Hey, just what you need: More TV to watch! Here's what we're watching right now at Mercury HQ, which is another way of saying here's what we think you should be watching right now.
Ciara Dolan, Senior Editor
I totally missed this when it came out in November, but Cam is a smart thriller about a cam girl getting locked out of her account and losing her identity to a mysterious algorithm. It depicts online sex work as a competitive art form, and never roots its horror in cautionary moralism (probably because it was written by former cam girl Isa Mazzei). Instead, Cam's focus is on the terror of having your primary source of income stolen and having no support from law enforcement, as well as the blurred line between a performer's persona and their "real" identity. (Available on Netflix)
Chipp Terwilliger, Calendar Editor
I’m not usually one for late-night talk shows, but Showtime’s Desus & Mero instantly entered the realm of must-watch television when it premiered last month. As someone who fell in love with the Bronx-born comedians via their popular Viceland series, I’m happy to report that the show’s transition to a weekly format is off to a fantastic start. Desus Nice and The Kid Mero begin each episode by recapping the week’s major news, politics, pop culture, and sports happenings with razor-sharp wit and and an effortless rapport before rolling into an expanded interview segment. The first few episodes feature appearances from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Don Cheadle, Vince Staples, and Ben Stiller—if you’re looking for a breath of fresh air when it comes to the late-night formula, give the Bodega Boys a shot when Thursday night rolls around. (Showtime)
Jenni Moore, Copy Chief
I recently finished watching the first two seasons of Hip-Hop Evolution on Netflix. I wasn’t sure it would be any good, until I watched the first episode and saw that documentarian, rapper, and broadcaster Shad sits down and has one-on-ones with hip-hop legends to help tell the history (and evolution) of hip-hop since it was born in the Bronx. You get to see interviews with hip-hop heroes like Grand Master Flash, DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Doug E. Fresh, the Sugarhill Gang, Rakim, N.W.A., Ice T, LL. Cool J, and more; told chronologically, the series gives hip-hop fans and students a better understanding of how the culture has developed, and the artistic forces that have pushed it forward. (Netflix)
Suzette Smith, Arts Editor
There’s a new season of Queer Eye and it hit me right in my cold, stone heart. The show—a modern version of the ’00 series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy where five gay men give life and style makeovers—has proved an uplifting breath of fresh air since its debut, but this third season is somehow more posi, more fresh than ever! Queer Eye follows an extremely conventional reality TV story arc (A person is sad. Karamo Brown talks to them. Bobby Berk remodels their house. A person is fixed.) so I’ve been fascinated by the occasional article about how much of the Fab5 experience is cut from every episode. I wish I could be in the room for editing choices about which of Jonathan Van Ness' screams to include. (The amount of JVN screaming in season 3 is perfectly balanced.) Also, Bobby gets real about adoption and found families. Tan France wears a construction tape belt that I have no right to judge. Antoni Porowski can only hear criticism from people who will also willingly jump around in leather pants. THE TEAM GETS A DOG—Bruley, the French bulldog of one of the producers, Michelle Siva. There’s a ton of product placement and not enough discussion about how much the makeovers actually cost, but it’s still a real sweetheart of a show. (Netflix)
