Welcome to our seventh installment of Sunday Streaming Suggestions!
Writers Ralph James, Evan Linden, Carter Ferryman, Jack Martin, and Evan Northrup have delivered another round of classics to stream on your lazy Sunday:
Trailer Park Boys - Netflix
After last volume’s ~spooky~ picks, I thought it’d be nice to give you something on the stupid side this time. But like many great comedies to come before it, Trailer Park Boys is genius in its stupidity.
Trailer Park Boys follows the iconic trio of Julian (John Paul Tremblay), Ricky (Robb Wells), and Bubbles (Mike Smith) and their miscreant misadventures around Sunnyvale Trailer Park in Nova Scotia. Julian is the most level-headed and charismatic of the trio—making him the natural leader, Ricky is a hilariously uneducated degenerate, and Bubbles is the trio’s innocent oddball. The boys face constant scrutiny from park supervisor Lahey (John Dunsworth) and his shirtless sidekick Randy (Patrick Roach), and they face constant opposition from enemies—old and new.
The Canadian show seamlessly blends comedy and crime into the form of a mockumentary. It emanates a unique brand of comedy; aside from plot points, the show is often unscripted to evoke a feeling of realism—an element that has attracted a cult following for the show and its characters. Dry humor and dark humor are prevalent, but the fact that it’s Canadian rednecks makes the show 10x funnier by default. Aside from the main trio, other characters from around the trailer park only add to the comedy, such as aspiring white rapper J Roc (Jonathan Torrens) and Julian’s brainless goons Cory (Cory Bowles) and Trevor (Michael Jackson; no, not that MJ).
If you’re searching for a well-written show that simultaneously lacks any sort of seriousness, look no further than Trailer Park Boys.
-Evan Linden
Moneyball (2011) - Netflix
Baseball is America’s pastime, and it’s an underwhelming and boring sport that I’ve never been able to fully dive into. Moneyball is neither of those things. It’s a vehicle for Brad Pitt’s transcendent coolness. Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) is a forward-thinking general manager for the Oakland Athletics with a rugged history in the sport who is thirsting for the most coveted trophy in baseball. Instead of taking the appropriate route and signing players through the ideology of getting the best talent at their respectful position, Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) steers him in the futuristic direction of advanced analytics. The highlight of the movie comes on the behalf of the legendary director Spike Jonze, and it’d be a sin not to mention Philip Seymour Hoffman’s brilliance as the Oakland A’s manager. I never gave a shit about baseball before watching this movie, and I doubt that I ever will, but Moneyball proves that Brad Pitt can make anybody care about anything.
-Ralph James
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman - Netflix
In this golden age of podcasts, the art of the formal interview has taken a back seat. My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman brings it back to prominence by creating a new interview format that feels casual, friendly, and intimate, without losing the informative and revealing aspect of a structured interview. The show accomplishes this by alternating between two aspects: a formal, sit down interview, and revealing snapshots of Letterman interacting with the guest in their homes or daily lives (for example, helping Robert Downey Jr. walk his pet alpacas, or shopping with Kim Kardashian at CVS). Even if you thought you knew these celebrities before, David Letterman leverages comedic and hard-hitting questions to shine a light on the nuances and intricacies of their character, making every interview a unique treat. From the aforementioned Robert Downey Jr. and Kim Kardashian, to Dave Chapelle, Kanye West, Tina Fey, former president Barack Obama, and many more, the show has a guest for everyone. So go to Netflix, click on a guest you like, and press play. You might enjoy it, you might laugh, you might learn something, and when that hour is up, you might find yourself rushing to watch another.
-Evan Northrup
Solar Opposites - Hulu
For nearly a decade, Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon have been two names that can't exist without each-other—entirely due to the astronomical success of their mainstream cult-classic creation, Rick and Morty. Solar Opposites, however, is Roiland's first attempt at collaborating with someone new within the industry. He didn't stray far from his team, enlisting Mike McMahan, a R&M producer and frequent creator at South Park Studios. Solar Opposites is a successful attempt at a spin-off—within the same universe as R&M—for one major reason: it's narrative progression. Now, I know this may sound stuffy and conceited, but hear me out. This show follows two primaries storylines to perfection. It blends a bookshelf world within a world without forcing the issue. The people seem to love it as well. Hulu's general description of the show goes as such—Solar Opposites centers around a family of aliens from a better world who must take refuge in middle America. They disagree on whether this is awful or awesome.
Whether or not Korvo and Terry enjoy their time on earth is left for interpretation. But audiences alike think it's a home run—Solar Opposites was renewed for a third season this Summer and is only one season deep. This is a must watch for fans of adult cartoon comedy—South Park, R&M, King of the Hill, the list goes on—you'll love it.
-Carter Ferryman
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