2024 tv round-up: good vibes ONLY!!
life sucks, let's giggle
It’s been a rough year, and an even rougher fall/ winter for me, which is why my Subby has languished in the last six months. I haven’t had too much to say also because I haven’t been consuming culture in the ways I normally do: trying something new, chasing the next best thing everyone’s watching. The thing is, I’m a big comfort re-watcher. When I’m going through times of stress, loss, or uncertainty (which I have been) I rewatch things because I know what to expect.
I’m also a HUGE TV girl. I love TV because of the comfort I get from extended periods of time with the same fictional world, characters, and even the set. And I did have some sparks of familiar comfort this year in the shows and actors that I’ve grown to love. So let’s do a cheeky 2024 TV round-up of only feel-good shows!
best new season of a show we need to support bc if it gets canceled i’ll lose it
We are Lady Parts Season 2, Peacock
In the earliest, darkest hours of my recent break-up, I remembered that Season 2 of We Are Lady Parts came out this year. I hadn’t watched it yet, because I have a habit of “saving” shows that I know I’ll most certainly love for a rainy day. And I’m so grateful to my past self for this inner wisdom. When nothing was good or okay, We are Lady Parts made me forget about everything and laugh.
Lady Parts follows a group of Muslim women punk rockers in London. They’re back from Season 1 with a modest but dedicated underground following and a slew of hilarious new songs. It’s one of the best musical TV shows ever because the music is quite good, serves the plot, and emerges seamlessly from the character development. I am not Muslim, so I am no authority here, BUT I admire the way that the show takes up race, queerness, generational differences in approaches to feminism, interracial/ interfaith dating, and represents a diversity of approaches to womanhood, motherhood, and parenting in the modern age.
If this show doesn’t get four seasons, I will be devastated, but I expect it will only get three. Please watch so we can secure season 3!!!!!!! And because these women advocate for themselves better than I ever could, please watch their original song, “Voldemort Under My Headscarf.”
best new show, unfortunately
English Teacher, Fox/ Hulu
So…I’m not really sure the best way to talk about this because I wrote this section of my newsletter before New York Magazine published this piece that details allegations of assault perpetrated by Brian Jordan Alvarez, the star and creator of English Teacher. His former co-star and collaborator Jon Ebeling spoke with Vulture about the incidents (a non-paywalled summary can be found here).
I had written a longer review of the show but I decided ultimately not to include it, given the gravity of the allegations and the fact that it’s primarily Alvarez’s show. I kept it in because it was, sadly, my favorite new show of the year and it was my intention to include a new show in the recap and, given the writer's strike of last fall/ winter, we didn’t have that many new scripted shows worth a dime. All that being said, I hope the rest of the cast goes on to have delightful careers so I can keep enjoying them on screen, especially the young actors who played my favorite young Gen Z/ older Gen Alpha depictions on TV so far.
I’m not sure what will happen to the show, but I would understand if the network decides not to renew in light of these allegations. If they were to continue this show without Alvarez, might I suggest replacing him with the far more societally accurate English teacher: a hot butch lesbian.
For anyone seeking resources for sexual assault and abuse, one place to start is RAINN’s 24/7 hotline and online chat.
best last season of a show gone WAY TOO SOON
Somebody Somewhere, Max
Oh boy, do I love this show. This show is so incredibly special. When I worked at The Public Theater in New York in 2019, I had the good fortune of seeing Bridget Everett perform live. She’s so fun and full of life and hot, and she goes everywhere with her Pomeranian. Watching Somebody Somewhere, knowing a bit about Everett’s larger-than-life persona, I was surprised to find an intimate portrait of Midwest queers and misfits in their 40s, coming into themselves, timidly yet full-heartedly creating community amid grief and loss.
Somebody Somewhere is the kind of show that deserved and could have thrived with the 7 season, 22 episode arc of network TV, but it’s also a show that I don’t think could have happened until now. The people you see on Somebody Somewhere are deeply regular. They live quiet lives — they’re unsure about their church communities, but love to be a part of something, they plan weddings, they run embroidered pillow businesses, they bartend, they play catch in the park, and share pancakes with friends. They are not flawless or perfectly coiffed; they are the kind of people you pass in the grocery store, and nod to at the gas station. And I love them, and I wish I could have grown alongside them, the way we used to do with TV characters, across loves lost and found, and seasons of storylines accumulated.
There’s a beautiful, wordless scene I love most right now. Joel, who plays Everett’s best friend, has recently moved in with his boyfriend. His boyfriend is older, and already has grown children, and Everett has been asking Joel if he’s okay giving up his dream to be a father to kids of his own. Joel loves his new life—every night, his boyfriend makes him a pot of tea, and Joel sits in the kitchen to enjoy his tea time. But on this night, when his boyfriend leaves him with his tea, Joel lets out a gasping cry. It comes on like a sudden gust of wind. There is no dialogue, it is not addressed explicitly, only later when Everett lovingly explains that she understands Joel’s decision — she thought before that Joel was giving up too much of himself for his partner, but now she understands that love requires different calculations sometimes. It’s a beautiful homage to the fierce protectiveness of friendship, as well as the negotiations only we as individuals can make as we come to accept the lives we’ve been dealt and the surprises we encounter along the way. Joel and Everett love each other deeply — and for all of us who are blessed enough to have friends like these in our lives, it’s a tender treat to witness. Do yourself a favor, and open your hearts to these characters and their warm lives. It’s a real shame to see them go. 💌