Normally, on a Friday afternoon, you’re sitting at your desk at work thinking about all the fun you’ll have over the weekend. Will you go to the cinema? Maybe a night out on the town, with dinner and dancing? Or perhaps, you have a quick trip planned and you need to catch a flight? Well, with COVID-19 (aka coronavirus) making most people’s weekend plans include “self-isolating” and staying at home avoiding all human contact, you may find yourself flipping through the streaming services wondering what to watch.
Well, if that’s something you’re concerned about, then you’re in luck because I’ve compiled a list of films and TV series you can watch this weekend that will, hopefully, take your mind off the global pandemic killing thousands around the world and instead, maybe make you laugh, think, and cheer.
So, here’s my suggestions for things you can watch this weekend while you self-isolate and pretend the world isn’t falling apart outside of your door.
“McMillions” (HBO)
You’re a true-crime fan, but you don’t want to be subject yourself to the horrors of crime scene pictures and detailed accounts of murder. HBO has you covered, as you can dive into the recent docuseries, “McMillions.” If documentaries had a “popcorn flick” subgenre, then “McMillions” would fit in comfortably right there.
Showcasing the ridiculous true story of how a group of people were able to scam McDonald’s out of millions of dollars during the company’s Monopoly promotions, the HBO docuseries takes an unbelievable story and tells it in one of the most fun, interesting, and hilarious ways possible. A large part of your enjoyment will come from the cast of characters that are interviewed in the series, including the very best FBI agent of all time and various folks from Florida talking about mob life like they’re right out of “The Sopranos.” It’s glorious.
“The Outsider” (HBO)
Now, if you’re someone that likes your entertainment dark, depressing, and mysterious, HBO’s “The Outsider” just wrapped its run on the network and can now be binged. Based on the Stephen King story, “The Outsider” does what so many other King adaptations can’t do—stay fairly true to the story without going off into crazyville and ruining the ending. Sure, there are your typical King-isms throughout the show, but the incredible acting from Ben Mendelsohn, Jason Bateman, and Cynthia Erivo more than make up for it.
And yes, the ending will likely be debated and might not be up to par with the rest of the series, but overall, “The Outsider” might just be the first series in a long time that feels like it could sit beside the first season of “True Detective.”
“Big Time Adolescence” (Hulu)
True-crime isn’t your bag. And who wants to watch a dark, depressing thriller during serious times like this? If you’re feeling like that then I recommend “Big Time Adolescence,” which is making its debut on Hulu this weekend. One of the standouts from last year’s Sundance finds a young teen (Griffin Gluck) idolizing his older best friend (Pete Davidson), who very well might be the worst person on the planet for a teenager to respect and adore.
“Big Time Adolescence” is a great way to laugh at the idiocy of many in the world today, while also forgetting that these same idiots are rushing to Walmart to purchase the very last roll of toilet paper because a bad virus is going to prevent the world from making paper products. But I digress. Needless to say, if you’re looking for a laugh, Hulu has you covered this weekend. (And when you get done with “Big Time Adolescence,” you can stay on Hulu and binge something like “High Fidelity,” “Shrill” or “Ramy” for even more laughs.)
“Freaks” (Netflix & VOD)
One of the more upsetting coronavirus-caused film delays for many people is “The New Mutants.” After almost 2 years of waiting, fans were finally going to get a chance to see Josh Boone’s take on the ‘X-Men’ mythos with his new franchise featuring young people accepting and embracing their superpowers. Well, sorry, that’s not happening, as the film is delayed indefinitely. But, if you’re still hoping to fill your superhero/‘X-Men’ desires this weekend, check out “Freaks” on Netflix (or other VOD services).
“Freaks” is one of the more underrated, underseen films of 2019 that follows the story of a young girl that is locked up in her house by her father, who is vowing to protect her from the outside world. Of course, you begin to learn that not everything is what it seems and the young girl may or may not have superpowers that find her on the run from the government. It’s perhaps the best ‘X-Men’ film of the last decade and doesn’t even have any Marvel ties. Enjoy!
“Kingdom” (Netflix)
Some people like to escape the stress of a pandemic by watching other stories that have pandemic-like elements. And for those people, you should really check out “Contagion” or “Outbreak,” obviously. But if those are a bit too close to home, right now, how about Netflix’s “Kingdom?”
Season 2 is dropping this weekend, and while we’re not sure if it’s good or not, the first season was actually one of the best series of last year and so our hopes for the new episodes are sky-high. The period horror series follows the effects of a zombie outbreak on 17th Century South Korea. Basically, it’s a kickass action series with elements of zombie horror and an incredible period setting. But yes, it does center on a plague, so maybe understand that going into it.
Happy Self-Isolation!