Television Jan-Jun 2022

New, and Up-to-date Television in 2022

-Cheer Season 2

I had no idea they were making a season 2, but as soon as it was released, I dropped everything to watch it. I did a review on season 1 (http://narrativemultiverse.blogspot.com/2020/01/cheer.html) which feels like a lifetime ago because it dropped just prior to the pandemic. Nevertheless, this show makes me nostalgic for my cheerleading past, and very inspired for a future in which I engage my body. This show makes me want to get fit, to say the least. And since it covers the past two years of the pandemic as it occurs, it also is a very fascinating sociohistorical piece.

-Queer Eye Season 6

I have seen all previous seasons of Queer Eye, which again had not released new episodes since pre-pandemic. It is interesting that I found watching this season a lot more emotionally difficult. I cried a lot. I also had to space episodes out so I was not too emotionally burnt out. It's supposed to be pleasant reality TV, but its focus on self-care needs just constantly makes me, as an up and coming social worker, increasingly overwhelmed with the world's needs and how they are balanced with my own.

-American Crime Story Season 3: "Impeachment"

I became OBSESSED with this season when it aired and began talking to everyone I knew about it. Turns out that's not the best idea because it turns out that people across various communities and generations sure do have their OPINIONS on Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky... For what it's worth he acted exactly as I would have expected him to act in this adaptation (which was produced alongside Monica) but, who's to say? Seemed pretty damn accurate to me from an outsider's perspective. I was also just awestruck by how little I knew about the actual scandal and how much the focus was just on "blowjobs in the Oval Office" and not allegations of sexual assault from Paula Jones?? Must-watch.

-Servant Season 3

I watch this show for Rupert Grint, and seeing his character in a new stage of development was wonderfully humorous, as Julian spends this season trying to be clean and healthy. I will say I found this season of the show by far the most forgettable, slow-paced, and uninteresting compared to the first two - which are beyond creepy and edge-of-your-seat exciting, but it's still a wildly entertaining show and I can't wait for the next season. There were some stellar moments in this season that stuck with me, such as the news anchor shooting and that cliffhanger at the end of the season!

-Bridgerton Season 2  

Bridgerton is one of the great television phenomenons that I'm actually thrilled to be a part of. I love getting swept up in something so popular, and so quality, like the rest of the world and feeling like part of a communal reaction when it airs. I know I am exactly the type of audience the show is aimed for - it's classical period romance, yet also progressively feminist and anti-racist, it's romantic, sexy, dramatic, and funny - what more could a romantically-obsessed fangirl bookworm/television-lover want? So of course I anticipated seeing Anthony's love story and devoured it when it first aired alongside the rest of my generation. And I have started reading the books too.

Started and Incomplete Television

-Avatar the Last Airbender Seasons 1&2

This is a 2000's kids show, so you would think that I had already missed my window for having this show be in my life. But my sister, who is also a young adult, was able to get into the show within the last few years and loved it. So, the lesson here is that it's never too late to engage in kids shows that you may have missed out on in your childhood! Especially if they are great shows like this that stand the test of time.

-Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 2 (of Season 1)

This show has become increasingly color, chaotic, and crazy. I really have no logical words to describe it. It's aesthetically interesting, even though I really could not tell you much about the plot. This is even more true in Part 2. Part 2 has even more colorful interesting visuals, and even less coherent of a plot.

-America's Next Top Model Seasons 7, 8 & 9

This was my comfort show during grad school, and I expect it will continue to be my comfort show. What is going to happen in my life when I finish all freakin' seasons? Luckily I have plenty left to watch but... this is how I cope when mega stressed and wanting escapism. My life will have a void when it's over. And I don't watch it for blind escapism - I genuinely love the artistry of the photoshoots, fashion, and modeling. Human bodies are art. I have a folder in which I've saved hundreds of my favorite photos from the seasons.

-Breaking Bad Seasons 1, 2 & 3 

I know I am a decade behind the times but OH MY GOODNESS this has become my current television show of choice. It's difficult trying to avoid as many spoilers as possible for a show that is still so old, and yet still so beloved. I must really make my boyfriend and his roommate really happy when they watch me react to the show - for them it must be like experiencing it for the first time all over again. I am constantly at the edge of my seat wondering what happens next and I expect to finish the show soon and then devour all of the spoilery behind-the-scenes info I can get.

-Couples Therapy Seasons 1 & 2

 It's funny that this is also an escapism show to me sometimes because it is very much like going to work. As a therapist, why would I want to watch more therapy? But it's therapy without consequences. There is literally no pressure on me whatsoever to have the answers, to know how to help these couples, or to speak on the spot. I just sit back, relax, enjoy the entertainment, and become educated along the way. Couples therapy is a career goal of mine. And - despite the fact that I mentioned not wanting pressure to speak - watching this with other therapist friends does have us pausing the show every few minutes and talking immensely about what we might have said differently or our case conceptualizations. But again, it's all for fun and no pressure or consequences!