culture porn week of 6/13
our weekly content recommendations
screenshot me:
hustle (netflix)
heartwarming if not trope-ey, i enjoyed all the NBA cameos, but i think the real star of this show is juancho hermangomez, whose expressive eyes add emotional depth to the story. - su
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stranger things (netflix)
S4 scooped me in. i was reluctant - maybe the intense marketing turned me off - but the show stands on its own as great content. the aesthetic, the characters, and of course the epic 80s song choices. i’ll watch anything that uses kate bush music as a narrative choice! - su
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the northman (peacock)
i’ll watch anything with alexander skarsgård after his turn in lars von triers’ excellent MELANCHOLIA. in THE NORTHMAN he captivates as a brutal, feral, and unforgiving viking. directed by robert eggers (THE LIGHTHOUSE) and also starring nicole kidman and anya taylor-joy THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT), it’s an escape into primal masculinity. - lo
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irma vep (hbo max)
if you’re looking for something quirky and cool, and have a thing for alicia vikander (EX MACHINA), check out this stylized, meta remake of the 1996 film by its original director, olivier assayas. ROTTEN TOMATOES gave it a “100%” for its insider depiction of the film biz and you won’t be able to help enjoying the winks. - lo
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the real housewives of dubai (bravo)
i’m resurrecting my HOUSEWIVES fandom with this latest iteration of the iconic reality series. deftly mixing race and religion with omnicultural glam, these ladies (many of them ex-pats) elevate the show’s playbook catfights and tantrums with a global accent. - lo
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the parisian agency: exclusive properties (netflix)
if you’ve got a sweet spot for real estate porn and family dramas, THE PARISIAN AGENCY is the love child of SELLING SUNSET x SUCCESSION. follow the patriarch of the kretz family business, his impossibly photogenic young sons, along with their mother and grandmother, as they mix life, work, and each other, buying and selling luxury homes in france and beyond. they’re so legit, they even got a spread in ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST. - lo
insights + inspo
female superheroes are getting more culturally complex
female superheroes are evolving with the times. sarah unger breaks down how they’re changing.
for more of sarah’s perspective, head here
is “OK DOOMER” the new catch phrase?
we've been tracking the rise in chatter about "climate anxiety," aka PRE-TSD, but now there's a new angle to the convo: "climate advocates" who push people to see the brighter side of climate change in the shape of forward-thinking solutions.
- linda ong, @lindaong100
more here
coalition conversation: everything everywhere all at once
sarah unger, rajiv menon, ria knapp, and rishi mahesh break down everything everywhere all at once.
watch their full conversation here
hour long youtube videos are thriving in the tiktok era
despite the surge in platforms clamoring to debut their own TikTok-like bite-size video tools, it's interesting + frankly comforting to see the stability (+ growing pop) of long-form. whether it's residual from the pandemic's slowing down or a need for more depth amid the ongoing complexity that surrounds us — i'm so here for the video essay (even if i admittedly sometimes watch @ 1.5x speed).
— ria knapp, @riaknapp
for more, head here
#LOokforward🌅 with linda ong
with all of the unsettling news, it felt good to escape and belatedly celebrate the sale of conan o’brien’s podcast and media business to SIRIUS XM with jeff ross, o’brien’s longtime executive producer. back in 2018, TBS asked our analysts to do a deep-dive on TEAM COCO’s cultural relevance, giving us intimate knowledge of the brand’s meaning in culture and its potential to expand beyond TV - which we were already bullish on.
it wouldn’t be PRIDE month without brands stirring some controversy. amidst a larger, noisy conversation about the role of social values in business, rainbow-drenched mainstream brands are simultaneously delighting and pissing off the LGBTQ+ community.
for linda’s full debrief, head here