Best TV Shows to Stream Right Now — Netflix and Hulu Favorites for the Long Weekend
Mindy Kaling's Newest Dramedy, A Not-So-Accurate Historical Drama, and Steve Carrell in Space
BY Megan Ziots // 05.22.20"The Great" is a sort-of-historically-accurate depiction of the rise of Catherine the Great.
To be completely honest, I’ve lightened up on my TV watching just a bit during the pandemic, as I’ve turned to reading books and an unordinary amount of walking around the neighborhood in my free time. I am still watching HBO’s Run each Sunday, which jarring shift in tone from comedy to thriller puzzles me, but manages to keep me entertained.
But, over the past few weeks I’ve found two TV shows I really enjoyed and one I can’t wait to come out next week. There’s Mindy Kaling’s newest dramedy, a sort-of-historically-based comedy about Catherine the Great, and The Office‘s Steve Carrell and Greg Daniel’s highly-anticipated television reunion.
Never Have I Ever (Netflix)
Streaming Now
Created by Mindy Kaling, Never Have I Ever is a teen dramedy that is surprisingly pretty adult. The story follows Devi Vishwakumar, a 15-year-old Indian-American high school student dealing with the recent death of her dad. Partly based on Kaling’s childhood and the passing away of her own mother, the TV show focuses on how Devi must cope with the trauma, as well as high school romance, friends, and her Indian identity. A thoughtful portrayal of growing up, narrated a narration by tennis legend John McEnroe (you’ll have to watch to see why), bridges the gap between generations with one common theme.
The Great (Hulu)
Streaming Now
A fictionalized, satirical, and comedic version of the life of Catherine the Great, the Hulu original follows the rise of the titular character from outsider to Russian ruler. Starring Elle Fanning as Catherine the Great and Nicholas Hoult as Peter III of Russia, the 10-episode miniseries is similar to 2018 film The Favourite in genre, time period, and performance by Hoult as an outlandish aristocrat. Shocking, hilarious, and dramatic, this TV show is worth the binge-watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJGedvRfHYg
Space Force (Netflix)
Streaming May 29
Starring Steve Carrell, the new comedy show focuses on a group that is tasked with creating the U.S. Space Force. Created by Carrell and Greg Daniels (The Office), the show also stars John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz (Parks and Rec’s Jean Ralphio), Diana Silvers and Tawny Newsome. Judging by the trailer, the new show has some shared DNA with the aforementioned NBC comedies — read: its a workplace comedy genre with witty dialogue (“Space is hard”). Watch the trailer here.