Best of 2023 TV (featuring Kelundra Smith)

Y’all know what time it is! It’s that time of year for playwright and journalist, Kelundra Smith and I to talk about our favorite TV happenings of 2023. Tune in to hear about the shows we’ll miss, the drama we loved, and the documentaries we loved and loved to hate. To stay connected to Kelundra’s work, please visit https://kelundra.com/. 

 

To get transcripts, links, and details from each episode, check out the show notes. To continue your support of the podcast and my work, become a member of my Patreon community where you can get access to archived episodes, bonus episodes, and behind the scenes content. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter, for podcast clips, poetry quotes and random quips. For information on how to book me to speak or perform at an event, visit amenabrown.com. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support! 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Y'all know what time it is. I really do not
even need to say what this episode is about, because
I hope if you have been listening to her with
Amina Brown, you know that it's time to talk best
television of twenty twenty three and you know that there's
only one guest. Is she even a guest? Still? Like?
Is it just now? We're at the podcast living room

(00:47):
point where Calundra would just be like, girl, I'd be
there and just open up the door and just get snacks.
Please welcome again, playwright, theater critic, journalist Calundra Smith.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Yeah, been here. This is like one of my favorite
things every year.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
You know what I realized, You and my friend Caitlin,
like most most guests, like y'all, have been a guest
the most times of this whole podcast. Just y'all too
multiple times, because I think you've been here three times.
I think she's been here three times. Now you might
be four. I can't really remember off the top of
my head right now? We three or four? Right now? Calundra,

(01:27):
So thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
I think it's for Amina and it's an honor. I
would come back every time, you know, I adore you,
So yes, we have.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
Us a good time. So this is what we're gonna do,
Calundra and not gonna talk as long as we can
humanly possible, and then whatever we cannot fit into this episode,
y'all is gonna go on a bonus episode for all
my Patreon people. Okay, Calundra. First of all, I want
to give a little context to this year of television
because this has been a wild time. This has been
a wild time. We had a writer strut that lasted

(02:02):
five months of the year. We are currently sag Aftra
still striking right now, still has not ascertained the deal
that they deserve. So this we hold space for knowing
all of the artists that we know that have been

(02:22):
affected by this, and that affects some of what we're
talking about. As far as how television unfolded, this year
was very unique. I mean you and I first started
doing this and we were like in that first year
of the pandemic almost we were like, what is what
is now? We all need our TV because we home now,

(02:44):
And this year, to me, in a certain way, took
me back to that, but in a different way that
we were sort of watching like how important television is,
how important that storytelling is, and we want writers and
actors to be paid fairly. So what are your thoughts
and thinking about the year closing that we finally see

(03:04):
the writers of WGA get the deal that they were
fighting for and still waiting for the actors? How is that?
How has that been for you in the in the
world where you are as a writer.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
I'll say this, A several things come to mind. One
is I I one percent share that sentiment like holding
so much space for the people who have completely had
their lives upended by these strikes, because the thing about
being a working artist for so many people is that
the instability makes it to where you are so often

(03:37):
living from paycheck to paycheck, So very very few people
can afford to go five plus months without a paycheck
right And one of the things that has been on
my heart is that there are artists who are leaving
the industry all together because it's like, I can't afford
the financial havoc and chaos that the these negotiations and

(04:01):
things cause on my life when they happen. Because the
writers got their deal, but that deal only stands for
three years and then we'll be right back here, right
and the sag after strike at this point is still
going on and then AATSI has their negotiations next year,
so an IASI is crewed not just for television and

(04:23):
film but also Broadway. Wow. You know, if Iozi don't
get what they want, it's everything's gonna be going dark.
Some things is going dark ex period, it's time to
go back to the synthing, so you will have ballet
and orchestras, which then brings me back to something that

(04:44):
has been also an interesting development of these strikes, which
is that theaters have in some ways benefited because talent
that had gone to television and film because it was
more lucrative have returned back to the theater because the
Actor's Equity Dramatist Guild and all of those negotiations happened

(05:06):
like during the pandemic and right before, so they're able
to work in theater. So there are some names that
you're able to see doing productions all across the country
that you would not have seen prior to. You're also
seeing small independent film festivals benefit from talent not being

(05:29):
able to go and do the major motion picture promotion things.
For the few productions that can get that special permission
rate waiver from sagaftra or for people who have worked
on short films. You're seeing more of that. So for example,
in Rome, Georgia, they have an international film festival every year,

(05:50):
and Ethan Hawk decided to premiere one of his films there, Wow,
because he can't necessarily take it to a can or
to a Tribeca and so but it can go to Rome,
you know, Rome Georgia. So you know what I mean.
It's one of those things where there's there's a leveling
of the playing field that's happening in some ways, but

(06:13):
also there's this is all necessary to me because you know,
I'm all passionate about working people getting what they deserve,
and so that's the topic of my play The Wash,
you know. So it's yeah, that's what I got to
say about that.

Speaker 1 (06:29):
Okay, speaking of Colundus play the Wash, can you catch
the listeners up In the last year, you have had
a lot of wonderful professional development things that have happened.
Can you catch us up on how are the plays
out here doing? How is the journalism out here? Catch
us up on what's what's been happening with you?

Speaker 2 (06:51):
This has been a really beautiful year. It's so crazy,
so I will tell you something, Amena and and listeners.
I went to New Orleans in February to It was
partially to do some research for a work trip, and
part of it was just because you know how like
you feel spiritually like you need to go somewhere. So

(07:12):
like I always say, like new for some reason, Louisiana
and Mississippi, like the land memory in those places is
like very very strong for me. So whenever I like
set foot in those places like very emotional for some reason.
And so and mind you, I'm a daughter of Georgia,
So I don't understand what it is about Louisiana Mississippi,
but it's like instant tears. I don't know why. Anyway,

(07:32):
I'm in this bookstore called Baldwin and Co. Books. If
you are in New Orleans, check them out, Black owned bookstore.
So I'm in Baldwin in Company. And then I had
gone to this shop that was I love to walk
when I explore cities, and so I had walked all
the way to this shop that was near the French Quarter.
And I I'm forgetting the name of the shop. But

(07:55):
this woman read my face when I went into the shop,
and she said, I see air planes flying all around
your head.

Speaker 1 (08:02):
Who Calundra, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (08:06):
That's what she said. And I have literally been on
a plane at least twice a month.

Speaker 1 (08:15):
Wow. Since Wow. That gave me chills, Calundra.

Speaker 2 (08:20):
Wow. And she told me it wasn't gonna stop for
a while. So I it was just like, all right,
I'm ready, God like grow me into who I need
to be. So I have had a beautiful year, the
highlights being that my play The Wash, which is inspired

(08:41):
by the Atlanta washer women's strike of eighteen eighty one,
is going to have its world premiere in Atlanta, co
produced by Synchronicity Theater and Impact Theater. It will run
for four weeks at Synchronicity Theater and then it'll run
for another three at Impact Theater. So in Atlanta, I
need y'all to show up.

Speaker 1 (09:01):
I know that's right.

Speaker 2 (09:02):
Wow, get your tickets. Buy it up.

Speaker 1 (09:05):
Run it up, children, run it run it up.

Speaker 2 (09:08):
As the kids say, please, no cap I think I
said that right.

Speaker 1 (09:12):
Anyway, Yes, bring the.

Speaker 2 (09:15):
Whole family, your auntie, grandma, all them. Make it something.
It's this is a play. It's funny, it's dramatic, it's heartwarming.
You're gonna fall in Love with the Women of the Wash,
inspired by the Atlanta washerwomen's strike of eighteen eighty one,
set in eighteen eighty one. But it's gonna feel super
contemporary given all the things happening with labor around the

(09:37):
country right now. And you're gonna laugh. This is the
thing that surprises everybody. I've written a comedy about a
labor strike because I'm not right in the head, and
so you are going to laugh.

Speaker 1 (09:49):
I love that. I love this Colundria.

Speaker 2 (09:51):
So that's been a lovely development. And then the other
thing is that I have now had a chance to
step into a role as the men managing editor at
American Theater Magazine, which is something, thank you, that I
was never expecting or looking at. Honestly, I had given
up the idea of working as a journalist full time

(10:12):
at somebody's publication probably six years ago, to be honest like,
I was just like, yeah, that's not going to happen.
Let it go. And then one day I saw a
job posting on Facebook and I was just like, well,
let me just see, and all of a sudden they
were like, we want you, and I was just like,
oh snap. So it's been a wild ride and super

(10:33):
fun so far to be there, and I'm looking forward
to all of the things that we get to do.
So look for American Theater Magazine. You can check us
out online. Also, we are quarterly in print. I will
say American Theater is a magazine where the print and
the online are not exactly the same. So you're going

(10:53):
to get some content in print that you don't get online,
and you're going to get some content online that you
don't get in print. So it's worth that you have both.
So those are been like two career highlights, so to speak.
And then the last thing I'll say is just that,
like I feel like this has been like the year
of surrender and surrendered it as a recovering perfectionist we

(11:18):
as we have talked about in past episodes. Right hand, Hi,
my name is Klandra. I'm recovering perfectionists. Yes, yes, So
as a recovering perfectionists, surrender actually feels like whatever your

(11:39):
least favorite bodily sensation is, right like that, but when
you get into the habit of it, it's so much better.
And what I have found this year is I'm getting better.
I ain't got there yet, y'all, but I'm getting so
much better, and I find myself sometimes going in the

(12:00):
extreme opposite direction where I'm just like, you know what,
I don't even care. I'm done, walk away from everything.
I'm about to be. Like Roywood Junior did to The
Daily Show period.

Speaker 1 (12:13):
Yeah, period, he was like, I see y'all playing in
my face, so I'm out of here.

Speaker 2 (12:20):
I'm out of here. They were playing in.

Speaker 1 (12:22):
His face period.

Speaker 2 (12:24):
Clearly the fan favorite, the one who ran up the ratings,
all of that, he was the pick. And they were like,
we still got people to talk to, and Roy was like,
all right, that's fine. I believe in me and I
understand that feeling. Yeah, wholeheartedly, I feel that, Colundra, I
feel that well. First of all, I am just very

(12:46):
excited about all of these developments. I'm excited about the.

Speaker 1 (12:50):
World the world premiere of your play, Colundra. What a
big deal. It's a big deal to finish a play,
to finish writing one, not to mention now getting a
chance to see this in full production on stage. I'm
so so happy for you, this position, with this magazine, Calundra, everything,
it's like everything, y'all. If y'all can see me on

(13:12):
what is still Twitter to me, I don't care what
that man say if y'all can see me on Twitter,
and Colundra comments like, yes, Calundra, yes you deserve I
know that's right.

Speaker 2 (13:22):
That's like the energy that I feel every time these
announcements come.

Speaker 1 (13:27):
And I appreciate the realness of what you said. That
you can see sort of someone's someone's story from a distance.
You're not there to see all the things happening behind
the scenes, And that the successes we experience in life
often come to us from those places of surrender that
you described, and I appreciate you sharing that side too,

(13:50):
that those things are connected in this way. Sometimes we
want them to ban, sometimes we don't, but they be connected.

Speaker 2 (13:57):
Listen, listen. I'd be like, are you gonna let go?
Or are you gonna fight for your position? And I
just be like, I'm trying to let go.

Speaker 1 (14:06):
I'd be like, what what's the definition of lego? What
you mean when you say lego? Can I get like
a clarity? Is there a Is there like an Urban
Dictionaries version?

Speaker 2 (14:16):
I need the instruction. I literally prayed one day. I
was like, God, I know you want me to surrender,
but you know, I don't know how so I'm gonna
need you to come with an instruction manual on how
that works, because I feel like I'm surrendering, but clearly
I'm not like some steps.

Speaker 1 (14:32):
I would like some some steps.

Speaker 2 (14:33):
I need some steps, yeah, which is such an affectionist
thing to me.

Speaker 1 (14:36):
And it's definitely that because I'm definitely like, if it's
thirty three steps, just tell me all thirty three I
need them now, but surrender really be like you get
two steps and that's it, and then you have to
wait there until you get the third one. That'd be
the hard part for me. Like, if it's thirty three
steps and just say it now, I can map out
my plans, I can decide what I'm doing here. But
instead you're gonna give me step one and step two

(14:58):
and then be like, wait there, and that's not my shit,
that's not my shit. I'm just that's not my shit, Like.

Speaker 2 (15:06):
How you gotta do big faith. It ain't it's big.

Speaker 1 (15:09):
Faith, like this, this is not me. This is not
what I want. So yes, thank you, Calundra. I'm gonna
make sure we share the links to all of this
so that people can support and I want to be
in the place to be myself to see your play
on stage like this. I can't wait. I'm so excited.

Speaker 2 (15:27):
Yes, look for us June and July twenty twenty four.

Speaker 1 (15:30):
Oh yes, I'm ready. Let me mark my calendar, let
me get an outfit.

Speaker 2 (15:34):
Yes, because I'm gonna be.

Speaker 1 (15:36):
Trying to take Colundra picture so that way, you know,
later on I can use it as my throwback Thursday
when people are like, oh my gosh, she has a
picture with Kalundra Smith.

Speaker 2 (15:45):
Oh, I'm like, yeah, this is being Colundra back in
the day. Hey, you could get her on the podcast
for free.

Speaker 1 (15:52):
Oh my god, my god. You know now you know
yesterday's price. I understand, Calundra. Yesterday's price.

Speaker 2 (15:59):
It's for you. Yesterday's price is today's price, not for
everybody else.

Speaker 1 (16:07):
You gonna pay. You're gonna pay tomorrow's price today. That's
everybody else's. That's that's the thing. Mm hmm. Well, y'all,
Calundra and I are here to discuss our best TV
of twenty twenty three. And I really hate to begin
on the down note, but I need to start with
best shows. We're really gonna miss last year. This time

(16:28):
you and I were mourning the loss of The Jesus
Semiro Show and it still has left avoid here with me.
What are some of the best shows that we found
out this year they're not gonna come back. What are
some shows that you are like, Man, I'm gonna miss
that one.

Speaker 2 (16:46):
So we knew the end was coming for The Marvelous
Missus Masel, but for those of us who grew up
on Gilmore Girls, we have to also understand the like
Amy Sherman Palladino and Dan Palladino is only going to
give you a show like every decade. So we were
really savoring the marvels Missus Mays because we know next

(17:11):
show twenty thirty.

Speaker 1 (17:12):
Yeah what I mean? Wow?

Speaker 2 (17:13):
So you know that's one of those things where it
was like this final season of The Marvelous Missus masl
was really really it was. I love that they left
it like with an untidy ending, because that is so
Midge and that is so that show. But I also

(17:33):
appreciate that they did tie up some other stuff for us,
and they played with form a bit by going they
flashed us forward in time for those who have or
have not seen it, they flash us forward in time
a bit, and then I was like, is this like
the Jon and Melissa Rivers unauthorized story, like what's happening here?
But it's it was. I love that show. For those

(17:56):
who've never watched it, it's set in the nineteen It
starts in the late nineteen fIF Basically a housewife finds
out her husband is cheating on her with his secretary. She,
in a fit of rage, goes down to the village,
gets on stage at a Rundown comedy club, does a set,
and then like becomes a stand up comedian and gets
a divorce.

Speaker 1 (18:17):
And that's Oh, that's a feat generally, but especially in
the late nineteen fifties. I mean that's a big feat.

Speaker 2 (18:24):
And this show is so funny. It's so funny. You
are someone who used to like The Nanny back in
the day, then that kind of quick writing that you
get from Gilbour Girls mixed with like some sensibilities from
The Nanny, Like it's going, it's gonna hit all your
access points. I'm saying goodbye to marvelous missus Masel and
I'm gonna miss it. Next one I have to say

(18:46):
is and we just we recently someone recently found out
this information. I don't know why. I was all up
into the Wonder Years rebook. Okay, the same, the same, Like,
what do you mean it's not coming back?

Speaker 1 (19:00):
I want to cancel it. Like I wanted to see
him make it to high school, the baby boy. I
want to see him make it a high school least,
like I don't know. It's a lot of sadness around that,
because I really I think we've had an era of
some much needed like feel good shows, and between Abbot
Elementary and the Wonder Years reboot, I really enjoyed seeing

(19:22):
this cast black during this era in the South, during
this era, but it was filled with so much joy
and whimsy and the curiosity of this little boy and
all of his foibles and mistakes. Like I'm gonna miss
that one, Calundra. Yeah, that one hurt my heart. I
was mad about it.

Speaker 2 (19:42):
I don't miss it. And I also am thinking to
myself about Grand Crew.

Speaker 1 (19:49):
Okay, I'm glad you brought that up, because that is
the show that I was really big man, Like when
I tell you I've been in my house, Grand Crew,
Grand Crew. Grand It had the fantastic theme song. Me
and Matt really clang clang. Now after watching that show,
that ship was so great Colundra, how dare they take

(20:12):
it away from us? I'm oh, like, I'm not over
it still.

Speaker 2 (20:34):
And it was so witty. The thing about Grant and
Crew is that it was so witty because first of
all the fact that they had a wine metaphor for
the names of the episodes and like did the difference,
and then the play on words Grand Crew, Like it
was just it was It was television for people who
get the joke. And that's the thing that I appreciated

(20:56):
about it. And I love again that it was happy,
lighthearted black and I am sad that we will no
longer have the Grand Crew.

Speaker 1 (21:07):
Oh that show was so good. Like that hurt my
feelings because I think in a way it was a
show about something, but it had some episodes where it
was able to be a show about nothing sometimes. And
I think it really brings me a lot of joy
when black casts and shows that were created by black
creators get to have that get to just be like,

(21:30):
we don't have a show about this character's little quirks
and the whole show is just about that. I was
just like, yes, there was just some of it was nonsensical.
Some of like the plots and the things that the
characters were doing, and I just loved every minute of it.
So big shout out to Grand Crew. I love that

(21:52):
SHOWMA missed that one. I do have to bring Succession
into the chat. It's a different goodbye. It's a different
goodbye because that one was not canceled and stolen away
from us. But I love a good organized crime situation.
So when there's like organized corporate crime, I'm like, oh, yes,
sign me up for that. This is my type of thing. Please.

(22:13):
And this very dysfunctional, you know, fictional Fox News family. Wow,
what a time this television show was. I really got mad.
I was watching it, and when it got to like
Succession gonna be in this final season, I was like, Okay,
now this's a couple show. So now you got to
start with me from the beginning. And we watched all

(22:35):
the way till we got to the end. Whoa Succession.
I love the hell out of that show. It was
such a mess. It was such a really rich white
corporate mess. And I really, you know, I love mess
Colundra generally, you know I do, but but it's something
about rich white corporate mess Succession. Rip enjoyed you, enjoyed you.

Speaker 2 (22:57):
I never watched Secession. I know, y'all don't get me.
Don't get me. I'm the only person who never watched it,
But it's on my list. Is my list? You let
me know well because during these strikes, it's actually on
my during the strike list of watches. But I got
caught up in all the Power spinoffs, and so I

(23:19):
lot of Power spinoffs. Now, Power don't turn into a
universe on us. I was like, damn, every time I
turn around, we go into a prequel, it's a post quote,
it's somebody's child.

Speaker 1 (23:31):
We'll be doing here. Oh my god, it's so much
power to watch. It does take up your time. So
I understand that, Kalindra, but it's.

Speaker 2 (23:38):
Taken all of my time. But like I was just
like Adam, like, you know what it has done, truly
a mina is that it has made me be one
hundred thousand percent fully convinced that I and am one
of the only people not selling drugs. That is what
power has. Everybody everybody's doing it.

Speaker 1 (24:02):
They're all.

Speaker 2 (24:03):
Whenever I see a van, I'm like, drugs.

Speaker 1 (24:05):
Okay, period?

Speaker 2 (24:06):
What tiny home.

Speaker 1 (24:07):
Also, also, anytime I see a business that seems like
it doesn't make sense, for it to not be busy
in that location money laundering. They're probably using that to
wash their drug money.

Speaker 2 (24:18):
Every laundromat, nail salon, but it's all daycare centers because
of power. I'm like, ooh, they running money.

Speaker 1 (24:27):
That's how they washing any money. I literally have what
it's supposed to be a coworking space not far from
my neighborhood. I draw by that whole all different times
of the day. Colundra. Don't never see nobody there. It
got a website, don't never see nobody there. Why would
it be there except to watch people drug money?

Speaker 2 (24:44):
Why it's watching drugs. They're totally washing drug money.

Speaker 1 (24:47):
That's all I can think, because I'm like, y'all got
a website, but we're all of workers. You got a
co working space. I don't see no workers. It's a
fashion show with no fashions is dreadful.

Speaker 2 (24:56):
It's dreadful, but workers only work between midnight and for it.

Speaker 1 (25:01):
The workers is working the corner. Big facts, Big facts. Okay,
let's talk about the TV app that kept us watching
this year. I believe we need to discuss Amazon Prime
at this time, and Amazon Prime I'd be forgetting about
it sometimes Colundria because Netflix be real urgent, you know,
like I really get in my like Love is Blind,
and then I'm like, oh, I gotta make sure I'm

(25:22):
watching that on Friday. And then you know, Hulu get
urgent because that's where your weekly shows is at. So
sometimes Amazon Prime be like on the corner of God's back,
you know what I'm saying, Like it'd be like somewhere else.
But then when I get up in there, I'm like,
oh no, it's some good stuff in here. So do
you have some Amazon Prime favorites that were your things
for this year?

Speaker 2 (25:43):
So let me tell you Amazon Prime. If we're giving
out awards like this is the end of the year,
school year, this is the end of the school year
awards ceremony. Amazon Prime gets most improved Programming for a
streaming platform. Agree give it up for Amazon Amazon Prime
and was truly giving Walmart of the Internet would have

(26:06):
content on it that was produced for two dollars and
fifty cents, and then it would have content on it
that was produced with two hundred and fifty million dollars,
And it was just like, what is what's the strategy here? Amazon?
I'm confused. It's clear that tech people and not artists
are running this because the range of what I'm getting
is just so wild. Like I remember there used to

(26:28):
be this show on Prime that was about these black
people who were expatriots who they moved from Carmel, Indiana
to like Thailand what And it was like self produced,
written and directed all by one person though, and it
was just like why do I have this? And the

(26:51):
marvelous missus Maize on.

Speaker 1 (26:52):
The same the same. That's the thing.

Speaker 2 (26:56):
But this year Amazon has really giving us some fantastic shows.
I have to give a shout out to a Virgo.
I need to speak about it.

Speaker 1 (27:07):
I need to speak about it. We got to talk
about a Colundria because shout out to Boots Riley for
being weird and the best way. Because I enjoyed Sorry
to Bother you as well. I enjoyed this, and so
then when it was like, oh, we're about to get
into I'm a Virgo, I was like, okay. But at
first I was like, oh, I want to really watch that,
like when I read the description. Then when I got

(27:28):
to Amazon Prime and looked at the little cover graphic
and looked at their description, I was like, wait, am
I prepared for what I'm about to see, Like, what
is about to happen to me here? I'm a Virgo
was one of the most weird and delicious movies.

Speaker 2 (27:46):
Weird and delicious, it's such a perfect way to describe it.

Speaker 1 (27:52):
What were your thoughts when you when you really got
into the plot of that, Like, how were your feelings
regarding this?

Speaker 2 (28:00):
I feel like I'm a virgo send me on a
whole emotional experience because at first, it's like, Okay, first, okay,
first of all, I love Boots Riley. Literally, then we
get into it and it's like, okay, these people got
this giant baby who they keeping a shed in the back.

(28:23):
What's happening here? Then he leaves the house and they're
like spinning out cars in the middle of the street
and also eating fast like that's all he wants to
do is go get this fast food. But when the
girl falls in love with him, you're like, she weird too,
Like it's just like it was so many things. But

(28:46):
then when the metaphor started to come together of you know,
I'm a Virgo, it's really truly about, you know, the
fear around black men, especially young black men in society.
When the metaphor. The metaphor clicks around out episode three,

(29:07):
I would say yes, but the first two you're gonna
be along for the ride because you're like, what is
this and why is Mike Epps now just occupying the
role of everybody's.

Speaker 1 (29:16):
Crazy everybody's daddy? Wow, crazy daddy. Also not me not
knowing that Denzel Washington had a daughter until I looked
into the credits of I'm a Virgo and was like,
not the love interest being a child of Denzel Washington.
I didn't even know, like baby girl managed to just
live her black woman ass life and if you didn't

(29:39):
know it, she really had a like if you know,
you know life Until this movie, I didn't know.

Speaker 2 (29:45):
I didn't have no idea until you just said it.
I'm like, wow, I mean we knew Denzel and Paulletta
had more than one child, but I never actually investigated
into the lives of those.

Speaker 1 (29:56):
Hit since had her a nice She must have had
a are a nice just like out of the limelight life.
Because I looked on and I was like, Okay, even
seeing a black woman in a movie in Last Name
Washington still didn't click Denzel to me. But the but
the scenes in the show were so interesting that I
find myself like googling things. Then they were like Denzel
watching this daughter, and I said.

Speaker 3 (30:16):
Excuse me, excuse me, Dinzel Washington's daughter out here being
a wonderfully black woman, weird ass character, weird ass love interest.

Speaker 2 (30:28):
Yes, with a giant with a giant right, and we
won't even get into the graphic nature of it all.

Speaker 1 (30:36):
But the thing, I have to do a bonus episode
about that, Colundar, because I do have some thoughts. Okay, continue, continue, Well,
the thing.

Speaker 2 (30:43):
That I love about that show too is that you know,
connecting since you said it that that's Denzel's daughter. Now
I'm just like, Okay, So Denzel La Pauloo Washington's kids
turned out like the kids of artists, you know, and
they're just a little off And I love I do
love that.

Speaker 1 (31:01):
I love that. I was in very much support of that.
Other things that you loved on Amazon Prime. We already
talked about Missus Masel. What else? What else? Are some
jewels that were there this year?

Speaker 2 (31:12):
Okay? Underappreciated Jim post apocalyptic comedy Ish set in a
Catholic all girls boarding school in Australia, where they have
come back for their ten year reunion and then the
Apocalypse hips. It's called Class of Seven. If you have

(31:34):
not seen this foolishness, just binge watch it. It is
worth your time. I don't even understand who wrote this
or why. I don't know why in twenty twenty three
you would want to set a TV show in twenty
seventeen because it's not that long ago. But that part,
it's the choice they made. That choice sets you for

(32:00):
the utter incomplete foolishness that unfolds during this TV show.

Speaker 1 (32:05):
What I got to add this to my list this
I miss this. I miss this, so I'm glad you
told me.

Speaker 2 (32:10):
Also more uttering, complete foolishness. Who let them give us
Jury Duty?

Speaker 1 (32:16):
Boy?

Speaker 2 (32:17):
I'm like two or three episodes in and I'm like,
what am I looking at? This is like candid camera
in the revert, like what's happening?

Speaker 1 (32:25):
What's happening? Like everybody's acting, but this one person? Is
that the premise? Like I'm still, I'm still watching, and
I'm like, do I know what I'm looking at? Am
I understanding? So is the premise of Jury Duty that
there's a person who thinks they're really going to jury
duty but they are in fact, surrounded by all actors.

(32:49):
Is that the premise? Am I understanding it right? Calendra?

Speaker 2 (32:53):
I cannot confirm that getting to the end is part
of the journey.

Speaker 1 (33:03):
Okay, so I gotta keep watching.

Speaker 2 (33:06):
You can't stop watch one episode of Jury Duty. You
gotta watch the whole Okay.

Speaker 1 (33:11):
I'm glad you told me this, because I was really like,
I'm not exactly sure what's happening, and the isn't there.
One of the producers has a show that's on Max
that's also kind of strange like this. Oh, I can't
remember his name now, but I tried to watch his
show on Max and it's kind of awkward like this.
So I'm like, oh my god, but I'm glad you
told me. Stay through to the end. You gotta stay through,

(33:31):
stay the course, stay the course for Jury Duty.

Speaker 2 (33:34):
Okay, you're gonna scream several times just for a ride.

Speaker 1 (33:38):
Okay, I'm gonna come back. I'm gonna come back and
check that out. I want to speak about shiny, happy people.

Speaker 2 (33:45):
You know, we love.

Speaker 1 (33:49):
This is the the documentary surrounding surrounding the Dugger family,
but it's also giving us some context regarding fundamentalist evangelicalism.
Regarding why that became a popular thing on television. I
the fact that they called that documentary Shiny Happy People

(34:11):
really took me clean out of here. Took me clean
out of here.

Speaker 2 (34:15):
I have to be honest with you and say that
I didn't know what to expect from that docuseries, but
when I got into it, I couldn't stop. And it
blew my mind. Like this, it's you want to talk
about mess It's so much messy that you find out

(34:38):
about it's shiny happy people like and it's just it's
amazing how the machine, the political it's like the religious
machine got into the lobbying political machine and used the
media to advance an agenda. And it's happening. And the
thing is, the duggers being off the air has not

(34:59):
changed what's happening. That it's still happening. Like the the
way that this family was used to create propaganda around
the kind of traditional roles of women and men in
society and what God wants some people, and to get

(35:20):
people to get married and reproduce and reproduce and reproduced
all to preserve like an idea of eugenics. Like it's
just so my mind was blown. Then the fact that
the whistleblower of the family had to be the sister
who was being sexually abused by her brothers.

Speaker 4 (35:41):
I was like, there not, not only are you like
it's then they doubled down and we knew about the
Ashley Madison right right.

Speaker 2 (35:53):
You knew about the Ashley Madison case because Ashley Madison
back in the day was getting everybody hammed up. But
like the fact that there was just so much deviance
going on and that friends and neighbors knew mm hmm
that part and they were just like, gott to fix it.

Speaker 1 (36:12):
I'm like, yikes, I don't know.

Speaker 2 (36:14):
Are called that? One?

Speaker 1 (36:15):
One reported? I don't know what we mean. Also, I
watched the early, probably first couple of seasons of The
Duggers Show, and I can't remember if I had a
friend who recommended it to me. I also was probably
in a much more evangelical place obviously than I am
at this time of life. And the one person I
wanted to see in the series was the cousin. I

(36:39):
cannot remember her name off the top of my head
right now, but she was like she would come and
come and visit there. She was on there, but she
would come and visit there in the in the TV show,
and I always thought it was interesting that she she's
clearly not growing up the same as her cousins, but
her her parents and her aunt and uncle I guess,

(36:59):
were allowing her to hang out with the Dugger children,
like they were all allowed to sort of grow up together,
you know what I'm talking about. I can't remember her
name right now, but like just I always thought it
was very curious of like, why is it not seen
that she is someone who would be corrupting in this
So when.

Speaker 2 (37:18):
Her and her husband popped up on the docu series,
I was like, oh, I noticed tea coming out right now,
your cousin is on here. I know she was at
your house almost every day. Well, and then we learned
too in the series. Now it's jogging my memory. She
stopped messing with them after a while, like she put

(37:39):
some distance, and I honestly think that husband was like,
now your.

Speaker 1 (37:43):
Family crazy, Okay, So it was like, we don't need
to go over there no more. I don't care if
it's Christmas, Thanksgiving, I don't care what those people doing.
We don't need to be over there, period. No no wild.

Speaker 2 (37:54):
I was like this is absolutely insane.

Speaker 1 (37:58):
I was like, they really got the tea out, like
really got to tea. The daughters is on here, the
cousin on here, somebody's sister, one of the Douga parents
sisters on here. I said, the people came out and said, sorry,
it's not family over everything. I'm about to tell it.
I'm about to tell it. I am about to tell what happened. Period.

Speaker 2 (38:18):
That was very cher was on there, the former best
friends were on there. I was like, day, I said,
they about put y'all stuff out there, like them murd
all people. I mean, the murds weren't on uh Prime.
I know, we we we and we but we got
to get to the murd Alls because this.

Speaker 1 (38:37):
Is actually a good a good transition into best docuseries, because,
as Calundra coined on here, we love us a scamumentary,
and I do want us to speak further about some
other documentary. So let's get into the murd Alls because
I I'd like lightly get into true crime if it
started getting into murder, I like like an organized you know,

(38:59):
drug front, I like some corporate greed, you know, as
a part of a scamumentary. When it get into true
crime where it's like people is getting murdered. Sometimes I'll
be like scared, like this is about to make me
have diamares. But so many things were coming up about
the Murdolls that what got me to watching was the
Netflix docuseries because I really didn't watch it the first time,

(39:22):
but then when they were like, they were kind of
similar to that one that you and I talked about
last year that was about the woman who had the
really big hair and she had the church in Tennessee,
the uh huh. And then they were like, but we
gonna come back and have another installment episodes, And I
was like, how many can this be? And this happened
with the Murdolls because they had the initial series in
which I didn't watch, and then they were like, aha,

(39:44):
we have more updates and.

Speaker 2 (39:45):
I was like, now, now, if you had time to
come back and do more episodes, that seems like my
type of mess.

Speaker 1 (39:54):
So I just went ahead and watched the whole thing.
What the hell was going on over there?

Speaker 2 (40:00):
Listen, these people re havoc in this small South Carolina town,
and then they didn't just keep it confined to their town.
They proceeded to basically recavoc across the state of South Carolina.
How on earth are you so dysfunctional that you create
mess that an entire state has to clean up for

(40:23):
people who did not watch or have not understood about
the murders. Basically, there was this family in this rural
South Carolina town who had gotten to the place where
they were managing partners in this the law firm in
town and had their hand when we're greasing the hands

(40:46):
of every single judge throughout the south state of South Carolina.
And then all of a sudden it gets Shakespearean and
everybody around them just starts dying, right, And so then
what happens is that the wrong pretty girl got killed
in a voting at my mind, my mind, and the

(41:10):
proverbial you know what hit the thing?

Speaker 1 (41:12):
Did you did?

Speaker 2 (41:14):
And everybody right now is just dead in prison. That's
all you need to know.

Speaker 1 (41:20):
That's it. And the and the journey of how you
find out that that's the result was a very very
fascinating journey. Like I was, I was a little nervous.
I did watch it during the day time because I
didn't want to be scared at night. But it was
very it was very interesting, sort of the power structure,
those power dynamics I mean, especially being people from the South,
the Southern dynamics of what of what is allowed to

(41:42):
be said in public, of what is family business and
what is not considered to be family business. The dynamics
of the girls and women in these situations as well,
and and where they did or did not have agency,
and people still really running rampant out here, still like

(42:03):
some people is in prison and some people not. It's
just like, wow, yeah, are you not also in jail?

Speaker 2 (42:10):
First of all, let me just I'm ana listen. If
anybody's listening, they got a problem with it, see Columbiana
de Mina. Somebody gonna have to prove to me that
that housekeeper she's withholding she knows more than that she did.
She is withholding somebody lying there. It's really no telling

(42:32):
what the body count is for this family. Then you
gotta get the Lifetime movie supplement, because you know, Lifetime
Lifetime is like, we're not a docu series. We're gonna
make a movie about what's true and what's room. And
it's a two part movie. You know your family is messy.

(42:53):
When you get a two part Lifetime movie period, it's
for hours worth a murder content.

Speaker 1 (43:00):
And this is not twenty three hundred Jackson Street. You
know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (43:04):
You expect to have a two part film about a
family that has non family members, two of which became
two of the biggest rock stars in the world. Okay,
you had a four hour film about murder about your
family being connected to murder. Right, they had Titanic Murder.

Speaker 1 (43:24):
God please. I also really want to speak about the
Secrets of Hillsong. I don't know if you participated in
watching this docuseries, but I told.

Speaker 2 (43:38):
You, but I didn't finish.

Speaker 1 (43:40):
But go I told you that I enjoy watching white
people miss in these types of situations. But because I
worked in white conservative church, these documentaries about white conservative
church mess like it really hit me different because I
was in green rooms with some of those people. I

(44:00):
was at conferences with some of those people, so I
had already watched the There was two versions about this
Hillsong story. Discovery app had one that sort of centered
the woman who and if those of you are familiar,
Hillsong is was I'm not sure. This was a church

(44:22):
in New York City that was very a celebrity adjacent
so there were a lot of athletes and entertainers who
were very connected to this church, which gave the church
and the pastor, who was Carl Lentz at that time,
gave that gave the church and the pastor notoriety. Right, Okay.
So originally, while Carlinz and his family were in hiding

(44:43):
away from the media, Discovery app did a did a
series where they interviewed the woman who had a relationship
with called while he was married. Like when they they
do the thing. Let me tell you a moment I
lived for in a documentary when they set the chair
out and they have the person walking. I live for
that colundra because you're like, oh shit, you know it's.

Speaker 2 (45:03):
Gonna be a stormy Daniel's like appearance. I'm like, damn,
they let you walk out here like this because you're like,
now I know I'm gonna get the tea, Like I'm
just not gonna get people, you know, pontificating about the
tea or hypothesizing about the tea like I'm about to
get the tea.

Speaker 1 (45:17):
So I had already watched that one. But then when
Hulu was like, we indeed have Carl Lynz and his
wife sitting down in the chair. I was like, yes, indeed,
I will watch this. I want to see the tea.
And I was always very curious, like generally in sort
of white conservative evangelical space, there's a lot of story

(45:41):
around what happens when a white man in leadership has
a fall from grace, and typically it's not a very
far fall because there is always some structure to sort
of help him come back as leadership coach, come back
as business owner, come back as whatever that is. So
it was I was very interested to see, like, what's

(46:02):
going to be the comeback for this person, and to
see him and his wife really they really, they really
gave up some tea about this organization that they had
felt they had to be loyal to all these years. Wow.
I MM, I really enjoyed the tea. About that, I
will say there were some moments that I was like, oh,

(46:23):
I see, everything's not different. There were a few moments
where I was like, hmm, I'm hearing that answer and
thinking yikes, no, thank you. But I enjoyed every minute
of that tea. I enjoy rich people, miss. I enjoy
white rich people. Miss. I enjoy white Christian rich people. Miss.
And that's really the.

Speaker 2 (46:41):
Latter is truly the trifecta of mess that makes it great.
Karl Lens Though, it is interesting because you remember there
was a little on a little network there was a
show called Preaches of la and was and he was
on that show, and that is messy. And on that

(47:02):
show when he was on that show, he was like
the preacher who everybody was saying was kind of the
sane one. But the streets were talking back then about
Hillsong and what was going on there, and then okay, Ali,
you have permission to edit this out, but the streets

(47:23):
is also talking about like the affiliation between Maverick City
Music and Hillsong, and my mind, I'm so exhausted, you
know what I mean? Like it be a lot, man,
it be a lot because because the thing I think,
the thing that I also wanted to speak to about
this in relation to your comment too, is having worked

(47:45):
in white evangelicalism as an industry as a black woman
and now no longer working in that industry.

Speaker 1 (47:53):
There is a lot of gas lighting going around over
there where you are like, something is not right over here,
something is not feeling like it's right, and everybody is
giving you the God gonna fix it. Sort of vibe
and then when you finally come out and breathe regular
air and realize, no, I was not. I was not

(48:13):
often what I was, you know, discerning here, I was
discerning correctly that things were not right. Then it take
a documentary to be like, ah, yes, that's okay, that's
the part. That's the part. So I feel like there
will be more. There will be more exposs related to
this industry. And I do have an air popper for

(48:35):
my popcorn specifically for these situations.

Speaker 2 (48:39):
There is always a black or brown woman who was
the nurse, administrative assistant accountant who will spill the tea,
and so until she gets on camera, we have that part.

Speaker 1 (48:56):
That's the thing that was the part about the Hillstone
documentary that I was like, mm yeah, once I saw
those couple of black women, I was like, yes, yes,
tell us. It's very similar to the Lululemon No, not Lululemon.
Is that the one?

Speaker 2 (49:07):
Yeah, Lululemon. Lauren from Lululemon blew it up over there. Yeah,
with with the what's the show that we recently watched
to the murders that'lly. Miss Shelley had a brother who

(49:27):
worked for the police department, and her brother called her
and said, don't get caught up.

Speaker 1 (49:31):
He said, this ain't what you want. This way what
you won't honey. Okay, wait, it's not Lulu Limit. What
is the name of those people?

Speaker 2 (49:39):
Child?

Speaker 1 (49:40):
But it's similar to Lululemon. Oh my god, it's gonna
bother me.

Speaker 2 (49:42):
There was a black woman who blew up Lulu Limit. Yes,
oh my god.

Speaker 1 (49:48):
I loving black women be blowing things up. Okay. Also,
can you talk to me about the documentary about Pamela
Anderson that was on Netflix. I'm not sure if you
watch this.

Speaker 2 (49:57):
I did not, because you know, I like to leave
Pamela Anderson back on that TV show she used to
be launch. No, it was a TV show Pamela Anderson
was on. I'm going to find the name of it
where she was like. It was her and a group
of women who I feel like they used to like
Fright Crime or something.

Speaker 1 (50:18):
Oh tell me, because I didn't even remember that.

Speaker 2 (50:23):
And I feel like this show was like on the
back corner of like USA back in the day, you
know what I mean. So I left Pammy and.

Speaker 1 (50:34):
Want you wanted to leave her there?

Speaker 2 (50:36):
I left her there? But what did we learn from
the pam I'm.

Speaker 1 (50:41):
Going to tell you the reason why I got involved
is because of Hulu's series surrounding the sex tape over
and Tommy, and that was the first time this series,
to me, is included in other recountings of big moments
that happened in the nineties, like when they did the
American Crime on the oj Trial, when they did the

(51:03):
series that was centered around Monica Lewinsky's experiences. These series,
I feel like the Hulu like more dramatized version of
the Pamela and Tommy actually gave you more view into
what it was like to be Pamela having gone through that.
It was like, at the time it was happening, you know,

(51:24):
the me Too movement hadn't happened. We were still in
an era where it was like, well, she decided to
have sex on camera, air quotes she deserved. It was
still sort of the era, you know, Tommy's getting all
this like you know, masculine accolades, and she's being made
out to be like she's a terrible woman. But when
they did the Hulu dramatized version, they actually like sort

(51:47):
of gave us more of the lens of her story
and how that actually impacted her. That really made me
see her more through the light of today, that if
that had happened today, there would have been more sympathy
for her than there was then, which had me like,
what does a woman do after the way that shit
hit the fan? What happened? So I have to say

(52:09):
that documentary made me. I mean, I think one of
the things on it that was really wild is basically
hearing Pamela say that Tommy is still like her soulmate,
that no matter who she's married or who she has
dated since that man, she really feel like their relationships
don't work because it's not him, even though she know
when they get together it ain't nothing but a hurricane
and it's bad for both of them. That was some shit.

Speaker 2 (52:34):
It's that's I mean, that's mature. I mean, I guess
that's that's a mature perspective, like I love you, but
I gotta love you from a distance. The TV show
was called VIP by the way, Okay, thank.

Speaker 1 (52:44):
You because I was like Baywatch, but she had VIP too,
so let me find out. But VIP I felt endeared
to Pamela and I and it made me want for
her to win on her own terms. She got a
follow up.

Speaker 2 (52:58):
When he looked like for her at this point, I mean,
because I feel like she's one of those people who
got stuck, Like she didn't Kim Kardashi and her sex tape, right,
but she got stuck at that place in some ways.

Speaker 1 (53:12):
Yeah, I think like she definitely got a follow out
of me after that documentary. That's how much it emotionally
impacted me that I was like, let me follow her
on Instagram. So it's sort of like you're seeing her
slowly come out of her shell with like some events
that she's attending, some beginning like partnerships with brands kind
of thing. So I think she may still be figuring
that out, but it was nice to see that. It

(53:36):
was like, I want I want a win for you,
whatever that looks like for you, Pamela, I want you
to have that. Also, to close out our docuseries, I
want to talk about telemarketers on Max and this is
unfortunately a not best docuseries. They got me though, they
got me Calendra, they got me. This This documentary is

(53:57):
I don't know how to describe to you that it's
very bad. Their perspective is bad, Like I really feel
like I want someone else to produce a documentary about
telemarketing as an industry, about its underbelly. This was like
two homies who met in a telemarketing job that happened
to be corrupt, and partly it's about them trying to

(54:19):
reconnect with each other and partly about them trying to
understand what they were selling. And it went very slowly,
and it went very badly, but so bad that I
watched it until the end. So that is really our
not best docuseries of twenty twenty three. It's telemarketers. Okay,
I want to move on to a very specific reality
TV moment. I need to speak to you about Real

(54:42):
Housewives of New York the reboot.

Speaker 2 (54:44):
Do we have to do?

Speaker 1 (54:49):
You hate it?

Speaker 2 (54:49):
Colundru Do you hate it? Do you hate it? Like
this is what I need to know. Do you hate it?

Speaker 1 (54:57):
Or have you not even felt compelled to watch?

Speaker 2 (55:00):
Like discussed, but diversity doesn't go where you wanted.

Speaker 1 (55:13):
They tried.

Speaker 2 (55:15):
Not how you make the case for d I.

Speaker 1 (55:19):
Because okay, for those of you who are unfamiliar, who
are not housewives his okay, so our last season of
Real Housewives prior to this reboot, Real Housewives as a
real Housewives of New York was getting static that it's
in one of the most diversities in America, but the
cast itself was not diverse. They added Ebonie Williams, amby Lyon.

Speaker 2 (55:43):
I think this is her name, Ebonie Williams, who's been
being a terrorist out here in these streets.

Speaker 1 (55:48):
Garry added her.

Speaker 2 (55:50):
And she maybe as a lawyer, maybe as as.

Speaker 1 (55:56):
A professoral type, I don't know. She she felt like
she needed to take these white ladies through a workshop
on race, and inevitably what happened is racism jumped out,
like it was like all the racism was jumping out
some of them cast members, to the point that that

(56:18):
season did not have a reunion because so much racisms
had jumped out during her Shabbat Shalom meals that she
was trying to have to help these white women learn
how to exist, you know, in current America, that they
could not allow them to have a reunion and say

(56:39):
more racist things, to the point that I guess they
would just like scrap this whole thing.

Speaker 2 (56:45):
Let's get us a whole new cast. They be younger,
they be more diverse, and I'm gonna tell you, Kalindra
I'm voting for these girls. This stuff on Real Housewives
of New York the reboot. This is some real, rich,
white petty shit. Yes, these girls are fighting over cheese.

Speaker 1 (57:08):
Yes, that is the rich type of shit you watch
Real Housewives for had A.

Speaker 2 (57:16):
Yes, Calundra, they're giving that release season one vibes like,
it's very much Lisa Taylor, h what was Kelsey Grammar Camille.

Speaker 1 (57:26):
Yes, Camille, yes, sile Kim like it's.

Speaker 2 (57:30):
Giving that energy but twenty years.

Speaker 1 (57:33):
Younger, yes, very very I was like, these girls are
really having a fight. Aaron is about to cry that
these girls will not receive her caviar. She's really about
to be in tears that these girls would not receive
her caviar. Like I enjoy this type of petty thing.
I'm I'm rooting for these girls. I'm i'm, I'm, I'm

(57:55):
silently whispering. Is Atlanta ready to reboot? Because we're ready.

Speaker 2 (58:02):
And also, the what I will say, The thing about
all of these housewife franchises go usually like the redeeming
quality of New York even when it got crazy or boring,
is that at least they can dress. Now the mess

(58:24):
is pretentious, but it's also like new Money. You know,
it's the money. The ink is still drying on those bills,
and the wardrobe is chaotic, chaotic.

Speaker 1 (58:37):
It's really the wardrobe is giving a couple of characters
from selling Sunset. There's a couple of really specific characters
from selling Sunset that I'm like, do you have the
show houses wearing this?

Speaker 2 (58:48):
I mean, do the shoulder pads have to be that
much at an angle? Like?

Speaker 1 (58:52):
I don't think we need couture of this level to
sell a house. Like, so some people were trying. There
were some feathers involved. There were some feathers involved.

Speaker 2 (59:03):
There's literally every material involved, and that's part of the problem.
They were like, We're gonna have Feathersbee's tool and satin boom.

Speaker 1 (59:13):
It was just like oh, I was like, oh, we
try and try them. Okay, I got it, and try
it okay. My last category that I want to discuss
is best new show, And I want to start with
your thoughts about I think this is on Max Young Love,
which has been all over my everything, like everybody is talking.

(59:34):
I have not watched, but I want you to tell
us what are I want you to tell us. First
of all, generally, what are the vibes, what do you
love about it? And also I want you to really
convince me that I should watch an animated show, because
there is something in my mind sometimes that be like
it's animated, it's not for me, So please tell us everything.

Speaker 2 (59:52):
And I sidebar though real quick before we talk about
new shows. Speaking of things related to the Real Housewives
of New York but also that we're new this year
that we didn't get a chance to touch on was
Deconstructing Karen, which, if you're unfamiliar with Deconstructed Karen, it
was basically what emiy K Williams was trying to do

(01:00:12):
in the Real Housewives of New York. But basically this
Indian woman and this black woman would have these dinners
with these white women, trying to like make them better people,
and then they went on Doctor Phil and it all
fell apart. Anyway, So new show, Young Love on Max.
I still have to stop calling an HBO Max much
like hey, Twitter, but I'm like, it's Twitter, but it's okay.

(01:00:37):
So let me tell you. Matthew Cherry, who got the
Academy Award for this short Parry. Yes, yes, he now
has an animated series on HBO about it's told from
a little It's like ghetto Karma's world, but stay with me.
So tracking Basically, it's a little girl named Zuri who

(01:01:01):
her mama does hair and her daddy makes beats, and
they live in one of her grandparents' apartments on the
South side of Chicago, and she is all about like
creativity and the environment and experiments and like she's a
free spirit. And she's only like nine, and then like

(01:01:23):
her mama recently had cancer and daddy is just trying
to make it. But he's like a real musician who's
like trying to do He's like he's giving you most death,
He's giving you you comments, you know what I mean.
But he's got to make beats for like the little
yachties of the world. But he is like trying not
to sell his soul and then his like Homegirl voiced
by Tamar Braxton. Wow, its like, but you need to

(01:01:46):
get this money though, And like I say all of
this to say, who knew we needed like a hood
cartoon about adult issues poor children?

Speaker 1 (01:01:58):
Wow? I think I think it's the Four Children for me.
It's the four Children with the question mark for me
that tells me everything I needed to know, thank you,
m It's.

Speaker 2 (01:02:08):
I don't know. I think it's like supposed to be
a family show. Yeah, I thoroughly enjoy it. The east
Ray voices the mom. Her mom is voiced by Loretta Devine.
I mean, it's just it's topsire, you know what I mean?

(01:02:31):
Like they held nothing back. Young Love is worth it
to watch. I don't know who is for, but it's
for everybody.

Speaker 1 (01:02:44):
I really like that as an endorsement. I don't know
who it's for, but it is for everybody. Okay, you
can you talk about well Mania because you mentioned this
and I don't know anything about this show, so I
really need you to tell because like I saw this
and really went to my little you know cue, like
why is this not in my cue? Like tell us

(01:03:04):
tell us about well Mania? Why is it one of
the best new shows?

Speaker 2 (01:03:07):
So let me tell you about how I enjoy a
dysfunctional white girl is ruining her life, docuseries really anything
in that category, and so well Mania. But let me
tell you where well Mania does it better. Because well

(01:03:28):
Mania has heart and you're and it shows you yourself
in a lot of ways. Because what well Mania is
is it's about It's a show about this woman who
is a food journalist who is burning the candle at
both ends, and she goes home for her brother's wedding

(01:03:50):
in Australia. She's living in New York, but she goes
home to Australia for her brother's wedding and she ends
up collapses and basically she can't get medical clearance to
be able to fly to leave the country to go
back to New York. And she's trying to audition for

(01:04:12):
a role as a judge on a new TV a
new TV show. It would be it would basically be
like she would be auditioning for the Food Network, right right.
So we see her basically fighting and doing everything possible
not to have to take care of herself. She's trying
to master wellness so that she can get the medical

(01:04:33):
clearance to get on the plane to get back, and
all the hijiinks, hilarity and foolishness that ensues is also
coupled with the fact that she has to address unresolved
childhood traumas and other things like that. And they left
us on such a cliff cliffhanger in the last episode.
I'm not gonna give anything away. Everything I've said is

(01:04:55):
not giving anything away. You just got to watch it unfold.
But they left us on such a cliffhanger. If Netflix
does not renew well Mania for at least one more season,
we must riot because what they not gonna do is
leave us where they left us. I support it's unacceptable.

Speaker 1 (01:05:12):
I support this as a reason I do. I'm glad
you told me about this so I can add this
to my to my cue. I have enjoyed Survival of
the Thickest on Netflix as a new show. I mean,
I'm already like whatever whatever Michelle Buteau doing. Yes, I
don't care. She got a shoe line. Yes, it's a
lot of wigs. I don't even wear a wig. Yes whatever,

(01:05:33):
Michelle Buttel says she's doing. Sure, Yes, interested this this
television show. It just was so heartwarming and somehow about
boundaries and inclusion and loving oneself. I just hmmm and
hilarious and her and the best friend, like, oh, all

(01:05:53):
the all the all the like. Other characters that were
like supporting characters were also very interesting, wonderfullet interesting lives.
Oh okay, with the olive oil everywhere, like the room
based hair was laid.

Speaker 2 (01:06:12):
I don't know who, I don't know what black person
in the hair department was doing that white girl's hair,
but it was badulous. Her hair was laid every scene.
But she was weird.

Speaker 1 (01:06:23):
She was so strange. I was like, she's like the
perfect like foil in this situation. I loved that. I
loved There were just a few moments of that show
that I specifically wanted small video clips of, like when
Shelby told When Shelby Toe said I'm gonna mind my
business and water my plants, I was like, yes, let's
do that. Then she had sexual encounter one a many

(01:06:46):
with this man who had this New York accent that
sounded like he could have been the extra member of
Wu Tang, And some things go on that ruined the
sexual moment. And when she stepped out of the bathroom
and said, I'm higher and my titties are heavy, and
he said, let me be your titty assistant, I was like,

(01:07:10):
wena shop you to Yes, I'm Survival of the Thickest.
Really gave me some things, y'all, I can't listen. Me
and Colundia don't even have time to tell y'all everything.
We just gonna leave y'all with this. And then me
and Clundra A gonna talk about some other reality TV
things as a bonus episode, so if you are on
my Patreon, the bonus episode will be there for you

(01:07:31):
to listen to. CLUNDRIU, you are the absolute best. Thank
you so much for being here and talking TV with me.
It's always great. I feel like I feel like, really,
even if I wasn't doing this on the podcast, I
would still be trying to beg you to come on
my IG or something and be like, let's just go
on live so you can just we could talk publicly.

Speaker 2 (01:07:49):
Yes, I love this is so fun because it's fun
because I love the range of TV that we both watch. Yes,
we will run the board.

Speaker 1 (01:08:01):
It's true and you always say things that I'm like, oh,
I hadn't thought about watching that, or you or if
we both watch you always have like a different perspective
on it that I'm always like, hmmm, I could see
why Colundra said that. So thank you again for this, COLUNDRAA.
We hope we gave y'all some recommendations so that y'all
can you know, get your get your TV washing together.
While we hope that they gonna pay the actors fairly

(01:08:24):
so that whatever TV is in the pipeline can get made.
That is our next hopes is that the people that's
supposed to be getting paid to make TV can get
paid the appropriate, fairly, the rates that they deserve. That's
what we want. So thank you so much, CALUNDRAA.

Speaker 2 (01:08:41):
Your best, Thank you, your best.

Speaker 1 (01:08:57):
Her with Amina Brown is produced by Matt Owen for
Solography Productions as a part of the Seneca Women Podcast
Network in partnership with iHeartRadio. Thanks for listening and don't
forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.