These three TV shows deserve second chance
Desperate times may call for desperate measures, but I have discovered that what these desperate TV times call for is a big slice of humble pie.
Over the last few weeks, I have been both thoroughly entertained and totally schooled by three wonderful TV shows that I had previously dissed, dismissed or avoided like the, well, you know.
I didn’t want them, but as my DVR and streaming pickings became increasingly slim, I discovered that I needed them. And when I held my nose and took the plunge, I was rewarded with riches that I didn’t deserve but was thrilled to accept.
Perhaps you also have TV shows you can’t bring yourself to watch, no matter how many times your friends or friendly algorithms recommend them. Allow me to suggest that you reconsider. Here are the shows that made me happy I shelved my pride and picked up the remote:
“Unorthodox” (Netflix)
For weeks, it haunted us. Every time my husband and I logged on to Netflix, we were greeted by a close-up image of a young woman getting her head shaved, her face contorted in what looked like agony. This was Netflix’s way of telling us that we really should be watching “Unorthodox,” and it wasn’t working. The phrase “Leave us alone!” might have been hurled at the screen. More than once.
As it turns out, Netflix knows us better than we know ourselves. Because after finally giving in to real-life nagging from Tv-loving friends, we tuned in to the first episode of this limited dramatic series and were immediately hooked. And I think there is a good chance the Emmy-nominated “Unorthodox” could snag you, too.
Shira Haas (also an Emmy nominee) stars as 19-year-old Esty, who flees the confines of her insular Hasidic community in modern-day Brooklyn for the possibility of a new, adventurous life in Berlin. In flashbacks, we find out about her arranged marriage to the sweet but overwhelmed Yanky (Amit Rahav) and the community’s collective horror at Esty’s failure to get pregnant after a whole year. And if she can’t produce a child, what good is she, really? Even Yanky is beginning to wonder.
So Esty escapes to Berlin, where she falls in with a free-spirited group of young musicians while Yanky and his thuggish cousin, Moishe (Jeff Wilbusch), attempt to track her down and bring her home. Will Esty get her muchdeserved chance at a bigger life, or will Moishe strong-arm her back to Brooklyn? Can Esty’s estranged mother (Alex Reid) save her daughter and redeem herself? And what if Esty’s dreams are bigger than her actual talent?
Because the story is so richly detailed and the performances are uniformly wonderful (Haas is just stunning), you will be very invested in the answers to these questions. The series is just four episodes long, and creator Anna Winger (“Deutschland 83”) has
said there won’t be a second season, so resist the temptation to binge. You will start missing Esty before the final credits start to roll.
“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” (NBC, streaming)
Maybe I was suffering from “Crazy Ex-girlfriend” Betrayal Syndrome. Or perhaps it was Late Onset “Glee” Fatigue. Whatever the reason, I was in no mood to fall for another charming TV show where people sang and danced their way through their problems, only to watch it circle the creative drain before mercifully calling it quits. So when NBC debuted the song-filled “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” earlier this year, I made a point of ignoring it. This cursed formula was not going to take me down. Not this time.
But suddenly, my shut-in family and I found ourselves with a lot of TV time on our hands and a dwindling supply of shows to fill it. So when multiple friends and critics sang the praises of this sunny show, I caved. We are only a few episodes in, so there is still time for total implosion. But so far, my skeptical family and I are finding joy and escape in this candy-colored dramedy about a tech geek who is suddenly able to hear other people’s innermost thoughts, as expressed through fully choreographed songand-dance numbers.
This means poor Zoey (the delightful Jane Levy of “Castle Rock” and “Suburgatory”) spends a lot of time trying to fix everyone else’s problems without revealing how she has become so weirdly insightful all of a sudden. It also means that we get to watch super-talented singers such as Skylar Astin (“Pitch Perfect”), Alex Newell (“Glee”) and pros such as Mary Steenburgen, Peter Gallagher and Lauren Graham have their way with songs by the Jonas Brothers, Wham! and Van Morrison.
Like Zoey herself, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” wears its heart on its cheery sleeve. Fortunately, that heart is big, resilient and in frequent contact with its close neighbor, the funny bone. The show has been renewed for a second season, so there is more toetapping optimism to come. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
“I May Destroy You” (HBO)
I wanted to watch this new HBO drama from the very beginning, but I wasn’t sure if I could. Created by and starring Michaela Coel (who also directed and wrote many of the episodes), “I May Destroy You” chronicles its lead character’s unraveling after she is drugged and sexually assaulted at a bar. The reviews were glowing and the subject matter was compelling, but I didn’t know if I had the emotional bandwidth to handle it.
I’m still not sure I can handle it, but as the series winds its way to Monday’s season finale, I do know that I’m glad I’m trying.
Is it hard to watch Coel’s Arabella careen from moments of self-awareness and insight to dark spirals into drugs, compulsive behaviors and terrible decision-making? Yes. It’s very hard. Is the pile-up of disturbing sex scenes and self-destructive behavior tough to take? It really is, and you need to be prepared for that.
But Coel’s raw-nerve examination of trauma, survival, the perils of social media and the life-saving importance of friendship is so powerful on so many levels, and the characters’ determination to keep embracing life and loving each other is so heroic and life-affirming, I am willing to let “I May Destroy You” make human mincemeat out of me. That’s how good it is.