How to Happily Solve the August TV Viewing Doldrums Problem

my favorite books, TV shows, and movies of 2024, including a Glen Powell-alooza, inventive novels, and LOL Aussie comedies

Aug 09, 2024

Every August it happens: the entertainment landscape is barren, and we officially enter a viewing dead zone. For now, we have the Olympics, but once they conclude on Sunday, the lack of quality TV will become glaringly apparent.

What is the seeker of excellent content to do? My solution: spend more time immersed in books: I’m on a thrilling streak of going to bed at 8:30 pm most nights and devouring two or three books per week!

If you, too, are desperate for good options to fill your leisure time, here’s a list of my favorite TV shows, books, and movies of this year so far.

The main criteria I used to curate this collection was to ask: how much did I think about a particular book, movie, or show? If I couldn’t stop thinking and talking about plot points, character behavior, or shocking twists, it made the list, and I hope you find some good things to watch and read!

As you’ll see, I’ve been mostly reading novels this year, and my movie recommendations have a distinct Glen Powell theme…

I’d love to know: What are your favorites of the year so far? Is there anything you loved that I missed?

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Long Island Compromise: the latest novel from Taffy Brodesser-Akner, celebrity interviewer and author of Fleishman is in Trouble, is a privileged family saga with a twist. The Fletcher family is living the American dream until, one day in the 1980s, Carl Fletcher is kidnapped and held for ransom. Forty years later, as Carl, his wife, mother, and grown-up children, continue to wrestle with the emotional aftermath of this ordeal, another challenge presents itself: the family money has run out. Brodesser-Akner’s detailed psychological profiles of each of the Fletchers and their neuroses, are both highly entertaining and horrifying, and the book is a can’t-put-it-down meditation on relationships, love, generational wealth, and emotional stability.
Margo's Got Money Troubles: an inventive, rollicking, and often laugh-out-loud tale about Margo, a college student whose life is upended by an unexpected pregnancy and the urgent need to support herself and her baby. What makes this novel so charming are the indelible characters that people it: complicated, confused, creative, and well-meaning Margo; her intense, all-black clad, former pro-wrestler father, who goes by Jinx; Margo’s mother, Shyanne, an appearance-obsessed former Hooters waitress turned Bloomingdale’s salesperson; Mark, the infuriatingly emotionally immature married father of her child; and the weird and wonderful friends, colleagues, and clients Margo encounters as she experiments with internet fame and notoriety.
The Husbands: Our heroine, Lauren, is unmarried until she returns home from a night out with friends to find a “husband” living in her house. Controlled chaos - and a meditation on how to choose the right path (and people) in life - ensues as Lauren realizes she can replace her “husband” and the lifestyle that accompanies him, with a completely different man by simply sending him to her attic. This is a fast, unputdownable read!

How to End a Love Story: a love story with an unusually complex emotional journey. Helen Zhang and Grant Shepard share a troubled past and a profession: they’re both writers. When they have to work together on a job, they both must come to terms with their feelings about the past, and each other. The book is written mostly from Helen’s perspective, but also from Grant’s, and I appreciated the (unusual for a romance novel) insight into the man’s feelings, motivations, and insecurities. I love a story where the lead protagonists learn something about themselves and become better people, and this book delivers.
Listen for the Lie: this novel follows a fictional true-crime podcast investigating Lucy, a young woman who was never charged with the murder of her best friend but is considered guilty by everyone in her small Texas town. One of the fun things about this book is that none of the characters are perfect - from Lucy, the suspected killer, and Savvy, the victim, to Ben, the podcast host and Lucy’s “supportive” parents, author Amy Tintera portrays believably real people dealing with mixed emotions and conflicting motives.
Love Letters to a Serial Killer: Hannah is an unhappy 30-something who becomes obsessed with a perfect-on-paper young man accused of serial murders. After becoming fascinated with the sordid details of the case, Hannah writes William, the accused, a letter. Soon, she’s in an intense epistolary relationship with him and is charmed and attracted to his intelligence and candor. As her devotion deepens, Hannah discards her job, friends, and home to attend William’s trial and insinuate herself into his life and family. Is Hannah’s obsession driven by her desire to know the truth about William or an impulse to self-destruct?

Comedy

📺 Hacks: If you’re new to the show, go back to Season 1 to catch up on the story of Deborah Vance, comedy legend and sparkly Las Vegas stalwart, and her approach to work, relationships, and life. It is a true delight to watch an incredibly flawed, wildly talented, and deeply idiosyncratic woman figuring out how to reinvent her career and do better as a person, in her 70s. At the heart of the show is the complicated relationship between Deborah and Ava, a young writer who works for Deborah, as they both struggle to define and manage their conflicting feelings about each other. It’s the rare TV show that delivers deep emotional truths and belly laughs.

📺 Colin from Accounts: a laugh-out-loud Australian comedy that begins with an unlikely meet-cute: when a dog is hit by a car because the male driver is distracted by an attractive woman crossing the road, the two end up sharing responsibility for the treatment and care of the consequently “disabled” dog. Written by the lead actors, also a couple in real life, fans of Catastrophe and Fleabag are guaranteed to love this. This show debuted in Australia in 2022 and season 1 became available in the US on Amazon Prime this year. While Season 2 is now streaming in Australia, it’s unclear when it will be available in the US.

📺 Girls5Eva: I was a late arrival to the ridiculously silly low-stakes delight that is Girls5Eva, a sitcom-style series about a Spice-Girls-inspired girl band who reunite decades later to chase their dreams of pop music success. Starring musical theater heavyweights, Sara Bareilles and Rene-Elise Goldsberry, along with Busy Philipps and Paula Pell, the whole cast seems to be having a great time, and I love the flashbacks to the band’s “original” 90s songs and performances. One of my favorite parts of the show is the terrible but catchy theme song (there’s a music video!) that I can’t help but sing along to at the beginning of each episode. In an oddly satisfying way, the show makes me feel like it’s never too late to follow your creative dreams!

📺 Deadloch: this limited series, set in a fictional beach-side town in Tasmania, the tiny island at the bottom tip of Australia, had me hooked with its sweary (and hilarious) portrayal of post-Me Too, woke, millennial, workplace Aussie culture. The show cleverly plays with narratives around serial killers, justice, and revenge, and is great fun to watch.

Drama

📺 Griselda: Sofia Vergara is excellent as the lead in this inspired-by-a-true story limited series about Griselda Blanco, a Colombian drug dealer in 1970s Miami. Even though Griselda is a horrible person - committing every crime you can imagine - it’s hard not to root for her to succeed as a “businesswoman” in a brutal man’s world. The 70s fashion, music, and interiors are fabulous, and if you can stomach the violence, this is a must-watch.

📺 One Day: snuggle up on the sofa with a cozy blanket and box of tissues, and prepare to feel all the feelings: love, desire, hate, angst, jealousy, fear, and heart-searing grief. Based on the bestselling book of the same name, this TV series does a rare thing in managing to accurately convey the emotions of both the male and female lead characters. Set in the UK, One Day is a will-they-won’t-they friends-to-lovers story that begins in 1988, when Emma and Dexter graduate from university, through their early careers and relationships and beyond. The late 80s and 90s fashion, music, and details are amazing, the acting is impeccable, and the story will stay with you long after the last episode.

📺 Presumed Innocent: Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a Chicago prosecutor accused of murdering his colleague in this remake of a Scott Turow novel that inspired a 1990 movie starring Harrison Ford. I loved the original movie and its shocking final twist and so was skeptical that a TV series could surpass it – but found myself enthralled by the show’s tense, slightly claustrophobic vibe. Like the movie, the show explores infidelity, culpability, and revenge, and provides an ending that’s fitting for its dark subject matter.

📺 3 Body Problem: this ambitious, globe-and-outer space-spanning, dark, sci-fi, mystery series is not perfect, but had me hooked from episode one, when we learn that scientists all over the world are dying, while at the same time, scientific experiments are inexplicably failing. The series toggles in time and place between a post-Cultural Revolution China and modern-day England, and can be confusing at times, with a variety of elements and subplots moving the action forward, including an uber-realistic video game. I enjoyed the mystery of it all, and the interesting questions it raises about science, the future of our planet, and our place on it, and am toying with the idea of reading the novel it’s based on. Be warned, the final episode does not provide a sense of closure because Season 2 is in the works…

📺 Baby Reindeer: I hesitated to recommend this limited series, which is based on a true story, due to the many difficult themes involved, including stalking, sexual abuse, and generational trauma. I ultimately decided to include it, because these issues are handled with nuance and empathy, which is an extraordinary achievement. Like Fleabag, this series grew out of a one-man show by writer and actor, Richard Gadd, who plays the lead role in this TV version. I watched the entire thing with the sense that while the unfolding disaster was incredibly hard to witness, I felt pinned to my sofa, transfixed, desperate to know how it all would end.

📺 The Tourist: action-packed, surprisingly hilarious, and heartwarming show. If you missed Season One, you should definitely start there, where you will find a handsome Irishman, played by Jamie Dornan, suffering from severe amnesia in the Australian outback. Drama and danger ensue, as our hero attempts to find out who he is and why people keep trying to kill him. The heart of the show is Detective Helen Chambers, played by Aussie Danielle Macdonald; while her toxically masculine fiance, Ethan Krum, provides laugh-out-loud light relief.

Documentary

📺 The Greatest Night in Pop: this documentary is a delightful retelling of how, in 1985, wielding Rolodexes and landlines (and wearing wild hair, ugly sweaters, and shiny tracksuits), Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, and Quincy Jones managed to assemble nearly 50 of the most famous and successful vocalists of the day to record a song (We Are The World) to raise funds to alleviate famine in Africa. Lionel Richie is the superhero of the story: from writing the song and wrangling the talent on a tight deadline, to hosting the American Music Awards (and accepting 6 awards himself!) on the same night as the We Are The World recording took place, Richie’s commitment and passion was inspiring, extraordinary and a moving and meaningful experience for him. Warning: the song will get stuck in your head…

📺 America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: a fascinating look behind the scenes at America’s most famous professional cheerleaders, the “DCC,” the show illuminates what it takes to join and remain on the squad (cheerleaders must re-audition every year); and how the organization’s demanding routines, rules, and culture impact women’s bodies and lives. While it’s easy to judge this enterprise as outdated and sexist, there’s a LOT to think and talk about in terms of traditional gender roles, feminism, Christianity and its influence on American culture, what passion jobs are worth, and more.

American Fiction: based on the novel Erasure, this is a clever and hilarious satire of the publishing industry’s attempts to portray (and monetize) the “Black American Experience.” Jeffrey Wright is a professor and frustrated literary novelist who writes a book lampooning the genre he despises, only to find that his prank becomes a sensation. It’s all that, plus a story about relationships, how our families shape who we become, and finding true love at any age. *Released in 2023, but I saw it in 2024!
Challengers: Zendaya stars as a tennis prodigy turned elite coach at the center of a love triangle with two male players. While it’s billed as an erotic psychological thriller, there’s more action on the tennis court than in bedrooms, and I enjoyed it for exactly what it was: beautifully filmed entertainment (Zendaya glows!) without any real depth.
The Idea of You: this fun, steamy romance reminded me of the best romcoms of the 90s and 2000s with an aspirational premise (absolutely gorgeous 40-something woman falls for 20-something mega-famous pop star), delicious scenery (Coachella! the South of France!) and a hard-won happy ending. Based on a bestselling book, this is a great movie for solo or group girls’ nights…

Hit Man: Richard Linklater’s movie is based on a fascinating 2001 Texas Monthly story about professional “fake” hitman, Gary Johnson. The film is fun and entertaining, and Glen Powell is perfect and hilarious as shape-shifting Gary. Given the hitman theme, I expected a plot twist, but was truly surprised by the ending!
Twisters: Well worth going to the cinema to see, this type of real-life scary is my definition of a fun summer movie - and a welcome change from all the superhero/alien/special effects blockbusters of recent years. Daisy Edgar-Jones is adorable as a traumatized, well-meaning scientist, and Glen Powell is perfect as her hot tornado-cowboy love interest/antagonist.
Anyone But You: this is a romantic comedy loosely based on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, who, along with the rest of the cast, clearly had a great time making this movie! In this retelling, our two warring ex-lovers pretend to be a couple while attending a wedding in Australia. At times ridiculous, at times raunchy, and in one hilarious scene, both, this is an entertaining and eye-pleasing watch. *Released in 2023, but I saw it in 2024!