Hot Quarantine TV: "Mrs. America," "La Casa de las Flores," "Elite" and More

Mrs America FX on Hulu pictured above Hands down the best American television program of the year to date and I havenamp8217t heard of anything coming up that looks to take away that honoramp160 It is also the best showcase for adult actresses since HBOamp8217s Big Little Liesamp160 As far as Iamp8217m concerned it is even betteramp160 The performances are dazzling and delightful but it isnamp8217t really right to describe this limited series as amp8220funamp8221 since the troubling amp821670sera history lesson that informs the narrative remains so relevant to this dayamp160 I was at a press conference for this show back in January and I was stunned by how many of the younger reporters around me knew nothing about Phyllis Schlafly Bella Abzug Shirley Chisolm Betty Friedan or Gloria Steinem nor the history of the movement behind the ERA amp160It wasnamp8217t that long ago when these women dominated the social and political landscapeamp160 I expect the women who play them here Cate Blanchette Margo Martindale Uzo Aduba Tracey Ullman and Rose Byrne respectively to dominate the Emmy landscape later this yearElite Netflix pictured above I hadnamp8217t watched this teen drama from Spain about a multicultural mix of students at a fancypants prep school during any of its three seasons so once I discovered it I got to indulge in a megabingeamp160 That was in Marchamp160 Nothing Iamp8217ve watched since has so thoroughly pulled me in and refused to let goamp160 What strikes me the most about it is the emotional fearlessness of the cast and the writers to amp8220go thereamp8221 when exploring the lives of its characters rather than skip around the edges of adult content as if the showamp8217s target audience hadnamp8217t grown up with the internetamp160 Not since the British drama Skins has a television series so convincingly posited that the kids are not alright regardless of gender gender preference race or economic statusamp160 Skins though was grounded in daytoday realism during its first two seasons anywayamp160 Elite goes the route of American youth ensemble dramas placing its protagonists in extreme conflicts that stretch beyond the normamp160 That doesnamp8217t matteramp160 Elite is not the kind of show that wins awards but it is more entertaining and authentic than many of those that doCuron Netflix pictured above Iamp8217m only halfway through season one of Netflixamp8217s latest supernatural thriller and it has already given me more creeps per hour than the highly acclaimed The House on Haunted Hill two years agoamp160 The title location is a remote Northern Italian village with a history shrouded in mystery a lake with a haunted clock tower poking out of it a frequently failing power grid and a robust population of those same knowitall teenagers who turn up in almost every horror movie amp160Oh and there are ghouls or ghosts or spooky somethings creeping about in the dark of night amp160Credit the atmosphere and location shooting for maintaining the eeriness of it all even when characters keep doing things that nobody in reallife would even consider like investigating eerie noises in locked rooms in the middle of the night when the power has gone out rather than hiding under the covers and waiting for the morning like rational individualsamp160 The storytelling is a little choppy in parts and certain events are a little too predictable but Curon is a hot summer watchamp160 Even when the narrative quiets down shots of the clock tower looming in the lake bring the chills and not just because the water is coldamp160 The tower is real by the wayamp160 The body of water is known as Lake Resiaamp160 The bells were long ago removed but locals still hear them ring Ozark Netflix pictured above Any critic who isnamp8217t currently talking about the utterly devastating performances by Laura Linney and Tom Pelphrey in season three of Netflixamp8217s increasingly dark drama Ozark simply isnamp8217t doing his or her jobamp160 Linney has always been outstanding here but the depths of her portrayal this season as loving and lethal wife mother and businessperson Wendy Byrde amp8211 a woman torn asunder by her own drive is largely unparalleledamp160 Pelphrey as her bipolar brother Ben is right there with heramp160 Their scenes together especially toward the end of the season have the same pulsepounding power that James Gandolfini and Edie Falco brought to their more combustible scenes on The Sopranosamp160 Series star Jason Bateman won the Emmy last year as Best Director and costar Julia Garner still fantastic won Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Seriesamp160 It is not that far off the mark to imagine Linney and Pelphrey adding to Ozarkamp8217s Emmy totalLa Casa de Las Flores Netflix pictured at top and aboveamp160Thisamp160darkly delicious comedydrama from Mexico is a perfect summertime treat and a witty distraction from the challenges of the dayamp160 Itamp8217s sexy AF tooamp160 The trials and tribulations of the dysfunctional de la Mora family proud owners of a oncethriving florist and a scandalous cabaret that share the same name make for a tasty telenovelaamp160 Or is it a sexually supercharged spoof of the genreamp160 Who caresamp160 Every person on screen is clearly having as much fun as the viewer which makes their characters increasingly welcome with each passing episodeamp160 Cecilia Suarez as Paulina the daughter at the center of the de la Mora cyclone has a way of delivering her dialogue that is unlike any performer I have ever heard on television in movies or on the stageamp160 Once you hear it you wonamp8217t be able to shake it eitheramp160 The striking opening credits are a whole show in themselves tooamp160 Do yourself a favor and ignore Netflixamp8217s amp8220Skip Creditsamp8221 button on this oneamp160amp160Hightown Starz pictured above Already renewed for a second season Hightown is an intense intermittently nasty murder mystery laced with graphic grisly violence adultsonly sex scenes and occasional glimpses into the anythinggoes atmosphere of the summer season in Provincetown Massamp160 In fact the action spans all of Cape Cod and occasionally moves offCape too amp160Letamp8217s call it the television equivalent of a summer beach read amp8211 a tattered paperback with grains of sand spilling out from its suntanlotionstained pagesamp160 I have probably made it sound better than it is but Iamp8217ve been inextricably hooked from episode one despite the dozens of shows competing for my timeamp160 Monica Raymund and James Badge Dale play decidedly different detectives I will welcome back to my TV in future summersClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Hot Quarantine TV: "Mrs. America," "La Casa de las Flores," "Elite" and More

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Hot Quarantine TV: "Mrs. America," "La Casa de las Flores," "Elite" and More

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