Is Zombies the most overrated TV Trope?
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There are roughly 47,000—oh, wait, a new Netflix Original just dropped; make that 47,001—TV shows and movies coming out each week. Obsessed believes it is our social duty and obligation to make sure you only see the best.
We’ve already got a variety of in-depth, exclusive coverage on all of your streaming favorites and new releases, but sometimes what you’re looking for is a simple Do or Don’t. That’s why we created See/Skip, to tell you exactly what our writers think you should See and what you can Skip from the past week’s crowded entertainment landscape.
See: The Last of Us
The Last of Us It is a great horror-thriller series. Amazing set pieces, a compelling story and two memorable lead performances will make you reconsider game-to-screen adaptations.
Here’s Nick Schager’s take:
“As heartbreakingly faithful as it is riveting and suspenseful, The Last of Us This is a triumph which ends all debates about the best videogame adaptation. It was spearheaded and directed by acclaimed PlayStation title’s creator Neil Druckmann and Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin, and designed to satisfy fans and newbies alike, the series is a post-apocalyptic nightmare that, as with its source, is at once familiar and original, action-packed and mournful. Barring some Armageddon-grade calamity, it seems destined to be HBO’s next big blockbuster.
HBO’s Masterful ‘The Last of Us’ Is the Best Video Game Adaptation Ever
Fittingly, given its harsh settings, the series’ violence is sudden, brutal, and final, and its moments of joy are all the more poignant for being muted and brief. In this hellscape of fascists and fanatics, bombed-out cities, and barren plains, hope routinely breeds fear, both for one’s own safety and for the safety of others. More shattering still, those who’ve made it to the conclusion of Druckmann’s first game know that finding purpose and meaning (and, most valuable of all, family) can sometimes turn out to be a double-edged sword.”
See: Velma
Velma is a delightfully silly, very grown-up origin story for everyone’s favorite (or least favorite) member of Mystery Inc. The biggest mystery is how so many punchlines can fit into one episode of half an hour.
Here’s Coleman Spilde’s take:
“Since 1969, the Mystery Inc. gang has tasked themselves with unmasking devious criminals dressed as ghostly specters. The Scooby-Doo franchise Over the course of 54 years, there have been many TV and film iterations. But it never lost its core focus. The franchise’s two most important stars, Scooby-Doo and Shaggy, along with their three white friends who follow the pair around shouting at them for eating large sandwiches while there are mysteries, has always been its main concern.
Gay and Raunchy ‘Velma’ Series Hilariously Reinvents ‘Scooby-Doo’ for Adults
So, when Velma Dinkley’s voiceover introduces her character to viewers in the latest franchise iteration, Velma—streaming Jan. 12 on HBO Max—any true Scooby Fan should celebrate. Finally, someone had the brilliant idea to push for a series focusing on Mystery Inc.’s real ringleader, the smartest and most memeable The whole bunch. No disrespect to Shaggy and Scooby, but there are only so many ‘Ruh-Roh’s and Scooby Snack jokes one can take before an eyelid goes into perma-twitch.
While we’re all stuck with prequel-itis These days Velma The reboots can be a bit tedious, but Mystery Inc. is a new, hilarious take. The show is fast-paced and ridiculous; even when it dips with a joke that would’ve been funnier five years ago, there’s another right around the corner. Velma is the perfect example of how beloved franchises can—and should—adapt through time.”
See: Drop
Drop—like all great comedies about horrible accidents made by miserable people—makes you laugh through gritted teeth while also feeling intensely grateful it didn’t happen to you.
Here’s Fletcher Peters’ take:
“Drop replicates the agitating buzzing of bratty rich people permeating television and film lately—with the shocking addition of a woman dropping a baby on its head and having a life crisis over the matter. Instead of taking issue with wealthy folks specifically, though, Hulu’s new satire prods at a more general cast of nuisances. The film feels like a neighboring exposé, criticizing anyone and everyone’s (but particularly Americans’) bad habit of disconnecting with the outside world—especially while visiting foreign lands.
In ‘The Drop,’ A Parent’s Worst Nightmare Comes True. It’s Hilarious.
Conversations about friendship, parenting, love and millennial hopelessness infuse the film with vulnerability and awkward humor. None of the arguments the film makes are all that deep—parenting should be taken seriously; sometimes it’s OK for friends to drift apart; marriage is a tricky beast; white people owning a Mexican resort is very bad; a stable sex life can be hard to keep up after years together—but that’s perfectly fine. We’ve seen similarly fun, thrilling films like Glass Onion and The Menu get steeped in discourseShe was criticized for being too on the nose. It is a fact that Drop doesn’t take itself too seriously should be a welcome revision of those films’ satirical approach.”
See: The Traitors
The Traitors This is the wildest game of celebrity Mafia. Anyone who had the brilliant idea to put Ryan Lochte, Alan Cumming, and a loose-lipped Real Housewife from Beverly Hills together in a Scottish home should be awarded a Kennedy Center award.
Here’s Kyndall Cunningham’s take:
“The TraitorsPeacock’s new reality competition show, “” could be a commentary on the dangerous human impulse to secondhand speculate. In the case of this show, at least, there’s a monetary incentive for the cast of competitors who assume the worst in each other based on how they talk or their lack of eye contact. (On the other side, I got). No For trying to figure out whether Harry Styles and Chris Pine they were fighting on the Don’t Worry Darling Press tour in 2013
If Americans Have Any Sense, ‘The Traitors’ Will Be Our Next Hit Reality Show
Here’s the premise: Imagine if you had all the money and resources to invite your friends to the Scottish Highlands for an elaborate, multi-day game of Mafia, with actor Alan Cumming there to give you instructions and dole out fancy Eyes Wide Shut Cloaks for your crew The Traitors is a deceit-based game where a bunch of reality stars and a few lay people—and Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, for some inexplicable reason—are split into two groups and essentially have to kill (eliminate) each other before members of the opposing group make it to the end.
Americans are known for their good taste The Traitors will hopefully be the next reality phenomenon to sweep the internet—and keep Peacock up and running, so I can have access to Bravo’s catalog forever. The series launched in the Netherlands 2021 and has been a huge success in Australia, the U.K, and elsewhere. Hopefully we’re in for 20 more seasons of this incredibly addictive spinoff.”
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