Media Diet: January 2023

2023 is off with a bang - and many flights with a lot of TV being watched. Two new shows started that I’m excited to talk about when they’re finished – Poker Face and Shrinking.

📺 Welcome to Chippendales - I always enjoy Kumail Nanjiani, and he’s fantastic in this. It’s an entertaining series until the terrible finale. I was so shocked watching it that I double-checked to ensure I didn’t miss an episode or that this wasn’t the finale. (C)

🎥 The Menu - I’ve procrastinated watching this for a few months, and I am glad I finally got to it. Great ride. (A)

🎥 Meet Cute - So bad. I couldn’t finish it. Kaley Cuoco and Pete Davidson have no chemistry. Feels like a bad knockoff of Palm Springs. (F)

🎭 Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and the Pool - I made the trek to New York to see this before it closed, and I wasn’t disappointed. Birbiglia continues to be one of my favorite comedians of all time. (A+)

🎭 SIX - I had a Monday night in New York with limited shows available, so I picked SIX knowing very little about it. I loved it! Such a fun show. (A)

📚 Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson - The first of Brandon Sanderson’s Kickstarter campaign. It was a fun read but not my favorite of his work. He has a very different style of writing than his usual. (B)

🎥 Beirut - Someone on a podcast was talking about this film, so I put it on my iPad to watch while traveling. I’ll never get tired of a brooding Jon Hamm. (A)

📺 The Peripheral Season 1 was fun to watch while trapped on flights, but I wonder if it’s a good show. Still, I enjoyed it all the way through. (B+)

📺 The Sex Lives of College Girls Season 2 - Just an entertaining fun light comedy show. (B)

📺 Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Season 2 - I watched the first season years ago when it first came out and somehow missed this coming out. Just as fun of a ride as the first season. (A-)

📺 Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Season 3 - I continued with my Tom Clancy marathon with Season 3, and wow, it is just not that good. I am still determining what changed between seasons 2 and 3, but please undo it. (C+)

📚 The Rook (The Checquy Files, #1) by Daniel O’Malley - Been on an urban fantasy kick lately and had this series recommended to me. Significant mystery element to it too. (A)

📚 Stiletto (The Checquy Files, #2) by Daniel O’Malley - I continued the series and found the sequel a letdown compared to the first. The new characters just could be more engaging. (B)

🎥 Tár - Like The Menu, I had been procrastinating listening to this for a few months. I thoroughly enjoyed it. As someone with no musical talent, I love the insight into that world. (A-)