This week, we lost a legend, a bad idea played out badly, and Hoda announced she’ll soon bid a fond farewell.
Here's what NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour crew was paying attention to — and what you should check out this weekend.
How to Die Alone on Hulu
How to Die Alone is a new comedy series created by and starring Natasha Rothwell. She was one of the best parts of Insecure and she was also really great in the first season of White Lotus. This is Rothwell's time to fully shine. She's playing Mel, a JFK airport employee who has never been on an airplane because she has a fear of flying. The premise feels a little familiar: She has a near-death experience that causes her to reevaluate her friendships and relationships. It's a show that kind of takes a couple of episodes to find its groove, but there are some pretty fun and effective moments as the season goes on. — Aisha Harris
You Gotta Eat: Real-Life Strategies for Feeding Yourself When Cooking Feels Impossible
The best thing about this book for me is it makes the connection between mental health and cooking. The author, Margaret Eby, is a trained chef and she writes how — even being a chef — there are times in her life, either because she's anxious, or depressed, or busy — she doesn't have the mental strength to cook. I think we've all been there. Most cooking channels and recipes are like magic — they don't show you the labor behind it. One quote from this book that keeps coming back to me is: "The best food is the food that you'll eat." — Bedatri D. Choudhury
'Why Was the Miami Vice Pilot So Good?' in Vulture
The age of cinematic television did not begin with Game of Thrones or Mad Men or The Sopranos or even Twin Peaks. Cinematic television began 40 years ago with the pilot of Miami Vice. That is not my argument — although I do agree with it — that is Matt Zoller Seitz's argument in a wonderful piece that ran on Vulture last week to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Miami Vice pilot airing on NBC. It's a beautifully reported piece — he interviewed nearly all of the principal creators from the show and he unpacks all of the innovations that we can trace back to Miami Vice. — Chris Klimek
Batman getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Batman got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this week. The walk of fame is a bit of a racket. He is not the first fictional character to get one — Mickey Mouse, The Simpsons, Snoopy, Tinkerbell and many others all have stars. Batman was also given a Guinness World Record title for being the first superhero with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. So it was a big day in Hollywood yesterday for tautology and for snakes eating their own tails. "Happy" is a stretch, but that is at least what is making me bemused this week. — Glen Weldon
More recommendations from the Pop Culture Happy Hour newsletter
by Linda Holmes
A friend of mine (who will remain anonymous) told me this week that I should check out ABC's new doctor show/Love Boat show Doctor Odyssey if, and I quote, I wanted to feel "smarter than something." I have to agree that this is broadcast television the way it sometimes used to be. It's easy, the people are pretty, the medical emergencies are ridiculous, and the doctor's backstory is, I guess ... timely? Anyhoo, it's got Joshua Jackson in it (of Dawson's Creek and The Mighty Ducks), and he's very charming, so knock yourselves out.
This is your reminder that Netflix has just started dropping a new season of The Great British Baking Show, for people who still like that. And I am happy to report that there are no absurd, nobody-would-make-that challenges in the first episode.
This week, I enjoyed a double feature of The Night of the Hunter and Cape Fear (the original). The result was that all my terrible dreams are about Robert Mitchum, because that is one extremely scary man. In most of those dreams, he is singing menacingly. Both films are effective and deeply upsetting, and what more can you ask from a thriller? (For occasional updates on my efforts to scare myself, follow me on Letterboxd!)
Beth Novey adapted the Pop Culture Happy Hour segment "What's Making Us Happy" for the Web. If you like these suggestions, consider signing up for our newsletter to get recommendations every week. And listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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