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What You Should Watch This Fourth of July Weekend What You Should Watch: Fourth of July Edition
(14 days later)
Welcome to Watching, The New York Times’s what-to-watch guide. We comb through releases big and small to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations. You can browse previous guides here, and to receive recommendations straight to your inbox, sign up here. Stay tuned for our upcoming website.Welcome to Watching, The New York Times’s what-to-watch guide. We comb through releases big and small to email readers twice a week with our timely recommendations. You can browse previous guides here, and to receive recommendations straight to your inbox, sign up here. Stay tuned for our upcoming website.
I hope you are all planning delightful holiday weekends. I’ll be spending some quality time with my best friend, television, while envying the sweater wardrobes of all British TV characters, and marveling at the just-so griminess of everyone on “Banished.” I’ll also be listening to my new podcast jam “2 Dope Queens,” and brushing up on “Power,” which comes back July 17 on Starz.I hope you are all planning delightful holiday weekends. I’ll be spending some quality time with my best friend, television, while envying the sweater wardrobes of all British TV characters, and marveling at the just-so griminess of everyone on “Banished.” I’ll also be listening to my new podcast jam “2 Dope Queens,” and brushing up on “Power,” which comes back July 17 on Starz.
This week I watched an astonishing number of videos of this guy cooking 17th- and 18th-century recipes. I’m not much of a cook, and I’m extremely unlikely ever to whip up, oh, cheese curd fritters, but these videos are oddly enchanting. Pretty quick, pretty informative, about a topic I would otherwise never pursue.This week I watched an astonishing number of videos of this guy cooking 17th- and 18th-century recipes. I’m not much of a cook, and I’m extremely unlikely ever to whip up, oh, cheese curd fritters, but these videos are oddly enchanting. Pretty quick, pretty informative, about a topic I would otherwise never pursue.
If you have any TV or movie questions you’d like to see answered here in the newsletter, please send them our way: watching@nytimes.com. I hope this weekend’s fireworks don’t upset your dogs too much.If you have any TV or movie questions you’d like to see answered here in the newsletter, please send them our way: watching@nytimes.com. I hope this weekend’s fireworks don’t upset your dogs too much.
“Gold Medal Families,” on Lifetime, free to stream with a cable subscription“Gold Medal Families,” on Lifetime, free to stream with a cable subscription
Watch if you like sports documentaries and marveling at athletes’ diets.Watch if you like sports documentaries and marveling at athletes’ diets.
This documentary-style reality show profiles five aspiring Olympians and their families. It’s completely charming, and gets surprisingly candid: One father admits that the hardest part of raising an elite athlete is knowing that he’s denying his other children resources that are instead being funneled to their sibling.This documentary-style reality show profiles five aspiring Olympians and their families. It’s completely charming, and gets surprisingly candid: One father admits that the hardest part of raising an elite athlete is knowing that he’s denying his other children resources that are instead being funneled to their sibling.
The show also emphasizes that these athletes — the gymnast Aly Raisman, the divers Steele Johnson and Jordan Windle, the boxer Jajaira Gonzalez and the swimmer Sean Grieshop — are mostly children, some still in high school, all still living at home. Achieving international renown at such a young age is tricky, and the show quietly acknowledges that.The show also emphasizes that these athletes — the gymnast Aly Raisman, the divers Steele Johnson and Jordan Windle, the boxer Jajaira Gonzalez and the swimmer Sean Grieshop — are mostly children, some still in high school, all still living at home. Achieving international renown at such a young age is tricky, and the show quietly acknowledges that.
“Banished,” on Hulu“Banished,” on Hulu
Watch if you like costume dramas and spotting familiar performers.Watch if you like costume dramas and spotting familiar performers.
“Banished” is set within an Australian penal colony in the 1780s, where floggings abound and guards and convicts alike are permanently coated in a layer of schmutz.“Banished” is set within an Australian penal colony in the 1780s, where floggings abound and guards and convicts alike are permanently coated in a layer of schmutz.
The show comes from the acclaimed British TV writer Jimmy McGovern (“Accused,” “The Street”), but it was met with some blowback in Britain for its total exclusion of any indigenous Australian characters. It’s a fair criticism, and unfortunately the show has already been canceled, so it won’t get a chance to right that wrong.The show comes from the acclaimed British TV writer Jimmy McGovern (“Accused,” “The Street”), but it was met with some blowback in Britain for its total exclusion of any indigenous Australian characters. It’s a fair criticism, and unfortunately the show has already been canceled, so it won’t get a chance to right that wrong.
Russell Tovey (“Looking”) is among the cast, which also include folks from “Peaky Blinders,” “Ripper Street,” and “Game of Thrones.”Russell Tovey (“Looking”) is among the cast, which also include folks from “Peaky Blinders,” “Ripper Street,” and “Game of Thrones.”
“Marcella,” on Netflix“Marcella,” on Netflix
Watch if you like dark police dramas, particularly British and Scandinavian ones.Watch if you like dark police dramas, particularly British and Scandinavian ones.
Anna Friel stars as the titular Marcella (mar-CHELL-ah), a gutsy detective who was once on the hunt for a serial killer who seems to have re-emerged. But Marcella herself is not a reliable narrator; she has dissociative episodes, and gaps in her memory, and we see her bloodied and crying in a bathtub, without quite knowing how she got there.Anna Friel stars as the titular Marcella (mar-CHELL-ah), a gutsy detective who was once on the hunt for a serial killer who seems to have re-emerged. But Marcella herself is not a reliable narrator; she has dissociative episodes, and gaps in her memory, and we see her bloodied and crying in a bathtub, without quite knowing how she got there.
The show was written by Hans Rosenfeldt, who created the Scandinavian sensation “Bron/Broen,” and the shows have a lot in common: There’s a skepticism about all domestic life, a comfort with depicting disturbing violence and a detached attitude about sex.The show was written by Hans Rosenfeldt, who created the Scandinavian sensation “Bron/Broen,” and the shows have a lot in common: There’s a skepticism about all domestic life, a comfort with depicting disturbing violence and a detached attitude about sex.
“Marcella” piles on crime after crime, which helps it stand out in a saturated field: Shows like “Broadchurch,” for example, rely on suspense, on postponing the big revelations. But “Marcella” subscribes to a more-is-more philosophy. More murders, more suspects, more confessions. It’s also part of the recent trend in increasingly creative sound design — “London Spy” and “Fargo” are at the forefront, but I swear the phones ring extra loud on this show. And during Marcella’s fugue states the audio drops out completely.“Marcella” piles on crime after crime, which helps it stand out in a saturated field: Shows like “Broadchurch,” for example, rely on suspense, on postponing the big revelations. But “Marcella” subscribes to a more-is-more philosophy. More murders, more suspects, more confessions. It’s also part of the recent trend in increasingly creative sound design — “London Spy” and “Fargo” are at the forefront, but I swear the phones ring extra loud on this show. And during Marcella’s fugue states the audio drops out completely.
“The Great British Baking Show” is back! Hallelujah. Let’s all have beautiful bakes. (Friday, 8 p.m., PBS)“The Great British Baking Show” is back! Hallelujah. Let’s all have beautiful bakes. (Friday, 8 p.m., PBS)
“Marco Polo” returns for its second season. (Netflix)“Marco Polo” returns for its second season. (Netflix)
Catch up on the impressive Underground Railroad drama “Underground,” with a Season 1 marathon. (Saturday, 10 a.m., WGN)Catch up on the impressive Underground Railroad drama “Underground,” with a Season 1 marathon. (Saturday, 10 a.m., WGN)
If you’ve also fallen behind on “Outlander,” there’s a marathon of the second season to date. The Season 2 finale airs Saturday, July 9. (Saturday, noon, Starz)If you’ve also fallen behind on “Outlander,” there’s a marathon of the second season to date. The Season 2 finale airs Saturday, July 9. (Saturday, noon, Starz)
From the people who made “Planet Earth,” here comes “The Hunt,” a seven-part nature documentary about predators. (Part 1, Sunday, 9 p.m., BBC America)From the people who made “Planet Earth,” here comes “The Hunt,” a seven-part nature documentary about predators. (Part 1, Sunday, 9 p.m., BBC America)
If you’re in the mood for something black and white but also bursting with red, white and blue pride, try either of these movies. Both are great to watch alone or with older (patient) kids, especially if they haven’t seen them before. — Monica CastilloIf you’re in the mood for something black and white but also bursting with red, white and blue pride, try either of these movies. Both are great to watch alone or with older (patient) kids, especially if they haven’t seen them before. — Monica Castillo
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: Briefly escape the sourness of recent political rhetoric and watch this eternally hopeful 1939 Frank Capra classic. The naïve head of a local Boy Scout-like group (a wide-eyed James Stewart) heads to Capitol Hill after being appointed to an open Senate seat with the hopes of improving his community, but instead he finds an entrenched and corrupt political machine. (This sounds negative, but trust me, it gets inspirational.) “Mr. Smith” is a David and Goliath story that does the improbable — it makes you feel good about government and about the power of the individual. (Rent on iTunes and Amazon)Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: Briefly escape the sourness of recent political rhetoric and watch this eternally hopeful 1939 Frank Capra classic. The naïve head of a local Boy Scout-like group (a wide-eyed James Stewart) heads to Capitol Hill after being appointed to an open Senate seat with the hopes of improving his community, but instead he finds an entrenched and corrupt political machine. (This sounds negative, but trust me, it gets inspirational.) “Mr. Smith” is a David and Goliath story that does the improbable — it makes you feel good about government and about the power of the individual. (Rent on iTunes and Amazon)
Yankee Doodle Dandy: For many, James Cagney is the mean-mugged bad guy from movies like “The Public Enemy” and “White Heat.” But he was magically light on his feet, and in this 1942 fictionalized account of the life of the Broadway impresario George M. Cohan, Cagney dances off with the entire picture. “Yankee Doodle Dandy” follows the proud American son from his birth on the Fourth of July to the day he meets President Franklin D. Roosevelt. If you’re looking to hum old-timey patriotic tunes like “Over There,” “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and “The Yankee Doodle Boy,” pick this star spangled film. (Rent on Amazon)Yankee Doodle Dandy: For many, James Cagney is the mean-mugged bad guy from movies like “The Public Enemy” and “White Heat.” But he was magically light on his feet, and in this 1942 fictionalized account of the life of the Broadway impresario George M. Cohan, Cagney dances off with the entire picture. “Yankee Doodle Dandy” follows the proud American son from his birth on the Fourth of July to the day he meets President Franklin D. Roosevelt. If you’re looking to hum old-timey patriotic tunes like “Over There,” “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and “The Yankee Doodle Boy,” pick this star spangled film. (Rent on Amazon)
This oral history of “Angels in America” is just fantastic. (Slate)This oral history of “Angels in America” is just fantastic. (Slate)
The New York Times television critic James Poniewozik says that “‘Game of Thrones’ has been on TV for six seasons now. But only this year did it become — mostly for the better, sometimes for the worse — a TV show.” (The New York Times)The New York Times television critic James Poniewozik says that “‘Game of Thrones’ has been on TV for six seasons now. But only this year did it become — mostly for the better, sometimes for the worse — a TV show.” (The New York Times)
In other “Game of Thrones” news … just how big is Westeros? (Medium)In other “Game of Thrones” news … just how big is Westeros? (Medium)
Ariel Leve profiles Liev Schreiber, whose life is at a crossroads. “He is a man who loves to gripe and he does it well. Entertainingly. And with an anguished flair. ‘It’s like singing! Complaining is my music,’ he says.” (Esquire)Ariel Leve profiles Liev Schreiber, whose life is at a crossroads. “He is a man who loves to gripe and he does it well. Entertainingly. And with an anguished flair. ‘It’s like singing! Complaining is my music,’ he says.” (Esquire)