With Thanksgiving coming up this week, you might find yourself with some extra time to knock some binge-watching out of the way. You might even have to cancel time with family in order to do so, but never your time with gravy. This week takes us to the world of comic books, Los Angeles and an imaginative neighborhood. Enjoy some turkey with these new-to-streaming choices.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
It seems like a no-brainer that ABC could spin a hit out of a TV series based on the relatively secret agency S.H.I.E.L.D. that keeps the Marvel superheroes connected, but it almost didn’t seem like it would happen for the first chunk of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s first season. Things picked up swiftly, however, once Captain America: The Winter Soldier came out in theaters and the Marvel Universe was impacted on both the big and small screen. Relive this entire first season, as Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson introduces new recruit Skye (Chloe Bennet) to the world of chuckle-worthy heroism, which is filled out by May (Ming-Na Wen), Grant (Brett Dalton), Leo (Iain De Caestecker) and Jemma (Elizabeth Henstridge). Especially memorable are the guest spots from Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter, Neal McDonough’s Dum Dum Dugan and Patton Oswalt as Eric and Billy Koenig.
The entire first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. can be found on Netflix Instant.
If you’re a fan of comedy so awkward that it gives you a week-long twitch in one eye, then Stephen Merchant’s short-lived HBO series Hello Ladies is for you. The series was cancelled earlier this year, but was granted a feature-length series capper, simply titled Hello Ladies: The Movie. In it, lead love-seeker Stuart (Merchant) creates a ridiculous scenario that has him pretending to date his tenant Jessica (Christine Woods) in order to impress his U.K. ex, who is in L.A. with her significant other. The series, which Merchant created with Office vets Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, was as hilarious as it was clunky and silly, and this swan song is exactly what fans should be waiting for. Watch out for a pretty impressive cameo from one Nicole Kidman.
Hello Ladies: The Movie debuted on HBO on Saturday, November 22, and is available on HBO Go.
Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street
The people behind the scenes at Amazon Studios are having a great year, with the acclaimed Transparent releasing its stellar first season, while the underseen Alpha House put forth its second season just last month. For viewers too young for transgender parents and political satire, the Amazon Original Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street is here to prove the streaming site understands its younger demographic just as well as the adults. Gortimer Gibbons centers on the titular preteen (Sloane Morgan Siegel) and his friends Ranger (Drew Justice) and Mel (Ashley Boettcher), and follows them on their somewhat magical adventures in their neighborhood, include incidents with a mysterious woman, a ghostly bookmobile and a super science project. This series would feel right at home alongside early 1990s live-action Nickelodeon shows, and its all-ages appeal makes it seem like a future cult classic. Here’s hoping Amazon realizes the genius that they have in creator David Anaxagoras.
All six episodes of Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street can be found on Amazon Prime.
And when you’re done with all of these, hit the next page to find more new-to-streaming shows that might be up your alley.
