Welcome! It was the week when Tom Cruise had a big new success. It was the week when Kate Bush had a new old success. And it was the week when we learned about a Broadway show likely to be actually famous. Let's get to it.
Opening Argument: The Peacock variation and 'Below Deck: Down Under'
I'm convinced they delay firing the worst people from the Below Deck franchise just to keep alive the delicious possibility of their dismissals long enough to really hook viewers. That happened on this first season of Below Deck: Down Under – airing now – which featured one stew named Magda who seemed like a nice person but couldn't get off the phone with her boyfriend long enough to do the laundry. And there was one nasty chef named Ryan, whose philosophy of cooking for incredibly rich people who have wildly overpaid for the privilege of getting whatever food they want was almost literally "So what?"
Look, I'm not here to defend my habit of watching Below Deck: Down Under (and Below Deck, and Below Deck: Sailing Yacht, and Below Deck: Mediterranean, and probably someday Below Deck: The First Puddle On Mars). (Here’s the short version of this whole franchise: superyachts are chartered for a few days at a time by parties of the fabulously wealthy, and a crew of hot young people tries to keep them drunk, fed and entertained. Said crew also indulges in their own nights of clubbing and days of fighting, and so forth.)
Laurent Basset/Bravo
Bravo churns out so many of these goofy workplace shows – we've already covered this one on PCHH – and they follow such predictable patterns that I can't really defend actually remaining devoted to them.
BUT I AM. Specifically, I am devoted to waiting for people who give bad service and are not even trying to do so – people who, therefore, place an additional burden on their colleagues – to get fired. (This is not like a regular firing, of course, in the sense that it is not like a regular workplace, in the sense that a regular workplace has fewer partially clothed theme parties recorded for telecast later.) The heart and soul of so-called reality television is comeuppance, and with somebody like Ryan who makes everybody miserable, the moment when he actually has to pack his gear and get out is when that comeuppance occurs.
And here's the thing: They didn't even put it on Bravo! Instead, Below Deck: Down Under is Peacock-only. I think many of us were in the habit of watching these shows streaming anyway, so it doesn't really matter, but what is a Below Deck show that isn't on Bravo? How much does the world really need to change?
More seriously, it's interesting to watch this happening – networks moving shows to streaming services that people are used to finding on regular TV. It isn't just minor shows, either; they just did it with Dancing With The Stars, which is now set to be on Disney+ instead of ABC. In the same way it once seemed surprising – less than ten years ago! – to see original shows coming from Netflix and now it's standard, I wonder how much this is about to snowball. It's potentially a big part of any contraction of broadcast and cable that might be coming: moving successful projects off cable channels and over to subscription services. It's not a big deal with Below Deck, but with AMC+ and Sundance Now, for instance, being the exclusive homes of the excellent new BBC collaboration This Is Going To Hurt, it feels like the momentum is only going to increase.
Today, Below Deck. Tomorrow, who knows? Some other franchise extension that will be streaming-only? The Real Housewives of Minneapolis? Law & Order: Parking Enforcement? Until then, even with the newfangled technology they keep throwing at me, I'll just keep watching and waiting for people to get fired, like in the olden days.
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We Recommend
Friend of the show (and my one-time roommate) Joe Reid rose to a challenge issued on Twitter and created a version of the Melrose Placecredits with the cast of Angels in America. It's a pure delight.
I've been watching some thrillers recently, and I have to give some credit to Will Smith in Enemy of the State if you're looking for a surveillance nightmare. He really knows how to do that regular-guy thing, and since last week's recommendation was The Conversation, another Gene Hackman movie seems like the right follow-up.
NPR has a great new project offering books to represent all 50 states. The selections are fascinating and varied.
Our friend Eric Deggans asks why Disney doesn't do more to protect actors, given that racist fans are so common.
We'll have an episode about it in the future, but I really recommend you try the series This Is Going To Hurt, which started streaming on AMC+ and Sundance Now this week. Starring Ben Whishaw as a National Health Service doctor, it's good enough to give one of those services a try just to get a chance to see it.
What We Did This Week
20th Century Studios
Glen, Aisha, Stephen and I talked about our favorite graduation moments in pop culture.
Glen and Aisha also talked to our producer, Candice Lim (making her on-mic debut!) about The Bob's Burgers Movie.
Stephen and I ran down the top 10 American Idol contestants – as voted by you, our listeners – with the help of the wonderful Tre'vell Anderson.
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