Last weekend, we had the Super Bowl, and this weekend we've got the NBA All-Star Game. While that's far from an apples-to-apples comparison in terms of viewers, it’ll for sure keep sports fans occupied. But for those of you who aren't sports fans, here are a few things that should be on your radar this weekend if you're looking for something new to watch.
Each week on AirTalk, LAist 89.3's daily news show, we're joined by television critics who help parse through notable releases and tell us what's worth a binge. This week we were joined by TV critics Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly, and Jen Chaney of Vulture.
Listen to the full conversation for a rundown of the variety of shows they hit on. I’ll dig into three of them a little further to offer added insights.
This week’s shows include:
Streaming on Netflix
The show is a fictionalized version of the life of rap artist Vince Staples, living his life in Long Beach and dealing with whatever comes his way in these self-contained episodes.
Each episode is a different story, so you can almost drop in at any point. And it's funny, but there is certainly social and racial commentary embedded in every episode. – Jen Chaney, Vulture
It takes you places that you wouldn't expect, it's really funny and very dark. It has some very fatalistic overtones as well, but I loved it. – Kristen Baldwin, Entertainment Weekly
Overall take: Billed as a comedy, though it does have serious elements to it as well, the show serves as a cool project for a well-known, local artist. The sitcom-style scenarios will be familiar to many, with an extra draw if you’re a lifelong resident of Long Beach or L.A.
Fun fact: Staples was born and raised on the Northside of Long Beach, something that remains a point of pride for him. The album that put him on the map for a lot of rap audiences, "Summertime ‘06," had a hit single called “Norf Norf” where he shouts out his hometown in the chorus.
When and where: All 5 episodes premiered today on Netflix.
Airing on Comedy Central & Streaming on Paramount+
Unless you live under a rock, you're most likely familiar with this show's format — a satirical perspective on current events and affairs in the United States. But here's the new part — longtime host Jon Stewart is back after a nine year absence and will be hosting the show every Monday from now until the 2024 general election. The rest of the week will be hosted by a rotating cast of Daily Show correspondents.
“One thing we do learn this season is that you should never say… ‘Do you have a celebrity lookalike?’” – Kristen Baldwin, Entertainment Weekly
“There are other people who do this who are great, but Jon Stewart is like the OG master of this kind of political commentary and I'm really curious to see where he goes with it in the coming weeks.”
Overall take: We spent most of the program discussing Stewart’s return, and for good reason, having been the source of many people’s interest in satirical news since the George W. Bush administration. His monologue this past Monday went viral, amassing over 1 million views on YouTube in less than a day.
Fun facts: Check out AirTalk's interview with The Daily Show co-creator and former showrunner Madeleine Smithberg, who talked about Stewart’s return and her relationship to the show when he first started.
When and where: The show airs Monday to Friday at 11 p.m. on Comedy Central, and streams on Paramount+ the day after.
Streaming on Netflix
Co-hosts Nick & Vanessa Lachey are back with 30 singles seeking love. They'll date around with the other contestants, but their superficiality will be tested — they won't be able to see the person they're talking to. Can true love blossom when you can't see the object of your affection?
“One thing we do learn this season is that you should never say… ‘Do you have a celebrity lookalike?’” – Kristen Baldwin, Entertainment Weekly
Overall take: For those who are a fan of reality TV matchmaking, you’ve probably learned at this point whether Love Is Blind is your kind of vibe. If you haven't checked it out yet, you could easily jump in on the show during its sixth season and use it as a cathartic watch, thinking about what you might do in certain scenarios and talking about each episode's findings with friends.
Fun facts: If you have the time to spare, and are unsure whether you’ll mesh well with this season’s cast, I’d recommend checking out this blog post breakdown Netflix staff writer Cole Delbyck did for each contestant.
When and where: Episodes 1-6 premiered Feb. 14; Episodes 7-9 release Feb. 21.
