May the Source Be With You: June Edition

Is it summer yet? I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to be, but it’s windy and raining as I type this, so I guess maybe we’re just taking a mulligan and calling this Fall 2.0. 1.5? I don’t know. Regardless, there are plenty of things to watch when you’re done with the sun for the day, or to listen to while you’re out adventuring. I’m not trying to tell you what to do or anything, but here are a few podcasts and shows I’m enjoying the hell out of as we speak.

Pod Save Us All

I’ve managed to discover a few new podcasts over the last month that I’m pretty excited about. I mean, they’re new to me and that’s what really matters.

I spend a lot of time online, whether it’s streaming movies, researching those movies I’m streaming or then writing about the research/screening of the movies that I just did. Since I obviously love deep-diving my own insecurities, I discovered a podcast called, “Your Undivided Attention,” which focuses on how emerging technologies fit into or possibly redefine our modern lives. The episodes focused on the current teen mental health crisis, open-sourced AI and the dangers of living your life online have all really changed my way of thinking.

Gary Oldman is an international treasure in “Slow Horses.” Credit: Courtesy of APPLE

Since a large portion of my life revolves around words and the best ways to use the right ones, I was excited to discover “The Allusionist,” a podcast focused on great words, where they come from and how to use them. If you’re like me and 52 minutes focused on misophonia, or an entire episode on the history of self-help jargon sounds exciting to you (like it does me), then you’ve got 250 episodes of this show to fall in love with.

Now Streaming

I’ve noticed most people subscribe to streaming services based on what is simple, easy and they’re used to having. Most everyone still has a Netflix account, even though Netflix has been shedding content for years at this point. They still have a few good shows, but they’re far from the only game in town anymore.

I think the strongest streaming service for your dollar right now has to be AppleTV+. They have tons less content than Netflix, Hulu, Peacock or Prime, but they do one thing that no other streamer has the guts to do: they only show their own original content. You can rent most everything on there, but the shows that come free with their service are all ones they produced themselves, and a great majority of them are fantastic.

While a lot of people got AppleTV+ for “Ted Lasso” and then got rid of it once it ended, that show isn’t even the high-water mark of their programming. Right now, I’m really in love with a few shows that are still airing their current seasons, so I guess they might fall apart, but I’d be shocked if they did.

“The Big Door Prize” is the best show you’re not watching. Credit: Courtesy of APPLE

“The Big Door Prize” is hands down the best show that no one is watching right now. Set in the tiny fictional town of Deerfield, the show follows a group of people whose futures change immediately after the appearance of a machine that tells them all their individual life potential. It sounds like a sci-fi concept, but the real focus is on people trying to really come to terms with their lives and how they want to be living. It’s warmhearted and humanist in a way I’ve been missing since “Ted Lasso” ended, and the ensemble cast (led by the always wonderful Chris O’Dowd) have created a dozen characters I’ve become emotionally invested in. If this show gets canceled before it has a real ending, I’m blaming you.

Another great AppleTV+ show that’s still currently airing is “Dark Matter,” based on the great sci-fi mind-f*ck novel by Blake Crouch. Joel Edgerton grounds this deeply fascinating and twisty alternate reality mystery and keeps you invested even if some of the science goes over your (my) head.

With those two shows, along with the Colin Farrell detective mystery, “Sugar,” the alternate history powerhouse, “For All Mankind,” the Isaac Asimov classic, “Foundation,” the insanely popular, “The Morning Show,” the masterclass in acting and writing, “Slow Horses,” the super entertaining, “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” plus the absolutely mind blowing “Severance,” AppleTV+ already has a strong base of shows.

But if that’s not enough, check out some of the shows it has coming up: A re-imagining of the Terry Gilliam classic, “Time Bandits” from Taika Waititi, David E. Kelly taking on Turow’s, “Presumed Innocent,” a dramatic series called “Before” starring freaking Billy Crystal, a psychological thriller mini-series called “Disclaimer” starring Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline, written and directed by Alfonso Cuaron, plus an adaptation of Martha Wells’ awesome book series, “The Murderbot Diaries.”

Seriously, this service is totally worth your time. Heck, if you can only watch one, pick “Severance” and be amazed by one of the top 10 TV shows of the century.

I feel like Apple owes me a MacBook now.

This article appears in Source Weekly June 6, 2024.