This weekend I have… a few hours, and I like to scream.
‘The bear’
When to watch: Now, on FX on Hulu.
Easily one of TV’s most cacophonous, “The Bear” is a textured, tender tale of passion, conflict and determination. Jeremy Allen White stars as Carmy, a celebrated chef, needy and greasy, who runs the Italian beef sandwich shop. Chicago takes over after his brother’s death. Everything is in shambles: the kitchen is filthy, debts mount, and the staff’s standard way of communicating is yelling furiously.
But that just means there’s room to grow. Ayo Edebiri puts on one of the best performances of the year, as a green but brilliant young chef, and even when the show hits traditional beats, it’s never quite as you’d expect. The music accompaniment is stiflingly literal, and some accents are chaotic, but I devoured all eight episodes in one sitting.
… four o’clock, and I want something elegant.
‘Queen’
When to watch: Now on Netflix.
This four-part Polish series (in Polish and French, subtitled or dubbed) would be worth checking out for the costumes and production design alone, but thankfully it’s also a beautiful story, straightforward but refined, like sumptuous wrapping paper of a luxury store. Andrzej Seweryn plays Sylwester, a Parisian tailor by day and a drag queen by night. When he receives a letter from the granddaughter he didn’t know he had about the sick daughter he abandoned, he heads back to Poland to make amends.
“Queen” has a vibrant visual style, with lavish costumes and vibrant primary colors, but it still feels like real life, as if the cobalt blue bathroom is a choice the characters would actually make. If you want something poignant but happy, check this out.
… six hours, and breaking up is hard.
‘The divorce’
When to watch: Now, on Sundance Now.
The third and final season of “The Split” kicks off several months after Season 2 ended; Hannah and Nathan (Nicola Walker and Stephen Mangan, right) prepare to sign divorce papers, but since they and most of the characters on the show are divorce lawyers, crossing the Ts isn’t easy. Many dramas, especially British ones, find their friction from the inability of characters to say what they want. This season of “The Split” is much more about indecision than unspoken – the characters often relish the chance to air harsh truths, if only they knew what they were.
If you’re missing “The Good Wife”, or if you want rich people drama that leans soapy yet has emotional integrity, check it out here.
