End-of-summer roundup: My fav shows and podcasts
Here's what I've been watching and listening to.
Hi Readers,
If you saw my last newsletter, you may know I am taking time off work to improve my health. So, as I’ve eased into a calming and do-nothing routine, I’ve had a lot of time to watch and listen to some amazing shows and podcasts. These were so good that I had to share them with you. (Remember, you can always check out the My Favs tab on my homepage for all of my top books and podcasts.)
What have you watched and listened to this summer? Let me know in the comments!
Streaming (TV shows)
Chimp Crazy (HBO/MAX)
Eric Goode, the director and producer of Tiger King, has done it again. This time, we’re following Tonia Haddix, who has an obsession with chimps. No exotic pet story would be complete without animal rights group PETA getting involved to keep things spicy.
As Tonia and PETA duke it out, we get to know Tonia’s backstory, a Hollywood chimp called Tonka, and get the inside scoop on how much it costs to buy a chimpanzee (baby chimps can go as high as $65,000).
Presumed Innocent (Apple TV)
Legal thrillers usually aren’t my thing, but I do love me some Jake Gyllenhaal; plus, David E. Kelley is pretty talented, so why not?
The story follows Rusty Sabich, a high-profile prosecutor, who becomes the prime suspect in the murder of his female colleague with whom he was having an affair.
It’s like the worst-case scenario of cheating on a spouse—the mistress is not only dead, but the wife finds out the details of the love affair at the same time as the jury.
Oof.
Dark Matter (Apple TV)
I’m a Jennifer Connolly fan, so I’m a bit biased here, but I liked Dark Matter from the start. The show is a sci-fi series based on the 2016 novel with the same title by Blake Crouch. The premise revolves around a brilliant physicist (Joel Edgerton) in Chicago who builds a time machine and an injectable serum that warps him into an alternate version of his life.
While watching the show, my mind sometimes drifted to Back to the Future, when Marty and Doc had to navigate the “evil” world where Biff was rich and powerful. Like Back to the Future, Joel’s character just wants to get back home. But Dark Matter is way more complicated than Back to the Future and after each episode, left me like this 🤯.
I just read it was renewed for a second season!
Scavenger’s Reign (MAX & Netflix)
This is probably the best cartoon I’ve ever watched. I’m not even really into cartoons, but it doesn’t matter. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it.
The story follows a crew that crash lands on a dangerous and weird planet. The plants and animals in this world are creatively designed and complex (think Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away).
From the character flashbacks to the realistic dialogue, every episode felt like a mini-movie.
Blue Eye Samurai (Netflix)
Based on the description and poster I saw on Netflix, I would’ve skipped this. But as they say, don’t judge a book by its cover. The only reason I watched it was because a friend kept insisting it was an incredible show. And he was right. Man, I gobbled up the episodes like competitive eater Kobayashi at a Nathan’s Hot Dog.
The story is about a young warrior seeking revenge against her former tormentors in 17th-century Japan. Blue Eye Samurai is an epic saga of betrayal, love, honor, and even some comedy.
Beyond Utopia (Hulu)
I’ve always been fascinated with North Korea. My dad was born above the DMZ line when Korea was still a unified nation, and when the war broke out in 1950, many of his relatives remained in the North.
I thought I had watched every documentary and read every book about the Hermit Kingdom, so I was surprised when my friend told me about Beyond Utopia and its release date in 2023.
This is hands down my favorite documentary of the year.
The film follows a few North Korean defectors who call on Seung Eun Kim, a South Korean pastor (and my new hero) who guides North Koreans to freedom. It’s common for one or two family members to escape first and then seek Pastor Kim’s help to bring the rest of their family to freedom.
Pastor Kim has helped over 1,000 people escape from the North to the South. The treacherous route to their new lives starts in China and goes through Vietnam, Cambodia, and finally, Thailand, where North Korean defectors are given asylum. They are safely sent from Thailand to South Korea, where they are given government resources and money to assimilate into a new country and culture.
The filmmakers take viewers through this wild and scary escape, which involves nighttime car rides, excruciatingly humid treks on foot through the jungles of Vietnam, and moving the family from safe house to safe house. I was on pins and needles, wondering if the family would make it. (You’ll have to watch to see what happens!)
If you’re fascinated by North Korea like I am, you can’t miss Beyond Utopia.
The Murder of Lacy Peterson (Netflix)
I remember when Lacy Peterson’s death was all over the nightly news. It was 2002, and I recalled still feeling exhausted from the OJ Simpson trial a handful of years before. The media coverage felt just as crazy about this murder as it did for the OJ case. But this time, all eyes were on Scott Peterson.
From what little coverage I saw, Scott seemed guilty as hell. Ironically, this was a sticking point in the documentary—did all of the media coverage that pointed to Scott’s guilt, muddle everything? Was he wrongly accused?
Even though the detectives believed they had overwhelming evidence against Scott, I learned it was all circumstantial. Given what I now know about our justice system, the corruption in law enforcement, and how people are unjustly locked up, I kept wondering if they put an innocent man in prison.
But Scott’s purchase of a boat a few weeks before Lacy’s body was found in a bay, plus the bombshell about his extramarital affair, made me feel like, OK, he did it. But without any hard evidence, I kept thinking, maybe he didn’t do it??
I still haven’t made up my mind…
Finding Michael (Hulu)
Call me a sucker for climbing films—I guess I couldn’t get enough after seeing Free Solo in the theater.
Finding Michael is about Spencer Matthews, who traveled to Mount Everest to search for his older brother Michael, who disappeared 23 years ago.
The film taught me a lot about what it takes to climb Mount Everest and that the path to the summit has many dead bodies (many of them Nepalese sherpas) that were never recovered. When I wondered why no one ever came to get the bodies, I realized it was because there were no roads, it was a dangerous and icy trek, and the bodies were heavy.
I was so moved by the story of the two brothers and felt such hope that Spencer would find Michael. I didn’t even Google it on my phone while I was watching! So, if this piques your interest, you’ll have to watch to find out if he did. No spoilers!
Bonus—Bear Grylls, from Man vs. Wild, is also in the documentary.
Torn (Hulu, Disney+, ESPN)
This is another climbing doc, but a totally different story than Finding Michael.
In 1999, legendary climber Alex Lowe lost his life in an avalanche on Shishapangma, a Tibetan mountain. His best friend and climbing partner, Conrad Anker, survived.
After the tragedy, Conrad and Alex's widow, Jennifer, fell in love and married. 😯 The story is partly about the drama surrounding their marriage and about Conrad taking Alex’s place as the stepfather of Alex and Jennifer’s three sons.
It sounds like a soap opera, but it’s deeply human and about how their family dealt with grief and learned to move on. I also thought it was interesting to get the perspective of a climber’s wife and the emotions Jennifer felt each time Alex went off on one of his epic climbs. Would she get the call that he died or would he come home in one piece?
The film was created by one of Alex’s sons, Max, who explores his father's legacy and the complex relationships within his family.
Podcasts
Sweet Bobby
Sweet Bobby… sweet Jesus! This podcast made me go huh?
Sweet Bobby is about a sophisticated and bizarre catfishing scheme. The story explores the story of a woman named Kirat who was catfished for nearly a decade. Kirat thought she was finding love with a man named Bobby, but the six-series podcast reveals who “Bobby” really is.
The podcast also uncovers how catfishers are (or, more appropriately, aren’t) punished by law enforcement for this kind of deception.
I don’t want to give too much away, but if you’re intrigued by people who do crazy and strange things just because they can, you’ll find this one interesting.
Proxy
Proxy is hosted by Yowei Shaw, the host of NPR’s now-canceled podcast Invisibilia. (I was sad when I found out it was canceled.)
Unlike traditional advice or therapy shows, Proxy provides a platform for guests (going through a specific issue) to connect with experts called “proxies.”
The show is about searching for answers—the first few episodes were about Yowei’s layoff from NPR. She was devastated. So Yowei decided to reach out to an HR rep (the proxy) to discuss what happens behind the scenes when a company lays off employees and the why and how.
Proxy gets a bit meta—Yowei harps on the fact that she has difficulty explaining what the show is about (maybe she just needs a good tagline?), so some of the episodes are about why proxies in general help people heal and get through traumatic experiences.
Wiser Than Me
I’ve listened to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s podcast since it launched last year. But honestly, I don’t follow celebrity podcasts because I don’t find them particularly interesting.
But when I skimmed through the episode list and noticed the interview with Sally Fields, I was like, oooh what.
In each episode, Julia talks to iconic women I’d welcome as my grandmother any day. They get real about life experiences and the kind of wisdom and confidence that only really comes with age.
From that first episode I listened to with Sally Field, I was in. The show always makes me feel better about giving less shits about what other people think and what it means to get older.
Weight For It
I like Ronald Young Jr., the host of Weight For It. We could be pals IRL. I first heard Ronald on another podcast as a guest host, so I learned about his weight issues before I even listened to Weight For It.
Now in its second season, the podcast breaks down weight and body image taboos by sharing personal experiences.
I especially appreciated the episode where Ronald secretly recorded a visit to his doctor’s office (season one). It was cringe-worthy and hard to listen to because of the physician’s fat-shaming comments and platitudes.
To me, it highlighted a larger problem with not just our healthcare system and how doctors don’t know squat about diet and nutrition, but how overweight people are treated in our society.
I’m excited for season two.
Movies
Sing Sing (in select theaters)
Based on the trailer, I didn’t think this film would be all that good, but I was wrong.
Sing Sing is based on a true story about John “Divine G” Whitfield, who was imprisoned unjustly at Sing Sing, a maximum-security prison in New York.
Divine G finds solace and purpose in a theater group he founded called Rehabilitation Through the Arts. As humans, we all need an outlet—especially when you’re serving decades behind concrete walls.
The part I was the most intrigued by was that the main character (played by Domingo Coleman) was the only actor in the film who didn’t play himself. The rest of the cast were formerly incarcerated men who played themselves. (Here’s a Rolling Stone piece that explains this piece of filmmaking.)
Sing Sing is a feel-good movie about finding joy in a joyless place through acting, collaboration, laughter, and a shared sense of purpose.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (MAX)
My only regret about this movie is that I didn’t see it on the big screen. I was struck by how beautiful the film was, despite all of the violence and bloodshed.
The film is a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road and follows Furiosa’s journey from being kidnapped by a warlord to her rise as a powerful heroine.
Bonus: Quick Substack shoutouts
Here are a few Substacks I follow that I think are worth checking out.
You can see many of these talented folks in the Recommendations section (on my Substack homepage), but these are the interesting pieces I’ve flagged for you to read.
Most Writers Don’t Read Smut (By:
)What compels us to travel? (By:
)How’s Your Social Health? Mine’s Been a Bit Shaky Lately (By:
)Want more?
Thanks for the shoutout Claire! Looking forward to perusing this list of recos :)
Thanks for the shout-out! I've been watching the Lacy Peterson doc too. Being from the Central Valley, that story dominated the airwaves for YEARS. So call me biased, but I can't look at his smug face and think anything other than guilty. If he inspired a million domestic suspense novels, I would not be surprised!