The groundhog didn't see his shadow, so you know what that means: six more weeks of watching content on all of the streaming services! This month in Tune In or Turn Off, we've got a couple of not-very-funny comedy shows, an actually-quite-funny rom-com, and a two stand-out series that effectively blend laughs with tragedy.
Here's our rundown on the must-sees and must-skips on streaming services this month.
Tune In: jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy
(Netflix)
As of this writing, only one episode of Netflix's three-part Kanye West documentary is out — which is a bit like reading the first act of Hamlet and thinking that this young kid really has a lot of promise. With incredible insight into his early years, and the knowledge of his impending decline hanging over every moment, it's a fascinating watch.
Tune In: I Want You Back
(Amazon Prime)
I Want You Back is significantly funnier than your average rom-com, as Charlie Day and Jenny Slate star as a recently dumped duo who conspire to win their exes back. It's a bawdy caper with just enough chemistry and cheese to work as a genuinely sweet love story between two well-meaning but hilariously misguided characters unable to move on after heartbreak.
Turn Off: Murderville
(Netflix)
In an American adaptation of a popular British TV show, Will Arnett stars as a detective in a scripted murder mystery, while celebrity guests like Conan O'Brien, Annie Murphy and Kumail Nanjiani improvise their way through scenes and try to solve the case. It's light and decently entertaining, but the semi-scripted format lacks both the anything-might-happen tension of live improv and the constructed cleverness of a normal sitcom.
Tune In: Pam & Tommy
(Disney+)
Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee's sex tape scandal is revisited in a hilarious and heartbreaking miniseries. Pam (impeccably portrayed by Lily James) is the story's tragic hero, and Tommy (Sebastian Stan) is somehow charming while being a total piece of shit — making this a rare vehicle where Seth Rogen (playing contractor Rand Gauthier, who steals the tape) is outshone.
Tune In: The Tragedy of Macbeth
(Apple TV+)
One of Exclaim!'s favourite movies of 2021 arrives on streaming, as Apple's The Tragedy of Macbeth ends its brief theatrical run and lands on the company's streaming service. With Denzel Washington as the titular king, this black-and-white adaptation brings all the appropriate drama to the Shakespearean tragedy.
Tune In: Severance
(Apple TV+)
Severance is a workplace thriller following the employees of a mysterious company who have undergone a surgical procedure to sever their consciousnesses into two: their work self ("Innie") and their outside self ("Outie"). It's an intriguing proposition that, like a particularly good episode of Black Mirror, soon reveals itself to be a terrifying prison where the "Innie" can never leave the building and is essentially a slave working on behalf of the "Outie." Cool sets, a fantastic premise and a great cast (including Adam Scott, Christopher Walken and Patricia Arquette) make this an absolute must-see.
Turn Off: The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window
(Netflix)
Kristen Bell stars in a spoof of those schlocky mysteries like The Woman in the Window or The Girl on the Train, in which a woman gets gaslighted after witnessing a murder. It's got all the usual conventions — family trauma, alcohol abuse, light erotica — but none of them are exaggerated or funny enough to really register as comedy. And if it's not a comedy, all that's left is a bad murder mystery.
Here's our rundown on the must-sees and must-skips on streaming services this month.
Tune In: jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy
(Netflix)
As of this writing, only one episode of Netflix's three-part Kanye West documentary is out — which is a bit like reading the first act of Hamlet and thinking that this young kid really has a lot of promise. With incredible insight into his early years, and the knowledge of his impending decline hanging over every moment, it's a fascinating watch.
Tune In: I Want You Back
(Amazon Prime)
I Want You Back is significantly funnier than your average rom-com, as Charlie Day and Jenny Slate star as a recently dumped duo who conspire to win their exes back. It's a bawdy caper with just enough chemistry and cheese to work as a genuinely sweet love story between two well-meaning but hilariously misguided characters unable to move on after heartbreak.
Turn Off: Murderville
(Netflix)
In an American adaptation of a popular British TV show, Will Arnett stars as a detective in a scripted murder mystery, while celebrity guests like Conan O'Brien, Annie Murphy and Kumail Nanjiani improvise their way through scenes and try to solve the case. It's light and decently entertaining, but the semi-scripted format lacks both the anything-might-happen tension of live improv and the constructed cleverness of a normal sitcom.
Tune In: Pam & Tommy
(Disney+)
Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee's sex tape scandal is revisited in a hilarious and heartbreaking miniseries. Pam (impeccably portrayed by Lily James) is the story's tragic hero, and Tommy (Sebastian Stan) is somehow charming while being a total piece of shit — making this a rare vehicle where Seth Rogen (playing contractor Rand Gauthier, who steals the tape) is outshone.
Tune In: The Tragedy of Macbeth
(Apple TV+)
One of Exclaim!'s favourite movies of 2021 arrives on streaming, as Apple's The Tragedy of Macbeth ends its brief theatrical run and lands on the company's streaming service. With Denzel Washington as the titular king, this black-and-white adaptation brings all the appropriate drama to the Shakespearean tragedy.
Tune In: Severance
(Apple TV+)
Severance is a workplace thriller following the employees of a mysterious company who have undergone a surgical procedure to sever their consciousnesses into two: their work self ("Innie") and their outside self ("Outie"). It's an intriguing proposition that, like a particularly good episode of Black Mirror, soon reveals itself to be a terrifying prison where the "Innie" can never leave the building and is essentially a slave working on behalf of the "Outie." Cool sets, a fantastic premise and a great cast (including Adam Scott, Christopher Walken and Patricia Arquette) make this an absolute must-see.
Turn Off: The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window
(Netflix)
Kristen Bell stars in a spoof of those schlocky mysteries like The Woman in the Window or The Girl on the Train, in which a woman gets gaslighted after witnessing a murder. It's got all the usual conventions — family trauma, alcohol abuse, light erotica — but none of them are exaggerated or funny enough to really register as comedy. And if it's not a comedy, all that's left is a bad murder mystery.
