What to watch between Christmas & New Years...

IN THIS EMAIL:

📺 ALL OF MY RECCOS FOR WHAT TO WATCH RN: That chill week between Christmas and New Years is almost here…and I’m NOT gonna let you go into it without a big fat list of fab things to watch.
🎙️ SOME TV-CENTRIC PODCASTS I LOVE: This list is ever changing for me, but I wanna share some of my faves with you.

MYSTERIES, WHODUNNITS, HEISTS & DARK SHIT
Basically if someone gets murdered, I’m in

1️⃣ LUPIN
📡 STREAMING ON: Netflix
✏️ MY ONE LINER: Adorable, majorly good looking “Gentleman” thief, who’s based all of his antics on a French literary character named Lupin who he’s full on obsessed with, avenges his father’s death, shows of the city of Paris and makes you fall in love with him.
🧐 BACKGROUND SHOW? No…though if you do the dubbed English that DEF helps.

This show was straight up fun as shit to watch. It’s in French, so that will need to be dealt with [you can either do subtitles OR dubbed English], but I was all in from ep 1 and binged it in a few days. I absolutely loved spending time in Paris as a backdrop, and quickly fell for the main dude [played by Omar Sy] as well as his BFF and little family. It’s one of those shows where you get to the end and you’re like: committing crimes seems kinda, uhm, super fun.🤷🏻‍♀️

IN CASE YOU WANT MORE:
➡️ Lupin is actually a REAL character from a real set of French novels. If you love the show, you can read them.
➡️ One of my top 5 FAVE series of all time is a Spanish show called Money Heist [also streaming on Netflix]. It’s def much darker than Lupin, but I swear: it’s so friggin good. Warning: you’ll probs immediately get hooked, so if you are a binge-er like me, clear your schedule [there are 5 seasons]. I was honestly in a depression for weeks after this show was over because I missed it so much.

2️⃣ A NEARLY NORMAL FAMILY
📡 STREAMING ON: Netflix
✏️ MY ONE LINER: A young, kinda rebellious college student gets roped into a thing with a hot, too old for her douchebag and accidentally gets involved in a major crime that slowly starts to tear apart her and her family’s lives.
🧐 BACKGROUND SHOW? Def not. Sorry, charlie.

Ok, I promise that every show on this list is NOT gonna be in a foreign language, but this one is in Swedish [I did the dubbed English version]. It’s dark AF and I’m giving you a trigger warning [for sexual assault]. Buuut I also found the story wildly riveting, the cinematography beautiful, the family dynamics heartbreaking and fascinating, and the writing and acting to be phenomenal. But yeah: if you’re looking for a “pick me up,” this def ain’t it.

IN CASE YOU WANT MORE:
➡️ This was actually based on a book too, so if you wanna read it after watching: voila.

3️⃣ SCHOOL SPIRITS
📡 STREAMING ON: Netflix
✏️ MY ONE LINER: A group of dead high school students work together to figure out the mystery of their newest member Maddie’s inexplicable murder.
🧐 BACKGROUND SHOW? Yeah, kinda.

Was this show the best thing I’ve ever seen? No. But was it shockingly entertaining and fun to watch? Very much yes. None of these teens are rich [well, one is], but this one def scratched the unsupervised teenager obsession of mine. I also crazy love supernatural stuff, so yeah: dead teenagers is def my sweet spot. This show was created by the Exec Producers of Pretty Little Liars, [a classic in the unsupervised rich teen genre], and I was honestly surprised by how good it was and how much I enjoyed it. The story has lots of twists and turns and kept me guessing until the very last episode [which IMHO had crazy surprise ending]. Also, I’m now deeply in love with Simon…IYKYK.

IN CASE YOU WANT MORE:
➡️ The show that actually first hooked me into this whole paranormal scene was the A&E show Psychic Kids. And they actually did a reboot in 2019 that you can watch HERE. The super cool thing that they did was bring back some of the original kids from the show who are grown up now, to help this new generation of psychic kiddos learn how to control their abilities [which is the premise of the show…helping kids who have various paranormal gifts learn how to use them and control them]. I haven’t watched this reboot yet, but I totally wanna.

4️⃣ BEEF
📡 STREAMING ON: Netflix
✏️ MY ONE LINER: Uhm…
🧐 BACKGROUND SHOW? Hell to the no…do not take your eyes of the screen for one hot second.

I honestly don’t want to tell you anything about this show if you haven’t seen it yet. I didn’t watch it recently [like the others above], but it’s def the one show this year that left the biggest mark on me. It’s dark…but also funny AF in spots. Trust me: just watch it…and then report back and tell me what you think.

IN CASE YOU WANT MORE:
➡️ Here’s an NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast episode about the show [listen after you watch].

OTHER RECCOS: 
💥 Yellowjackets: Honestly: this show is kinda ridic, BUT if you’re anywhere in the realm of my age, it’s also nostalgic and fun [annnd super creepy and weird]. There is some compelling mystery going on here, but I basically keep coming back for Juliette Lewis and Christina Ricci. Streaming on: Showtime

💥 The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart: Another dark, but also hauntingly beautiful show. This one also has a sexual assault trigger warning, but I was honestly blown away by this show. And I’m very confused about why more ppl are not talking about it. Streaming on: Amazon Prime

💥 Sharper: I have not watched this one yet, but I’ve heard good things and the trailer looks 🔥. Streaming on: Apple TV

YOU’VE PROBS, ALMOST DEFINITELY SEEN THESE ALREADY…BUT IF NOT: WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU!?
💥 Succession [Oh how I dream of becoming besties with Roman]. Streaming on: HBO Max
💥 The White Lotus [I loved season 2 WAY the hell more than season 1] Streaming on: HBO Max
💥 Silo: [This one was a slow burn for me, but I ended up loving it in the end]. Streaming on: Apple TV

**⬆️ FYI-zers, these 3 shows are all the OPPOSITE of background shows.

SOME LIGHTER SHIT
You don’t have to cover your eyes while watching any of these suggestions.

1️⃣ BUCCANEERS
📡 STREAMING ON: Apple TV
✏️ MY ONE LINER: Set in the 1870’s, a group of nouveau riche American girl besties go to England to find some rich ass husbands to marry.
🧐 BACKGROUND SHOW? Not really…the story and sets are so lush and fab, you don’t wanna miss them.

I mean with a tagline of “Lock up your lords” do I really need to say anything else? 🤣 This show is based on Edith Wharton’s last unfinished novel and I deeply friggin loved it. Unsupervised rich teenagers, check. Historical fiction, check—that combo is full on chef’s kiss for me. And it’s Bridgerton style historical fiction: so there is modern music, no racial discord [or at least way less] and more modern language. Christina Hendricks is a full frontal delight on this show and I actually hate one of the dudes [you’ll know who after watching] more than I hate Kody with a K from Sister Wives. I might start over and watch this one again.

IN CASE YOU WANT MORE:
➡️ The Ringer’s Guilty Pleasures podcast discusses episodes 1-3 HERE.
➡️ How The Buccaneers Stacks Up Against Bridgerton [speaking of Bridgerton, if you never watched that, it would be a full on delightful binge for that Christmas to New Years in between week too].
➡️ Just in case you missed it, The Great is also pretty fab.

2️⃣ THE GILDED AGE
📡 STREAMING ON: HBO Max
✏️ MY ONE LINER: Gorgeous costumes and sets, “upstairs/downstairs” drama, old world New York City and a fun cast of characters round out this quasi American Downton Abbey.
🧐 BACKGROUND SHOW? Eh, again: not really for the same reason I shared above with Buccaneers.

Round about the same time period as the Buccaneers, we have another historical drama from the creator of Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes. This time the subject matter is turn of the century New York City, with the drama focusing mainly on a cast of characters located on the same NYC block. I def did not fall as deeply in love with this show as I did with Downton, but I def enjoyed it quite a bit [Bertha and Mrs. Fish clearly would have been my besties if I was alive at that time]. I also love that they’ve brought in some super interesting actual historical info, like the insane story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge [which was apparently primarily engineered and built by a woman named Emily Roebling after her husband, who had been pioneering the project, got sick].

IN CASE YOU WANT MORE:
➡️ Listen to the Official companion podcast from HBO HERE.
➡️ Another podcast I recently discovered is called The Gilded Genteman. They cover real stories, histories and fab interviews centered around this same Gilded Age time period.

3️⃣ FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE
📡 STREAMING ON: Netflix
✏️ MY ONE LINER: The story of a group of best friends from college at a point in their lives where adulthood is setting in and shit starts to get real.
🧐 BACKGROUND SHOW? Yeah, kinda.

This is a wild card entry because this show is not new. BUT, it’s honestly one of my fave comedy shows that I’ve ever seen…like E-V-E-R. There are only two seasons, and again: if you’re a Millennial or a Gen Xer, the chances of you liking this show too are currently hovering at around 97% probability. Truth time: I honestly can’t remember ever laughing harder during a TV show before…it’s a super fun watch [Sidenote: there are quite a few people who seem to HATE this show online, so there are some horrible reviews out there. But truly: I just don’t fucking get it].

IN CASE YOU WANT MORE:
➡️ Netflix’s Friends From College Generates Big Laughs [Eater NY]
➡️ Friends From College Will Remind You Why You Stopped Calling Those People In the First Place [Vogue]

4️⃣ DAISY JONES & THE SIX
📡 STREAMING ON: Amazon Prime
✏️ MY ONE LINER: The juicy AF history of Fleetwood Mac. A gorgeous, fun 1970’s romp, with sex, drugs and lots of rock-n-roll.
🧐 BACKGROUND SHOW? Eh, a bit…but not full on.

This show is apparently “inspired” by the fascinating history of one of the most famous and impactful bands of all time: Fleetwood Mac. It’s told in a faux documentary style [faux cause it’s fictionalized and not an actual doc] and has a great cast of characters. For me, Riley Keough [who is actually Elvis’s granddaughter] is the standout star and the one I could not take my eyes off of. Fleetwood Mac is one of my fave bands, and so it would be nearly impossible for me to not love this show, but it still took me by surprise—in the best way possible.

IN CASE YOU WANT MORE:
➡️ Ringer’s Prestige TV Podcast: Episodes 1-6 Recap.
➡️ Riley Keough Finds Her Voice [Vanity Fair].

OTHER RECCOS: 
💥 The Summer I Turned Pretty: Ok, so yes: I guess this is more of a summer show, BUT, it was so damn good I think it’s worth a binge at any time of the year. The way I got full on obsessed with this show? 😳 It was sweet and charming, and such a fun coming of age story. Streaming on: Amazon Prime.

💥 Only Murders In the Building: This show is silly and implausible and yet: insanely watchable and enjoyable. Martin Short, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez as a trio of best friends, podcasters and amateur detectives who all live in the same fab building in NYC…yes please every day of the week. Streaming on: Hulu.

DOCUMENTARIES
Sometimes you just wanna be blown away by some real ass shit…

1️⃣ BECKHAM
📡 STREAMING ON: Netflix
✏️ MY ONE LINER: A deep dive into the life of David Beckham: including his rise to fame in sports, marriage to Posh and loads more interesting shit that will legit have you captivated.
🧐 BACKGROUND SHOW? Nope

When I tell you I have ZERO interest in sports, I mean: 0.0000. Nada. I know nothing about sports, don’t care about sports, and honestly can’t even be in the same room as someone watching sports. And yet: I loved THE FUCK outta this documentary series. I do wish Victoria and fam was in there a bit more…and that we could have spent even more time in David’s closet [and honestly all over their country house], but I honestly could not have loved this doc more.

IN CASE YOU WANT MORE:
➡️ Beckham is Worth Watching…Especially for the Style [New York Times].
➡️ Beckham Shows Us How David and Victoria See Themselves [The New Yorker]

2️⃣ ESCAPING TWIN FLAMES
📡 STREAMING ON: HBO Max
✏️ MY ONE LINER: Apparently we all have a “twin flame” soulmate…and apparently some shifty dude in Florida was gifted with the ability to figure out who your twin flame is.🙄 For the low, low price of one billion dollars, he’ll tell you all about it. 
🧐 BACKGROUND SHOW? Kinda, but also it’s gonna be hard to look away.

Omgggggg…the amount of times I screamed that out loud during this doc. I know I’m old and married, but daym. This doc was a sad ass commentary on a few things: 1. how desperate so many people are to find their partners; 2. how easy it is to take advantage of these desperate people; 3. how the internet has truly changed the whole damn game when it comes to providing more and better opportunities to scam and profit off these desperate people. For anyone who wants to understand why so many people are accusing coaches of essentially operating MLM’s, this doc will help you understand why.

IN CASE YOU WANT MORE:
➡️ Explaining Twin Flames: Netflix’s New Disturbing Documentary [Vox].

3️⃣ LOVE HAS WON: THE CULT OF MOTHER GOD
📡 STREAMING ON: HBO
✏️ MY ONE LINER: The true story of a woman who basically invented her own religion slash cult and all of the people who decided to believe her.
🧐 BACKGROUND SHOW? Nah, not really

This doc is almost crazier than the Twin Flames shit…espesh since in both cases, there are STILL people out in the world RN who believe all this bullshit. This one centers around a seemingly normal woman who somehow decided she was God…and that the rotating crew of dudes she decided to fuck were Gods too [by osmosis?]. Again: if cult docs are your jam, you will be riveted.

IN CASE YOU WANT MORE:
➡️ The Cult of Mother God Was Made for the Instagram Era [New York Times Magazine].
➡️ My Friend Still Believes in Mother God After Cult Leader’s Tragic Death [Daily Beast].

SOME OF MY FAVE TV-CENTRIC PODCASTS
If you’re TV obsessed like me, you’re gonna wanna hit “subscribe”⬇️

➡️ Love to See It with Emma & Claire: “A snarky but affectionate dissection of dating reality shows—and what they say about all of us. Hosted by Emma Gray and Claire Fallon.” This one is one of my faves as it feels like intelligent, thoughtful pop culture discourse on some of the most ridiculous TV in existence. Their weekly Golden Bachelor recaps were my absolute fave.

➡️ Surviving Sister Wives: I’m deeply embarrassed by how much time I’ve dedicated to this show, but here we are. Listening to this husband and wife team break down each episode makes it all worth it.

➡️ Daily Dose of Dana: My good friend Dana [“Donna” but spelled Dana] hosts this daily pop culture, Bravo [and other reality show] discussion show that always scratches my itch for fun convos about the latest news, drama and, often, crazy ass shit going on in the world of reality TV.

➡️ Girls Gone Hallmark I’ve talked a LOT about my Hallmark Christmas movie obsession and there are a surprising # of podcasts that tackle this subject. This one is one of my faves [Bonus recco: this was a great Hanukkah themed Hallmark movie that recently dropped].

➡️ The Watch: The Ringer’s main TV and movie recap show with Andy Greenwald and Chris Ryan. Here’s where they recently talked about their top 10 TV shows of 2023.

➡️ Still Watching This is a podcast from Vanity Fair that covers a rotating list of TV shows. Right now they’re covering The Crown, which shockingly, I don’t watch [I’ve tried to get into it 3 times now and for some reason it just feels boring AF to me]. But in the past they’ve covered White Lotus, And Just Like That and lots of others.

JOIN THE [ONE] MEMBERSHIP AS A FOUNDER

Our brand new membership [One], for entrepreneurs obsessed with the idea of getting their “category of one” status, officially kicks off in January, 2024. However, for Founders who sign up in December, they get a 30 min 1:1 coaching session with me [that normally go for $1000] for the price of one month of the membership [which is currently priced at $197].

They also get: Founder’s office hours, access to my two most recent masterclass, an opportunity to join our “Founder’s Council” that will shape the future of [One] and probably lots of other good shit that we haven’t even thought of yet.

HERE’S SOME MORE DOPE [ONE] STUFF YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT:

➡️ A killer community: And in case you’re thinking FB group…don’t. We’re going to bring you and all of your amazing “category of one” fellow entrepreneurs together to learn from, get inspired by and support in Skool.

➡️ A curated monthly inspo and trend “stack”: I’m going to curate for you all of the monthly trends, updates, genius branding and marketing moves, creators to watch, podcasts to listen to and more. Basically everything I think is important for you to know about as an innovation obsessed entrepreneur.

➡️ Private Instagram account Thanks to the recent updates Instagram has made, I’m going to be ditching everyone currently on my Close Friends List and replacing them with YOU and other [One] members. This means we’re going to have a private space for me to share stories, Reels and even posts where we can all interact.

➡️ Monthly Content Club Instead of a monthly book club, we’ll have a [totally optional] monthly content club. Sure, sometimes we will read books, but sometimes we will listen to a series of podcast episodes, or read a series of essays around our monthly theme and then discuss them all together on a zoom to share takeaways and lessons.

Trust me: this ain’t yo momma’s typical membership.

So, if this feels like this could be a fit for you…

HERE ARE YOUR NEXT STEPS:

➡️ Click on over HERE to our [One] Application. At the top of the page you will see a link to our 18 page [One] magazine that includes lots more scoop, our first 6 months of themes as well as January’s schedule.

➡️ Then you can APPLY and become a Founding Member of [One]! You’re under no obligation to join just by applying, but that is the first step in the process.

We’re kicking off our first event on December 19th, and as per uzsh, I’m saving your ass a seat there.

**If you have any questions about [One] just hit reply and ask away!

p.s. If you missed my How to Become A Category of One in 2024 Masterclass and you wanna watch the replay, you can do that HERE [password= ONE]