Blame it on the better weather and the privilege of being outside rather than staying home, but I’ve found it difficult to access streaming entertainment these days. I’ve started dozens of shows and abandoned them after an episode or two, never to return. Are recent shows bad matches for my taste? Has television become boringly middle-of-the-road, as my colleague James Poniewozik described? Or perhaps more seriously: have I finally and irremediably reached the outer limits of my own attention span?
It’s no big tragedy not to have something to see: go for a walk! Watch a sunset, why not? – but being deeply engaged with a show is one of the chief consolations of the enthusiastic cultural consumer. When the algorithm fails and the queue runs out, the world becomes a cold and unwelcoming place. When my eyes flew open at 3 a.m. recently, I reached, as always, for the iPad, searching for something to look at, something that would provide ample distraction to induce a lasting sleep. For an hour, I stared at the lineup of shows on the Netflix app, and the grid stared back at me, each option equally unappealing.
So I was relieved to learn that our reviewer Mike Hale this week released his list of 30 shows to watch this summer. I won’t lie and say I’m sure something on the list will reconnect me with the streaming tides, but I’m hopeful. There are a lot of thriller shows in particular that seem designed to grab my anemic attention and hold me steady.
Coming Wednesday is David E. Kelley’s new adaptation of Scott Turow’s legal thriller “Presumed Innocent.” It stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a prosecutor suspected of murdering his lover, played by Renate Reinsve from the movie “The Worst Person in the World.” I’m willing to forget that I know how the story ends (you’ll remember the 1990 movie version starring Harrison Ford) if the show is entertaining enough. Kelley’s recent addictive shows include “Big Little Lies” and “The Undoing,” so I feel like this one shows promise.
In July, Natalie Portman stars in a film adaptation of Laura Lippman’s novel “The Lady in the Lake” as a 1960s journalist investigating two mysterious deaths. The show also stars Moses Ingram (“The Queen’s Gambit”), Y’lan Noel (“Insecure”) and Mikey Madison (“Better Things”) and is written and directed by Alma Har’el, who directed “Honey Boy ”. that very good Shia LaBeouf film from 2019, images of which still appear in my mind with curious frequency.
Another book-to-screen project I have my eye on for August: Carl Hiaasen’s 2013 novel “Bad Monkey,” which Janet Maslin called a “comic marvel,” is getting new life as a series by Bill Lawrence, a co-creator of “Ted Lasso” and “Shrinking”. It stars Vince Vaughn as a detective turned restaurant inspector who returns to the fray when a fisherman gruesomely discovers an amputated arm. Vaughn is one of those actors who seems to make everything he does a little cooler, a little funnier, and a little sillier. I look forward to spending time with him.
Speaking of Lucas, I’m going back and forth on the crazy appeals of “Only Murders in the Building,” but I saw the trailer and it looks like the trio of accidental gumshoes are headed to Hollywood for season four. Maybe it’s just my fond memories of “LA Story” and “Bowfinger,” but I’m excited to see Steve Martin make his way into L.A.’s star-making apparatus. The new season arrives at the end of August.
Oh, and it’s not suspense per se (although those elaborately choreographed montages of the kitchen staff preparing orders with virtuoso precision make me hold my breath), but I’ll be tuning into the third season of “The Bear” on June 27, and I think you’ll you should too. This is one of those shows that everyone seemed to love when it first came out (it won a lot of awards, its stars became megastars) and now I hear a lot of critical complaints about how it’s overrated. I’m going to ignore this, not only because I’m desperate for something to watch, but also because I maintain that the show’s serious depiction of the rewards of collaboration makes for extremely satisfying viewing, and Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri are so quirky and compelling, I can’t turn away.
Other great stories
CULTURAL CALENDAR
🎥 “Inside Out 2” (Friday): The last time we saw Riley, the teenage heroine of Pixar’s “Inside Out,” was in 2015. Apparently it took her that long to reach puberty. The first film depicted Riley’s inner life by imagining a soul command center, staffed by characters such as Joy, Sadness, and Anger. New characters arrive in this sequel: Anxiety, Ennui, Shame, etc. Considering “Moana,” “Turning Red” and “Frozen,” we are in an 18-karat golden age for animated films about the lives of girls and young women. They don’t focus on romance. And considering that these new emotions do not include Libido, “Inside Out 2” seems to be one more. But how long will we have to wait to see “Inside Out 3: Perimenopause”?
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Salmon with coconut and dill
Now is the time to get the grill ready if you couldn’t during Memorial Day weekend. Yewande Komolafe’s Coconut Dill Salmon, Green Beans and Corn is a good place to start, especially if grilling fish makes you nervous. Instead of wrestling with a basket of fish or worrying about delicate fillets sticking to the grates, Yewande wraps the salmon in heavy-duty aluminum foil before placing it over the fire; The foil allows the fish to steam in an aromatic dressing of coconut cream, mustard, vinegar, and dill. Then roast green beans in a separate foil packet. To serve, the salmon and green beans are tossed with corn, tomatoes, and more dressing. It’s a perfect meal to cook for a crowd.
REAL ESTATE
The hunt: After years of renting in Dubai, a French woman decided to put down roots. What house did she buy? She plays our game.
What you get for $700,000: A three-bedroom condo in a converted Gothic Revival church in New Haven, Connecticut; an 1873 townhouse in Lambertville, New Jersey; or a 1938 bungalow in Atlanta.
On sale: The one-story pink house in Louisville, Kentucky, where Muhammad Ali grew up, is for sale. It is listed, along with two neighboring properties, for $1.5 million.
LIVING
A lost art: Film photography is having a renaissance, but some new photographers are leaving something behind: negatives.
Old flames: Rumors of a breakup between Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are a reminder of the pressures and messiness of rekindled love.
Disconnect: One writer documented her phoneless girls’ trip to Costa Rica. She (she used a pen, paper and a disposable camera).
Father’s day: Are you looking for something to give to dad? T Magazine’s picks include colorful watches, Japanese toolboxes and a mini synthesizer.
WIRECUTTER TIPS
Bring your own chair
The ground draws me in every summer: picnics, trips to the beach, and bonfires. If you, like me, need back support, I recommend a small folding camping chair. One of Wirecutter’s favorites, it’s a permanent fixture in my bag. It’s so light and compact that it fits right into my bag. Meet a friend for a walk? Who knows where we’ll end up! Quick coffee? Why not! The chair sets up in seconds and is more convenient to travel with than a clunky beach chair or even a picnic blanket. If you prefer to be even closer to the ground, my colleague Elissa Sanci opts for this legless chair. —Hali potters
GAME OF THE WEEK
Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics, NBA Finals: The core of this Celtics team is young (Jayson Tatum is 26, Jaylen Brown is 27), but they have had notable success. In their seven seasons together on the Celtics, Tatum and Brown have reached the Eastern Conference finals five times. They haven’t won a title yet, but this could be the year: The Celtics had the best record, the best offense and one of the best defenses in the NBA this season.
They cruised past the Mavericks in Game 1 on Thursday. The most striking statistic from that game: Mavs superstar Luka Doncic only had one assist, the lowest of any playoff game in her career. Game 2 is Sunday at 8 pm ET on ABC