Stream On This Week: Young Adults, Rocking Vampires, and Some Under-the-Radar Dolly Parton Goodness

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 guest: Alicia Witt!

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This Week’s Picks

Adults Season 2 (TV)

Created by: Ben Kronengold, Rebecca Shaw
Cast: Malik Elassal, Lucy Freyer, Jack Innanen, Amita Rao, Owen Thiele
Streaming on: Hulu

I already liked the first season of FX’s tribute to being 25 and having no idea what you’re doing with your life. So how wonderful to find that the show really levels up with its second, much more confident in its storytelling and full of knowing winks to the shows that preceded it. Some great guest stars this season too, including Susie Essman, Raven-Symoné, Gaten Matarazzo, Ben Marshall, David Paymer, and Zosia Mamet (the latter giving a particularly unhinged performance). Oh and the K-pop episode is a true highlight. Just a really fun show, with a cast that shines individually and as a unit.

The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only LIVE (Concert Special)

Directed by: Andrew Molina
Cast: Sam Reid, Daniel Hart, Matthew Santos, Meg Toohey, Nelly Efron, Bobak Lotfipour
Streaming on: AMC+

For those who experienced FOMO when they heard about Sam Reid Lestat rocking the Beacon Theater back in June, good news is here: AMC filmed and edited the show for our viewing pleasure at home. Don’t expect an epic-length concert experience from this, or much stage banter — instead, it’s a tight 30-minute experience focused on the original songs from Season 3 of what we used to call Interview With the Vampire. Reid’s an incredibly committed performer, the band cooks, and there’s a fun little tag at the end. The show tends to release new seasons every two years, so it might be a bit of a wait for Season 4, aka Queen of the Damned. But we have this in the meantime.

Mary Beth Barone: Galaxy Brain (Comedy Special)

Directed by: Ky Newman
Cast: Mary Beth Barone
Streaming on: Netflix

Been meaning to mention this outstanding comedy special for a couple of weeks now — you might remember Mary Beth Barone from Prime Video’s Overcompensating, but even if you’re not familiar, you’ll still be able to enjoy her savage jokes wrapped in a gentle delivery. There’s some especially fantastic material on the state of comedy today, from her meta comments about the format of Netflix specials to a sharp poke at Chris D’Elia (who deserves it).

Conan O’Brien Must Go Season 3 (TV)

Created by: Conan O’Brien
Cast: Conan O’Brien
Streaming on: HBO Max

Season 3 of Conan O’Brien’s travelogue series once again delivers what the comedian does best while on the road: Making a silly-billy of himself in front of the people of the world, who sometimes have minimal patience with his antics. This new season brings us to India, The Netherlands, The Philippines, and Morocco (with episodes being released weekly) — occasionally, there’s the sense that O’Brien might be trying a little too hard with the bits, but then comes a scene where he’s genuinely engaging with the folks around him. That’s where things really click here.

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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.

Straight Talk (Film)

Directed by: Barnet Kellman
Cast: Dolly Parton, James Woods, Griffin Dunne, Michael Madsen
Streaming on: Hoopla

So we truly lost some greats this week, with the passing of Dolly Parton inspiring me to watch this fascinating little romantic comedy from 1992. Straight Talk is far from the most critically acclaimed movie on Parton’s IMDB — Roger Ebert accused it of “a failure of nerve” in his review — but I confess I savored Parton in the starring role. Basically, this movie is built on the premise that people would love a call-in radio show hosted by Dolly, which proves to be a rock-solid idea. The scenes featuring her doling out advice to strangers in need are delightful.

The only downside is that for some reason, the people who made this movie thought James Woods was the right choice for the male romantic lead. That’s right: James Woods. I’d rather watch a decaying raccoon try to kiss a woman. But he’s not in enough of the movie to truly ruin it, and the supporting cast is full of future stars like Teri Hatcher, Tracy Letts, Jeff Garlin, Jane Lynch, and Ron Livingston. Not a perfect watch, but a fantastic source of pure undiluted Dolly. There’s even a bit where “Shirlee” gives some kind and accepting advice to a trans woman who’s just decided to transition. In 1992!

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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: Alicia Witt!

Who Are They? Alicia Witt made her acting debut at the age of seven in David Lynch’s Dune, and her career has only gotten more wild since then: In addition to roles in movies as varied as Four Rooms, Citizen Ruth, Vanilla Sky, I Care a Lot, and Longlegs, she was a series regular on the 90s sitcom Cybill and made recurring appearances on Friday Night Lights and Twin Peaks.

And beyond her acting work, she’s an accomplished singer-songwriter also famous for her piano-playing talents. Her newest album, Between Heaven and Earth, is a tribute to her lifelong friendship with Lynch; I was able to preview it, and it’s as lovely and esoteric as you would hope from a Lynch tribute.

What Do They Recommend? Alicia has a really cool under-the-radar pull (that includes a wonderful personal story):

I’ve been absolutely mesmerized by Safe (Netflix). Adapted from a Harlan Coben story, every one of the characters is fascinating to watch, and each episode keeps me guessing, in a way that doesn’t feel contrived or obvious. The actors dig so deeply into their characters’ emotions that I found myself thinking about them during the day, feeling connected to their inner worlds. I also love the way so much of it is told in close-ups on the actors’ faces – I just filmed a movie this way and it’s made me even more excited for the final product.

It turns out this show was released in 2018 — I did not hear of it when it first came out, and I’ve been enjoying it as if it were brand new. You can too!

Fun fact: Michael C. Hall (who transforms into a British bloke for this one) has always introduced himself to me with his full name, no matter how many times we meet. This is deeply kind of him. The reason: I have face blindness (prosopagnosia) and I explained this to him once after clearly having not recognized him at a gathering. For all the people who have looked at me as if I have 7 heads, or just plain acted insulted, when I’ve tried to tell them this — it has meant so much that Michael always re-introduced himself. What a sweetheart!

Thank you so much to Alicia for this pick! Between Heaven and Earth is available now — find your preferred platform for listening here.

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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!

Too Many Cooks (However You Define an Adult Swim Thing)

Created by: Casper Kelly
Cast: Ken DeLozier, Tara Ochs, Katelyn Nacon, Linda Miller, William Tokarsky, Katie Adkins
Streaming on: YouTube

I just reviewed the movie Buddy, a demented horror-comedy mashup that’s pretty reminiscent of director Casper Kelly’s breakout project. Oh, 2014, a more innocent time, when a viral video like this one could truly feel like a delicious surprise. I’ve kept revisiting Too Many Cooks in the years since its release and really loving how each time I watch it, I pick up on new details — it really is such a wild journey, and for as many times as I’ve watched it, I still get surprised by some of its twists. A note of warning, in case you’ve forgotten: That theme song is an earworm the size of the dudes on Arrakis. It will take up permanent residence in your cranium.

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!