Tennessee has had some gloomy winter weather lately, not so much severe ice and snow, but rather a long-term blah continuation of clouds and rain. So, there have been ample blocks of time for television binges. I would like to highlight two edgy Netflix programs and an ABC sitcom by way of Hulu.
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The psychological crime drama from prolific Hollywood producer Greg Berlanti originated as a Lifetime series, but the vibe turned out not to be a good fit for the network’s core audience. Yet, a solid cult following developed, so the show made its way to Netflix.
Penn Badgley stars as Manhattan bookstore manager Joe Goldberg. Joe maintains a clear vision of how his life should take shape, including his romantic obsession with aspiring writer and NYU graduate student Guinevere Beck. After waiting on Guinevere at his shop, Joe obsessively and methodically manages to insert himself into the young woman’s world.
Comparisons to the long-running violent cable hit Dexter may be inevitable, but Joe doesn’t set out to be a killer per se; at least homicide doesn’t overwhelm his daily thought patterns. Rather, murder becomes a natural extension of his dogged perfectionism. I am about eight episodes into the first season, and I find myself hooked by the cat and mouse suspense.
Sex Education
Socially awkward British teen Otis Milburn, played by Asa Butterfield, copes with garden variety angst and testosterone-fueled infatuation. Yet what makes his predicament unique is that his single mother, portrayed with extra spunk and sass by X-Files star Gillian Anderson, works as a sex therapist and promotes straightforward breakfast table dialogue about the birds and the bees, turning her son’s face various shades of red.
With the help of more streetwise friends, Otis, embarrassed as he may be, undertakes a covert business offering sexual information and advice to his fellow high school students. The comic antics may not seem especially groundbreaking, but the episodes manage to tackle a host of serious issues ranging from teen depression and anxiety to gender roles and family expectations. Anderson has aged with upmost grace, and it’s neat to see her in a role so different from her earlier image.
American Housewife
I am late to the party for this sitcom currently in its fourth season on ABC and also available for streaming on Hulu. On its face, it may appear pretty pedestrian. The Ottos, a middle class history professor husband and business woman/homemaker wife, find themselves fish out of water when they locate in tony Westport, Connecticut expressly for the purpose of sending their three children to a well-regarded school district. They chafe at the rampant materialism and conformity that pervade the town and corrupt their kids.
Yet, to me at least, American Housewife offers more than meets the eye. The plot points may often be pretty run-of-the-mill, but in terms of character development, I like the fact that the Ottos let their freak flags fly. Housewife Katie is a woman of size who offers a competing narrative related to body image in a gossipy carpool lane filled with perfectly sculpted and botoxed moms, and her spouse Greg spends his free time attending Revolutionary War re-enactments. Their children possess a unique series of interests and quirks–including a youngest daughter coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder–that transcend familiar caricatures.
Okay, I will admit that American Housewife has not produced a shelf full of Emmy Awards. It’s not one of those sitcoms that reinvents the small screen as we know it. Yet, for families, parents, teens, and others struggling to find self-acceptance in a cookie-cutter world, I think it’s pretty refreshing.
Until spring arrives for real, happy watching!
Coloring Outside the Lines 