Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Friday, March 7th, 2025:
THE RISE OF SMUG TROLLING STAND-UP COMEDY
One of the weird aspects of culture in the 2020s is that is becoming increasingly more difficult to review stand-up comedy. So much of what is popular is this annoying mix of trying to enrage viewers while smirking over the fact that people are "triggered."
My attitude is that if you have opinions which might be unpopular, then do the jokes and take the heat. Nothing shows less stones than doing a bit that some people don't like, and blowing off their reaction with a combination of "comedians just say anything anymore" and "they are just jokes."
The new Andrew Schulz Netflix special Luck has some funny moments. But so much of just consists of jokes that are designed to offend some people, while allowing him to smirk his way through the reaction with that look that tells his fans "See? They just can't take a joke."
I posted a review of the special today and you should go read it if you want to get a sense of what the special is like. But while Netflix describes it as "razor-sharp yet heartfelt special," clearly I have a different idea of the definition of "heartfelt." And my apologies in advance for this snippet of his act. But I think you need to read it to get a sense of what I'm talking about:
When your wife first gets pregnant, you have to go get a baby-specific doctor, called an OB-GYN, right? I didn't know what the fuck that was. I thought it was more gay letters. My wife's like, "We need an OB-GYN." I was like "Why do need a fuckin' gay guy to deliver the baby? What do they know about this? It's not their jurisdiction at all." I don't want some gay doctor to open my wife's legs, like (campy voice) "Ew, yucky. Vagina."
"Gross. I want to look at something hot, like a butt full of shit, you know?
Coincidentally, Seth Simons posted some about Schulz today in his Humorism newsletter, which highlights recent comments from his Patreon-only podcast:
Schulz: So do you think that there were certain people that were pretending to be gay in the same way they were pretending to be trans?
Singh: I hope so.
Schulz: We can talk about—I mean the trend. Sometimes people are trend-driven. And lemme give the best example I can think of right now. There are these chicks that, they're not lesbians, but it's fun when they make out at the party. They're not even sexually attracted to one another. But it's kind of cool to be the edgy girls making out. I don't even know why… I just wanted to think about girls making out.
The ironic thing about Schulz and other comedians in his circle is that they are incapable of considering the idea that someone could have a good faith criticism of their comedy. In a recent extended interview with The Hollywood Reporter, this paragraph perfectly illustrates that snarky, passive-aggressive attitude:
What are you all called, the “manoverse” or the “manosphere”?
The manosphere. It’s so funny. But I guess we are that? We’re a bunch of guys and we’re just having locker room talk or whatever the fuck that term is. I think the tricky thing is when we get labeled in certain ways. Like, “Oh, they’re all sexist, racist, bigots.” And it’s just like, I’m not going to have some writer from Maine tell me I’m racist. Just, stop it. I know you didn’t grow up with anybody but white people, I know you got this NPR job or whatever, but I don’t need you to tell me how to be an ally.
Yeah, Andrew, every critic is an NPR-listening white guy from Maine. Jerk.
I'll end with the thought that while selling out Madison Square Garden is an impressive feat for any stand-up, the feat was also repeatedly accomplished by 1990s comedy star Andrew Dice Clay, who was super popular. Until the day when he wasn't.
WEEKEND WATCH TIPS
There are quite a few things worth checking out this weekend. I highlighted the four episode Netflix series When Life Gives You Tangerines and Max's When No One Sees This earlier this week. But here are a couple of more shows that should be on your radar:
Dark Winds Season Three Premiere (Sunday, AMC)
When I say that AMC continues to punch above its weight with its originals, this is one of the shows that prompts me to make that argument. Set primarily on a reservation in Arizona, the show has a murderer's row of impressive character actors and mysteries that are both cleverly constructed as well as often unexpected.
Here is the logline: Season three picks up six months after the events of Season 2 and follows Lt. Joe Leaphorn (McClarnon) and Jim Chee (Gordon) as they investigate the disappearance of two boys, with only an abandoned bicycle and blood-stained patch of ground left in their wake. Meanwhile, Bernadette Manuelito (Matten) attempts to settle into her new life 500 miles from home with the Border Patrol, but stumbles across a conspiracy involving human and drug smuggling with far-reaching implications.
Chaos: The Manson Murders (Friday, Netflix)
The challenge with any true crime docuseries produced for Netflix is that it has to serve several audiences. Even if the story is well-known to the point of being tired in the United States, there are tens of millions of viewers around the world who aren't familiar with anything but the basic details. But producers can't afford to ignore the massive American subscriber base on Netflix, so they are forced to also come up with some twist or series of details that are new. Or at the very least, underreported.
This latest project from Erroll Morris is based on Tom O’Neill and Dan Piepenbring’s 2019 book CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties, and given the name of the docuseries, you might think that would be the focus of the reporting. And yet, somehow the docuseries sort of argues the CIA angle, but also spends a lot of time trying to unroll the popular Charles Manson story first told in Vincent Bugliosi’s Helter Skelter. And there are side trips down other theories about the murders, most of which just fizzle out at some point.
I get the impression Morris' point of view was to focus less on the details of the murders (although he certainly spends time recounting them intimately), but instead show that most people are looking for an answer to horrible crimes like the ones committed by Charles Manson and his followers. Even if a final, definitive solution isn't possible.
Filthy Fortunes (Sunday, Discovery)
If you're looking for a new unscripted series to distract your mind from the world at large, this is a solid choice. It's cut from the same cloth as shows like the long-running American Pickers, without all of the backstory and self-promoting.
Here is the logline: Across the United States, unclaimed valuables lie buried within ordinary people’s attics, basements and garages. In the series, modern day treasure hunter and the "King of Hoards,” Matt Paxton, travels around the country in search of rare, big-ticket items hidden in some of the most cluttered, filthy homes imaginable. His priority is to clean out the overloaded properties and sell his finds as quickly and for as much money as possible to secure the ultimate payday for him and his clients.
The Righteous Gemstones Season Four Premiere (Sunday, HBO)
Despite the fact that it airs on HBO, this is one of those shows that has never managed to break though into the mainstream cultural zeitgeist. But it not just hilarious, but manages to tackle some really sensitive cultural topics in a way that never seems like - to coin a phrase - "preaching."
Here is the logline: The Righteous Gemstones tells the story of a world-famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed, and charitable work. Despite constant bickering, Gemstone family ties run deep, and this season, the family’s codependence is tested as they attempt to move forward without letting go of their storied past.
Crash Course Cuisine With Hudson Yang (Sunday, NatGeo)
Like a lot of people, this former Fresh Off The Boat actor embraced cooking during the pandemic. In this series, he travels across the world to learn from some of the best chefs and while that format might sound familiar, the show itself feels fresh and wildly entertaining. And while it hasn't been announced yet, my understanding is that a second season is already in the works
TWEET OF THE DAY
ODDS AND SODS
* While nothing much shocks me anymore, I am genuinely stunned that Netflix has ordered a second season of the creepy, trainwreck of a series With Love, Meghan.
*
WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND THIS WEEKEND
FRIDAY. MARCH 7TH:
Chaos: The Manson Murders (Netflix)
Deadly Girls Trip (LMN)
Delicious (Netflix)
Formula 1: Drive To Survive (Netflix)
Nadaaniyan (Netflix)
Plankton: The Movie (Netflix)
Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season Four Premiere (Starz)
Visionaries Series Premiere (The Roku Channel)
When Life Gives You Tangerines Series Premiere (Netflix)
When No One Sees Us Series Premiere (Max)
SATURDAY, MARCH 8TH:
I Am Raquel Welch (The CW)
I Was Octomom: The Natalie Suleman Story (Lifetime)
The Reluctant Royal (Hallmark)
Travels With Agatha Christie & Sir David Suchet Series Premiere (BritBox)
SUNDAY, MARCH 9TH:
American Idol Season Premiere (ABC)
Crash Course Cuisine With Hudson Yang Series Premiere (NatGeo)
Dark Winds Season Three Premiere (AMC)
Filthy Fortunes Series Premiere (Discovery)
Home Town Makeover Season Premiere (HGTV)
Love Is Blind Season Eight Reunion (Netflix)
Naked And Afraid Season Premiere (Discovery)
Oh My God...Yes! A Series of Extremely Relatable Circumstances Series Premiere (Adult Swim)
The Last Woman Who Lived Here (Lifetime)
The $100,000 Pyramid Season Premiere (ABC)
The Real Housewives Of Atlanta Season Premiere (Bravo)
The Righteous Gemstones Season Premiere (HBO)
Twitter Breaking The Bird (CNN)
United States Of Scandal (CNN)
YOLO Rainbow Trinity (Adult Swim)
MONDAY, MARCH 10TH:
American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden (Netflix)
Confessions Of Octomom (Lifetime)
Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup Season Two Premiere (Lifetime)
Instant Italian Series Premiere (fyi)
Ringo & Friends At The Ryman (CBS)
Spring Baking Championship Season Premiere (Food)
SEE YOU ON MONDAY!