Latest news with #NathanFielder
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Rehearsal to The Ballad of Wallis Island: the week in rave reviews
Sky Comedy & Now; episodes weekly Summed up in a sentence A mind-boggling comedy-cum-documentary-cum-reality show that helps people prepare for big life events by staging hugely elaborate mockups – currently focusing on how to prevent aviation disasters by improving communication in the cockpit. What our reviewer said 'As with season one, the producers have managed to find civilians who are so uniquely awkward that they feel like integral parts of the chaos. These are people who blur the line between committed normie and aspiring actor so well that many have, in fact, been accused of being fake. But they are all real.' Hannah J Davies Read the full review Further reading The Rehearsal: Nathan Fielder makes genius appointment TV … that may spoil you for ever BBC Two; full series on iPlayer now Summed up in a sentence A loving, exhaustive docuseries celebrating the author on the 250th anniversary of her birth, narrated by Juliet Stevenson. What our reviewer said 'The mood is impassioned and enthusiastic without being emetic – suffused with love of the work, and mapping the contours of the specific genius without anyone getting un-Janeishly carried away. You feel she would approve.' Lucy Mangan Read the full review Further reading 'Much darker than Pride and Prejudice!': authors pick their favourite Jane Austen novel Netflix; full series available now Summed up in a sentence Arrogant detective ends up accidentally causing a death, and is sidelined to a dank basement investigating cold cases – only to assemble a crack team. What our reviewer said 'It is all fantastically well, and rigorously, done. The pacing has a leisurely confidence that some may find a touch slow, but allows for a character-first approach, creating a richness that amply rewards initial patience.' Lucy Mangan Read the full review Further reading Dept Q's Kelly Macdonald on her Trainspotting teen highs and hitting her stride in her 40s BBC Two; full series on iPlayer now Summed up in a sentence A deep dive into the life of the entrepreneur, from fly-on-the-wall footage of her starting a lingerie empire, through to an investigative thriller about the PPE political scandal. What our reviewer said 'In some ways, this is a parable of fame. Mone courted it and won it, but eventually learned that once you turn on the faucet of public attention, trying to turn it off again is a sisyphean task.' Rebecca Nicholson Read the full review Netflix; all episodes available Summed up in a sentence A sensitive, sweet modern-day reimagining of Judy Blume's 1975 novel about teen desire which has been repeatedly banned by less tolerant schools and libraries. What our reviewer said 'As a teen drama, it works because, Heartstopper-style, its teenagers actually look and behave like teenagers. The performances are excellent, especially Karen Pittman and Xosha Roquemore as the mothers, but it all rides on whether you can buy into what leads Michael Cooper Jr and Lovie Simone are selling, and they sell it perfectly.' Rebecca Nicholson Read the full review Further reading Judy Blume forever: the writer who dares to tell girls the plain truth In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Funny/melancholy story of a former folk duo (Carey Mulligan and Tom Basden) who are inveigled into a comeback performance on a remote island for a single superfan. What our reviewer said 'You'll leave wanting your own island, your own gig and your own lock of Carey Mulligan's hair.' Catherine Bray Read the full review Further reading 'There's no chance an American will laugh': Tim Key on his very British new film and the US Office sequel In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan team up in a charming throwback sequel to the 2010 remake, with Ben Wang as the latest kid to don the bandana and learn the age-old secret of kicking ass with a dose of moral philosophy. What our reviewer said 'It's warm, it's breezy – it's a burst of summery family fun that is sure to inspire long looks back at the old movies and Cobra Kai episodes while sparking renewed interest in martial arts apprenticeship. Anyone would get a kick out of it.' Andrew Lawrence Read the full review Further reading Ralph Macchio on kicking it as The Karate Kid for 41 years In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Affecting drama based on Raynor Winn's memoir, in which Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs undertake a redemptive hike along the English south-west coast. What our reviewer said 'Somehow, they all bring a real sense of meaning and truth to cheap-sounding messages about living in the moment, and the possibility of long-term relationships deepening and growing in ways impossible to predict.' Cath Clarke Read the full review Further reading Walk on the wild side: Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs on their epic hiking movie The Salt Path In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Complex relationship movie from French director Katell Quillévéré, focusing on the marriage of a single mother and closeted gay academic. What our reviewer said 'The awful toxicity of love … is an underground stream that has become very much an overground stream in this new, heartfelt movie.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review Sky Cinema and Now; available now Summed up in a sentence Jesse Armstrong's post-Succession uber-wealth satire about four plutocrats on a lodge weekend that goes awry when the planet descends into chaos. What our reviewer said 'More than any comedy or even film I've seen recently, this is movie driven by the line-by-line need for fierce, nasty, funny punched-up stuff in the dialogue, and narrative arcs and character development aren't the point. But as with Succession, this does a really good job of persuading you that, yes, this is what our overlords are really like.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review Review by James Smart Summed up in a sentence Her latest autofictional work finds the great graphic novelist exploring midlife contentment. Our reviewer said 'Writing about herself from a greater fictional distance seems to have given Bechdel more room to have fun: dramas and mishaps unspool with a lightly comic charm that belies the darkness in the world outside.' Read the full review Further reading Alison Bechdel: 'The Bechdel test was a joke… I didn't intend for it to become a real gauge' Review by Blake Morrison Summed up in a sentence Coming of age in 70s England. Our reviewer said 'Toy soldiers, conker fights, fizzy drinks, Wall's ice-creams, chicken-in-a-basket pub lunches, swimming lessons (plus verrucas): Dyer's recall of period detail and brand names is exceptional.' Read the full review Further reading Best seat in the house: writer Geoff Dyer on why sitting in a corner is so satisfying Review by Arin Keeble Summed up in a sentence Migration and heritage are explored through one woman's life, in 60s Italy and present-day Ireland. Our reviewer said 'A powerful and beautifully written story of family, friendship and identity.' Read the full review Further reading Novelist Sarah Moss: 'Hunger numbed my shame and humiliation' Review by Stuart Jeffries Summed up in a sentence A peek inside the seaborne world of the super-rich. Our reviewer said 'It's not just how big your superyacht is, but what you put inside it. The latest fashions include Imax theatres, ski rooms where guests can suit up for a helicopter trip to a mountaintop, and hospital equipment.' Read the full review Review by Kitty Drake Summed up in a sentence A cultural history of female friendship. Our reviewer said 'In this book, Watt Smith trawls through the archives to trace the history of imperfect, ordinary friends – who hurt and disappoint each other, but keep striving for connection regardless.' Read the full review Further reading The big idea: should you dump your toxic friend? Out 13 June Summed up in a sentence Jazz artist Halvorson is one of the most exciting guitarists in North America. Her new album features one of her largest backing bands to date. What our reviewer said 'Recently discussing Robert Wyatt in Jazzwise magazine, Halvorson said she loved his ability to blend 'the weird with the beautiful'. She wouldn't dream of it, but she could have been saying much the same of herself.'. John Fordham Read the full review Further reading Jazz guitar 'genius' Mary Halvorson on cocktails, tarot and making music that combusts Out now Summed up in a sentence After the blockbuster success of Flowers, Cyrus clearly has carte blanche to do what she wants – and has billed her new album as psychedelic and healing. What our reviewer said 'It's all about as psychedelic as a baked potato. But it's still all very well written and well made.' Alexis Petridis Read the full review Out now Summed up in a sentence This Scottish indie-folk artist has been creating some sizeable buzz around their spellbindingly beautiful voice and arrangements. What our reviewer said 'These story songs – about youthful infatuation, reckless hedonism and one-sided obsession – are brittle and wounded, each zeroing in on a different strain of disappointment or heartache.' Shaad D'Souza Read the full review Further reading One to watch: Jacob Alon Out now Summed up in a sentence Marking the 400th anniversary of the death of English pre-baroque composer Gibbons, this is a set of his works with a new piece by American composer Muhly at its centre. What our reviewer said 'Muhly's composition, with its urgent string figures, contrasts beautifully with the flowing imitations of Gibbons' fantasias around it.' Andrew Clements Read the full review O2 Academy, Glasgow; touring to 7 June Summed up in a sentence On her first tour since 2018, the Walsall soul-R&B-garage singer shows off how adventurous her songcraft has become. What our reviewer said 'Her searing, smoky voice is used sparingly to start, sometimes even drowned out by the power of the band's two drummers. But by Feelings, Smith drops the wall. She beams megawatt charisma through the track's lyrically chilly push-and-pull, and slinks between risers, glamorously at ease.'. Katie Hawthorne Read the full review
New York Times
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Nathan Fielder, Creator of ‘The Rehearsal,' Calls the F.A.A. ‘Dumb'
Nathan Fielder, the creator of the HBO comedy-documentary series 'The Rehearsal,' extended his show's commingling of performance and reality with a live appearance on CNN on Thursday. Fielder went on 'The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown' to promote the second season of 'The Rehearsal' (whose finale aired on Sunday), and to raise awareness about airline pilot safety. Fielder had been closely examining safety in the season, including the communication between pilots and co-pilots, which he argued is poor and is a key factor in many plane crashes. In the finale, Fielder himself flew a Boeing 737 passenger jet with more than 100 actors on board in an attempt to simulate inter-pilot communication on real-world commercial flights. On 'The Situation Room,' he fired back at criticism from the Federal Aviation Administration, which said in a statement to CNN that it 'isn't seeing the data that supports the show's central claim that pilot communications is to blame for airline disasters.' 'Well that's dumb, they're dumb,' Fielder said, sitting next to John Goglia, an aviation expert and former National Transportation Safety Board member who appeared as an adviser on 'The Rehearsal' this season. Fielder criticized the F.A.A.'s training standards, which he said do not adequately prepare pilots and co-pilots to speak their mind if they have a concern. 'The training is someone shows you a PowerPoint slide saying 'If you are a co-pilot and the pilot does something wrong, you need to speak up about it,'' he said. 'That's all. That's the training.' On Friday, the F.A.A. said in a statement that it 'requires all airline crew members (pilots and flight attendants) and dispatchers to complete Crew Resource Management training,' which focuses on interactions among crew members. 'They must complete this training before they begin working in their official positions and complete it on a recurring basis afterward,' the F.A.A. said. Over the course of six episodes, Fielder recruited several pilots to participate in elaborate role-playing scenarios that tested their ability to navigate sensitive conversations. In one episode, a pilot was encouraged to confront his girlfriend with suspicions of disloyalty while seated next to her in a mock cockpit. In another, several pilots were graded on their ability to deliver harsh feedback to contestants in a fake singing competition show. Although the scenarios are contrived and frequently involve actors, the show also regularly depicts what appear to be genuine interactions with nonactors. The fifth episode featured an awkward interview with a congressman, Steve Cohen of Tennessee, a member of the aviation subcommittee. And Goglia's appearances are played completely straight. 'It's exploded,' Goglia said on 'The Situation Room,' when asked about the public reaction to the show. 'My emails exploded, my messages exploded, my grandkids were all over me — it's unbelievable, the response.'
Forbes
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Did Nathan Fielder Fly The Plane? ‘The Rehearsal' S2 Finale, Explained
Nathan Fielder appears to fly a plane in the season 2 finale of HBO's 'The Rehearsal' HBO's The Rehearsal season 2 finale has sparked debate, as viewers were left wondering how much of the series had been staged, or deceptively edited. Nathan Fielder's comedy has always walked a fine line between truth and performance. In the finale of The Rehearsal's second season, Fielder appears to fly a plane full of passengers, and lands safely. Viewers weren't sure what to make of the stunt. Did Nathan really fly that plane? Were the passengers actually on board? Was the truth behind the flight really the point? Given the premise of the show and hints dropped by Fielder during the finale, it seems that the truth lay somewhere in the middle, with the ambiguity being the point. Yes, and no. Fielder has always been interested in the performance that people instinctively adopt for the camera, and uses his intensely awkward persona to break that facade. His work often explores the phenomenon of people working together toward a delusional goal, and the shared hesitance to voice the obvious. Previously, Fielder has discussed being inspired by the 2008 financial crisis, rooted in "these personal moments between people where someone senses something's wrong, but they don't want to speak up." His breakout series, Nathan For You, saw Fielder successfully convince real people to undertake ludicrous business proposals. In season one of The Rehearsal, Fielder still leaned on the eccentric individuals that his process uncovered, but the focus was more on himself, or rather, his persona. Season 2 is even more focused on Fielder, with the distinction between persona and personality all the blurrier. Season 2 of The Rehearsal sees Fielder explore his fixation with plane crashes, which he believes are often caused by miscommunication between co-pilots and their captains. Fielder comes to the conclusion that the hierarchy in the cockpit, combined with the professional consequences of speaking out, often leads to tragedy. Fielder reckons that these crashes can be avoided if pilots could be encouraged to speak their minds, and embarks on an increasingly bizarre series of training exercises and rehearsals to try and enter the minds of pilots. Fielder's talent for finding eccentrics and oddballs is still there—he meets a couple who cloned their dog multiple times, and a man who attempts to sell a hilariously dilapidated plane, assuring Fielder that broken dials and knobs will not affect his safety in the slightest. Fielder, however, is the main character of this series, and some of the most surreal moments come from his self-imposed experiments (a scene where a diaper-wearing Fielder is breastfed by a gigantic, motherly puppet has to be seen to be believed). The series walks a fine line between truth and fiction, but the finale reveals that Fielder has spent two years training for his pilot license, and is now qualified to fly a 737. Fielder is then shown flying the plane with a visibly nervous co-pilot, who Fielder encourages to speak his mind. Fielder appears to successfully land the plane, with 150 people on board. However, not all is as it seems, as Fielder deliberately mentions the art of pulling off a 'magic trick' during the finale, hinting at some sort of deception. Judging from the footage, which was also shot outside of the plane, Fielder does appear to have flown the 737. On Reddit, fans of the show even tracked down the flight, which appears to have taken place on Feb 16 of this year. However, it appears that the plane was not actually full of passengers, and that Fielder's co-pilot was the only individual on board. Scenes of the passengers entering the plane, and applauding Fielder's landing seem to have been edited alongside the real flight, the 'magic trick' that Fielder told his audience he was going to pull off. Despite Fielder's meta-comedy, it appears he was attempting to make a serious point, not just about airline safety, but the persona that people put on when in positions of responsibility and authority. In a final twist, Fielder appeared on CNN to discuss his findings from the show, and cheekily pointed out that the power dynamic between Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown mirrored the imbalance in the cockpit. 'You're Wolf Blitzer, right?' Fielder said. 'So you're like, your name is first on the thing. So I'm sure, Pamela, at times you might not want to say, 'Oh, Wolf wants to do something. I don't think it's a good idea.' You might not want to express that, always.' Both hosts appeared disarmed by Fielder's comment, and stammered a defense, with Brown politely insisting that Blitzer doesn't have an 'ego' and that she feels free to speak up. However, Brown did admit that Fielder had a point. Clearly, Nathan Fielder's talent for disarming people on camera, even media-savvy news hosts, is as sharp as ever.
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
CNN stars Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown put on the spot in excruciating on-air interview
Comedian Nathan Fielder left CNN stars Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown lost for words as he suggested Blitzer's position at the company might scare her away from criticizing him. The 42-year-old appeared on their show on Thursday to discuss his HBO series 'The Rehearsal' that recently wrapped up its second season. Fielder pushed the idea in his show that a lack of communication between pilot and co-pilot is a contributing factor to airline crashes. In a bid to prove this he used the two as an example, saying: 'The issue that we talked about in the show is people not wanting to share their feelings with each others co-pilots. 'One might be of higher, more experience, than the other so they might know the thing that might save a plane from crashing but might not want to communicate it.' He then turned to Blitzer and Brown, saying: 'I assume between you two, there is things you probably don't share too.' Blitzer interrupted saying: 'We like each other and we talk to each other', as Brown added: '[Blitzer] should be the captain is what you're saying.' Fielder continued: 'Between you two, who would be like the boss. You're Wolf Blitzer so you're name is first on the thing.' He continued: 'So I'm sure Pamela at times you might not want to say "Wolf wants to do something", that you don't think is a good idea.' Visibly uncomfortable, Brown interrupted and gestured to their production team behind the camera as she said: 'I understand your point.' 'You have to say that now', Fielder added. Before Blitzer interrupted that Brown would address any issues if she felt it necessary. She adds: 'The great thing about Wolf is he doesn't have an ego, he has no ego but I take your point that he's a big deal.' Fielder continues: 'That's intimidating, that could be intimidating. That's the sort of thing we're trying to explore a little'. For the show the comedian went as far as to get his commercial pilot license after years of training and flew a 737 with 150 actors on board for the show. The show's premise is to make fake scenarios look as realistic as possible. Fans of the show have since found him on the FAA database and the flight path he took. He appeared alongside aviation expert John Goglia as he also branded the Federal Aviation Administration as being 'dumb' over their response to the show. For the show the comedian went as far as to get his commercial pilot license. He is seen here appearing on Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday night in a full pilots outfit After years of training he flew a 737 with 150 actors on board for the show A statement from the FAA shot down Fielder's assertation that the pilot communications are to blame for airline disasters. They said: 'The Federal Aviation Administration requires all airline crewmembers (pilots and flight attendants) and dispatchers to complete Crew Resource Management training. 'They must complete this training before they begin working in their official positions and complete it on a recurring basis afterward. 'The Federal Aviation Administration analyzes data from a variety of sources such as an airline's Safety Management System (SMS), Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP), and Voluntary Disclosure Reporting Program (VDRP). 'If these programs identify elevated risks, appropriate action is taken by both the airline and the FAA to mitigate the risk and ensure safety. The FAA does not have data which supports these claims.' In response he told CNN: 'That's dumb. They're dumb. Here's the issue: I trained to be a pilot. I'm a 737 pilot. I went through the training. 'The training is someone shows you a PowerPoint slide saying, "If you are a co-pilot and the captain does something wrong, you need to speak up about it." 'That's all. That's the training, and they talk about some crashes that happen, but they don't do anything that makes it stick emotionally.' After a string of acclaimed comic performances, Fielder, known for his socially awkward humor and demeanor, broke out in 2013 with his Comedy Central series 'Nathan For You'. He played a version of himself who tried to help struggling business and entrepreneurs with hilariously harebrained schemes. 'The Rehearsal' features Fielder using elaborate sets and carefully placed actors to replicate the experiences of real-life people in minute detail. The topic of aviation safety came to him when he started to notice that 'they can always solve the technical stuff when a crash happens, they work really hard to make sure that type of accident doesn't happen again. But for the human factor — communication — the thing keeps happening where there's miscommunication between pilots.'
The Spinoff
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
Ten great things to watch this long weekend
We recommend the best TV, movies and other things to watch this King's Birthday weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. Hear ye, hear ye, the most regal of the public holidays is upon us. As we celebrate the King's birthday this weekend, it's time to do exactly what the King would want us to do, which is blob out on the couch and watch a bit of telly. We've scoured the streamers and scrolled through our watchlists to come up with 10 things to watch that we know you'll enjoy. From the outrageous hijinks of The Rehearsal to the tension of the national Scrabble championships, we've got your long weekend viewing covered. The Rehearsal S2 (Neon) The greatest trick the devil (Nathan Fielder) ever pulled is making such staggering, genre-bending, ambitious, artful and jaw-dropping television that it is nearly impossible to summarise in a tidy little set of paragraphs. The Canadian comedian rose to fame with Nathan For You, in which he saves small businesses in outlandish and novel ways (Dumb Starbucks, viral goat rescue videos, poo-flavoured yoghurt). But even more resonant than his joke solutions was what he revealed in the participants: a culture desperate to be on television at any cost. In The Rehearsal, this interest in fame, performance and television itself gets dialled up to 11. Season one saw Fielder obsessing over rehearsing moments of social life and domesticity, eventually simulating a home on an HBO sound stage for himself with a fake wife and child. Although season two begins with a more narrow focus – the number of plane crashes caused by miscommunication between pilots – it soon swings the emergency exit wide open and leaves you tumbling through all the horror, beauty, hilarity, tragedy and poetry that comes with being a person. If you thought The Curse finale was whacko, buckle up for this one. / Alex Casey Nomad (Whakaata Māori and Māori+ from June 2) This new show follows Kahurangi, a young Māori drifter carving out an off-grid life in Te Waipounamu, guided by the footsteps of his tūpuna. Equal parts rugged travelogue and lifestyle docuseries, it's a visually rich exploration of what it means to live off the land today. As he journeys from Kaikōura to the depths of the Haast bush, meeting cousins, friends, and fellow modern-day hunter-gatherers, Kahurangi taps into ancestral wisdom and reimagines it for the now – offering a fresh, distinctly Māori lens on sustainability, survival, and tino rangatiratanga. / Liam Rātana The 2025 NZ Scrabble Nationals (YouTube) I will be spending the entire long weekend playing Scrabble in a school hall in Hamilton, but if for some reason I wasn't doing that I'd probably be watching it live on the internet. The Nationals is the biggest event on the NZ Scrabble calendar – 69 players, six grades, 24 games over three days. This year's edition is the first time it's being streamed, and the first time you'll get to watch lower grade players like me and the 12-year-old boy who keeps beating me play alongside the experts. For a taste of the livestreamed Scrabble experience, check out this classic game from the Masters earlier this year between Howard Warner and Dylan Early. / Calum Henderson Dept. Q (Netflix) If you love a gritty, bingeable crime drama, then Netflix's new series Department Q should keep you going through the royal weekend. Based on the Danish book series by Jussi Adler-Olsen and created by the team behind The Queen's Gambit, Department Q follows brooding-but-brilliant detective Carl Morck as he joins a new cold-case unit in Edinburgh that's set up to fail. Matthew Goode (Discovery of Witches, Downton Abbey) stars as the troubled Morck, while the cast includes Shirley Henderson, Kelly Macdonald and Mark Bonner. This will tick all the usual crime drama boxes, but the dark humour and solid performances lift it beyond your standard police procedural. / Tara Ward Final Destination: Bloodlines (In cinemas) Sometimes you just really need to put your phone on flight mode, order a big popcorn and a choc top, and watch a bloody fun horror movie about a group of youngsters trying once again to cheat death's design. Final Destination was one of the defining horror properties of the early 2000s, and this 2020s requel breathes new life (and many, many new slapstick deaths) into the ghoulish franchise. Where some of the later sequels got too bogged down trying to be serious and spooky, Bloodlines leans hard into splatter, satire and absurdity. When a young lass in the swinging 60s has a premonition about a brand new tower collapsing, she saves the lives of every groovy soul meant to perish that day. As Devon Sawa will attest, death doesn't like that, and soon makes a beeline not only for the survivors, but their children. And then their children's children. A perfectly corny and self-aware thrill ride. / AC Don't (TVNZ+) Beloved New Zealand comedian Bubbah is back on the telly, and this time, she's asking some tricky questions about life's big events. Assisted by fellow comedians Courtney Dawson, Bailey Poching and Rhiannon McCall, Bubbah investigates what having children, getting married and buying a house means to young people today. Does this generation want the same things as their parents, and what options are there if they don't? This three part docuseries sees big issues tackled with humour, and it's a great option to kickstart discussions if you're stuck inside with the whānau this wet long weekend. / TW Gossip Girl (Neon) At this time of year the weather is getting colder, days look darker and our resilience feels smaller, so now is the perfect time to disappear into the faux first world problems of the rich teens in Gossip Girl (the OG one, do NOT bother with the remake). There's about 121 episodes and six seasons of this thing, and if you commit to complete bed rotting over the long weekend, you'll be able to start season one by Friday and get a quarter of the way through season three by the time you go to bed on Monday night. And when you emerge from your Gossip Girl-induced hibernation, you will re-enter the world with a renewed respect for 2000s club-pop and indie rock (why did Dan lose his virginity to Serena while Elliott Smith was playing? Why not!), a keen interest in expensive Y2K fashion that kinda looks fugly now but in a cute vintage way, extensive knowledge of the rich lives of those on New York's Upper East side and a voice inside your head constantly repeating, 'you know you love me'. / Lyric Waiwiri-Smith Sirens (Netflix) This new five-part Netflix dark comedy is a perfect long-weekend binge, with standout performances from Meghann Fahy (The White Lotus season two) and Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) as a pair of estranged sisters who are lured into the orbit of an intense and creepy rich lady played by the incomparable Julianne Moore. With its meditations on class, money, sex and family dynamics, plus some damn-I-wish-I-was-rich coastal scenery and a (spoiler alert) 'everyone loses' ending, it should at least partly fill The White Lotus-shaped hole in your viewing life. / Alice Neville Overcompensating (Amazon Prime) I've been a longtime Benito Skinner fan – from his early days doing Jonathan Van Ness as Jesus skits to his accurate star sign personality videos. I'm a dedicated Ride podcast listener, so I was especially excited when he announced his new comedy-drama series. Overcompensating draws from Benito's personal journey with identity and sexuality. He plays Benny, a closeted former football player trying to figure out where he fits in at college. The show is a hilarious time capsule of 2010s nostalgia, packed with emotional moments that sneak up on you. Who knew hearing Like a G6 today would still hit me exactly the way it did back then? It feels like a sharper version of the teen dramas we grew up on, like The OC and Gossip Girl. And if you're having Brat withdrawals, the Charli XCX-heavy soundtrack and a cameo from the Brat Queen herself will hit the spot. This show did not disappoint and I watched all eight episodes in one day while sick. / Jin Fellet The Crown (Netflix) Look, it feels a bit rude to be celebrating someone's birthday without giving him the gift of time, so this King's Birthday weekend, I'll be rewatching the first few seasons of The Crown. It's the award-winning family drama about a rich woman and her angsty offspring, as they struggle to balance their huge generational wealth, the demands of running an empire and their mum not letting them marry the people they want. If the rumours are true, this is exactly how King Charles himself will be spending the long weekend: remote in one hand, a slice of birthday cake in the other, and a big old smile on his dial. Plot twist: The King's birthday's actually in November! You got us good, Charlie. / TW
