Queer Eye, Shrill, Catastrophe, and Arrested Development are the four horsemen of the second Streamapocalypse
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16. All times are Eastern.
Top picks
Queer Eye (Netflix, Friday): French-tuck in your shirts and grab a box of tissues: The Fab 5 are kicking off the return of Streamapocalpyse, gracing our screens to teach us all—yet again—how to cut avocados and to feel a little bit better about the human race in the process. This season, they’ve left their home base of Atalanta and turned their attention to Kansas City, as well as to a more diverse cast of “heroes.” Interior designer Bobby Berk hinted that unlike in the revival’s previous two seasons, this one will feature an even balance of men and women, joking in an interview with Variety, “No offense to men, but we have so much more fun with women.”
We see no sign of favoritism in the heartwarming trailer below, which demonstrates the tone of indiscriminate love and acceptance that made us fall in love with the revival last year.
Also, JVN reads to a bunch of lil’ campers, and it is very cute.
Shrill (Hulu, Friday): Based on Lindy West’s memoir of the same name, Shrill stars SNL’s Aidy Bryant as Annie, “a fat young woman who wants to change her life—but not her body.” Instead, a press release promises that the series will show Annie “trying to start her career while juggling bad boyfriends, a sick parent, and a perfectionist boss” (Hedwig And The Angry Inch’s John Cameron Mitchell). Also starring Lolly Adefope, Julia Sweeney, and Luka Jones, the series amalgamates the experiences of its all-female writing team (Bryant, West, and Ali Rushfield), demonstrating how they’re frequently perceived and treated differently because of their weight, and gives Annie a complex narrative and sense dignity that women who look like her historically haven’t been granted onscreen (if they’re given a place there at all). And with a creative team that includes the likes of Obvious Child director Gillian Robespierre, Portlandia’s Carrie Brownstein, and executive producers Lorne Michaels and Elizabeth Banks, Shrill looks pretty damn promising. In her pre-air review, Danette Chavez calls it “short, sweet, and full of potential,” noting that “Bryant and Shrill push beyond a slice-of-life comedy to set Annie on a compelling and hilarious journey.”
Catastrophe (Prime Video, Friday): Sharon and Rob didn’t exactly choose this life. They definitely weren’t prepared for it, and they probably aren’t suited for it. But over the course of three seasons, they’ve tried to make it work, and this fourth and final season of BAFTA-winning, Peabody and Emmy-nominated comedy series marks the end of their story. While Sharon (Sharon Horgan) reckons with not being quite as healthy as she imagined she was, Rob (Rob Delaney) pays for his accident by attending AA meetings, doing community service, and applying himself to his career—things made all the more difficult by his persistent self-loathing, alcoholism, and dissatisfaction with life.
Notably, this season will also address Carrie Fischer’s death through that of her character Mia. While the series dedicated last season’s finale to Fischer, who acted on the show throughout seasons one through tree, we can likely expect more of a tribute to the iconic actress at Mia’s funeral. Erik Adams will be on hand to offer some losing thoughts.