[imagesource: Isabella Vosmikova / Peacock]

Just when you thought you were on top of things, there’s another handful of new series to be added to your ‘must watch’ list.

I know, I know, the adulting to-do list is long enough, but hey, one who works hard must chill hard, too.

Shout out to The Washington Post, which has unearthed a few hidden gems that you might have missed, all of which are well worth your weekend time.

Besides the shows that we have featured in other lists, and that you have more than likely already binged – like Search Party, Somebody Somewhere, This is Going to Hurt, and My Brilliant Friend (which is now on Showmax, btw) – these streamables are certainly captivating.

Like, Angelyne, for example. When watching the trailer I assumed it was a documentary spoof and cultural commentary on how fame for fame’s sake was around long before the advent of social media, but alas, it seems to be very much based on a real person.

Streaming on Peacock, the five-part drama is based on an investigative story from 2017 that revealed details about the billboard bombshell, including her real name, her parents’ background as survivors of the Holocaust, and more.

The Deep End

Also based on real events, this four-part docuseries follows a private investigator hired by a spiritual influencer’s team to determine if their leader – self-help guru (and self-professed clairvoyant) Teal Swan – is, in fact, running a cult:

There is, weirdly, a lot of space for TV that makes you a feel little uncomfortable.

P-Valley

This strip-club drama airing on Starz was created by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall and includes the challenges that COVID-19 had on black women and queer folk trying to make it work in a Mississippi club amidst a pandemic economy:

An excellent ensemble, beautifully realized characters and urgent social critique continue the series’ mission to humanize sex workers and celebrate their creativity, independence and hustle while empathetically depicting their fight not to be pigeonholed by their line of work.

It doesn’t have the most stellar rating on IMDb but it’s not subject matter with a traditional mass appeal.

Dark Winds

Based on Tony Hillerman’s super popular Leaphorn & Chee mystery novels, this show features Zahn McClarnon playing a detective in the Navajo Tribal Police trying to find the common link between several separate crimes.

Extra points are given for the fact that the writer’s room was made up of Native Americans, and the cast was nearly completely Indigenous:

We Own This City

Drawing comparison to The Wire, this six-part HBO show “dramatises a 2015 Baltimore police scandal and examines how law enforcement practices shifted (largely for the worse) after the death of Freddie Gray”:

Now for finding the time to watch these shows.

You’ll manage, we back you.

[source:washingtonpost]