Hi,
Welcome back to Continue Watching! Man, what a year these last two weeks have been. Have we all collectively ever been this tired at the beginning of any year? We really hope you’re doing well, staying safe, and taking as many precautions as you can because this shit is BANANAS.
We had no idea how to concentrate on anything long enough to be able to write essays for this issue, so we didn’t even try. But even though we have lost the ability to sit and write thousands of words about a particular show, we have certainly not lost the ability to rely on television to see us through, what is objectively, a shitty time. So we’re coming to you with a list of shows both of us are excited to watch in 2022 because, let’s admit it, if we don’t have something to look forward to every week, it becomes very difficult to wake up in the morning.
But, before we get to the list, we’d just like to make sure we’re all on the same page about two things:
We all agree that SATC Miranda would never act the way And Just Like That Miranda is acting, right? (Continuing to masturbate when your CHILD is standing outside the door talking to you? STOP IT)
We are all watching Yellowjackets, right? The finale is out on Monday, so if you’re not caught up, you have two days to watch nine episodes of horrifying cannibalism(?) and teen girl shit.
Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about the shows keeping us afloat right now.
CURRENTLY WATCHING
Kashika
Yellowjackets: I was skeptical about this because I’d watched The Wilds just a few months ago. There too a bunch of teenage girls were stranded on an island, though of course no one ever even considered cannibalism there. But after reading about Yellowjackets in Shahana’s ‘Currently Watching’ section in the last issue, I ended up watching eight episodes in one day and then had scary, messed-up dreams for the next two nights. At this point, everyone knows the story, and while it boggles my mind that the makers are planning five seasons, season one is definitely getting an A+ from me. The best part? The teens don’t stop being teens for even one second, even as their life flashes in front of their eyes in the wilderness. Streaming on Voot.
Cobra Kai: My brother and I finished watching all of Parks and Rec (first watch for him, third for me), so we needed a new show. I knew nothing about Cobra Kai but had the feeling that he’d like it, so here we are. I am a sucker for the found family trope, and it seems like this show about a washed-out former Karate champion training a young kid will have enough of that. I genuinely don’t understand who to root for right now because we’re just a few episodes in, but I’m willing to find out. Also, I’ve never seen The Karate Kid (and never will), so if someone wants to mail me the salient points, I’ll Zomato you a meal. Streaming on Netflix.
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Shahana
Single’s Inferno: I love watching dating reality shows, and I stopped watching The Bachelor franchise simply because the producers and their transparently manufactured drama (which was often at the expense of the participants) just got old and tired. Also, because all the romance on Kdramas is so wholesome, I was legit curious about how horny Koreans talk or behave. Single’s Inferno is sort of like Love Island, where participants stay on an island called Inferno, where they can’t ask each other how old they are or what job they have. If they get paired up they go to Paradise island for one night, where they can really get to know who they’re with and ask all the questions forbidden on Inferno. Everyone is good-looking and everyone is straight, and four episodes in, no one’s even kissed! I need these guys to start talking dirty asap because I can’t take all this eye contact and flirting and prolonged sexual tension. Streaming on Netflix.
Snowdrop: I started watching this only because there’s a lot of controversy (not writing what it is because it’ll be a spoiler) around this, but I may not finish because the plot is a bit of a snoozefest. Snowdrop is set in 1987, which is important because of the June 1987 Democracy Movement, a peaceful protest movement aiming to force the dictatorial government in South Korea to hold fair elections, which led to the democratic Sixth Republic, the present-day government of South Korea. Jisoo from Blackpink plays Eun Young-ro who finds Lim Soo-ho, played by Jung Hae-in, in her dorm room covered in blood and hides him from government agents looking for him. It’s revealed soon that Soo-ho may not be an innocent protestor the police are after, and somehow love is supposed to blossom. The couple don’t seem to have much chemistry, and the plot is so slow. If you’re looking for a good romance, Our Beloved Summer on Netflix is charming and adorable AF, don’t bother with Snowdrop. Streaming on Dramacool.
Before you see the 2022 TV list, we’d like to tell you that we will now be seeing you in February. We’re skipping the next issue because we have an EXAM. Yes. Some of you know that we’ve been learning Korean for the last few months. Well, we’ve completed level one and will now be tested on that, which obviously makes no sense. Please pray for us in this very stressful time. Happy weekend!
Continue Watching (and reading!),
Kashika and Shahana
Shows We Cannot Wait To Watch in 2022
Kashika’s list
Abbott Elementary
I love shows about good-natured, well-meaning people who just want the best for everyone around them, and while there’s nothing low stakes about the teaching profession, Abbott Elementary looks like the next low-stakes show of my dreams. Quinta Brunson, whose BuzzFeed videos I used to binge-watch a few years ago, stars in this show as a public school teacher who’s endlessly optimistic about fixing the system.
Released, streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
Search Party (season 5)
I think there needs to be a more aggressive word than binge-watched for how I watched Search Party last year. I inhaled four seasons in less than a week. The final season has come out this week and I cannot wait to watch what our favourite sociopaths will do now. Search Party is a difficult show to explain, but if I had to, I’d say it’s about four self-absorbed millennials who have trouble seeing beyond themselves, which leads to some horrifying consequences.
Released, but not streaming anywhere, so you’ll have to get creative to find it.
Starstruck (season 2)
I don’t think I need to say any more about my favourite show of 2021. I am very worried about season two living up to that perfect first season, but I am THRILLED that Rose Matafeo will be back on my screen next month. Yes, next month! What will happen now that the sexual tension has been resolved? Will Jesse and Tom Ka-puh be able to sustain their chemistry? Will Kate give us another unforgettable scene? I cannot wait.
Will release next month but won’t be streaming anywhere, so you’ll have to get creative to find it.
Somebody Somewhere
I am obsessed with the idea of hometowns. All my life, I have wanted nothing more than to move out and make a life for myself in a big city. The first time I did that, I was 20 and completely unprepared for the homesickness that almost suffocated me. But I also loved living alone. And yet, every few years, something happens and I’m back in my hometown. This time, I’ve been here since June 2020, like so many people who’ve moved back home in the pandemic, and I have no idea when I’m leaving again. Somebody Somewhere is the story of Sam, who does not fit into her hometown, and yet, as an adult, finds a community that stands by her in one of the toughest times of her life.
Releasing on January 16, but will probably not be streaming anywhere, so you’ll have to get creative to find it.
How I Met Your Father
I am not a How I Met Your Mother fan, but I love Hilary Duff and will watch anything she does. HIMYF should be a fun watch that will make up for the fact that Younger ended with the worst season ever last year.
Premiering on January 18, but will not be streaming anywhere, so you’ll have to get creative to find it.
As We See It
If I were to commission a showrunner to make a TV show about my life, I would only and only trust Jason Katims with that responsibility. He has made two of my most favourite shows ever, Friday Night Lights and Parenthood. He’s coming back with a new show where three roommates on the autism spectrum navigate love, life, and work. There’s no way I’m missing this.
Releasing on January 21, will be streaming on Amazon Prime Video
The Sound of Magic
All Korean paranormal shows ultimately end up being the same, so I try to stay away from them. But I will watch this because Hwang In-yeop, the only good thing about True Beauty, plays the lead. Ji Chang-wook also stars as a magician or something, but my man has the worst choice in projects, so that is hardly a plus point.
Releasing this year, will probably be streaming on Dramacool.
Kasam Tere Pyaar Ki
Apparently Colors is bringing back this iconic daily soap that I watched religiously despite the fact that the main couple died and came back to life at least thrice. But the leads, Kratika Sengar and Sharad Malhotra, had to exchange one look for me to be all-in in every single reincarnation. I’ve watched the Holi sequence where they play look-look for three episodes straight at least seven times.
Releasing this year, will air on Colors.
Kaun Banegi Shikharwati?
I find Lara Dutta and Kritika Kamra endlessly watchable, so even though the trailer seemed riddled with cliches, it piqued my interest enough that I plan to watch this comedy-drama that also stars Naseeruddin Shah as some sort of a king whose four daughters all hate each other.
Released, streaming on Zee5.
Finding Anamika
Madhuri Dixit makes her OTT debut with this series about a superstar actress who suddenly goes missing, and that’s enough reason to check it out.
Releasing this year, will stream on Netflix.
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Shahana’s list
Around the World in 80 Days
David Tennant plays Phileas Fogg in this adaptation of Jules Verne’s novel, as he sets off on a whirlwind journey around the globe with his valet Jean Passepartout (Ibrahim Koma), journalist Leonie Benesch (Abigail Fix), and half his fortune on the line if he doesn’t complete his trip in the titular 80 days. It’s already been renewed for a second season, and I love David Tennant, so consider me sold.
Released, but not streaming anywhere, so you’ll have to get creative to find it.
The Afterparty
This eight-part comedy-drama sees a high school reunion turn into a murder mystery, with each episode focusing on different characters and their perspectives. The cast has some serious comedy chops—Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson, Zoë Chao, Ben Schwartz, Ike Barinholtz, Ilana Glazer, Dave Franco—so it definitely sounds fun.
Releasing on January 28th, will stream on Apple TV+.
Pam & Tommy
Starring Lily James and Sebastian Stan as the titular Pam and Tommy, the miniseries follows Baywatch star Pamela Anderson and Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee’s romance and subsequent sex tape scandal. Listen, the trailer looks great, and this is going to be one of those shows everyone will be talking about, so obviously I’m gonna watch.
Releasing on January 28th, will probably stream on Disney+ Hotstar.
The Woman In the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window
Listen, I loved the Scary Movie series. And I generally adore satires and parodies. I thought Netflix did a fabulous job with American Vandal, so TWITHATSFTGITW—which follows Kristen Bell’s character, a homebody who loves wine and might have witnessed a murder—will probably be good.
Releasing on January 28th, will stream on Netflix.
All Of Us Are Dead
A Korean show about a school which becomes ground zero for a zombie virus outbreak. Zombies and teenagers fighting to survive is usually a recipe for success.
Releasing on January 28th, will stream on Netflix.
Inventing Anna
Based on a New York magazine article written by Jessica Pressler, Inventing Anna is meant to be an intimate take on Anna Delvey, a talented grifter who made her way into the lives of NYC’s A-list socialites by pretending to be a German heiress, and then scammed them out of thousands of dollars. Julia Garner stars as Anna Delvey and Anna Chlumsky as Jessica Pressler, and with Shonda Rhimes at the helm—literally no reason to not watch!
Releasing on February 11th, will stream on Netflix.
The Dropout
I followed Caroline Calloway for ages, and I’m obviously excited about Inventing Anna—so you can probably sense a theme? If not, the theme is I love scammers. The Dropout is about one of the most successful scammers ever, Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, who claimed to have created technology that could detect conditions like cancer or diabetes with little more than a pinprick of blood. Holmes (who got convicted of defrauding investors this month, and faces up to 20 years in federal prison, plus potentially millions in restitution and fines) managed to convince some of the world’s richest people, including Rupert Murdoch and the Walton family, to invest in technology that literally did not exist. I can’t even convince my mom I’m an adult who knows things.
Releasing on March 3rd, will probably stream on Disney+ Hotstar.
The Lord of the Rings
This isn’t a television version of the films, but a prequel that’s set thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. If you like fantasy, no reason to not be excited.
Releasing on September 2nd, will stream on Amazon Prime Video.
1899
1899 is a paranormal period drama following a group of European migrants who set sail from London to find a new life in America—whose journey gets waylaid after encountering a ghost ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar, who created Dark, are behind this. If you loved Dark, like eerie shows about ghost ships, this might be up your alley too.
Releasing this year, will stream on Netflix.
Ms Marvel
Barring The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, all the MCU shows from 2021 were pretty good. Ms Marvel, a six-episode miniseries, about Marvel’s first Muslim Marvel character better be great. Iman Vellani stars as Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American teenager who moonlights as masked crimefighter Ms. Marvel at night. The source material is wonderful, so the show doesn’t even have to try very hard. Please be good.
Releasing this year, will stream on Disney+ Hotstar.
Brideshead Revisited
By now everyone knows I love period shows, so this needs no explanation. This adaptation is directed by Luca Guadagnino, of Call Me By Your Name fame, and stars Andrew Garfield, Cate Blanchett, Ralph Fiennes, Rooney Mara, and Joe Alwyn.
Releasing this year, will probably stream on Disney+ Hotstar.
The Sandman
This is one of my favourite graphic novels ever. People have been trying to adapt The Sandman into a film or television show since 1991. It is finally happening. OH MY GOD.
Releasing this year, will stream on Netflix.
Human
Starring Shefali Shah and Kirti Kulhari, Human follows doctors in a medical trial where a drug results in people falling seriously ill, exposing the dangers behind human testing. Every year I tell myself I’ll watch more Indian television, and every year I’m disappointed. Hopefully, Human turns the tide.
Released, and streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
Thirty-Nine
A 12-episode Korean drama following three friends about to turn 40. Son Ye-jin from Crash Landing on You stars. Any show about a group of female friends living life and getting by is my jam.
Releasing this year, can probably be streamed on Dramacool.
Office Romance Cruelty
Park Min-young from What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? and Song Kang from Nevertheless star in this romantic comedy about people who work at a weather forecast service. Park Min-young is always great in a romcom and Song Kang is pleasing to the eye, so I don’t see what could go wrong.
Releasing this year, can probably be streamed on Dramacool.
The Chaebol’s Youngest Son
Song Joong-ki stars as a man who is framed and murdered for embezzlement, and then finds himself in the body of the youngest son of the corrupt conglomerate he served, and then decides to take revenge. Sounds very Om Shanti Om, but Song Joong-ki is in it, so obviously I’m going to watch.
Releasing this year, can probably be streamed on Dramacool.
Also kinda looking forward to, but not enough to write a paragraph about:
House of the Dragon
The First Lady
Our Flag Means Death
Archive 81
Shining Vale
The Idol
Scam 2003
Returning shows that I’m definitely watching:
Killing Eve S4
The Boys S3
Euphoria S2
Bridgerton S2
Cheer S2
The Crown S5
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel S4
Russian Doll S2
Stranger Things S4
The Flight Attendant S2
Outlander S6
Good Omens S2
Made in Heaven S2
Recommendations
We get so many requests for TV show recs from friends, so we’ll get to them here in every issue.
I got into true crime recently. I’ve seen Making a Murderer, The Keepers, Tiger King, and Wild, Wild Country, and need something else to go through this weekend. Please help me!
Six-part miniseries I’ll Be Gone In The Dark is perfect, then. This is a little different from the shows you’ve been watching, however. Based on the work of late writer Michelle McNamara, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark does two things. It uses her work to track down the man she called the Golden State Killer, but also examines her own life and the way in which this work consumed her.
McNamara died in 2016 of an accidental overdose of multiple prescription medications, leaving behind an unfinished book investigating the Golden State Killer, a serial rapist and murderer. The miniseries follows not just the actual crimes and the criminal, but McNamara’s pursuit of the cases, narrated by friends and family and shown through text messages, along with the punishing cost to her mental and physical health. The show seems to take its cues from McNamara herself; it forgoes gore and shock value in favour of telling the stories via the victims and survivors of the crimes. Watching this show now is shocking, because it puts into stark contrast how rapes were looked at back in the 70s, when the crimes were committed. It centres itself on the victims and all the ways they were failed by a system and a culture that blamed them and refused to take rape seriously. While the stories itself can be triggering, the images on screen never are; the show takes the same amount of care for the victims as McNamara did and shows her the care she didn't show herself.
Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
We hope you enjoyed reading this issue as much as we loved writing it. Please write to us if you have any feedback. We look forward to your emails, comments, tweets, and DMs with requests, criticism, recommendations, and anything else that you want to tell us. You can also follow us on Instagram here. And if you haven’t already, do subscribe!