Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 5/1/20

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CREDIT: Netflix/YouTube Screenshot

Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.

TV
Rick and Morty Season 4 Mid-Season Premiere (May 3 on Adult Swim)
Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian Series Premiere (May 4 on Disney+) – Docuseries BTS look at our new favorite Star Wars show.
Jeopardy! Ken Jennings Encore (May 4-15, Check local listings) – Encore presentations of the first and last games in Ken Jennings’ original run as well as the Greatest of All Time tournament.

Comedy
Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill (May 5 on Netflix)

Jeff’s Wacky SNL at Home Review: Brad Pitt/Miley Cyrus

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CREDIT: NBC/YouTube Screenshot

The SNL at Home experiment continues onward! For #2, we don’t have a host or musical guest this time, at least none officially announced during the opening montage. Although, Brad Pitt and Miley Cyrus essentially fulfill the same duties that Tom Hanks and Chris Martin did last time. I’d like to say for the official record books that they were in fact the host and MG, but I generally go by what Darrell Hammond (previously Don Pardo) says. (Though, for what it’s worth, Season 45’s Wikipedia page currently does list them as the host and MG.)

In a similar state of confusion, I went to bed on Saturday night planning on making scrambled eggs in the morning, but when I woke up, I was more in the mood for cereal, but when I made it to the kitchen, I was back to being in the mood for eggs. So, the rumors are true, I did cook some eggs and toast. It was the right call.

(One quick note so that we’re all on the same page: for as long as new episodes remain at home, I’ll aim to make my grades for the sketches wackier than usual.)

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Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 4/24/20

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CREDIT: Apple TV/YouTube Screenshot

Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.

Movies
Beastie Boys Story (Streaming on Apple TV+)
Bad Education (Premieres April 25 on HBO)

TV
RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race Premiere (April 24 on VH1)
Normal People Series Premiere (April 29 on Hulu)
-A Parks and Recreation Special (April 30 on NBC)

Music
-AWOLNATION, Angel Miners & the Lightning Riders

Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 4/17/20

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CREDIT: Jeffery Neira/Netflix

Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.

TV
One World: Together at Home (April 18 on Various Networks) – Concert special for covid-19 fundraising.
The Last Dance Series Premiere (April 19 on ESPN) – 10-part documentary series about the final championship year of the 90s Chicago Bulls.

Music
-Fiona Apple, Fetch the Bolt Cutters

Comedy
Middleditch & Schwartz (April 21 on Netflix)

Jeff’s Wacky SNL at Home Review: Tom Hanks/Chris Martin

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CREDIT: NBC/YouTube Screenshot

Saturday Night Live Season 45 wasn’t meant to end early, after all. Social distancing restrictions might make a live broadcast a little difficult right now, but they haven’t diminished our capacity to create and consume comedy. Thus, we have our first ever “SNL at Home” episode. It’s all pre-recorded, but so was a significant portion of the 1984-85 season, and that was a great year!

Tom Hanks and Chris Martin are officially announced as the host and musical guest, and I see no reason not to include this episode towards the official all-time ledger. Erg, Hanks has now entered diamond status as a ten-time host!

On to the show, which begins with the cast quickly saying hi via Zoom and then goes into an at-home-ified opening montage. Meanwhile, I prepared for the show by running about 12 miles on Saturday morning, going to bed early, getting plenty of z’s, and then watching the sketches early on Sunday (as per usual). Bananas seem important in this era (and all the time), so I had one with my cereal for breakfast.

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Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 4/10/20

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CREDIT: FX/YouTube Screenshot

Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.

TV
SNL at Home (April 11 on NBC) – A remotely produced new episode of Saturday Night Live.
Insecure Season 4 Premiere (April 12 on HBO)
Killing Eve Season 3 Premiere (April on AMC and BBC America)
-NBA HORSE Challenge (April 12 on ESPN)
American Dad! Season 17 Premiere (April 13 on TBS) – Still one of the most consistent shows on the air!
Mrs. America Series Premiere (April 15 on Hulu) – Starring Cate Blanchett as Phyllis Schlafly.
What We Do in the Shadows Season 2 Premiere (April 15 on FX)

Music
-The Strokes, The New Abnormal

Podcasts
A couple of great-so-far podcasts have recently launched:
The Darkest TimelineCommunity co-stars Joel McHale and Ken Jeong answer your questions.
Oh, Hello: the P’dcast – Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland have discovered a new medium in which to deliver their tuna.

Best TV Episodes of the 2010s

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CREDIT: YouTube Screenshots

In assembling my picks for the best TV episodes of the past decade, I noticed that I was leaning heavily on the comedy side. This was unsurprising, as I tend to watch more sitcoms than dramas. But the difference was even more pronounced than usual. I think that makes sense, because on average, comedies tend to be specifically designed on an episodic basis moreso than dramas.

I should also note that I did not limit shows to any prescribed maximum. You’ll notice that certain programs keep popping up, like Community and Nathan for You. They deserve it, as they’re the types of shows that revolutionized themselves on the regular.

So here are the television morsels from the 2010s that shine within the context of their full works and also stand brilliantly on their own.

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Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 4/3/20

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CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot

Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.

TV
Community on Netflix (Started streaming on April 1) – The greatest show of the 2010s is finally streaming on the biggest streamer around.
Jeopardy! College Championship (April 6-17, Check local listings)
The Last O.G. Season 3 Premiere (April 7 on TBS)
Modern Family Series Finale (April 8 on ABC)
Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Revival Premiere (April 8 on ABC) – Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel!
The Good Fight Season 4 Premiere (April 9 on CBS All Access) – I’m still a few seasons behind, though.

Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 3/27/20

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CREDIT: Adult Swim

Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.

TV
Three Busy Debras Series Premiere (March 29 on Adult Swim)
Beef House Series Premiere (March 29 on Adult Swim) – Tim & Eric’s latest venture.
Whose Line is it Anyway? Season 16 Premiere – Improv institution returning a little earlier than expected.

Music
-Dua Lipa, Future Nostalgia
-Pearl Jam, Gigaton

Best TV Shows of the 2010s

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CREDIT: YouTube Screenshots

As a voracious consumer of Peak TV, I could have easily filled my list of the Best TV Shows of the 2010s with hundreds of entries. But instead, I chose to zero in on a golden set of 25 that I am absolutely sure I love and will continue to love for years to come. These are the shows that affected me profoundly when I first watched them and that continued to linger in my brain and my soul as the decade marched on.

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