Stream On This Week: Alan Ritchson Doesn’t Need Words to Get Vengeance

Welcome to the latest issue of Stream On, the weekly newsletter from Consequence that answers the eternally confounding question: What films and TV shows should you be watching? (Subscribe here!) We’re looking at all the new and recent releases from Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Prime Video, Paramount+, Peacock, HBO Max, and more for ideas — not to mention a Blast From the Past and streaming recommendations from this week’s special guests — Erika Alexander and Precious Way from The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins!

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This Week’s Picks

Motor City (Film)

Directed by: Potsy Ponciroli
Cast: Alan Ritchson, Ben Foster, Pablo Schreiber, Lionel Boyce, Shailene Woodley
Streaming on: AMC+

Even in the lull between seasons of Reacher, there are no shortage of opportunities to watch Alan Ritchson murder dudes. Such as Motor City, a solid vengeance thriller that makes exactly one choice that’s become a tired trope (especially in the age of streaming originals): It opens with a dramatic, tantalizing taste of the climax, before rewinding time to reveal how the story began.

Otherwise, though, it’s a real breath of fresh air thanks to a trope that’s far less tired: Beyond a few scattered lines of dialogue, director Potsy Ponciroli and writer Chad St. John keep the movie almost entirely word-free — instead relying on every other tool in the filmmaker’s kit (shot composition, acting choices, production design) to tell the story. There are flashbacks to reveal key character details, fantasy sequences to communicate certain emotions, and some fantastic bits of direction which help communicate pretty much all of the major beats. Like, at one point Shailene Woodley uses a coffee cup to reveal a whole character journey in the space of one scene. All that and the action throughout freaking rips? Hell yes.

The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins Season 2 (TV)

Created by: Robert Carlock & Sam Means
Cast: Tracy Morgan, Erika Alexander, Precious Way, Jalyn Hall, Bobby Moynihan, Daniel Radcliffe
Streaming on: Peacock

The beautiful thing about a comedy like The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins getting a second season is that it gives the show the opportunity to continue refining the things it does best. And that’s exactly what’s going on with this Tina Fey-produced NBC mockumentary, which shows real signs of becoming a true powerhouse with its return.

What really stands out about Season 2 is how much the ensemble as a whole has evolved: Tracy Morgan does what he does beautifully, and I also confess that I laugh almost every time Daniel Radcliffe opens his mouth on this show. He’s just so earnest! (There’s an upcoming episode where he discovers the joys of properly seasoned food that had me dying.) However, these new episodes also really let the talents of the supporting cast shine… We’ll get to that a bit later in this newsletter.

It Gets Worse (TV)

Created by: Leo Reich
Cast: Leo Reich, Emily Fairn, Olive Gray, Zadie Smith
Streaming on: Paramount+

While we wait for FX’s Adults to get renewed for Season 3 (what the hell, FX, get a move on that), here’s some new fresh twenty-something messiness imported from England: It Gets Worse was created by comedian Leo Reich, and stars him, Emily Fairn, and Olive Gray as best friends trying to sort out their lives (like, for example, where they’re all meant to live). Adding some big-name appeal are guest stars like Andrew Scott and Lena Dunham, not to mention the narration by acclaimed novelist Zadie Smith. Smith’s dry narration never fails to give the calamities faced by these characters a refreshing outside perspective; something we could all use in our twenties, at one point or another.

The Gilded Age Season 4 (TV)

Created by: Julian Fellowes
Cast: Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton, Taissa Farmiga, Harry Richardson, Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Debra Monk, Dennis Haysbert, Jim Gaffigan, Elizabeth Marvel, Adrienne Warren, Bill Camp, Phylicia Rashad (a condensed list)
Streaming on: HBO Max

Yes, The Gilded Age is luxuriously made premium television. It is also delicious camp and it knows it. Why else would creator Julian Fellows orchestrate things so that at the start of Season 4, there’s a new power couple and it’s Christine Baranski’s gay son and a former scheming ladies’ maid-turned-widow — you had better believe they’re gonna throw the best parties. Half of Broadway guest-stars on this show at one point or another (the cast is releasing a Christmas album!) and I can only hope that this season includes more carriage carnage, lost virtue, and scandallllll.

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Blast From the Past

The home screens of streaming services are always packed with the latest new releases, but we don’t spend enough time appreciating how much good library content is streaming across all of these platforms. Each week, Stream On will spotlight one less-than-new favorite (must pre-date the founding of Consequence, so 15 years or older) that deserves attention from modern-day eyes.

Three Men and a Baby (Film)

Directed by: Leonard Nimoy (yes, that one!)
Cast: Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson, Margaret Colin, Celeste Holm, Nancy Travis, Philip Bosco, Paul Guilfoyle, Cynthia Harris
Streaming on: Disney+

This weekend, the A24 indie comedy Club Kid hits theaters with a semi-timeless tale: What happens when a very gay club promoter finds out that he has a biological son he now has to care for? It’s a charming crowd-pleaser, and for younger generations, the obvious comparison point would be the Adam Sandler favorite Big Daddy (streaming now on Netflix).

But I wanted to go back a little earlier to this less-remembered blockbuster, starring Ted Danson, Tom Selleck, and Steve Guttenberg as three swingin’ dudes whose lives and New York apartment are transformed forever when someone dumps a baby on their doorstep. Yes, this movie’s primary engine for comedy is “lol omg a MAN is changing a BABY’S DIAPER wtf” but honestly, this trio of actors makes it work and it holds up far better than you might expect in today’s climate. I also enjoy the low-key stakes and sweet romance that comes in the sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady. Danson, Selleck, and Guttenberg: The original (platonic) polycule?

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A Special Guest Recommends!

Liz isn’t the only person in the world capable of suggesting stuff for people to watch… So each week, Stream On will now feature picks from a special guest! Said special guest could be literally anyone from the world of entertainment — actors, writers, directors, musicians, or anyone else Liz thinks might be watching something interesting.

This Week: Erika Alexander and Precious Way!

Who Are They? When celebrating the cast of The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, attention really must be paid to Erika Alexander and Precious Way, who really get a chance to stretch and grow in the second season; while watching the new episodes NBC has released so far, I lost count of how many punchlines each of them nailed.

Erika and Precious play Reggie’s ex-wife Monica and fiancée Brina, respectively, a relationship the show has chosen to explore in really rich ways. “I think people expected something else — the cat fight, we call it,” Erika said via Zoom. “But there’s a mutual respect that’s, you know, game respects game. And there’s also the heart of the show, that guarantees that they’re not there to destroy themselves or each other. It’s called The Fall and Rise. We’re on redemption road. So, that’s what our north star is, redemption and rise and the better nature of ourselves.”

From Precious’s perspective, she feels that her character “just adores being a part of this family. She loves Reggie so much that everybody else is just an extension of that love. And she really admires Monica. She’s this powerful woman — she’s this agent, she’s built this empire, and a big part of Brina wants to be able to do something like that herself.” The really cool thing about Reggie Dinkins​: All of the character dynamics on this show are this well-developed. It’s great!

What Do They Recommend? Both women had some fun picks — right out of the gate, Precious mentioned enjoying Paradise (Hulu) and the legal drama Reasonable Doubt (Hulu), which just recently debuted its fourth season. In fact, if anyone from the Reasonable Doubt team is reading this, please consider Precious as a future guest star: “I’m a big fan of the show,” she said. “They should have me on there.”

It’s not available on streaming yet, but Erika shouted out the very empathetic and smart action flick Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother (available on VOD via Apple and Amazon), which stars Mahershala Ali as a father/hitman. She also mentioned the recent series remake of The ‘Burbs (Peacock): “I love Keke [Palmer], and I love that they remade that with her in it.

Additionally, Precious revealed that their co-star Daniel Radcliffe is a fan of The Traitors (Peacock). Specifically, she said, “I have seen an episode of The Traitors because he was like, ‘You have to see it. You have to.’ So I watched it. And it is good.”

Thank you so much to Erika and Precious for these picks! The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins is streaming now on Peacock, with new episodes debuting Tuesdays.

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One Last One Before Bed

Finally, let’s spotlight a movie or TV show that’s not only great, but won’t take up too much of your time: Think of this section as the answer to the question “What’s something I can watch before hitting the hay, that won’t keep me up too late?” The only rule is that it has to be less than 95 minutes if it’s a movie, or less than 30 minutes an episode if it’s a TV show. Otherwise, sky’s the limit!

Minimum Wage (TV)

Created by: Jeremy Garelick, Will Phelps
Cast: Aidan Micho, Grace Reiter, Hyde Healy, Julia Dicesare, Luke Burke, Ryan Micho, Tommy Armstrong, Randall Park
Streaming on: Netflix

Not everything made by the production team known as American High is an instant favorite of mine, but their batting average is pretty decent, and Pizza Movie delighted me a lot earlier this year. The new comedy series Minimum Wage marks another win, a lowkey but often quite funny The Office riff for high schoolers with episodes that range from 13 to 20 minutes. Set inside a struggling pizza place, the show stands out for the way it really is a situational comedy (yes, there’s a reason we call them sitcoms), with each of the 14 episodes telling its own little mini-story, the way shows used to work in the old days. (Also, that’s right, fourteen episodes! It’s a streaming miracle.)

We’ll be back next week with more picks — in the meantime, stay safe out there, or better yet stay inside, where it’s definitely safe, and there’s so much film and TV to watch. Be sure to subscribe to the newsletter!