential,” “necessary,” “wow, just wow,” and “WATCH THIS FUCKING MOVIE!”

Clearly, Promising Young Woman is hitting a nerve. It’s exposing a wound. And it is getting it absolutely right. So if you have $20 to spare, do watch this movie.

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A very interesting thing to note:

The film was written and directed by Emerald Fennell. I hadn’t known her name before but when she makes a cameo in the film (you’ll know when it happens), I recognized her instantly.

Where do we know her from? Emerald was on Call The Midwife for 27 episodes as Nurse Patsy Mount AND plays Camilla Parker Bowles to vicious perfection in the last two seasons of The Crown.

Wikipedia tells us she is ALSO:

• a head writer and showrunner for Killing Eve,

• close friends with Phoebe Waller-Bridge

• a published author of FOUR different books

• a libra (unsurprisingly)

All this on top of having written one of the most thought-provoking films about the modern female experience of maybe…ever? Yeah, I’ll stand by that.

Turns out, we are left with no choice but to stan.

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Final thoughts

• My writing services continue to be available for hire.

• If you want to take this conversation more online, you can tag me on Twitter.

• Do please share the subscription link so folks know where to find #theart.

Stay safe. Wear a mask. Let me know what you’re watching.

xoxo,
-delia

should you spend $20 to rent Emma.?

This week: 10 questions to help you decide.

Hi friends!

Was February actually 9 years or just 2 months ago?

On the bright side, there is always more to stream. Even bad content is a blessing cause it occupies our brains for a few hours. I spent last night watching a Netflix movie called Triple Frontier that would never have made the cut “before” but gave me something to do between having dinner and going to bed.

While I do not recommend watching this pointless macho-fest, I do recommend going outside your typical content streams and seeing what else is out there. Or perhaps treating yourself to one of the theatrical release movies that are currently available. If $19.99 is something you can spare right now, it weirdly feels semi-normal to watch a “new” movie, even if it is still on the same couch you’ve been living, eating, sleeping, working for the past month.

Today’s theme: Emma. and other period content you can stream

If you like what you read, please forward this email to someone! It’s nice to hear from friends and nicer still to get an email that isn’t about coronavirus or a recipe exchange chain that you’ll no doubt forget to forward.

For new folks…Welcome! Hi! Thanks for opening! You can continue to receive A Waste Of Time by signing up here:

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Today’s Must-Watch

I thoroughly enjoyed the British series Traitors, about Russian, British, and American spies in London at the beginning of the Cold War. Although it was not prominently advertised on my Netflix feed, it’s a reminder to browse around for yourself and not solely rely on the algorithm’s “Top Picks For You.”

The show itself is quite outlandish and the plot is more heightened than you’d expect from this genre. But it does star queen Keely Dawes — from The Durrells In Corfu, The Bodyguard, and Upstairs Downstairs — and we can safely take her casting in anything as a very good sign.

Overwrought or not, I was thankful that Traitors kept me engrossed for most of the weekend and I felt satisfied when it was over. If there had been a season 2, I would have binged that as well.

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Now to discuss the matter at hand: Should you or should you not spend $20 American to watch the latest retelling of Emma?

Here are some questions that should help:

1. Do you like Jane Austen's work?

2. Have you seen the Keira Knightley Pride & Prejudice more than once?

3. Do you generally like period pieces?

4. Are you a fan of Downton Abbey?

5. Would you describe Bill Nighy as “devastatingly charming”?

6. Would you have ordinarily bought a movie ticket to see Emma. in theaters?

7. Do you actually have $20 to spare right now?

8. Can you focus for 2 hours?

9. Ok, but be honest - can you actually put your phone in another room and pay attention to anything for 2 solid hours?

10. Do you like colorful things?

11. Does your inner monologue sometimes sway into an English accent?

12. Could you use a jolt of joy and happiness right now?

If you answered yes to the majority of these questions (so 6 “yes”es or more) AND you answered yes to number 7, then it’s safe to say you actually should go ahead and rent Emma.

To really get your money’s worth, watch it twice during the 48-hour rental period.

It is beautifully filmed, with each shot exquisitely composed. Plus the acting is sly, cunning, and subtly hilarious. Bill Nighy as Emma’s hypochondriac father is magnificent but then, Nighy is always magnificent. And I thoroughly love director Autumn De Wilde’s vision of Highbury as a pastel dreamland.

If you have rented Emma. and want to indulge in more period pieces

OR

if you decided the $20 is ultimately not worth it (which is entirely fair), here are a few more forthy, escapist suggestions:

If you want to see more Emma adaptations

Emma (1996) - HBO

The feature film with Gwyneth Paltrow.

Emma (1996) - Prime of iTunes rental

The iTV film with Kate Beckinsale that I only just heard of while Googling. Notice it came out the same year as the theatrical Emma version. This one was written by Andrew Davies, who also wrote the 1995 Pride and Prejudice (see just below).

Emma (2009) - Hulu

The BBC series remake with Romola Garai.

If you want to see more Jane Austen adaptations

Pride and Prejudice (1995) - Hulu

This 6-episode BBC production starring Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy is the reason there’s a character named Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones’s Diary and also why Colin was cast to play him. Legend has it that Bridget Jones creator Helen Fielding was so smitten with Colin in Pride and Prejudice — particularly the scene where he comes out of the lake in his soaking wet white shirt — that she named the love interest in her book after him. Then when it came time to turn her book into a movie, she cast her original inspiration.

Like Helen of Troy before him, soaking wet Colin Firth launched 1,000 art projects. Remember this?

Sense and Sensibility (1995) - Starz

Mansfield Park (1999) - Netflix

Pride and Prejudice (2005) - Starz

Becoming Jane (2007) - HBO

Love and Friendship (2016) - Prime

If you want to see more modern takes on Jane Austen

Clueless (1995) - available to rent

Obviously Clueless remains the gold standard of modernized adaptations. Even without the Austen tie-in, it’s excellent. But in the context of Emma, it’s super fun to see which characters match up and how they depict the ridiculous-but-well-meaning Mr. Woodhouse.

Bridget Jones’s Diary - Hulu

Austenland - available to rent

If you like Mr. Knightley and just want more Johnny Flynn on your TV

Lovesick - Netflix

It’s important you know this UK rom-com series was originally called Scrotal Recall and started out about a guy who discovers he has an STD and must call all of his exes to let them know. It was canceled (likely because no one watched it due to the horrible title). Then Netflix picked it up, the name got changed, and it continued to be a very sweet, lovely show about finding love, messing up, and trying again.

Song One - YouTube (seriously)

Love is Thicker Than Water - available for rent

Vanity Fair - Prime

And a few more British period dramas while we’re stuck inside

Gentleman Jack - HBO

I talked about Gentleman Jack last year here and here. It’s still my favorite period piece about a lesbian living in 1800s England not only because the entire story is based on a real person, which is extremely cool, but also because the show treats complex adult emotions with respect and care, which is extremely rare.

Downton Abbey - Prime

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Final thoughts

• My writing services are available for hire and I’d love to write a piece for your publication.

• If you want to take this conversation more online, you can tag me on Twitter.

• Don’t forget to share the subscription link so folks know where to find #theart.

Stay safe. Learn how to sew a face mask. Be kind to one another.

xoxo,
-delia

how to restore your faith in humanity

This week: the most delightful shows I could find.

Hi friends!

I’ve officially been self-isolating for 3 weeks now and it is, yes, strange. I am fine, healthy, safe, with plenty of food and even more streaming content to keep me company. I hope you are too.

But the longer this pandemic continues, the more our feelings about being homebound are…bound to change. Even in the best circumstances, it can be crazy-making to never go anywhere or see anyone. So this week, I assembled some much-needed TV suggestions to make the most of your time indoors, broken down by streaming platform.

Today’s theme: Delightful shows that will restore your faith in humanity

If you like what you read, please forward this email to someone. It’s nice to check in with people you care about and nicer still to see something in your inbox that isn’t about coronavirus.

For new folks…welcome! Hi! Thanks for opening! You can continue getting A Waste Of Time by putting in your email here:

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Today’s Must-Watch

Look, I know everyone is talking about the Netflix series right now and with good reason!

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness tells you right in the title that there will be 1) murder 2) mayhem and 3) madness. Trust me when I tell you that our small human brains are entirely incapable of foreseeing exactly HOW MUCH of each three this documentary packs into 6 episodes.

IMPORTANT: We are usually pro-spoilers around these parts but in this case, I promise you it’s better to avoid reading any tweets, recaps, or articles ahead of time. You definitely want to uncover the wild world of big cat keepers for yourself.

ONLY after you finish can you also enjoy this Most Insane Moments compilation from Netflix UK.

My second gift to everyone who completed the assignment is this mega enlightening Twitter thread from journalist Robert Moor who also followed Joe Exotic for this magazine article and this podcast (from the people who brought you Dirty John).

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Netflix

Sex Education

This magical Netflix series might be the best thing I’ve ever seen on TV.

Based somewhere in England (or Wales?) in a mythical place where kids have British accents, American lockers, and the wardrobe of a John Hughes film, it’s the story of Otis, a high schooler being raised by his fabulous single mum Dr. Jean Milburn (brilliant Gillian Anderson wearing the hell out of some jumpsuits) - who just happens to be a sex therapist. Otis decides to use whatever psychosexual lingo he overheard at home to therapize his classmates for cash. He’s also hiding a deep crush on his business partner and dealing with his own general teenage issues.

It’s also so much more than this. Sex Education is lovely! It’s sex-positive, it’s feminist, it’s deeply kind, it’s wholly compassionate, and it’s funny as all hell. The season 2 premiere had me cackling alone and once you get there, you’ll instantly know which scene did it.

Most of all, it’s the reason I search for yellow embroidered robes like Jean’s every few weeks. I found the one she wears from Zara but they don’t sell them anymore. 😭

If there’s one thing we need in the world right now (and all the time), it’s more smart, inclusive, hilarious shows like Sex Education. Enjoy!

2 seasons, 3rd on the way

Hulu

Moone Boy

One of Hulu’s first original series, Moone Boy was created and written by charmer Chris O’Dowd and actually based on his own experiences growing up in Ireland, dealing with parents, school, the Troubles, and his imaginary best friend Sean Murphy.

Here, Chris plays Sean with such zest that you can’t help but fall madly in love instantly. Meanwhile, the zany family is so clearly written by someone who both loves them deeply and finds them super annoying — so, you know, family.

And just like little Martin Moone is stuck in his family, his small town, and his pre-teen body, so too are we stuck at home for the foreseeable future. Might as well enjoy this young idiot boy’s harmless hijinx while we help flatten the curve.

3 seasons

Prime

Mozart In The Jungle

Over the weekend, I rewatched this series about the inner workings of a New York symphony orchestra, the new conductor who wants to modernize it, the young oboe player trying to get her big break, and the constant battle of classical music staying alive in a modern world; which is to say I stand by how deeply lovely the show is. But it’s not without its flaws and honestly, this time around, Hailey/“Hai Lai” (Lola Kirke who, turns out, also sings and isn’t bad at all) as the main female character seems flightier than ever.

But what I love the most about this Golden Globe winner is still the character of Rodrigo De Souza (Gael García Bernal), the wunderkind conductor now grown up and trying to breathe life into the New York Symphony. Bernal’s maestro is full of life and curiosity and a deep well of kindness. No one he encounters is too small or too inexperienced to be ignored. Rodrigo seems to believe fully that everyone is an artist in their own way and he always takes time to earnestly hear their story. What an excellent reminder when we’re all so physically removed from each other.

I am duty-bound to mention that the show also stars Bernadette Peters, who is incredible as Gloria Windsor, the symphony’s president — a four-time divorcee doing her damndest to hold the institution together in 4-inch platform heels.

True, the real star of this show might be Bernadette’s cleavage, but that they shot on location in Mexico, Venice, and Tokyo doesn’t hurt either.

Pro tip: If you watch this on a laptop, hover over the left side of your screen where they show you cast via the IMDb integration, click View All, and select Trivia. Little insider production tidbits exist for a bunch of the episodes, much like the DVD extras commentary of olde and it is so cool!

One more thing: Mozart In The Jungle is based on a somewhat racy memoir of the same title written by real-life oboist Blair Tindall, who was married to Bill Nye (the science guy) for a rather brief time. I highly recommend reading the Wikipedia entries about their divorce because whatever happened is a) dark and b) wild and c) I am entirely devoid of gossip during the pandemic so if you don’t reply to this email with some niche drama, I swear I will wither away.

4 seasons

HBO

High Maintenance

No show on TV right now more accurately captures the authenticity of life in 2016 - 2020 New York City than High Maintenance — which started as a web series on Vimeo before getting a series deal at HBO.

You might have heard it’s a show about smoking weed. And it is, in a way. But it’s much more a show about humanity, this insane city we love, and our need for genuine human connection. It’s told through the lives of people who happen to have the same weed dealer — the Guy. Despite being the show’s main character, the Guy is never named. But as the series unfolds, we learn more and more about this calm, curious, sweet man, what makes him tick, and why he chooses to be a marijuana bike messenger.

A story I love telling is that series creators Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfield were a married couple when it began, got divorced in the middle of production, and have continued working together. During this time, Katja (who used to be a casting director on 30 Rock before becoming a showrunner herself) also came out, fell in love with a woman, and recently co-wrote an episode with her new partner. I don’t know a lot of people who could have continued working with their exes through such a huge life change and while I don’t know Ben or Katja personally (unless stalking their Instagrams counts?), it’s genuinely heartwarming to think that these open-hearted, forgiving people are the ones making this beautiful series.

You can feel that same spirit of forgiveness in the way each story is revealed with such care and love. It makes sense that I feel warm, fuzzy, and full of hope for humanity after every single episode.

Told vignette style, characters are presented in small glimpses into their everyday lives. Construction workers, Wall Street bros, Instagram scammers, teachers, working moms, stay-at-home dads, hoarders, grifters, preppers, flashers, patients, throuples, students, vets, dancers, drivers, the old, the young, the figuring it out. By the time you catch up, you’ll feel you’ve gained access to the most beautiful deck of cards, each telling a brief but intimate synopsis of yet another fascinating life.

No one is too weird, nothing is too strange.

Trust me when I tell you that at least once while watching this show, you will encounter a character that reminds you of someone you know or, if you’re really lucky, someone who reminds you of yourself. Tell who it was when you get there!

Then you’ll realize that the most enthralling thing about the show is actually its ordinariness. Because the Guy primarily goes into people’s homes, we get these small, domestic glimpses into each character and our voyeurism itch is scratched. We see ourselves reflected in the tiny, cramped apartments, the bathroom in the kitchen, the mess behind the couch. And we come to realize that what ties us together is a whole lot bigger than what tears us apart — i.e. we all do battle with our laptop chargers.

A note: When you start watching, don’t forget to catch the original web series too since the HBO episodes build on some of the same characters. It’s also on HBO but you have to search for it separately. Literally look for High Maintenance: Web Series.

3 seasons, 4th currently airing

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One more thing

Just watch Tiger King already, dammit!

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Final thoughts

• My writing services are available for hire and I’d love to write a piece for your publication.

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Stay home. Disinfect your high-touch areas. Be kind to one another.

xoxo,
-delia