A new year and multiple of shows either returning to our screens or introducing themselves to us for the first time. If you didn’t spend that in-between time, you know those days between Christmas and New Year lying in front of your TV, stroking your belly that’s accommodating new layers of fat from all the indulgence, now’s the time to catch up on all the shows you’ve missed, while you run on the treadmill in the packed gym to which you impulse-subscribed.

Three of the much-loved books I read in the last few years have been adapted into TV shows, and none of them suck.

This is Going to Hurt

First up we have the absolutely hilarious: This Is Going to Hurt.
This is the only book ever that has had me in fits of laughter. Proper LOLed (Gen Zers, that’s Laugh Out Loud in Millennial lingo) in bed and went on to buy every single thing Adam Kay has written.

Kay’s memoir from his days as an OBGYN resident in the NHS in the early noughties translates well onto the screen. The story runs beautifully from patient to patient with major bumps and potholes along the way. Actor Ben Whishaw does a splendid job of portraying Adam Kay himself and his struggles as a young doctor in the overwhelmingly understaffed NHS where the only thing keeping the healthcare workers there is not the Oath they’ve taken but the genuine sense of responsibility to help their patients.

The show takes some liberties and diverges from the book, but since the screenplay is written by Kay himself, this is forgiven. The topic of death by suicide amongst doctors and healthcare workers is portrayed painfully yet beautifully, leaving the audience with a newfound sense of appreciation for what goes on in the corridors of hospitals.

A must-watch if you have access to BBC iPlayer or a VPN for that matter, or a Disney Plus account.

Everything I Know About Love

I got to know Dolly Alderton through the podcast she co-hosted with journalist Pandora Sykes, The High Low. A semi-relaxed, but well-researched podcast talking about everything from highbrow to lowbrow (get the title reference?) So, when her book came out, I didn’t hesitate to add it to my Amazon cart (I know, I know, buying from independent bookshops is much more moral these days, but I was living in Miami at the time and getting a small bookshop top order a not very well-known British author wasn’t the fastest way to get a book in my hands). Anyhow, I diverge.

The show is based on Alderton’s memoir of the same name and follows a 24-year-old Maggie (basically Dolly: height, big eyes, fringe, and all) as she explores the life of a millennial in 2012 in Camden. Living with three other young women from different walks of life, Maggie either faces the issues of a middle-class educated Londoner, or has a rude-awakenings to topics such as race, class, and gender. Or at least Alderton tries to showcase such diversity in her works.

As a critic of the common perception of Creative Writing and Creative Writers, and how one must only write about their own experiences and what they have been exposed to especially when it comes to diversity, I can’t blame Alderton for not including more diverse characters or challenging plotlines. This is what she as a white, privately educated, upper-middle class, traditionally attractive woman was exposed to in London.
There’s a lot of drinking, drugs, and sex, and there are many “what the hell is she thinking” moments only to be succeeded with an eye-roll each time she manages to escape an awkward or even career-ending scenario unscathed. While she does try to acknowledge and address her ignorance in a couple of episodes (more like a few minutes in a couple of episodes), there’s much left to be desired. Especially since each episode starts with
“This work is inspired by real-life events and real people (but fictionalised when life didn’t offer a good enough story”

giving the writer the liberty of creating more conversation for said ignorance. It seems like Alderton not only wasn’t exposed to much diversity, she has no problem with the ignorance her privilege affords her and she is in no rush to change that any time soon.

Come to think of it, this is kind of the British version of Girls. And knowing how much Alderton admires Lena Dunham, it doesn’t surprise me how similar the series turned out to be.

Love Life

Then we have the second season of Love Life to recommend. The first season starring Anna Kendrick was ok, although a bit too flat for me.
In the second season, we follow Marcus, an Africa- American (I mention his race as it plays an important role in his love life) thirty-something-year-old as he navigates love and his career in an America, tainted by the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd.

I enjoyed this season more than the first one, merely because of the more serious subjects it dealt with. William Jackson isn’t the best actor for this role as he fails to show the emotions linked to each event of his life, and if we’re comparing him to his very animated predecessor, Anna Kendrick, he falls short in conveying feelings. But still, it’s worth a watch.
And of course, one of my favourite Iranian actors, Arian Moayed, stars as the rich best friend (Moayed is an actor I’ve come to respect immensely since the beginning of the Iranian revolution, because of his activism and support).

Conversations with Friends

I have to be honest, I’m not done watching this one. The reason is that it’s not that exciting, but this is not a shortcoming of the actors or director but merely how the book was written.

The much-acclaimed “Normal People” author, Sally Rooney’s debut novel, was perhaps not as much of a success as its successor (but much better received than her third novel. As a Rooney fan myself, I couldn’t get through the first 100 pages even) but if you do enjoy awkward silences and complicated human relationships, this might tickle your fancy. Although if you’re hoping to feel the same level of emotional involvement as what Normal People (the show) provoked), you may be disappointed.

I may or may not be watching it solely for the purpose of seeing Girls (was just talking about it in the previous slide) and Sex Education’s Jemima Kirke.

The White Lotus

The much anticipated second season came out in late 2022 and it did not disappoint.
Even though I’d like to say Jennifer Coolidge carried the entire show, not to diss the other actors but to just confirm her utter charm and talent, I have to give credit to every single actor on this show. Absolute banger this one.

White Lotus does one thing absolutely well and that is present characters that are all unlikable in their own way, yet you just can’t hate them. They are both relatable and unrelatable, unbearable and addictive, and superficial and deep at the same time. And this is the genius of Mike White in creating such a storyline where the most cartoonish of characters become real and familiar.

While economic privilege is the main divider between the characters of this story, they all unite in proving one thing; how screwed up the human psyche is. The ego we all possess but carry in different forms is well illustrated throughout the show.

And if that’s not enough to pull you into binging the show, the lush Sicilian scenery and the sweet and sexy Italian accents of the Italian actors will definitely be an incentive.

Coolidge won an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and two Critic’s Choice awards for her role as Tanya, and deservedly so. If you want to laugh, go watch her Emmy acceptance speech from last year.

You can watch The White Lotus on HBO Max.

Scenes From a Marriage

I won’t lie, I’m still watching this series. It takes me a while to finish one episode because of the weight of the issues discussed. From infidelity to power balance in a relationship to abortion to the challenges of monogamy and polyamory, this show doesn’t shy away from the difficult stuff…
The main attraction for me is the absolute artistry, skill, and talent of Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac. Each and every thought can be read from the wave of emotion that glides on their faces during the many close-ups. The body language is immaculate and the chemistry is divine.

Do watch this if you like drama and are interested in the dynamics of human relationships.
Available on HBO Max.

And to wrap up this month’s recommendations, let’s end with a silly one.

People We Hate at The Wedding

The cast is hilarious (Kristen Bell, Ben Platt, and Allison Janney to name a few) and the story is funny. So if you’re looking for something to kick back with your bowl of pasta and a beer, and not have to pay too much attention to its depth, this may be the one.

Available on Amazon Prime Video

That’s it for this month. Happy Bindulgeing!