Television can be a unique medium nowadays due to its wide range in scale — you’ll have large spectacles like Shogun out but also little slice-of-life programs like Chicken Nugget. These shows can vary in budget, but still offer a lot of quality, and it can be tough to make sense of all the recommendations in your 'For You' feed on your favorite streamer.
Thankfully, we’re here to help find your next favorite show.
Each week on AirTalk, LAist 89.3's daily news show, we're joined by television critics who help parse notable releases and tell us what's worth a binge. This week we were joined by freelance TV critic Steve Greene.
Listen to the full conversation for a rundown of the various shows they hit on. I’ll dig into three of them further to offer added insights.
This week’s shows/topics include:
Streaming on Apple TV+
The show follows outsider Maxine (Kristen Wiig), who looks to insert herself into Palm Beach’s high society in 1969 — whether those already on the inside approve.
“The environment of the show is very light and bright, even though there is some sort of dark, backstabbing, conniving happening underneath [it].” – Steve Green, freelance TV critic
Overall take: Many people are going to focus on the comedic performances, but that shouldn’t take away from the show's dramatic elements, which help to move the story along. Another bonus for the show is its emphasis on class differences between the show’s protagonist, Maxine, and others at this fancy Palm Beach resort — it's a show that you can put on in the background while you're folding laundry or cooking, or one that you can watch with a careful eye for nuance.
Fun facts: The show is based on the 2018 fictional novel Mr. & Mrs. American Pie, which was picked up for a TV adaptation that year by Jaywalker Pictures, a production company co-led by Laura Dern and Jayme Lemons.
When and where: Episodes 1-3 premiered and are now streaming on Apple TV+, Episode 4 releases Wednesday, March 27.
Streaming on Hulu
A dramatized version of the life of soccer agent Guillermo Coppola, who is best known for representing former Argentinian star footballer Diego Maradona. This follows Coppola, his exhaustive lifestyle and what it was like to manage the best soccer player in the world at the time.
"You get to see his life of excess and wealth and, and extravagance. But you also get to see the stuff happening behind the scenes, of what he was giving up to project that air of confidence in the public realm." — Steve Greene, freelance TV critic
Overall take: Although this is a show that has extra appeal for soccer fans, it isn’t necessarily just for them. It has a similar vibe to fans of the now-canceled HBO series Winning Time about the 1980s showtime-era Lakers — you’ll find gossip-worthy drama tied up with interesting, historical sports narratives.
Fun Facts: Coppola had been the agent for three Argentine stars who made the 1986 World Cup squad that lifted the trophy; Maradona, Nery Pumpido and Oscar Ruggeri.
When and where: All 6 episodes are now streaming on Hulu.
Streaming on Netflix
Following the unusual transformation of a woman into a chicken nugget (no, we're not kidding), the show follows her father and an admirer of hers as they attempt to make her human again.
"So it's the absurd paired with the weirdly grounded, and emotional, at times...there are some flashbacks that are really emotionally affecting." — Steve Greene, freelance TV critic
Overall take: The premise for this show is a great encapsulation of the kinds of absurdist humor that land with online communities. It plays off the meme question, “Would you still love me if I was a worm?” For those who may have asked a partner this, the show may be a perfect way of answering that hypothetical question.
Fun facts: The show is based on a Korean webcomic of the same name, which has been serialized since 2019.
When and where: All 10 episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
