Lions and tigers and Bears! Oh, my!

This week’s Always Be Streaming newsletter is published from the makeshift ABW Port Macquarie office.

Out at dinner/drinks with friends last night, I found it curious that The Bear was such a hot topic of conversation - from those who had burned through it within the first few hours of its season 3 release, to those who hadn’t realised it was back, to those who were Bear-curious (but had never seen it). I appreciate that it is a corrupt sample group as they were all friends and family of mine, but I find it so rare that a show is so heavily on everyone’s radar anymore.

What was the last scripted show to have this sort of cut-through culturally? It has been YEARS.

I’m midway through moving house, so I’ve only had the chance to watch the first two episodes back, but I have certainly enjoyed having new episodes once again. I’m also very willing to call the return episode now as an Emmy award winner for 2025. Which awards? All of them!

Again, because my life is a mess right now (next week will be a vast improvement for the spirit of normalcy), I haven’t yet seen the new Prime Video series My Lady Jane. From what I have heard, it is slight, but very entertaining.

I have, however, seen new Apple TV+ show Land of Women. I have a real issue with screenwriting which fails to consider how real people interact with one another and the boundaries/violation of boundaries that exist in real life interactions. And boy was Land of Women a show that had zero consideration for how the world works and how people engage within it.

What should be a fun ‘women escape their lives and find love and purpose in Spain’ romcom, is wasted with terribly written characters and situations. Eva Longoria is painful to watch as she refuses to keep her mother and daughter informed about why they are on the run (which is fine - but in real life all three of these simpletons would have questions/answers that are never raised), then moves into some guys house which he legally owns on the basis that it once belonged to her family.

That’s just rude. Both in-the-show and to viewers who deserve better than this nonsense.