Welcome to my Monday newsletter! This week, I am looking at Dying For Sex, The White Lotus, The Pitt, The Studio, Good American Family and SNL plus the Emmy Race for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series and kicking off my Top 25 Shows of the 2000s
DYING FOR SEX
The big debut last week was Dying For Sex on FX/Hulu. The limited series, which is based on a podcast, follows the story of Molly (Michelle Williams), a woman with stage four breast cancer who ends her 13 year marriage to find more "fun" before her death. The series, despite being about cancer and starring a character who is dying, definitely takes on a more comic tone. I've seen the first four episodes of the eight episode season. Williams is really strong in the main role, but more than anything, this is a breakout role for Jenny Slate. As Molly's best friend, Nikki, this is the best Slate has ever been this side of Mona Lisa Saperstein. She adds a huge amount of comic relief but she's also giving a very poignant performance at times.
I know the show is called Dying For Sex and at the risk of sounding a little prudish here, I wish the show was about a little bit more. I think this is a show that could have been a multi-season run even though there is obviously an endpoint to the story. I just wish this show had more time to delve into the many characters it is introducing and their relationship to Molly. As of now, it's lots of guys coming in and out of the show and a lot of the characters, male and female, don't have a lot of character building besides Williams and Slate. But this is still an interesting show and one I will finish watching.
ALSO...
I was going to check out Pulse on Netflix but I couldn't really bring myself to watch another medical drama since I'm so into the The Pitt. I'm already feeling so sad about the first season ending and didn't feel like I could give my heart to another medical show. Yes, I do still watch Chicago Med but it's always been a "background show" that I only half pay attention to. I just couldn't gear myself up to start another medical drama when I just want another shift of The Pitt.
The White Lotus (Season Finale)
The White Lotus's season in Thailand came to an end last night and I was largely satisfied with the 90 minute finale. I still think this was the weakest of the three seasons but that's not a major diss because there was plenty to enjoy and I certainly was anxiously awaiting each week's new episode. SPOILERS AHEAD. I think the slow burn of the season paid off in many ways in the finale but that's not to say that I thought the pacing was always right this season. It felt like Mike White did one too many red herrings with the Ratliff family though I thought it was appropriate how they ended up. A family like the Ratliffs are always going to have a safety net even when things go terribly for them. And Parker Posey got one final great moment when she explained why they should enjoy their wealth. Posey doing Mike White's dialogue was as brilliant as I hoped it would be.
It was also interesting to see Belinda basically pull the same deal on Pornchai that Tanya pulled on her in the first season. Now we, as an audience, understand where Belinda was coming from. But it was interesting to see the most moral character we've seen on The White Lotus thus far make a money choice over the right thing to do regarding Greg. As for the girls trip, I thought their arc all season was so fascinating and, as I expected, they were only indirectly connected to the shooting in the finale. It always felt like Mike White wanted to explore different things with them and I thought the dynamic between the three women was very real and honest. Carrie Coon has gotten the most buzz but honestly I wouldn't single one of them out. They really worked as a trio.
As for Rick and Chelsea. Well, that was a bummer how that turned out but looking back, not entirely surprising. Rick was such a tortured soul and I think it was an effective red herring that he had truly gotten closure and found happiness. Someone that tortured was never going to really change his stripes and no matter what Chelsea or anyone else thought they could do to save him, he was never going to be saved. It's sad but not entirely surprising that Chelsea went down with him as she was such a breakout character and Aimee Lou Wood was fantastic.
Overall, though it wasn't as tight of a season of TV as the first two seasons, I will fondly remember this season and the many great performances we got throughout. I'm already looking forward to the fourth season!
The Pitt
The penultimate episode of The Pitt saw the emergency from PittFest die down and thankfully the shooter storyline was a misdirect as that would have felt a little bit too much of a TV plot in a show that has done such a great job of feeling true to life all season. Noah Wyle continued to be exceptional but this was an episode for a lot of the rest of the ensemble to shine. It wasn't the most thrilling episode of the series but it left quite a few threads for the final episode, though I'm sure not all will be resolved (which would be par for the course with a shift ending). I'm already feeling sad about this show coming to an end next week.
The Studio
Ron Howard proved once again that he could have probably continued to have a successful career in TV comedy if he hadn't moved onto directing (not that he has any regrets, I'm sure). He was the focal point of another funny episode of The Studio centered on everyone, including Seth Rogen's studio head Matt Remick, being too scared to give Howard a note about his new film. Howard played along in a hilarious way and it was another good chance to get to know the ensemble better. Though my lack of knowledge about many movies meant I got spoiled on a few classics during the episode (my fault, I know).
Good American Family
I feel like I'm one of the only people enjoying Good American Family, but halfway through the run, I think it is still justifying its case to be a limited series and not a movie (so many true crime limited series struggle with that). Imogen Faith Reid was excellent casting as Natalia Grace, she can be downright terrifying at times. But the show also makes you feel conflicted about all the characters. The episodes breeze along and, if you don't know much about the story (like me), it remains very engrossing.
SNL
I didn't watch all of this week's Saturday Night Live but "Goth Kid on Vacation" is a great, very catchy song that seems destined to be a classic. It feels like it's been awhile since SNL had one of those.
AWARDS CORNER
THE EMMY RACE for SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
As mentioned last week, the Limited Series categories at the Emmys are pretty barren. They did get a boost with the emergence of Adolescence and now teenager Owen Cooper might just be the frontrunner. Beyond Cooper's rise to the top, it's slim pickings. If Adolescence ends up being as much of a dominant player as it appears then Ashley Walters could easily get in too. The rise of Cooper may have come at the expense of Javier Bardem for Monsters; The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Bardem is still a near-lock to get nominated but his win chances are plummeting. I think it's still a little bit too soon to tell how much of a player Dying For Sex is going to be, but if it continues to be in the consciousness of voters then I'd like the chances for Rob Delaney and Jay Duplass. The Perfect Couple was not that well received but people seemed to generally like Liev Schreiber in the show and he might be the show's best chance of a nomination. The Penguin was the series frontrunner before Adolescence so there still could be a trickle down effect that will get Rhenzy Feliz (or maybe even Clancy Brown?) nominated. On the other side of the coin, Zero Day is likely to be forgotten for the most part but Jesse Plemons had the most acclaimed performance in that show and could get in. Presumed Innocent has moved back to Limited Series and the chatter on the show seems to have died down quite a bit but there was a time where people thought Peter Sarsgaard was a shoo-in. He can easily still get in. As I mentioned last week, I'm pretty down on Disclaimer but I might be discounting it too much as both Kodi Smit-McPhee and Sacha Baron Cohen are contenders. It's always hard for movie actors and actresses to get in but Brian Cox is no stranger to the Emmys so he could get in for The Parenting. Other dark horses include Hugh Grant for Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Mark Duplass for Good American Family and Ving Rhames for Dope Thief.
Projected Nominees (ranked by likelihood of a nomination):
1. Owen Cooper, Adolescence
2. Javier Bardem, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
3. Ashley Walters, Adolescence
4. Rhenzy Feliz, The Penguin
5. Liev Schreiber, The Perfect Couple
6. Rob Delaney, Dying For Sex
7. Peter Sarsgaard, Presumed Innocent
Just Missing
8. Kodi Smit-McPhee, Disclaimer
9. Jay Duplass, Dying For Sex
10. Jesse Plemons, Zero Day
TOP 25 SHOWS SINCE 2000
Since we're in 2025, I'll be counting down my Top 25 shows of the 2000s each week, kicking off this week with #25!
#25 - FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE (FX/Hulu, 2022)
The FX/Hulu limited series Fleishman is in Trouble is a show that has stuck with me long after I watched it in late 2022. There are very few shows that have resonated with me more at the time of life I am in than Fleishman. I'm not sure it would have worked if I was much younger or much older. It felt made for someone in the 35-45 year old range. With a trio of expert performances from Jesse Eisenberg, Lizzy Caplan and Adam Brody plus a dynamic episode with Claire Danes front and center, the show explored friendship and marriage and how that all changes as you get older. There was a mystery element that was less interesting to me and this show wouldn't have made the list if it wasn't for the penultimate, Danes-centric episode and then the brilliant finale that was moving, thought-provoking and so much more. Those episodes showed that the entire show was really about something different, and deeper, than what it appeared.
COMING UP
It's a very busy week for premieres, mostly with high profile returning shows. On Tuesday, Hulu has the sixth and final season premiere of The Handmaid's Tale. The show was a huge, buzzy hit when it first premiered months into the first Trump administration way back in 2017. It has faded from the discourse over the years but maybe it'll have a final burst given the state of the world and the fact that it's the final season. On Thursday, Max has the fourth season premiere of Hacks. The reigning Emmy winner for Outstanding Comedy Series has been great about getting new seasons out every year except when they were disrupted by the strikes and Jean Smart's health issue. On Friday, Apple TV+ has the premiere of the new Jon Hamm drama Your Friends & Neighbors. The series has received mixed reviews but Hamm is always a draw. Rounding out the week, HBO has the highly anticipated second season premiere of The Last of Us arriving Sunday night. This show was an event back when the first season ran in early 2023 and people have been eagerly awaiting the new season. Also premiering on Sunday is the fourth season of Godfather of Harlem on MGM+.
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