There are roughly 47,000—oh, wait, a new Netflix Original just dropped; make that 47,001—TV shows and movies coming out each week. At Obsessed, we consider it our social duty to help you see the best and skip the rest.
We’ve already got a variety of in-depth, exclusive coverage on all of your streaming favorites and new releases, but sometimes what you’re looking for is a simple Do or Don’t. That’s why we created See/Skip, to tell you exactly what our writers think you should See and what you can Skip from the past week’s crowded entertainment landscape.
See: Presumed Innocent
Presumed Innocent is the rare television adaptation of a hit movie that actually works. Jake Gyllenhaal takes on Harrison Ford’s role from the 1990 film of the same name, bringing this limited series its thrilling excellence, and proving Gyllenhaal might be the new king of ambitious remakes.
Here’s Nick Schager’s take:
“Distending their source material to egregious lengths with unnecessary exposition, superfluous additions, and ham-fisted ‘timeliness,’ most long-form TV adaptations of popular films have severely underwhelmed. Consequently, it’s a welcome relief to report that Presumed Innocent, which premieres June 12, is the excellent exception to this most unfortunate of rules.
Created and largely written by David E. Kelley (A Man in Full, Big Little Lies), and starring Jake Gyllenhaal in the role first played on the big-screen in 1990 by Harrison Ford, this eight-part version of Scott Turow’s 1987 bestseller is a thriller par excellence, this despite the fact that, per modern convention, it switches things up (some major, some minor), adds a few subplots, and updates its story for the 21st century. Gripping from the start, it would earn the distinction of being ‘bingeable’ if not for the fact that its episodes will premiere weekly on Apple TV+—although that release strategy simply means that it should be the television talk of the summer, which is fitting considering Turow’s novel has long been an ideal beach read.”
Julio Torres in Fantasmas.
Monica Lek/HBOSee: Fantasmas
Fantasmas is one series that must be seen to be believed. Not surprising, given that it’s the brainchild of Julio Torres, who has carte blanche to explode his wryly perceptive situational comedy into unbridled, outrageously hilarious vignettes.
Here’s Coleman Spilde’s take:
“While I’d never root for a movie to be delayed, especially not because of a labor strike, I think it may have been divine intervention in the case of Julio Torres’ fantastic directorial debut Problemista. The film was originally scheduled for a theatrical release last August, but was delayed until March of this year due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. That postponement might’ve meant that people had to wait to be welcomed into Torres’ world of just-left-of-reality oddities, but it also means that the film will be fresh in their minds when watching his bold new series Fantasmas, which begins airing June 7 on HBO and streams on Max.
Fantasmas finds Torres once again boring into the minutiae of mundane, everyday activities and objects, this time to create a version of New York City where nothing is ever quite as it seems. (Honestly? Kind of exactly like the real NYC, only with more hazy clouds of green mist.) While the writer and comedian has brought his microscopic evaluations to other TV shows, past comedy specials, and Saturday Night Live sketches, he’s never quite had the right platform to go full-tilt gaga. Movies are a bigger financial risk than television, where you can appeal to the hidden peculiarities of viewers within the safety of their own homes.”
Rachel Sennot and Caleb Hearon in I Used to Be Funny.
levelFILMSkip: I Used to Be Funny
I Used to Be Funny would be a total slog if it weren’t for the talented Rachel Sennott, who leads this (comedy-free) dramedy with enough heart and emotional prowess to bolster its halfhearted narrative. But you’re better off rewatching Bottoms.
Here’s Jordan Hoffman take:
“There’s the old cliché about loving a performer so much you’d watch them read the phone book. That’s put somewhat to the test in I Used to Be Funny, a low-energy, unoriginal, and poorly crafted film boasting a lead performance by the always captivating Rachel Sennott. This movie, which I must stress is by no means anywhere in the neighborhood of good, at least steers clear of being pure agony because Sennott is a singular talent who can put a fresh spin on even the most rote material. From an academic point of view, it is almost worth viewing just to see how one person can carry an entire project on their back. Almost.
The Toronto-set independent film, written and directed by Ally Pankiw, who boasts well-regarded television credits like Black Mirror, The Great, and Shrill, contorts itself with narrative knots of flashbacks and flashforwards, which become all the more baffling when the central mystery is ultimately revealed to be… nothing all that shocking in a media landscape besotted with tales of gory true crime.”
(L-R) Kaz Bishop, Stevan Ditter, Harry Jowsey, Bryton Constantin, and Izzy Zapata in season 2 of Perfect Match.
Ana Blumenkron/NetflixSee: Perfect Match Season 2
Perfect Match Season 2 builds on its middling first season with more sex, scandal, and sleaze—just how we like it. Netflix reality obsessives will be head over heels for this new installment, which is the ideal summer binge for anyone craving oiled-up men in ugly patterned shirts.
Here’s Laura Bradley’s take:
“I’ll be the first to admit that, when Perfect Match premiered last February, I was not totally on board. More than anything, the show felt like Netflix’s attempt to construct its own collection of C-list stars akin to Bravo-lebrities or the Bachelor-verse. To do that, Chris Coelen (creator of Love Is Blind) assembled an Avengers-like crew that included some of the most abrasive personalities imaginable, including Too Hot to Handle troublemaker Francesca Farago and the insufferable Shayne James Jansen from Love Is Blind Season 2. The final result was as dramatic as one might expect but also, at times, pretty difficult to watch.
Nevertheless, I have bravely pressed play on Season 2, which premiered Friday. And by some sweet summer miracle, I have to say: It’s way better than the original. The personalities are popping, emotions are high, and, as always, the love games are brutal. It’s stunning what a difference a likable cast can make.”
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