What I'm Watching: Poker Face, That '90s Show, Sparkler, and More

On five movies, five great reads, three shows, and two podcast episodes.

Laura Prepon, Debra Jo Rupp, Topher Grace, That ‘90s Show, Netflix

Here’s everything I watched this week, and what I thought about it:

The TV shows:

• I’m honestly confused about whether or not I’m allowed to talk about Poker Face on here yet (is one line of this newsletter technically a review? Or is it social media? Press embargoes are fun), but for now, I recommend checking out the trailer for the Columbo-esque Natasha Lyonne-led mystery series that comes courtesy of Knives Out director Rian Johnson. It’ll be on Peacock later this week, and I’ll have a full review to share next week.

• I also have a review for That ‘90s Show coming soon. I was really enamored by Netflix’s That ‘70s Show sequel series! If you didn’t consider the original sitcom a comfort watch, you likely won’t get much if anything from this show. But if you were a fan, the new one pretty effortlessly carries the sweet, geeky, and comedic spirit of the original — plus, most of the ‘70s Show cast makes an appearance!

• I’m catching up on You ahead of the new season and (so far) this psycho-killer romance is much better than I remembered when I watched season one years back. It’s darkly funny in a way that’s borderline satirical, and Penn Badgley is in on the joke in a brilliant way. Smart and stupid all at once, like some of the most fun TV is.

The movies:

• It was another niche movie week for me as I caught up on some very specific watches for a queer Valentine’s Day trivia podcast I’ll be appearing on next month. On the syllabus: pretty much this whole list, including the softly-lit and sensitively told British lesbian rom-com Imagine Me & You.

• Also, Sparkler, a long-lost gem from 1997 that has just this month finally made it to VOD. This low-budget Vegas-set comedy-drama comes from the director of Jawbreaker, stars Freddie Prinze Jr. and Scream favorite Jamie Kennedy, and would be a great double feature with To Wong Foo.