Staff Picks: What We're Watching During COVID-19 Lockdown
sandra oh (kILLING eVE) / Nicky Jam (Nicky Jam: El Ganador) / iSSA rAE (iNSECURE)
In times like these where there has been a disrupt in the daily scheduled programming in our lives, it can be therapeutic to tune-in to shows that deliver us the suspense, laughs, and entertainment essentially needed right now. Here are the staff’s top favorite TV show picks. We hope you enjoy these picks as much as we did.
Mehele Ahmed, TV Editor
Season 4 premiere of Insecure on HBO flashbacks to 4 months ago with Issa attempting to throw a mixer to get block-party sponsors with her new friend Condola. Let’s just say things get a little awkward between Issa and Condola, as they share a mutual connection with someone from Issa’s past. Things are also not as smooth-sailing as we think from the beginning of the episode to the end with Issa and her relationship with long-time best friend Molly. Relationships no doubt change over time, and it is interesting to see how Issa’s shared history with her friends adds complexity on how she chooses to move forward with these friendships.
Brian Connors, Film Writer
I have been watching the outrageously addictive All American. The CW drama follows Spencer James, a high school football star who gets the opportunity to move out of his gang-infested neighborhood and play football at the luxurious Beverly Hills High.
All American gives viewers everything they expect from the CW’s catalog of guilty pleasures. There is nothing as exhilarating as watching sexy twenty-somethings play sixteen-year-olds and get involved in everything from love triangles to drug addictions! Additionally, All American provides much needed representation to the predominantly white network.
The show balances the cheesy tropes of its genre with compelling storylines about race, privilege, gang violence and the pressures of family, all over the exciting backdrop of high school football.
All American contains a colorful cast of characters and juicy plots that will keep you coming back for more. Taye Diggs is as sexy as ever playing Beverly Hills High football coach, Billy Baker and Daniel Ezra is a fantastic protagonist as Spencer James.
If this show can keep my two straight roommates glued to the couch, I think it can hook almost anyone.
Samantha Decker, TV Writer
From the very first episode of Jane The Virgin, we watch Jane’s (Gina Rodriguez) life go from normal and quiet to a whirlwind of drama when she gets accidentally artificially inseminated with the son of a successful Miami hotel tycoon’s sperm-who also happens to be her boss. After two seemingly impossible positive pregnancy tests, chaos ensues wrapping itself around every aspect of her life. Through all, Jane’s optimism, genuine personality, and beaming smile seldom waiver as she maneuvers through every unusual problem that is thrown her way.
Replicating a telenovela style, the Hispanic-led drama is all the juicy drama of a soap opera without being too over-the-top or cheesy. It combines compelling themes of family, murder, organized crime, exes, and most of all steamy romance- that rarely relies on a raunchy sex scene. The anchor of the show is her family, the four generations of Villanuevas whose love and support transcends any misfortune, emitting an intoxicating warm and fuzzy feeling by the conclusion of every episode.
Danial Hashemi, Film Editor
To get through this quarantine, I’ve revisited an oldie but a goodie; The Wire. The series follows the story of the drug war in the streets of Baltimore through the eyes of drug dealers and users as well as law enforcers. With an amazing cast, including Idris Elba’s start, The Wire easily goes down as one of the greatest shows of all time. Its writing allows for a raw and intelligent dialogue on the issues each episode shows and the drama can keep anyone deeply glued in.
Ash Martinez, Media Writer
Catching up with the latest on Netflix, the series titled Nicky Jam El Ganador makes for a great watch. The show chronicles the story of Puerto Rican rapper Nicky Jam’s international success while struggling to overcome his drug addictions. Growing up with this artist, this show consistently brings back memories with spot-on performances by its cast and interesting storyline. It is a show that’s surely not to be missed.
Inakshi Chandra-Mohanty, TV Writer
Panchayat is the latest offering from The Viral Fever (TVF), the company that is known as the pioneer of web series in India. From their first web series in 2014 till now, they have grown in quality content and in stature, making Panchayat their biggest release to date. This eight-episode series following a young man, Abhishek, who joins as secretary of a Panchayat office in a remote village due to lack of other job options, released on Amazon Prime to critical acclaim. In this satirical comedy, Abhishek grapples with different societal issues on an episodic basis, displaying the village-city disparity through his interactions with the unique characters living in the village from the Pradhan Pati, to the latter’s wife, Pradhan, to the assistant, Vikas, and many more.
Starring Jitendra Kumar of Pitcher’s fame in the lead role, this show is both relevant and heartwarming. The characters are quirky individuals engaging in exaggerated conflicts. As Abhishek comes to terms with living in rural India, he also gains deep knowledge in simplicity and relationships, leading him to slowly fall in love with the people, even if he still harbors resentment about the job and the setting. Even though this show pales in comparison to some of TVF’s earliest shows, it is still high-quality content and can be considered amongst the best Indian web series.
David Nole, Publisher
At the start of the quarantine, the dramedy Gentefied popped up in Netflix mentions and took me by storm. The series follows three Mexican American cousins who are apart of the Morales family and their unifying immigrant patriarch in their struggles to realize the American dream while living in a working-class south Los Angeles community with gentrification looming in the backdrop.
Led by the talented cast of actors Joaquín Cosío Figueroa, J.J. Soria, Karrie Martin, Carlos Santos, and created by writing duo Marvin Lemus and Linda Yvette Chávez, Gentefied delivers a multifaceted and multidimensional look into the contemporary social and economic issues plague many within the Mexican American community. Plus, the characters diverge from typical media stereotypes of Mexican Americans to present a diverse array of personality types and their ever-evolving relationships with the community.
Emery Thanathiti, TV Feature Writer
Pose dives into the history of New York's underground ball culture. While it's set in the 1980s the struggles it highlights of POC people in the LGBT community is still prevalent today, as many still find themselves struggling with acceptance from families and even their own communities.
Combined with quality cinematography, on-point choreography, and performers' high energies, Pose delivers a one-of-kind artistic experience you that transports you into their world.
Teddy Qin, TV Writer
Sandra Oh delivers a phenomenal performance grieving the death of a major character in the series. Despite some doubts about Killing Eve's potential for a successful third season, Oh, along with the cast, ensures quality acting is key for prime television.