What to consider if you don’t want to think about the choice

The fate of the country is at stake today, in case you haven’t heard. It’s been an anxious few months, and that anxiety will peak in the next 18 hours (at least) or (God forbid) the next few days. Some of you geeks will get stuck on CNN, MSNBC or whatever – but with all due respect to my son Wolf Blitzer, I’m not that masochistic. The uncertainty is enough to kill any chance of real productivity (hello, editors!); The best course of action, in my opinion, is to turn on the TV.

But the bottom line is that you can’t just watch anything – this moment requires real escapism. No shots at the Max marketing team, but there’s something sinister about it Veep was the first thing to appear on the app’s homepage in recent weeks. The idea that reality seems to be following in this show’s footsteps isn’t exactly comforting. I also remember the time in the winter of 2016 when, alone in my apartment after the election, I decided to do a Cold Watch trip (so no real prior knowledge of the plot or anything other than the vaguest idea that it was a thriller). ) with Jeremy Saulniers Green rooma viewing experience that left me deeply disturbed and depressed – ten percent because of the “Anton Yelchin in one of his final roles” factor, 90 percent because, as crazy as the film is, it’s like watching it in today’s Middle Western people being slaughtered by neo-Nazis America hardly felt fictional in that moment.

So I’m not sure what I’m going to choose today, but I’m going to aim for something that doesn’t remind me in any way of our current political landscape, right Past turbulent political landscapes, our potentially dystopian future, or anything else that might push me over the edge we are all teetering on at the moment. In the meantime, here are some counterprogramming suggestions for tomorrow—nine random, streamable things that might help distract you from the fate of the world as we know it.

1. Donnie Darko

Still a bit more emo and dark than the vibe we’re going with today, but it’s a fall classic that I try to watch again and again this time of year.

2. Stepmother

Speaking of films that are just inherently so feel Like fall…as the end of the year quickly approaches, those of us with taste know that this is an all-time tear-jerking holiday season. Julia Roberts at her best, Susan Sarandon still the dominant veteran… that’s how it is Watch the throne the white fear of the upper middle class.

3. Gilmore Girls

Another elite rewatch favorite from White Plight/Autumn, but much less sad. I can’t in good conscience call this WB classic underrated, but I feel like it’s not included in enough pantheon conversations. The dialogue, the world-building – these deserve to be in the Golden Age speeches as much as they are in the staples. Diving into Stars Hollow at any point during the first five seasons probably feels like an alternate reality America at this point.

4. South side

Someone recently reposted the Coretta Scott King clip, which is probably one of the top five funniest scenes on television from the last five years. This great show deserves greater recognition and a longer run, but at least if you lame it. Check it out before the three hilarious seasons from which it mysteriously emerged are soon deleted.

5. English teacher

Maybe the best new show on TV right now? Enrico Colantoni steals every episode as the perpetually annoyed leading man, but Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jordan Firstman have quietly crafted one of the best new modern romances on television. I haven’t been able to get “Boyfy” out of my head since the season finale; Get on while the train still has space.

6. Yellowjackets

The second season pissed me off, but there’s a third season coming next spring and I plan on sticking with it – but at this point I remember next to nothing other than the broad storylines. This is the kind of show that only works if you know the story in every detail. So if I’m going to wait for a comeback, I might as well commit to a complete rewatch so I can go into the story completely refreshed.

7. Severance pay

The same applies to Severance paywhich felt like it was broadcast for the last time during the last presidential election. However, Season 2 is finally starting early next year, so again, this is either a rousing situation for anyone who’s heard the talk but never took the plunge, or a good time to get yourself up to speed before committing getting back into whatever the hell is going on Keep up the plot and Patricia Arquette’s weird Victorian accent.

8. curiosity

This Irish horror indie hit had a huge impact over the summer, but I only read it last month during spooky season. It’s not perfect, and anyone who’s ever seen a movie before can hone in on the plot after about 20 minutes, but it still feels like a fun swing.

9. entourage

This is the 30-minute classic series that Max should have distributed on the app since it just celebrated its 20th anniversary last summer. I could write an entire column about love entourage deserves, the brilliance for which it is often not given due credit, and that anyone who can only praise it as a “guilty pleasure” lacks a sophisticated palette. (And maybe I will, too.) But for today’s purposes, you really can’t get more escapist than “Hollywood Fantasia.” (However, I’m now imagining an election week episode: much to the boys’ anti-PC chagrin, Vince dates an overly woke Gen Z’er who leads him to express political sentiments on Tiktok; Ari worries that he… Too political will hinder Vince’s star power; Drama is an unabashed conservative, but is left reeling when the Democratic candidate turns out to be a Viking Quest fan, and the gang finds out that Turtle was never there Everything comes to a head at a rally when Turtle finds out seconds before he goes on stage that Vince’s girlfriend has posted a litany of previous racist tweets, and he backs out at the last minute.)