While you enjoy some of that sweet, sweet summer air conditioning this weekend, enjoy from our selection of recommendations that include superheros, American heroes, a culinary hero, and a character who is definitely not a hero.
Secret Invasion - Disney+
Picked by Lawrence Banton
This is one is for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, although if you're not really into superhero projects, you'll still appreciate this series. That's because this show takes a more serious approach to its story. Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury is the star and it follows his return S.A.B.E.R, where he spent most of his time after Thanos' Blip was reversed, and his pursuit of ending the Skrull takeover of Earth. Shape-shifting aliens disguise themselves as everyday Earthlings and figuring who is, or is not, human is a major plot point. So far, only three episodes have been released but it is shaping up to be one of Marvel's best "for TV" projects.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp_YZNqNBhw[youtube]
America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston - PBS
Picked by Newsletter Writer Graison Dangor
This series on what "the wild mean[s] to Americans today" caught my attention with an episode about the vast forests and lakes of northern Minnesota, which I grew up visiting. Thurston's tour had plenty of beautiful shots, but what kept me watching were his interviews with people who also love the area but have experienced it in different ways, including Ojibwe wild rice harvesters and a celebrated nature photographer who, as one of the few Black people in a very white region, has been threatened simply for existing outdoors. I look forward to other episodes from the first season — his other visits include Appalachia, Death Valley, and the Tidewater region of North Carolina — and the second season, which hits the air in September.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcSfO2uitt0[youtube]
Throwback Picks
The Mick - Netflix
Picked by Senior Editor Dina Ross
Always Sunny in Philadelphia co-star Kaitlin Olson spun off on her own for this 2017 sitcom. Olson plays Mackenzie, aka. Mick, who is hard on her luck when she goes to ask her wealthy sister for some cash. Things take a turn when her sister is busted by the feds and Mick finds herself in charge of her pretentious niece and nephews. The comedy is biting and laugh-out-loud funny, so if you dig Always Sunny, you should make time for this throwback, too.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sknQzUzQRtk[youtube]
Barefoot Contessa - Max
Picked by Keara O’Driscoll
The name change of HBO Max to Max may have been annoying, but if that's the price I have to pay to now be able to watch Discovery+ content, then so be it! Right now, my TikTok is filled with clips from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa, and I’m becoming obsessed. As someone who wishes they were a coastal granddaughter, I am glad I can graduate from watching my new comfort show on my phone screen to my TV.
Now how fabulous is that!
[youtube]https://youtu.be/2pn2BZ1vB64[youtube]
