There’s a subreddit for just about everything, but if you’re a legit Uncle Ben’s fan who is also a serious Redditor (that’s a lonely island), you might be disappointed to find that the subreddit r/UncleBens isn’t so much a gathering of hardcore pre-cooked rice fans, as it is an online sub-community of DIY psilocybin cultivators who are using Uncle Ben’s and other supermarket staples to grow magic mushrooms.
According to Mel Magazine — where you can find a fascinating deep dive on the topic that’s well worth your time — the subreddit, which describes itself as “a beginner-friendly place to post and discuss Uncle Ben’s Tek, a simple beginner-friendly method for cultivating mushrooms” was created by a Reddit user who goes by the handle Shroomscout. According to Mel, after finding relief from depression and suicidal ideation through the microdosing of magic mushrooms, Shroomscout started the UncleBen’s subreddit and put his biochemistry degree to use by breaking down an easy and accessible way for people to cultivate their own psilocybin, using an easy to find product like Uncle Ben’s, rather than relying on dealers or complex cultivation techniques for their shrooms.
What makes Uncle Bens the perfect vessel for psilocybin, according to the r/UncleBens crew, is that mushroom cultivation “requires a sterile, nutrient-rich environment in which their spores can grow,” and since Uncle Ben’s rice is pre-cooked, sterilized and vacuum-sealed, it provides the necessary environment for cultivation. Melnotes that psilocybin mushroom spores are legal to buy in 47 states (sorry to California, Idaho, and Georgia) and generally take 11 to 20 days to colonize, and a month or two to produce mushrooms.
On the subreddit, you’ll find a community of kind-vibe cultivators who swap photos of their harvests and offer advice and guidance for anyone who wants to cultivate mushrooms themselves. Considering that magic mushrooms are showing encouraging success in therapeutic settings, proven to be the safest drug, and seeing increased legalization, this sounds like a much more fun DIY quarantine project than more sourdough.
“These are songs that I recorded to end a cycle of emotions that I no longer feel,” Justine Skye told Uproxx over the phone about her sophomore effort Bare With Me: The Album.
The cathartic release exists as a waning crescent that transforms into a new moon, where new beginnings lie ahead. At just 24, Skye has located her voice and is letting her emotions run free.
The Roc Nation signee’s latest release, which features four new songs including “No Options” and a stripped-down version of “Maybe,” is an end to an extremely bleak chapter. Now, the rising R&B star is jump-starting her new era. She’s been fulfilling a dream by working extensively with Grammy Award-winning producer Timbaland during the quarantine with a live sessions series titled “Space And Time.”
At this point, Justine’s future is both promising and reassuring. Truly, it’s been inspiring watching her plow through an abusive relationship with “Mo Bamba” rapper Sheck Wes and betrayal from people whom she saw as friends into a chasm of great music.
In a conversation with Uproxx, Justine opened up about letting go of the past, celebrating the future, and the significance of Bare With Me: The Album at this particular moment in her life.
How’s quarantine been for you, everybody’s been finding different creative ways to make music.
And stepping out of the box as well, too. This time that we’ve had, has really given us the opportunity to just experiment, which I think is the most beautiful part of this disaster. That we just have time to rethink all of the things that we were doing and really plan out how we’re going to come back stronger after all of this.
What made you feel like you needed to get the Bare With Me album out? I know you’ve been working on music with Timbaland, right?
I’ve been doing these “Space and Time” sessions with Timbaland, which has literally been a dream come true for me because I’ve always wanted to work with him. Literally, you can probably find so many different interviews with me talking about him when they asked me who I would love to work with. When he reached out to start collaborating with me on these Instagram videos, it was just such a huge moment for me. As time progressed, we just talked more and more and more. We’re setting these songs into, like these little Instagrams and bits that I’ve done, into a full project.
How did he ask you to work with him?
He DM-ed me first. My management, they’re pretty close to him as well, but he DM-ed me on his own. I did a cover video with one of my friends and he saw that. He was like, “Oh, I want to do one.” I was like, “What? You want to do an Instagram cover with me?” It’s so crazy. You’re Timbaland.
What song was it that you covered?
Ah, shi*t, I forgot. I wasn’t really familiar with the name of the band because my friend recommended the song. But it was called “Helplessly Hoping.” She plays a guitar, so she was just like, “I’m really into this song right now. Can you learn the words, and then we’ll do a little quarantine kind of video?” It was a folk song.
Switching gears, because you’ve been pretty vocal about the police killing of George Floyd and with 2020 being what it is and Covid-19, how have you been holding up?
In the first few days of the protesting and just everyone becoming aware of what’s been happening in the world, it was extremely intense. Obviously, many of us were super angry and filled with such rage. I just had to remember God, and spreading love. If we really want the message to get across, then we have to just take action, and not just sit here and be upset so that’s exactly what I started doing. Whether it’s gathering a group of friends and figuring out what we can do physically in order to help make a change in our communities, in the world. It starts with our communities, the people that we talk to, the offices that we walk into, the photoshoots that we partake in, and then moves to whatever. We have to not be afraid to speak up on racism that we experienced, that we witness, and even the white privilege as well, too.
I remember when people were upset when you kneeled during the national anthem at a basketball game. Now I feel like everybody’s been apologizing for it.
It’s just kind of ridiculous at this point, seeing all of these people issuing these apologies but I just hope that it’s genuine, and they’re not just doing it to… it’s a rough time. It’s hard to spot out who’s being genuine and who’s just trying to keep their business afloat.
What type of conversations have you been having with your friends about this?
Just making sure that they understand, not even necessarily making sure that they understand, but just… my friend group is very, I would say, diverse. I have a lot of white friends, I have a lot of Black friends and I have a lot of Asian friends and friends from all ends of the earth. I’m from Brooklyn, New York. I express the need for them — and I don’t need to do this because they understand this themselves — but just reminding them that they are very useful in this way. I feel like sometimes people can get scared and be like, “Well, I don’t know. Maybe I should…” This isn’t a time to be scared. It’s a time for us to understand that as the human race, we need to come together to fight against this injustice.
Tell me about these new songs you’ve added for the Bare With Me EP?
These are songs that I recorded to end a cycle of emotions that I no longer feel.
What are some of those emotions that you’re speaking of, that you no longer feel and felt you had to get rid of?
Well, I was in a relationship when I was working on that EP and it’s the rollercoaster of that relationship from when it was good to when it became bad.
So, this is like closing a chapter?
Yeah, pretty much. Bare With Me, the title is a double entendre, to the guy that I was talking to and to just the public to bare with me while I work on the actual project. It’s part of that cycle of emotions. It’s part of that process. I kind of just wanted to finish that so that I can move forward from it.
When would you say that you would know when your project is complete?
Well, once I have accumulated a decent amount of songs, and you just now come down to like, “All right, these are the best. This should go on the project.” It’s consistently recording and then you just narrow it down to these are the ones that I’m still in love with. Like, this is the storyline, this is what makes sense. When you are working on a project, you have an idea of this world and you’re creating it and building it and then you narrow it down. Every time you go into the studio, you’re creating something that’s going to be the last song that you were so crazily in love with.
You’ve been fairly popular since you were a teenager, right? Coming into the music industry with an online presence already, how has it been for you?
I guess it’s been a journey. I’ve been signed since I was 17, and I guess I’ve been really known since I was 16 through Tumblr. It’s just that throughout time, I wouldn’t consider myself a child star or anything like that — but in the age of social media, someone who has somewhat of a platform to now being in the music industry, it can get pretty intense. Even some of my peers, they’ve reached out and we just have conversations about just reminding ourselves that we’re whole and to just stay on track. In this age of social media, there’s always going to be someone who… Not everyone’s going to like you, and there’s always going to be someone who has something bad to say about you, but we have to acknowledge all the good.
How are you tying that into your music and making sure that, that reflects you as well?
I make sure that reflects me just in the way that I live and the messages that I spread from person to person. When I encounter my fans, when I’m on tour, or whatever it may be. I’m still figuring out how to translate that through my music because at this point in time as I grow as a writer. I’m a very emotional person and some of my songs can be very sad and dark.
Bare With Me: The Album is out now via Nynetineth. Get it here.
Summer is in full swing. The days are long and getting increasingly hot. Burnout levels are certainly high. Now’s the time for a cold, refreshing, light beer to quench your thirst and keep you in good spirits. That doesn’t mean bars though. Depending on where you are in the country, you’re more than likely drinking at home or a socially-distanced outdoor space. Time to see what your local craft breweries have available for curbside pick up and sip that beer on your porch while contemplating the universe.
Regardless of where you enjoy them, for us, summer beers need to be three things. First and foremost, they should be light. A heavy imperial stout that tastes like the perfect remedy to a cold winter’s day just isn’t what we reach for when we’ve got swimsuits on. Next, we’d argue that citrus and fruit-forward sips are key. If they’re not refreshing, what are we even doing here? Finally, low-alcohol or sessionable beers win out more often than not. With long afternoons that roll right into the evening, you should be able to drink more than one without falling down.
Hopefully, the eight beers we’re calling out this month will pique your interest and inspire you to explore exciting expressions made near you or at your closest bottle shop. The picks below are regional craft beer releases from breweries that we vouch for (we weren’t able to taste them all this month because of the continued pandemic, so we’re offering tasting notes from the brewers where necessary). Give them a try as Summer 2020 heads into the dog days.
Style: American Blonde Ale ABV: 4.5% Brewery Location: Juneau, AK
The Beer:
Alaskan’s Fireweed Blonde embraces the fields of wild fireweed that grows in the boreal forests of the far north. The beer infuses fireweed honey into the brew to add a unique depth that gives a very particular fingerprint of the Alaskan wilds, especially in the summer.
“Brewed with a touch of Fireweed honey, this light-bodied ale is easy drinking and approachable, with a crisp and smooth character, low bitterness, and a light malty finish.”
SOUTHWEST DROP: Sierra Nevada Otra Vez
Style: Gose-Style Ale ABV: 4.9% Brewery Location: Chico, CA
The Beer:
Sierra Nevada brews a lot of great options for summer sipping. Their Otra Vez has become a mainstay for those looking to err closer to savory and herbaceous with a sweet edge. The beer is brewed with limes and agave syrup to add a distinctly Californian feel to the classic German beer.
Tasting Notes:
Lime dominates up top with a clear sense of fresh agave in the background. The beer’s palate carries on with the lime alongside a general burst of bright citrus. There’s a slight tang to the whole sip that kind of asks you if you’d like a shot of tequila with your beer.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN DROP: New Belgium and Cerveceris Primus Mural Agua Fresca Cerveza
Style: Fruit and Field Beer ABV: 4% Brewery Location: Fort Collins, CO
The Beer:
Mural from Colorado’s New Belgium and Mexico City’s Cerveceris Primus blends light beer with real fruit to create a sort of bridge between the world of beer and hard seltzers. The calories and sugar content are very low, yet the sip still feels like you’re drinking beer and not just bubbly water.
Tasting Notes:
Fruit is front-and-center on the sip. The Watermelon Lime variety is the boldest, with a bright sense of freshly squeezed lime next to cold watermelon juice. A hint of fresh hibiscus centers the agave syrup sweetness as the citrusy lime carries through to the end.
SOUTHERN DROP: Abita Brewing Purple Haze
Style: Fruited Lager ABV: 4.2% Brewery Location: Covington, LA
The Beer:
Purple Haze is a year-round offering from Abita. But we’d argue that now’s the perfect time to crack one open. The base of lager yeasts with Pilsner and wheat malts is spiked with fresh raspberries, adding a distinctly purple hue and true fruitiness to the light beer.
Tasting Notes:
Raspberries greet you with a hint of the malts. The beer leans into the tartness of the red berries with a light lager underpinning that’s very easy to drink. In the end, it’s the fruitiness — balanced with a nice measure of tartness — that’ll keep you reaching for another.
MIDWEST DROP: Bell’s Sparkleberry Ale
Style: Belgian-Style Tripel Ale ABV: 9% Brewery Location: Kalamazoo, MI
The Beer:
Bell’s started brewing up batches of Sparkleberry Ale back in 2013 to celebrate and support Pride Month. The beer is Belgian Tripel brewed with fresh raspberries. That Tripel base, though, means that this one packs a nine percent ABV wallop, so consider yourself warned on how drunk these cans will get you in short order.
Tasting Notes:
Freshly picked raspberries dominate the nose to the point that you’ll forget that you’re tasting a ridiculously strong Belgian Tripel. There’s a floral sense that supports the tart berries feel with those hefty ale malts sneaking in late to remind you that you’re drinking beer. A mild bitterness takes hold as the malts and raspberries finish strong and ultra-refreshing, making this the epitome of summer in a can.
NORTHEAST DROP: Tree House Double IPA SUMMER
Style: Double IPA ABV: 8.1% Brewery Location: Charlton, MA
The Beer:
It kind of can’t be summer without a Tree House Double IPA or two while sitting in the shade of a lumbering tree. This year’s “Summer” is brewed with oats with the malts and then hopped with a matrix of Amarillo, Citra, and Magnum hops, giving this sip a classic, funky IPA feel that leans into being bright and refreshing above all else.
“We taste and smell fresh-squeezed orange juice, mango gummies, clementine sorbet, and citrus pith. Summer is a chewy IPA, leaving behind fruity hop oils on the tongue to entice the next sip. Drink it cold and drink it straight from the can for maximum hop enjoyment.”
WILD CARD DROP: Deschutes Neon Daydream Hazy Ale
Style: American Pale Ale ABV: 4.8% Brewery Location: Bend, OR
The Beer:
Back in the Pacific Northwest, Neon Daydream from Deschutes is a summer standard that’s back on shelves right now. The beer has a malt base of Pilsner, wheat, un-malted wheat, oats, and acidulated malts (those are malts that are fermented in lactic acid). The beer is then hopped with Cashmere, Simcoe, and Lemondrop hops to give a real sense of summer sunshine in the bottle.
Tasting Notes:
Bright citrus greets you with bursts of lemon and orange leading the way. The orange edges towards a bitter-yet-sweet marmalade as the lemon keeps it all very light and, well, sunny before a slight malt funk sneaks in. The sip ends quickly with a nice balance of malts, sweet orange, and tart lemon.
This tiny brewery from the edge of the lake just outside of Munich is a pilgrimage site for beer lovers who know what’s up. The monks at Klosterbrauerei Andechs brew up beer lover’s beer and that’s especially true of their Weissbier Hell, or pale wheat beer. The beer is simply made with wheat, water, yeast, and hops. It’s then bottled unfiltered, allowing the hazy yeast body to remain.
Tasting Notes:
This is classic German wheat beer with hints of banana next to cloves, bridged by a backbone of yeasty tanginess. Hints of honey and yellow melon play with the clove spiciness and banana while the velvet texture and lightness of the beer leaves you wanting more.
Immediately, speculation began about J.R. Smith being the guy they’d turn to, given his connection to LeBron James and that he had worked out previously for the Lakers and impressed, even though L.A. chose to bring in Dion Waiters at that time instead. Smith has remained in L.A. to workout and stay in shape in hopes of finding a home for the restart and it now appears that home will be with the Lakers, as Marc Stein of the New York Times reports the two sides are expected to finalize a deal before Tuesday night’s deadline.
The Lakers, league sources say, are expected to finalize a rest-of-the-season contract with J.R. Smith before Tuesday’s 11:59 PM ET closure of the NBA’s “transaction window”
Rosters for the NBA restart at Walt Disney World must be turned in to the league office Wednesday
That report was confirmed by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and it’s safe to assume we’ll get Smith and James reunited in July.
Free agent guard J.R. Smith and the Lakers are working through final steps of a deal today and he will be added to roster for the Orlando restart, sources tell ESPN.
The question, of course, is how much the Lakers will use Smith — and Waiters — and the answer to both might simply be situational. Smith will be brought in to shoot three-pointers, and as long as he can be effective doing so he’ll likely find himself some minutes as the Lakers are a relatively pedestrian 17th in the NBA in three-point percentage at 35.5 percent. Bradley was their third-best three-point shooter among regular rotation players, and they’ll need Smith (and guys like Quinn Cook) to likely step in to fill that role some.
Austin, Texas indie-rockers Spoon have been at it for a while now. The veteran group launched their career in the ’90s with their debut album, 1996’s Telephono. They followed that album up the next year with a five-track EP, Soft Effects. Now, those two formative releases are getting the reissue treatment via Matador Records.
The album and EP will be re-released on vinyl and CD on July 24, which will be the first time these releases will be available individually on CD and vinyl since their original releases, over 20 years ago. As Spoon leader Britt Daniel notes, “Some of these albums haven’t been available on vinyl or CD in years, and in some places they never actually came out.” Additionally, a silkscreen cover version of Soft Effects will be available, albeit only in a limited run of 500 copies on red vinyl and a further 500 on blue vinyl.
These two rereleases kick off the Slay On Cue series of reissues. Other records set to be included will be A Series Of Sneaks (originally released in 1998), Girls Can Tell (2001), Kill The Moonlight (2002), and Transference (2010). Additionally, North American fans will be able to get a fan-curated compilation LP, All The Weird Kids Up Front (Mas Rolas Chidas), which is set for a Record Store Day release on August 29.
Today’s announcement also brought with it a video for the Kill The Moonlight track “Small Stakes,” which was developed from the original 88mm film. Daneil says of the clip, “It’s a little glimpse into life in the studio in 2002 during the recording of Kill The Moonlight, filmed by our friend Peter Simonite.”
The rereleases of Telephono and Soft Effects are out 7/24 via Matador Records. Pre-order them here.
The NBA and NBPA are still discussing various ways for players and the league to continue being active and vocal in advocating for social justice while in the Orlando bubble for the league’s in July.
Concerns over the NBA and WNBA’s restart distracting from player activism regarding the swelling Black Lives Matter movement that continues to see protests of police brutality, systemic racism, and inequality around the country have led to some players wondering if they should skip the restarted seasons in Florida. A number of WNBA players, including Chiney Ogwumike, Renee Montgomery, and Natasha Cloud, have already made their intentions to skip the 2020 season to continue fighting for social justice.
For those that do plan on joining the bubble, there’s still work being done figuring out what players can do on the court to use the platform of playing games to keep the message at the forefront. One such idea gaining traction in the NBA and WNBA, which originated with a petition started by Angel McCoughtry of the Las Vegas Aces, is to allow players to put a message, phrase, or name of someone who has been a victim of police brutality on their jersey in place of their name. On Sunday, Ja Morant reposted a photoshop someone made of his jersey that says “F*ck 12,” referring to the police, which naturally caused a bit of a stir.
Morant would later post a statement with an apology later that night, noting it doesn’t “clearly and accurately convey what I wanted to share,” and that he wants to focus on the bad cops that murder unarmed Black men and women and harass protesters.
While posting the initial photoshop was always going to lead to backlash towards Morant from certain fans, it was good to see Morant clarify what he meant while making it clear that focus should remain on police brutality and the numerous, unnecessary lives lost to police violence. The apology didn’t fall into typical tropes of calling those that abuse their power “a few bad apples,” because if we’ve learned anything in recent weeks by how police departments have handled protests, that’s simply not the case. The issue is systemic and highlighting the good work done by some police is important, but it’s also important not to lose sight of the fact that the problems are ingrained in the system and run deep in many police departments, which must be addressed.
It’ll be interesting to see what messaging players choose to put on their jerseys, and maybe moreso, what the NBA allows on jerseys, should the league, union, and Nike come to an agreement on doing so.
When Jasmin points out Method Man’s propensity for rooting for new female rappers, Meth agrees that Rapsody is his favorite woman in hip-hop at the moment. “If you don’t know who Rap is…” he starts, leaving the implications unsaid. “Of course, everything she stand for. She remind me of myself. She don’t want you to focus on the fat ass or what she got on. She wants you to see her mind first.”
Of course, Rapsody herself may take some issue with that characterization, as she’s been staunch in praising her fellow female rappers no matter how they present themselves. In Rap’s eyes, there is room for every kind of feminine presentation in hip-hop; she’s praised Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B both in interviews and in rhymes, shouting out her counterparts in a freestyle at the 2019 BET Hip-Hop Awards. Meanwhile, Method Man recently put his heavyweight co-sign behind emerging West Coast duo Blimes and Gab, who dropped their debut album, Talk About It, just this past weekend.
Watch Method Man’s full interview with Talib Kweli above.
People’s Party is a weekly interview show hosted by Talib Kweli with big-name guests exploring hip-hop, culture, and politics. Subscribe via Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The goal was straightforward: Create a list of the best television shows from the first half of 2020. We rounded up our television writers and had all of them submit a top ten list. We assigned point values to each entry (10 points for number one, one point for number 10, etc.) to try to come up with a fair, math-based final list. It seemed so simple.
And then… chaos. It turns out there are so many shows — so many good shows, even — that you can have six lists with a very tiny amount of overlap. Shows that were number one on some lists were completely absent from others. Only one show appeared on more than half of the lists. There were ties galore. Just complete anarchy any way you slice it.
The truth is, though, that it’s kind of perfect that our list is a mess. The sheer number of shows available means that everyone can tailor their viewing to their individual interests. It means you can have a group top 10 list that has 12 total shows and honorable mentions and covers everything from horror to cool skate teens to bumbling vampires to felonious lawyers traipsing through a desert. That’s kind of nice, really. It’s a good thing.
God bless us when we make the year-end list, though.
HONORABLE MENTION
Joe Pera Talks With You (Adult Swim)
I don’t know if any other show does more with less than Joe Pera Talks With You. Less can be taken two ways, too: first, because the Adult Swim series runs mostly abbreviated episodes, usually in the 7-10 minute range; second, because very little happens in these episodes. That might sound like a complaint. It’s not. The show has such small stakes — Pera plays a Michigan choir teacher, which is a good tip-off that this isn’t, like, Westworld, plot-wise — that an entire episode can be devoted to going to the grocery store. The was a season-long arc about growing a bean arch that was honestly more satisfying and moving than most dramas I saw this year. The show is funny, strange, sweet, peaceful, soothing, and unlike anything else on television. You can watch the entire season in about an hour on the Adult Swim website. You should do that. — Brian Grubb
The Great (Hulu)
Last year, HBO gave us a very serious mini-series on Catherine the Great, Russia’s infamous empress. She was played by Dame Helen Mirren, and we spent a handful of episodes retracing the final years of her reign amidst wars and political squabbles and romantic entanglements with other very serious men. Hulu’s The Great is not that show. Hulu’s The Great wants to bring a bit of fun back into the oppressive, tyrannical regime of Peter III, Catherine’s husband who she spends most of this new series plotting to murder. Hulu’s The Great is filled with a young cast – think Nicholas Hoult and Elle Fanning – darkly comedic storytelling from The Favourite scribe Tony McNamara, outlandish wigs, campy court life moments, and Pomeranians getting tossed off balconies … for science. It’s an 18th-century punk Russian soap opera and it deserves all the Huzzahs. — Jessica Toomer
The Outsider (HBO)
Look, Stephen King adaptations are hit-and-miss, but this was a success with HBO’s audience, and Richard Price’s tweaks from the book made all the difference. Hell, Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund, recognized how well it all worked when we interviewed him earlier this year. He freaking loved this take on Holly Gibney (portrayed by Cynthia Erivo) and described the show like this: “The man is the skeptic, and the woman is the believer! Not only that, but she’s a genius and a savant and has one foot in that voodoo shit, woohoo.” Yep, Erivo and Ben Mendelsohn pulled off the reverse Mulder-Scully thing well, and the show’s scratchy El Cuco unfurling made it meme-able, week after week.
While this show wasn’t perfect — I still don’t understand all the lamp stuff, and my god, some scenes felt like they were shot at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, they were so (literally) dark — this show gave us a ton of characters worth rooting for, even including the atomic-wedgie-brandishing villain, Jack. I also love that Price left Gibney’s fate wide open with a swell second-season set up. El Cuco must return for more. — Kimberly Ricci
10. (tie) Bojack Horseman (Netflix)
NETFLIX
Remember Game of Thrones? The biggest show on TV, Emmy winner, a cat named Ser Pounce, etc. Ringing any bells (too soon)? Do you also remember how let down you were by the series finale? I’m not bringing up “The Iron Throne” to pick at wounds that probably still haven’t healed. I’m using it to prove how even the best shows can struggle with final seasons — and finales, in particular. They’re tough! But BoJack Horseman, which was somehow both the funniest and saddest show on television/Netflix/whatever, did not pull a Game of Thrones. The second half of the final season (the first six episodes aired in 2019) was as good as the show has ever been, and considering it’s my favorite show of the 2010s, that’s high praise. — Josh Kurp
10. (tie) Defending Jacob (Apple+)
APPLE
Defending Jacob pulls the thread on a picture-perfect American family to see how they unravel while, at the same time, posing questions that pit love and family against morality. Questions that demand a beat and some nuance when assessing what we’d do in our own lives if presented with them. It’s the kind of package we’ve seen before, but delivered with an uncommon level of polish with a cast that stands out. And not just Chris Evans, flexing dramatic muscles that had been on the shelf for a time. Michelle Dockery also shines as an anguished mother, as does 17-year-old Jaeden Martell as the boy at the center of the storm. — Jason Tabrys
10. (tie) Mythic Quest (Apple+)
APPLE
Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet — from Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Megan Ganz — is a great, hysterically funny and occasionally warm series that feels like It’s Always Sunny crossed with Community set in a workplace devoted to a video-game development. There’s a frenzied energy that makes it easy and exciting to follow its characters on their misadventures, questing for validation, vanity, and petty vengeance, as the series thematically confronts issues about creativity versus commerce. It’s sometimes absurd, and often satirical, and — from what I understand — a fairly good representation of what it looks like inside of a video-game development company. Nine of the first season’s ten episodes are terrific, but the fifth episode — a stand-alone ep written by Rob’s sister, Katie McElhenney — transcends the reset of the series, and joins the quarantine episode as two of the very best sitcom episodes of 2020. — Dustin Rowles
7. (tie) Ramy (Hulu)
Hulu
There’s one scene from the excellent second season of Ramy that I keep thinking about, one that, I believe, sums up the show. It’s in episode six, “They,” the one where Ramy’s mother Maysa has her Lyft driver account suspended after receiving a negative review from a passenger. The suspension, which she fears could lead to criminal charges, couldn’t have come at a worse time, either, as she’s about to take her American citizenship test. After an awkward run-in at a bar with a trans customer (some might call it “stalking”), Maysa passes the test, and while being sworn in as a citizen, she looks at a picture of President Donald Trump and says, “I’m not like you, Trump. I will f*ck you. I will f*ck your pussy and grab it before you grab mine or Dena’s. I will vote you away you piece of f*cking f*ck-sh*t. I am here to stay, bitch.” That, in a nutshell, is Ramy. It tackles delicate issues – whether it’s racism, misogyny, misgendering, or having sexual feelings for your cousin — with bleak, character-based humor; and in season two, the show’s universe continued to expand, with the introduction of Oscar winner Mahershala Ali as a sheikh and an entire episode about Uncle Naseem’s eating-an-entire-cake-by-himself loneliness. (It’s the rare show that’s at its best when it’s not about the titular character.) Maysa isn’t like Trump, as she makes very clear, but more shows should be like Ramy. — Josh Kurp
7. (tie) Brockmire (IFC)
IFC
What started as a show about a drunk lecherous lout amidst the backdrop of minor league baseball in a pulseless American town somehow became a redemption song about a sober lecherous lout scraping his way back to the big leagues and some semblance of (literal and metaphorical) uprightness. And then, in its final season, said lout somehow became commissioner of baseball amidst the backdrop of a dystopia. It reads like a fever dream but plays like a consistently uproarious comedy and increasingly smart satire, anchored by Hank Azaria in what is probably his best role. Four seasons and 32 episodes hardly seems like enough but they got all of this one. — Jason Tabrys
7. (tie) Betty (HBO)
HBO
Well, I think this show is cool, and Brian Grubb thinks this show is cool, so what more enticement do you need to give the Skate Kitchen ladies a shot? Here’s a slice-of-life project, and an authentic one, where we can watch real-life skaters (who aren’t Actors with a capital “A,” in fictionalized roles) who simply want to skate. It’s beautifully shot by director Crystal Moselle, who found this group of skaters to be so cool that she wanted to give us a glimpse into their freewheeling world. The end result is that we, like Moselle, want to follow them and see what happens next, even if they’re only spending a day tracking down a backpack or getting high or hanging out with an albino rat named Perstefanie. — Kimberly Ricci
6. High Fidelity (Hulu)
HULU
Full disclosure up front: I did not expect to like High Fidelity, the TV show produced by Hulu. I rolled my eyes at it a little when I first heard about it. I filed it under another cheap play at reimagining existing intellectual property, in this case, both a book and John Cusack movie of the same name. But then I watched the first episode. And the second episode. And the third. And then I looked up and realized I had binged the whole season in about 48 hours. There are a few takeaways from this story: High Fidelity is a good show, and I am an idiot.
A lot of the credit here goes to Zoe Kravitz, who plays the gender-swapped lead in the series, the one who breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience about her breakups and dates and self-destructive behavior related to both. She’s super good and super charismatic, which is very important in a show where the audience has to care about a main character who is kind of a mess and kind of a jerk. The result is a warm, fun show about friends and life and figuring stuff out by pushing through it, even when it stinks. It’s another reminder that a show doesn’t need a huge concept — dragons, outer space, etc. — to be compelling and captivating. And a reminder, again, that I am an idiot. — Brian Grubb
5. Normal People (Hulu)
HULU
Hulu’s Normal People is about two flawed people, Marianne and Connell, who fall madly, madly in love in high school but who are kept apart through their time at university by their own mental and emotional issues. He’s poor but well-liked and suffers from depression. She’s from an abusive family. They both have major insecurities, which drive their inability to stay together, and it hurts because they are so obviously otherwise perfect for one another. To see these two characters played by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal circle around each other for years but never maintain their connection hurts in deeply psychic ways, which makes it a achy, soulful sexy, and impossible-to-stop-watching romantic series. — Dustin Rowles
3. (tie) What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
FX
I refuse to feel shame that practically all of my picks for good shows in 2020 were comedies. We need a reason to laugh while the world burns. But I’m particularly proud of how bloody brilliant the second season of this FX mockumentary was. After carving out its own distinct space separate from its film predecessor with its first season, WWDITS was given the time and story development it needed to really fly in season two – as long as it yelled “Bat!” first. Vampire councils, semen-thieving witches, Haley Joel Osment as a zombie, and small-town American hero Jackie Daytona were just a few highlights of the show’s sophomore run and really, the only thing we’re looking forward to next year is seeing how they top it. — Jessica Toomer
3. (tie) Schitt’s Creek (POP)
POP
Even if we weren’t faced with a global pandemic and cannibal rats, 2020 would still be trash because it marked the end of one of the best comedies to ever grace our TV screens. Schitt’s Creek started as a fairly straightforward human experiment – toss a family of out-of-touch one-percenters into the social cesspool of a small Canadian town and see how (or if) they survive. But thanks to a cast that included legends Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy, and some carefully crafted, slow-burn character development, what Schitt’s Creek ended it’s run as was a beautiful sum of all it’s eccentric, over-the-top, “Eww David” parts. Few shows would be bold enough to lower the curtain just as they were beginning to enjoy critical attention, and hardly any could pull off the final season that this series delivered – one filled with weddings and breakups and bedwetting and a crowpocalypse. We’ll miss you, Roses. — Jessica Toomer
2. I May Destroy You (HBO)
HBO
This show’s even better than the act of typing “I MAY DESTROY YOU” in all caps, which is a great stress reliever. Really, try it now. You’ll see. Seriously though, creator, writer, and star Michaela Coel is an audacious creative force, not to be ignored. She’s also a twisted firestarter (no spoilers on that note, go watch). What Coel’s accomplished here is something that I thought was impossible. While navigating the post-#MeToo era, she not only authentically portrays her character’s experience with sexual assault but also refuses to let her be singularly defined by it. Survivors are fully-dimensional humans, for real, and finally, we’ve got a show that’s not afraid to put that out there. Coel’s work is fearless, this show’s also got a mystery to solve, and yes, amid an expansive backdrop, some humor tiptoes into the space as well. — Kimberly Ricci
1. Better Call Saul (AMC)
AMC
Are we ready? Are we, as a society, really ready? Are we ready to have the hard conversation about whether Better Call Saul is better than Breaking Bad, the show it spun-off from a few years back, the one that went down as a top tier all-time television drama? I’m not sure. I think some of it depends on how this show brings it all home. But the fact that this is not a laughable proposition anymore, the fact that it’s defensible and worthy of a conversation… that already says a lot.
This most recent season might have been its best yet. Sweet rascal Jimmy McGill has full-on broken bad as Saul Goodman. Mike Ehrmantraut is grunting his way up Gus Fring’s criminal organization. These are the things viewers have been waiting to see ever since the prequel was announced. There’s a reasonable argument to be made they’re not even the best parts of the show anymore. This sucker is just loaded with quality universe-building. Rhea Seehorn has turned Kim Wexler — Jimmy’s partner in more ways than one — into the best character on the show, and the one whose future is most interesting. Michael Mando has taken Nacho from a mid-level drug dealer to a truly sympathetic sweetheart who just wants out. And then the show went and introduced Tony Dalton as Lalo Salamanca, a grinning, charming, shockingly athletic psychopath, and the best villain in this show or its predecessor. The embarrassment of riches on display is borderline gluttonous.
Things are about to get very sad on Better Call Saul. There’s no way around it, really. Watching it happen is going to suck, which also says a lot. We all care enough about the silly spin-off about the goofy lawyer from Breaking Bad that we’re going to let it break our hearts. Can’t do much better than that. — Brian Grubb
Everyone knows that trailers and teasers usually reveal too much. Heck, the Vivarium director even asked people not to watch the trailer to that movie, but when it comes to the Nia DaCosta-directed (and Jordan Peele-penned) Candyman reboot, the spoilers are not happening. That’s the case with the bone-chilling trailer and the animated teaser, so don’t be afraid to watch this teaser, either. Oh, and the end of this teaser features a voice — which ominously warns, “Tell everyone” — that’s obviously Candyman, but is it Tony Todd? Well, everyone *thinks* he will return in some form, although DaCosta is keeping that under wraps. And thank goodness for that approach because it’s a novelty to not see what feels like an entire movie before its release.
“What’s Candyman?” asks Watchmen star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Anthony in this teaser. Well, Colman Domingo’s William has an answer for him: “Candyman ain’t a he. Candyman’s the whole damn hive. A story like that, pain like that, lasts forever,” he declares before animated footage shows a cop firing a gun: “Candyman is how we deal with the fact that these things happen. That they’re still happening.” There’s a strong dose of social commentary here, which is (sadly) always relevant but feels even more stark now, given the recent Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality.
The bee imagery is helping to set the mood, and on the Tony Todd front, he’s been tweeting like mad lately, including confirmation of the film’s release date (Sept. 25), which he suggests (with a “bamn”) will go down “by any means necessary.”
Todd apparently also retweeted someone’s question about whether this movie will take the VOD route, although no conclusions should be drawn there.
From the official film synopsis:
For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood were terrorized by a word-of-mouth ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. In present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, visual artist Anthony McCoy and his girlfriend, gallery director Brianna Cartwright, move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by upwardly mobile millennials.
With Anthony’s painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini Green old-timer exposes Anthony to the tragically horrific nature of the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to maintain his status in the Chicago art world, Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, unknowingly opening a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny.
Candyman is still due to arrive in theaters on September 25.
Rina Sawayama shared her shimmering debut album, Sawayama, back in April. Throughout her record, Sawayama honed her bold electro-pop sound through opulent hits like “XS” and “Bad Friend.” Now, the singer has teamed up with Spotify to share a cover of a song of her choice for a Pride edition of their recurring Spotify Singles series.
Sawayama elected to pull from Lady Gaga’s back catalog for her cover. Though Lady Gaga also just released an album herself, Sawayama elected to revisit Gaga’s 2009 sophomore album The Fame Monster. Sawayama transformed Gaga’s overlooked track “Dance In The Dark” from a club-ready track to an electro-pop ballad. Using her emotive vocals to color the song, Sawayama crooned a rendition of “Dance In The Dark” over wailing guitars and metallic synths. “Some girls won’t dance to the beat of the track / She won’t walk away but she won’t look back / She looks good but her boyfriend says she’s a mess,” Sawayama sings.
Announcing the cover on Twitter, Sawayama said she recorded the cover in quarantine and the track is one of her favorite songs.
SOOO excited to share this exclusive @Spotify Singles Pride cover with u ! one of my fave songs by @ladygaga, Dance in the Dark. I recorded this at home, working remotely with @clarenceclarity. Happy Intersectional Pride everybody
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