See it or skip it this week: The Bear, Squid Game, Barbara Walters and more

While celebrating a milestone 1,000 subscribers, my list of stuff to watch and skip this holiday week.

First, I want to acknowledge a milestone that only exists because of you: 1,000 subscribers to this Substack in less than a year.

Thanks to each and every one of you who signed up to join this ride for me, where I float ideas and make connections outside my work for NPR and various other platforms. This has been a wonderful space to explore and incubate new views of TV, media, journalism, race, society and much more.

I plan to lean into that spirit even more in weeks to come, and welcome any feedback from you on what to tackle next or how to break it down better.

It's a perilous and off-balance time for media in general and journalism in particular. Revenue models are falling apart as new technology threatens the core of everything from scripted television to reporting on major websites. And some people with a vested interest in taming bold reporting or incisive pop culture criticism have taken advantage of the confusion to lodge pretty serious attacks aimed at hobbling independent discourse.

I hope to talk more about such issues in detail in future posts. And I would love to hear your thoughts, either in comments or direct messages, about the topics which most concern you. But, as some of you who know me may already be aware, I’m spending this holiday week and much of this month prepping for a move from Florida to Virginia before starting my role at the Knight Professor of Journalism and Media Ethics at Washington and Lee University.

The world may feel like it’s on fire in this moment. I don’t yet have a lot of wisdom to add to the conversation just yet. But I do have some ideas for creative and engaging stuff you can check out on TV to spark ideas and help you feel less alone.

There’s tons of great stuff on TV and streaming – some of it even available free of charge – and there’s other stuff that’s isn’t necessarily worth your time. Here’s a quick list of what’s floated my boat recently – with spoiler alerts for anyone worried about too many details.

See it – The Bear, season four.

I’ve always felt differently about various editions of The Bear than many critics – in particular, as knives have come out for the show in recent years, I’ve remained a fan (mostly) of the journey creator Chris Storer has put these characters on in transforming a greasy spoon sandwich shop in Chicago into a fine dining restaurant. In this fourth season, we’re seeing a lot of characters who got in their own way and refused to communicate with those who love them calming down and reaching for a different path.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s kinetically acerbic cousin Richie has made the most progress, stepping up to be a great co-parent who grudgingly admits his kid’s new stepfather is a good guy worthy of his support. But we also see Ayo Edebiri’s Sydney, Jamie Lee Curtis’ troubled matriarch Donna, and Jeremy Allen White’s Carmy make major admissions, decisions and changes. Change is really hard – especially as an adult – so seeing all of these people figure stuff out at the same time feels a little pat. But it’s also gratifying as a longtime fan to see characters you love stepping out of their own way a bit and finally connecting with each other. There’s also the patented Cool Episode About a Character Who Is Not Carmy – in this season, its focused on Sydney and her family – and an episode centered on the wedding of Richie’s ex-wife that is a masterclass on how to use guest actors in a meaningful way. (Brie Larson is a goddess here; just saying.)

For more, check my conversation with NPR colleague Linda Holmes on the latest Pop Culture Happy Hour episode.

Skip it – Squid Game Season three.

Yes, the final cameo by SPOILER ALERT Cate Blanchett is awesome. But the final (supposedly) season of this once-revolutionary show doesn’t come up with enough new things to say in its goodbye run. And at a time when real world events feel crushing enough, it’s tough to sit through a season mostly committed to amping up the hopelessness and carnage visited on its characters. Read my NPR review here.

See it – Episodes from the first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on YouTube.

I noticed recently that episodes from the show’s first season, originally featured on the streaming service Paramount+, are now available to view for free on YouTube – presumably to gin up enthusiasm for the show’s third season debuting July 17. I was in New York City recently to interview members of the cast and its showrunners at the Tribeca Film Festival, and I remain impressed by the way Star Trek: SNW has recaptured the spirit of the original Trek series, which was focused on an idealistic band of explorers – who just happen to be the people running Trek’s legendary starship Enterprise before Jame T. Kirk becomes its captain -- making connections across the universe.

Skip it – Countdown on Prime Video.

As a huge fan of Jensen Ackles from his stint on The Boys, I couldn’t have been more disappointed to see him in a by-the-numbers cop drama formulaic enough to air on network TV if they trimmed a few curse words. It’s about a special task force convened to investigate – well, let’s be honest, the details of the anorexic plot don’t really matter. Prime Video has been trying hard to develop populist “Dad TV” style action/crime dramas -- but this one echoes too many predictable and tiresome cliches from the network TV series it’s supposed to be a little better than.

Rather than watch a clip from Countdown, check out this video on Ackles’ work on The Boys:

See it – Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything on Hulu.

Yes, this documentary comes from ABC News Studios, an offshoot of the network where Walters worked for many years and where her daytime talk innovation The View still airs. But I don’t think today’s audiences truly realize how much of modern journalism, especially on TV, comes from Walters’ innovations. Through popular, surprising interviews with world leaders and celebrities, she pioneered the most groundbreaking, enduring — and troubling — trends in TV journalism: high anchor salaries, mixing of news and entertainment, the worship of celebrities, and a focus on news coverage that brings ratings and money.

I feel this way, in part, because I got to interview Walters back in 2011, when she produced her own memoir, Audition. (Listen to my talk with her below, archived on my dear, departed buddy Bob Andelman’s Mr. Media page).

The documentary doesn’t spend enough time on how her innovations may have hurt TV journalism as much as pushed it forward, but it does a deft job of reflecting many of Walters’ shortcomings while highlighting her accomplishments. Hear my take on it for NPR’s midday show Here and Now.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Ironheart on Disney+. (hear me and my NPR colleague Glen Weldon geek out on the show here.)

Smoke on Apple TV+

Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print on HBO.