What am I streaming and watching this fall? I’ll tell you what I’m watching in fall 2019 … and I hope you’ll tell me!
Jen Watches 2019
What I’m watching right now:
Succession (HBO)
The first episode was boring and I almost threw in the towel, but I kept watching and … I’m 1000% hooked. Yes, this is a show about running a large media conglomerate (TV stations, newspapers and …. theme parks?) but more than that, it’s a family drama. Powerful father, mysterious stepmother, and three adult kids, all rich and different degrees of messed up. The humor is so weird and unexpected. My mind is still wrapping itself around the fact that wacky Midwestern Tom is played by the British actor who was Darcy to Kiera Knightley’s Lizzie. Mind blown.
Four Weddings and a Funeral (Hulu)
So first off, Hulu is perpetually glitchy for me and I can’t wait to stop paying for it. And secondly, I loved the idea of this show but think it could be SO MUCH BETTER. The main characters (Craig, Maya, Ainsley and the sad sack guy whose name I forgot), are so unbelievably dull. Is it me, or are the secondary characters (Zara, Kash’s father Haroon, Kash’s BFF Basheer, Kash’s little brother Asif, Fatima’s grandmother, Tony 2, even Andrew Aldridge) WAY more compelling? I think those secondary characters are keeping me watching. Mindy, send help!
My advice: the show should focus on Kash and his world rather than this 100% unconvincing friend group. Kash and his family and friends are where the heart of the story is. The rom-com element of this is also just really blah and also super predictable (I thought I was a genius for predicting the couples but the photo above pretty much spells it out.) The reviews of this have been pretty harsh, so I’m trying to support it.
What I want to try:
Morning Show (Apple)
Hmmm… I know that Apple is using Reese and Jen to try to lure me into subscribing. We will see how that goes.
Stumptown (ABC)
I like Cobie Smulders and I like PI shows. Worried that it will be super-cheesy rather than super-gritty … but I’ll give it a try.
Looking for Alaska (Hulu)
Ugh I really want to ditch Hulu (see above) but I may hang on long enough to try this. While I really do love Josh Schwartz shows (huge fan of both Gossip Girl and the OC) I’m a little worried that this material is too dark and quirky to be the right fit for him. Hoping it’s not Thirteen Reasons Why II. But I trust Josh. Though I trusted Mindy too…
If you missed Jen Watches: Summer 2019 you can read it here.
Please tell me in comments what YOU are watching and want to watch this fall. I’m always looking for ideas!!
Oh man. None of these are familiar to me. But I’m interested in the remake of Four Weddings and A Funeral. That looks interesting.
Thanks for sharing, Jenn.
Check it out – there are fun elements there. I just wish the two main characters had any chemistry 🙁
Ok…you’ve tempted me to try Succession.
I’ve seen that most people don’t like Four Weddings and that’s a bummer because Mindy really seems to get rom coms.
I had Hulu, briefly, years ago, and they are constantly begging me to come back lol I’m so bad at watching things though so I don’t need to add another subscription service.
Karen @ For What It’s Worth
Succession is really fun – the humor is my kind of dark humor and it feels almost Shakespearean, like King Lear.
Uhhhhh…. Four Weddings. It’s not terrible, but there are parts of it that are just … blah. Three of the main characters (Maya, Ainsley and the depressive guy) are just sort of … there. And the main couple (to me) has no spark or chemistry.
What I DO love about it are the British-Pakistani characters and their plotline, with Kash (who has a dreary job in finance but dreams of being an actor) and his family and friends. They give the show heart and personality. By comparison, the other characters have no context, they’re just random stock rom com people going through the motions. (Though Craig and Zara provide a lot of comic relief, which I appreciate).
And don’t get me started on Hulu – the streamning never works well for me. I am paying and getting audio and video which often are out of sync. And ads.
I like Cobie Smulders too and it’s nice to see her get a show. I hope it’s not cheesy!
I’m not a huge fan of Hulu, the ads kill me and I don’t want to pay more to not have ’em lol.
I really hope it’s not cheesy. Tried Rachel Bilson’s cop show (Take Two) and that was … not great.
I’d be happy to put up with Hulu’s glitchiness and awful ads if it were free, but if I’m paying I’d like it to work. Cancelling as soon as Four Weddings finally wraps up, as I feel obliged to see it through.
Darn! I was really looking forward to watching FWaaF. I loved the movie, and I love Mindy too. I hope Looking for Alaska is good!
Try it – maybe you will feel differently! And, yeah, nervous about L for A!