On the evening of Oct. 15, the Los Angeles Dodgers trailed the Atlanta Braves by a 3-1 margin in the NLCS, leaving many to lament the likelihood that baseball’s best team could again fall short of a World Series crown. After three straight wins to upend the Braves and three wins in five chances against the Tampa Bay Rays, Mookie Betts and the Dodgers entered Tuesday’s Game 6 with the chance to win the title for the first time since 1988.
While it wasn’t a dominant, wire-to-wire victory, the Dodgers benefitted from a controversial managerial decision and, with the help of Betts, Julio Urias, and others, Dave Roberts’ team picked up a 3-1 win to bring the championship back to Los Angeles.
The evening actually began in positive fashion for the Rays, with Randy Arozarena hitting his third home run of the World Series and tenth home run of the postseason to give Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
From there, the Rays were in strong position, with Blake Snell dominating on the mound. That continued until Snell allowed a 1-out single to Austin Barnes in the bottom of the sixth inning, prompting the decision that will be remembered in Tampa Bay for a long time.
Though Snell had thrown only 73 pitches on the way to nine strikeouts and 5.1 scoreless innings, Rays manager Kevin Cash elected to go to the bullpen and inserted Nick Anderson. While Tampa Bay excelled with similar tactics throughout the 2020 season, namely in avoiding starting pitchers facing the opposition for a third time through the order, the decision came back to bite Cash in short order.
Anderson, who has struggled during the playoffs after a fantastic showing in the regular season, promptly allowed a double to Betts, putting a pair of runners in scoring position. Then, he uncorked a wild pitch to allow the Dodgers to tie the game and, seconds later, Betts crossed the plate on a fielder’s choice to give Los Angeles a 2-1 lead.
Finally, Julio Urias capped off the win with 2.1 perfect innings, striking out four batters and mowing down the Rays lineup. As such, Tampa Bay never threatened in terms of a comeback bid, and the Dodgers emerged victorious.
Later, the story turned to a positive COVID-19 test for Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner and many questions about how the situation was handled, with Turner removed from action during the game itself. Still, the celebration continued for the Dodgers and, with a managerial choice that will linger in the minds of neutral observers and star power carrying the day for Los Angeles, the team with the best roster ultimately won the 2020 World Series to cap off a bizarre baseball season.
UPDATE: Jeff Passan of ESPN provided some details of what happened. Apparently, the Dodgers learned that Turner’s test from Monday came back inconclusive during the second inning of Game 6, at which point his test from Tuesday was run. That came back in the eighth inning, and the rest played out as you’d expect.
In the second inning tonight, the lab doing COVID tests informed MLB that Justin Turner’s test from yesterday came back inconclusive. The samples from today had just arrived and were run. It showed up positive. The league immediately called the Dodgers and said to pull Turner.
Passan reports that the Dodgers will undergo a full testing regiment upon returning to their hotel, and it is unclear if they will fly back to Los Angeles or stay in Dallas for the time being.
When the Dodgers return to their hotel tonight, everybody will be given a rapid PCR test. On the field right now, as they celebrate, the Dodgers are wearing masks. Unclear as to whether they’ll stay in Dallas area before traveling back to Los Angeles. Situation fluid right now.
Again, it’s unclear exactly what took so long to run Monday’s tests, why Turner stayed in despite an inconclusive result, and what the next few days will end up looking like for the World Series winners.
EARLIER: The Los Angeles Dodgers won Game 6 of the World Series on Tuesday evening, taking home the seventh title in the franchise’s decorated history. In the immediate aftermath of the game, a 3-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, a bit of news was announced that served as a sobering reminder of the current situation facing the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Dodgers pulled infielder Justin Turner from the game at the top of the eighth inning, replacing him with Kiké Hernandez. The substitution was not explained at the time, and it was presumably for defensive purposes with the team trying to protect a lead. But after the game, Kevin Burkhardt of Fox Sports revealed that Turner tested positive for COVID-19, and as a result, he was pulled.
“After the completion of the game tonight, we were informed by MLB that Justin Turner received a positive COVID test and that’s why he was removed from the game.” pic.twitter.com/EOxcMlNs5R
Obviously the No. 1 concern is that Turner is able to stay safe and healthy, as he’s caught the virus that has recorded nearly nine million confirmed cases in the United States. From there, the priority is making sure that everyone else that is in the Dodgers’ dugout remains safe and virus-free, as most (if not all) of them presumably had some amount of close interaction with Turner in recent days.
The question that exists right now, of course, is how on earth a baseball player was allowed to play seven full innings of a game before the result of their test became official. Hopefully Major League Baseball is able to provide more information on this as soon as possible.
Led by the hilarious hosting talents that are The 85 South Show’s DC Young Fly, Karlous Miller, and Chico Bean, the BET Hip-Hop Awards unveiled a night filled with entertainment from not only from the hosts but the trademark hip-hop cyphers as well. The night began with the Political Cypher from Polo G, Jack Harlow, Rapsody, Chika, and Flawless RI over NWA’s “F*ck Tha Police.” Shortly after Flo Milli, Buddy, Deante Hitchcock, and Ade appeared to lay off some freestyles of their own with their Hot New Crew Cypher. Changing things up just a little bit to close out the show, Teyana Taylor, HER, Erykah Badu, and Brandy took the stage to dropped some R&B bars of their own in the Ladies First Cypher.
The ladies took on Brandy’s 1994 track, “I Wanna Get Down,” and put down some of their smoothest bars to close out the award show. Teyana led the way before HER stepped forward to continue the cypher, Erykah went next, and Brandy came through with a freestyle over her own track to close out the cypher. Their BET Hip-Hop Award appearance comes in the midst of a productive year for the four singers. Teyana shared her third full-length project, The Album, as did Brandy who released her first album in almost eight years with B7. She, along with Erykah, also participated in Verzuz battles this year, facing Monica and Jill Scott respectively in what were tow of the most popular Verzuz of the year. Last but certainly not least, HER has been hard at work on her debut album this year. However, she’s made the wait easy thanks to a string of singles that includes “Damage,” “Hold On,” and “I Can’t Breathe.”
Despite the fact that people have been voting for weeks now, Election Day is just one week away. Ahead of the face off between Republican incumbent Donald Trump, Democratic challenger Joe Biden, and a collection of third party candidates, two of the NBA’s most vocal Trump critics came together to create a video endorsing Biden.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr and recently-hired Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers teamed up with the Lincoln Project — a group of former Republicans who have come together with a stated goal to beat Trump — to make the case for voting for the former vice president. While the Lincoln Project has attracted a number of detractors for the about-face done by a collection of its members, many of whom were GOP power players over the years, Kerr and Rivers opted to align with them to get their message out.
“What do you stand for?” Rivers asks. “Because the answers should be simple.” After this, Kerr proclaims that “a vote for Donald Trump is a vote against the very ideals upon which our democracy was founded.”
Kerr has been one of the league’s most vocal critics of Trump, oftentimes excoriating the president on social media and in press availabilities. Rivers, meanwhile, has picked his spots, but gave an impassioned answer about race in America in which he criticized the president during the NBA’s Orlando Bubble.
The 2020 BET Hip-Hop Awards returned and if there’s anything you know about the celebrated award show, it’s that the trademark cyphers are back with the hope of impressing viewers with some of today’s best talent in hip-hop. To kick off the show, Polo G, Jack Harlow, Rapsody, Chika, and Flawless RI joined forces for a collection of freestyles over NWA’s “F*ck Tha Police.” For the second cypher of the night, Flo Milli, Buddy, Deante Hitchcock, and Ade came together to honor Pop Smoke with freestyles of their own over the late rapper’s “Dior” instrumental. With their individual freestyles, he “Hot New Crew Cypher” quartet successfully proved why they are some of today’s hottest names in music.
Every member of the “Hot New Crew Cypher” shared a project this year, making their BET award show appearance a great look towards their individual careers. Flo Milli wowed the industry with her debut project, Ho, Why Is You Here?, back in July while Deante Hitchcock showed his growth with his debut album, Better in May. Ade opted for an EP instead of an album this year with his Wyd After? effort which also arrived in May. As for Buddy, while the Compton native is currently prepping his upcoming album, his own 2020 project came in the form of his Janktape, Vol. 1 joint effort with Kent Jamz.
Sure, Disney+ has an exciting slate of Marvel spin-off series coming to the streaming platform in the next few years, but you shouldn’t sleep on the shows available right now. From Jon Favreau’s widely-acclaimed Star Wars spin-off to the entirety of The Simpsons catalog and a few vintage after-school entries, there’s plenty of shows worth binging while we wait for that Loki solo series.
Here are the best TV shows you can stream on Disney+ right now.
Jon Favreau is helming this Star Wars spin-off described as a Space Western that takes place five years after the events of Return of the Jedi. The Empire has fallen, the First Order has yet to be created, so the galaxy is a lawless place perfect for a bounty hunter to wreak havoc and make his own rules, which is exactly what Pedro Pascal’s Mandalorian seems to be doing. This series had been kept tightly under wraps during production, so while most people enjoyed the show immensely, everyone’s favorite takeaway seems to be one thing: Baby Yoda.
We’re still upset that ABC canceled this Marvel spin-off series after just two seasons, but the consolation prize is now, we get to rewatch Hayley Atwell as the kick-ass spy (who Steve Rogers couldn’t help but love) navigating her early years of espionage and political warfare. The show takes us back to 1946 where Peggy has been demoted — because… sexism — and must fight to clear the name of Howard Stark when he’s accused of treason. She teams up with his butler Jarvis (James D’Arcy), and they solve crimes while bickering like an old married couple for 18 episodes. It’s perfect.
Disney Channel’s Hilary Duff starring sitcom hit with many a prepubescent girl back in the day, but the series holds onto a lot of its charm (and original fanbase) if you give it a rewatch. Duff plays the titular pre-teen, a young girl with an interesting method of coping with raging hormones, helicopter parents, annoying little brothers, and mean girls at school, and she gives us internal monologues in the form of a sarcastic animated alter ego. Honestly, we’d like one of those.
One show you won’t have to wait for weekly episodes to air is The Simpsons, which is making its way to Disney’s streaming platform when the service launches on November 12th. Disney bought Fox earlier this year which means they’re the new overlords of Springfield. It also means fans have a new venue to relive all the exploits of Homer, Bart, Lisa, and the rest of the family. For now, the show’s 30 seasons will be available to stream, with newer seasons and episodes still airing on Hulu.
Gordon Ramsay has built a brand around being a snarky, cantankerous British chef, who enjoys making the kitchen hell for unfortunate wannabe cooks. That’s why his relatability and charm as host of this food/travel hybrid series is so shocking. But once you get over it, you’ll enjoy Ramsay’s no-nonsense approach to covering Indigenous culture and food in an interesting new way.
This docuseries pulls back the curtain on how some of Disney’s most beloved classics were made and how the company as a whole became the entertainment juggernaut it is today. Narrated by Angela Bassett, the limited series follows the early days of Disney’s animation engineers, how they established the company’s principles, and gave life to some of the most spectacular films, as well as how Disney itself built a franchise of theme parks, blockbusters, TV programming, and more.
This new series answers the question literally no one has asked: “What would happen if you mixed High School Musical with The Office?” Well, it looks like you’d get a watchable teen drama with a fresh take on a beloved millennial musical series. The show is set in the fictional East High where the original movie was filmed and follows the students putting on the first rendition of a musical based on High School Musical, in mockumentary form. It’s all very meta and surprisingly catchy.
The animated world of Star Wars might not be for everyone, but it’s one of the best ways Disney has been able to extend the lifespan of George Lucas’ franchise and watching it might give you some clues as to the direction this universe will take in the future. Of course, even without the Easter egg hunting, you’ll have a good time. Not only is this series gorgeously animated with some of the most realistic 3-D effects we’ve ever seen, but it also fills in the gaps between the prequel films, meaning we get a closer look at Anakin’s journey to the Dark Side and how the war between the Republic and the Separatists had far-reaching effects.
Neil deGrasse Tyson hosts this illuminating docuseries that breaks down some of the biggest scientific discoveries of our time and asks the life-encompassing philosophical questions none of us have answers to. You’ll learn about everything from the future of A.I. to the history of Sir Isaac Newton here, and Tyson’s ability to filter seemingly incomprehensible data into layman’s terms makes all of it fun and exciting.
Over the past few years, Jeff Goldblum has curated a new persona. He’s become the internet’s zany uncle, a celebrity who can cash in on the nostalgia of past work and turn that currency into more modern roles. Disney knows Goldblum’s appeal, which is why it’s trying to bottle up a bit of the actor’s charisma and likability with this docuseries whose premise is basically, “Let Jeff Goldblum be fascinated by normal sh*t.” It’s an easy, enjoyable watch that feels just quirky enough to become a hit. Or, at the least, an endless well for memes.
This show was canceled by ABC before its first season ended, mainly because it was all kinds of bad. Bad wigs, bad special effects, bad everything. Except, it has a pretty impressive cast and a nasty villain in Game of Thrones star Iwan Rheon. We wouldn’t subscribe for this show alone, but if you’ve already binged all of the Marvel movies on Disney+, why not have fun critiquing this spin-off?
Four words: Reunions. Musicals. Kristen. Bell. That’s all you really need to know about this new reality series hosted by The Good Place star who organizes a reunion of theater geeks and tasks them with recreating their high school musical years after they first performed together. It’s heartwarming, full of great song-and-dance numbers, and sure, there’s some drama.
Look, if the thought of binging all 101 episodes of this classic afternoon cartoon about a globe-trotting treasure-hunting billionaire Scrooge McDuck and his nephews doesn’t fill you with warm, fuzzy nostalgia, then you probably didn’t grow up in the ’90s, and we feel sorry for you. For everyone else, see ya in Duckburg.
Yes, the sequel to this beloved coming-of-age series is also available on Disney +, but nothing beats the original. Boy Meets World followed the exploits of Cory Matthews, his siblings, and his best friends as they navigated school, relationships, and growing up while indulging Cory’s elaborate theories about life. It’s good, wholesome fun that makes us wish we had teachers as cool as George Feeny.
Another terrific animated children’s show is this late ’90s series about a group of primary school friends who are bucking authority and causing general mayhem on the playground. While adults set the rules during teaching hours, the brief respite from lessons brings its own hierarchy. Basically, there are laws to be respected when it comes to recess, and this show proves it.
The 2020 BET Hip-Hop Awards returned Tuesday night with a jam-packed show laced with performances from Lil Baby, Big Sean, City Girls, 2 Chainz, Burna Boy, Gucci Mane, Jhene Aiko, Mulatto, and more. A favorite section of the ceremony, the BET cyphers — a freestyle performed one at a time by a single group — also made its return. The first cypher of the night featured Polo G, Jack Harlow, Rapsody, Chika, and Netlfix’s Rhythym + Flow finalist Flawless RI. For what was billed as the night’s Political Cypher, each contestant rocked all black while laying strong bars that focused on police brutality, social injustice, and more — all important topics as the presidential election is just a week away.
The cypher appeared to be a 2020 XXL Freshman class reunion at first, as Polo G, Chika, and Jack Harlow led the way with their own freestyles. However, that proved to be false as hip-hop vet Rapsody stepped forward with bars before Flawless RI closed the cypher out. Prior to the cypher, Rapsody also landed the first win of the night — and the first of her career — with an award for Lyricist Of The Year.
You can watch the group’s cypher in the video above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Cordae made his presence felt at the 2020 BET Hip-Hop Awards by kicking off the show with a powerful acapella freestyle. The DMV native stepped close to the camera to deliver a strong and focused message to viewers about the daily struggles of Black people in America. He briefly discussed police brutality while highlighting the strength of the Black community to continue fighting day in and day out for the respect and equality they deserve.
The Lost Boy rapper’s freestyle comes after he ramped up his 2020 presence within the last two months, having stayed quiet for most of 2020. Cordae dropped his first single of the year with the soulful track “Gifted,” featuring Roddy Ricch. His next two releases were singles. First, he joined Dinner Party — a group comprised of Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder, and Kamasi Washington — for their song “Freeze Tag,” featuring Phoelix, off the quartet’s project Dinner Party: Dessert. Soon after, fans found him on Stevie Wonder’s single “Can’t Put It In The Hands Of Fate,” which also featured Rapsody, Chika, and Busta Rhymes.
You can watch Cordae’s freestyle in the video above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Reports began circulating at the end of last week that the NBA had pushed up its potential start date for the 2020-21 season from sometime in January or February to, potentially, Dec. 22. It was a pretty surprising bit of news, and in the aftermath, Danny Green of the Los Angeles Lakers predicted that some of the league’s biggest names, like LeBron James, would perhaps make their offseasons a little longer following the mid-October end to last year.
All of this begs the question: Why, exactly, is the league doing this? There are surely multiple reasons, with Marc Stein of the New York Times walking through a handful in his latest newsletter. Among those reasons was an interesting tidbit about Disney, one of the NBA’s television partners, being awfully eager for the league to keep its annual Christmas Day showcase on the schedule.
Disney, which owns ESPN and has been described by Silver as the league’s biggest partner, badly wants to continue that Christmas tradition and have five games to televise on either ABC or ESPN. Turner, the N.B.A.’s other primary broadcast partner, would get its traditional opening night doubleheader on a Tuesday if the union agrees to the Dec. 22 proposal. The league, for its part, has informed the union that it projects a difference of $500 million in revenue if it can start the season in December rather than mid-January.
That number at the end has been mentioned a few times, but given the revenue crunch that hit the league in the last year, it’s hard to justify losing out on half a billion dollars, especially if it means it can still have its showcase day on Dec. 25. To return to Green’s point, it would be fascinating to see how Christmas Day would go down if James and other big-name players sat out to charge their batteries a little more, but regardless, basketball on Dec. 25 is an institution, and Disney appears to have no interest in going forward without it.
The best British series spark innumerable remakes here in America, while the UK seems to only want our reality television. They work well as binge-able Netflix series as long as you’re willing to focus a little bit more than usual, but with the fewer number of episodes, just look at how many series you can get through in one sitting! Thankfully, the streaming service has a wide variety to choose from, from crime thrillers to absurd comedy. So sit back with a pint and enjoy the 15 best British shows on Netflix right now.
The UK’s most popular new drama has made its way across the pond. The procedural thriller stars Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden as David Budd, a military vet turned police officer tasked with protecting a high-profile politician during a, particularly dicey time. There’s plenty of suspense and action to string you along, coupled with a vulnerable performance by Madden, who ditches his King of the North swagger to play a man conflicted by his past and his present duty to his country.
In a world chockfull of Sherlock Holmes iterations, Sherlock manages to stand out, with no little thanks to Benedict Cumberbatch’s striking charm, Andrew Scott’s crazed, over-the-top Moriarty, and the tight writing that fills its ten 90-minute mini-movies. Despite the familiar structure — Holmes and Watson crack an uncrackable case with plenty of quips and eye rolls — each episode keeps viewers guessing, laughing, and maybe feeling a little slow for not deducing as fast as the master sleuth. Packed with winks to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original works and the intense fanbase behind it, Sherlock still manages to tell complex crime stories and breathe new life into the 130-year-old character.
At once intimate and sweeping, The Crown presents an inside view of the ascension of Queen Elizabeth II, played by Claire Foy, and the first few years of her reign. John Lithgow is featured as the indomitable Winston Churchill, struggling with the ignominy of age at the end of his career. Churchill’s support and mentorship of Elizabeth, despite his limitations, creates an important emotional center around which various historical events turn. Elizabeth’s relationship with her husband, Prince Phillip (Matt Smith) is also wonderfully explored; his role as consort is one that he by turns delights in and rebels against. The production spared no expense in painstakingly recreating the physical environments and rigid protocols that constrained and defined the royal family. The challenges posed by modernity and the post-colonial period are filtered through the Palace’s political structure, in which despite her role, Elizabeth’s personal needs and wishes are continually subsumed to protocol and appearance. This series will appeal to anyone who enjoys costume drama, but it is also a fascinating exploration of the post-WWII period and the development of a monarch who managed to maintain and even expand the popularity and stability of the British Monarchy against significant odds.
There’s a reason why not many people have seen or even heard of this show, and it’s not just because of its original name. Lovesick isn’t groundbreaking as a dramedy, but it works because of its nonlinear storytelling and its realistic portrayal of that awkward grey area that can form between love and friendship. After Dylan learns that he has an STD, he’s forced to pass along the diagnosis to his past sexual relationships. Each episode is then a snippet of Dylan’s life along with those of his two best friends, Luke and Evie (played by Antonia Thomas, a recognizable face to Misfits fans). While chronicling Dylan’s sexual past, Lovesick really depicts the ever-changing feelings between Dylan and Evie. It’s a simple rom-com depicted in a refreshing way with an even blend of comedy, heart, and chlamydia.
To call Black Mirror bleak is a bit of an understatement, but that’s what makes the sci-fi anthology so intriguing. In each episode, we’re given glimpses into the future or near-future where our attention- and soul-sucking technology has run amuck. Some plots may be more feasible than others, but each story is chilling in its own way and makes you want to shut your computer screen. (It may seem counter-productive for Netflix to produce episodes for a show that offers grim looks at tech, but maybe that’s why the Netflix-produced seasons have a few more happy endings.) It’s an Outer Limits for the digital generation, driven by series creator Charlie Brooker’s strong ideas — ones that could dissolve any hope you have left for the future or humanity, in the most entertaining way possible.
This popular British crime series first debuted across the pond in 2013. The show, about the crime-ridden neighborhood of the Summerhouse estate, quickly put out to short series before it was dropped by Channel 4. It wasn’t until earlier this year, when Drake (yes, that Drake) expressed interest in rebooting the series with the main cast returning that Netflix decided to give it a third season, one that picks up with Dushane and Sully (two former bros and drug dealers) as they return to Summerhouse to take on a new kingpin.
The End of the F***ing World is a dark-black comedy based on the comic series by Charles S. Forsman about James (Alex Lawther), a withdrawn and disturbed 17-year-old who believes he is a psychopath, and his burgeoning Bonnie & Clyde-like relationship with Alyssa (Jessica Barden), a classmate damaged by a dysfunctional family. Written by Charlie Covell and directed by Jonathan Entwistle and Lucy Tcherniak, the series’ is akin to a high school version of True Romance, about two deeply troubled, misanthropic teenagers who find comfort in one another and who are willing, if necessary, to perpetrate crimes to maintain their relationship. Boasting a stellar soundtrack, magnificent performances, and a binge-worthy runtime, The End of the F***ing World is a bleakly funny series, but it’s also deeply, soul-achingly romantic.
If Vikings and epic battle and political intrigue are your thing then you’ll like this medieval series about a Saxon lord striving to reclaim his birthright as England unites against a Danish invasion. Alexander Dreymon plays Uhtred, a Saxon-born, Viking raised warrior who finds himself torn between two worlds as he fights to help an English king rule over the continent and wrestles with his true nature. There’s a colorful cast of supporting characters (some historical figures you might recognize), but what this show does well is its action, giving fans gritty, realistic warfare that feels just as exciting as any CGI showdown.
Following in the footsteps of Nick Kroll’s Big Mouth, this British teem comedy is committed to exploring all of the cringe-worthy, taboo topic associated with sex, just not in animated form. The series follows a mother-son duo navigating their way through those uncomfortable “talks.” Of course, the mother here happens to be a sex therapist named Dr. Jean Milburn (a terrific Gillian Anderson) and her son Otis (Asa Butterfield) is the kid enduring her overbearing tendencies at home while doling out sex advice of his own in an underground sex therapy ring amongst his friends. Sex is a comedy goldmine, and although the show loves to play up ’80s high-school tropes, there’s real nuance and thought that goes into how these teens are portrayed and their interactions with sex. Plus, Anderson’s comedic timing is spot-on.
If you thought your own high school experience was awkward, be grateful you weren’t an “inbetweener.” Living in the murky area between cool and uncool, four teens try their luck at just getting by and getting laid. Each scenario the boys go through magnifies a variety of painful youthful memories (only Inbetweeners gets to end after 25 minutes.) Making it all bearable: the likable leads and the sharp dialogue that’s true to the adolescent experience.
Ricky Gervais followed up his nearly unfollowable first show, The Office, with Extras, another tale loosely based on his own life, only this time his struggles with finding and being satisfied with success in television. On the exterior, Gervais’ character Andy Millman is much different from The Office‘s David Brent, but at their core they’re the same, chasing fame and thinking they’re better than they actually are. The show is stolen, though, by Millman’s refreshingly platonic friendship with Maggie (Ashley Jensen), his clueless agent (co-creator Stephen Merchant), and the celebrities willing to poke fun at themselves in every episode (including a bitingly memorable diddy from the late David Bowie). It’s another two-series-and-a-Christmas-special show, so a binge’ll take no time at all.
A young boy is found dead in a seemingly idyllic small town, and the detectives charged with solving the case turn up twist after twist in tracking down the murderer. Despite its familiar premise (see also: Twin Peaks, The Killing), Broadchurch relies on its ensemble cast — specifically the impeccable David Tennant and Olivia Colman — to keep viewers caring after each red herring is tossed back into the ocean. The first series centers on the hunt for the killer while the second is on both the suspect’s trial and a reopened case from the past, but they both don’t let up in intrigue. A word of warning, though: This isn’t one of those TV dramas you should binge even if you want to. It gets heavy and emotionally exhausting, and unrestrained streaming kinda negates the effect of the show’s mysteries.
Way more than the British Boardwalk Empire, this BBC series gives Cillian Murphy the principal TV role no one knew they needed as Tommy Shelby, head of the Peaky Blinders and his family clan. Taking place in a post-WWI England, Shelby leads his gang as they seize more power and evade the scrupulous C.I. Chester Campbell (Sam Neill). Murphy kills it as the boss willing to get his hands dirty on the front lines. While the first series is a great but slow foray into the world, Peaky Blinders really builds and finds its footing in series two, including the addition of the wild Alfie Solomons (Tom Hardy).
Another classic comedy from creator Graham Lineham, The IT Crowd shined a light on those oft-neglected saviors of any office, the I.T. department, and the hapless management working above them. The series comes to life from its ridiculous yet relatable humor and its endearing tech team. The three-person team, played by Chris O’Dowd, Richard Ayoade, and Katherine Parkinson, play off each other so well that more than makes up for the multi-cam laughter. It’s a fun show, so much so that it’s best to not think about the American version that almost happened.
The Great British Bake Off (and this slightly retitled American version) is guilty pleasure binge material for so many that it’s no wonder it shows up here. If I watch other cooking shows to travel to exotic places and vicariously experience strange foods, GBBS is kind of the opposite of that. Its strength is that it’s goofily charming. And we’ve become so accustomed to camera-hogging reality villains and performative not-here-to-make-friendsing that a show featuring charming grandmas and shy Brits is really a breath of fresh air. It almost works more like a mockumentary than a cooking show.
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