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Tired of scrolling through endless amounts of shows and not knowing where to start? TV critics Liz Shannon Miller and Liz Shannon Miller help you find a new favorite show.
This week's shows: The Brothers Sun, Criminal Record, and Pokémon Concierge.
Keep reading ...to find a new show to watch as we enter the new year!
With a new year kicking off, it's a time where many people are trying new things. Maybe you’re looking for a new TV show to obsess over and binge, or maybe you want to introduce yourself to new kinds of stories. Whatever the case, let this be the platform to help you out!
Each week on AirTalk, LAist 89.3's daily news show, we're joined by television critics who help parse through the biggest releases and tell us what's worth a binge. This week we were joined by Liz Shannon Miller, senior entertainment editor at Consequence, and Eric Deggans, TV critic for NPR.
Listen to the full conversation for a full rundown of the variety of shows they hit on. I’ll dig into three of them here a little further to offer added insight.
This week's shows include:
Streaming on Netflix
Bruce Sun, the youngest in his family, lives a fairly ordinary life until his brother, Charles, comes to town. Soon after, he learns about the gang-affiliated past of his family in Taiwan and how it’s come to a head as a rival gang attempts to take over their turf. With Charles' life now endangered, he has to adapt to his family's gangster lifestyle to save his life — and his family's.
“I would say it's a must-see for anyone in Los Angeles, just because it's very much a Los Angeles show. It's shot on location [and] a real tribute to the San Gabriel Valley, which as we all know, is the best place to get Chinese food in this area.” – Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
Overall take: It’s a show that toes the line of being not only a crime drama, but also an action-comedy as well — two categories that don’t always work well together. Given everyone’s prior experience, from the cast to those behind the scenes, I do think the show accomplishes being entertaining without falling into the trap of being unserious. And if the plot isn't enough to draw you in, maybe the fact that Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh plays the family matriarch will.
Fun facts: Five of the eight episodes are directed by Kevin Tancharoen, who got his name out there through the fanfiction short Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, inspired by the popular video game. It did get some recognition online, and the success spun into a web series called Mortal Kombat: Legacy.
When and where: All eight episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
Streaming on Apple TV+
This show centers on two detectives, one established and the other a rising star within the ranks. Their paths cross after a phone call springs up an allegation made on a case that was thought to be solved. Tensions begin to run higher as both become more at odds with one another.
“[This is a show that] gets at all the disquieting notions of trying to examine how racism works in policing, how race works in modern-day Britain.” – Eric Deggans, NPR
Overall take: A noir thriller that plays on the genre through social commentary on race and gender. If you’re familiar with either of the leads and think the gist of the show is interesting, it’s worth checking out.
Fun facts: Both acting leads have some credits I think many would recognize. Many will know Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor on the hit series Doctor Who, while others may know of his appearances through films like The Suicide Squad and Paddington. Cush Jumbo is notable as well, having joined the popular show The Good Wife toward its tail end and also being in its spinoff The Good Fight.
When and where: Episode 1 premieres Wednesday, Jan. 10 on Apple TV+
Streaming on Netflix
A stop-motion animated Pokémon series; the show follows the life of a concierge at the famous Pokémon Resort, who spends each episode interacting with new guests and their Pokémon.
“The stop-motion animation is beautiful. It's very tactile. There's [a] fuzziness to the characters [that’s] pleasant. It's just a nice time.” – Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
Overall take: Given that it’s four episodes that are quite short, it’s a show that doesn’t overstay its welcome and is also aesthetically pleasing. In terms of the story itself, it’s a slice-of-life tale set in the world of Pokémon, which for younger generations I can see being enough of a reason to check this out.
Fun facts: The team behind the show was able to get Japanese city-pop artist Mariya Takeuchi to do its theme, titled Have a Good Time Here. Takeuchi’s popularity in Japan has been well-established since the late '70s, but she skyrocketed in popularity in the United States in 2017 when her song Plastic Love went viral online.
When and where: All four episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
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An employee of L.A. County’s Office of Emergency Management has sued his employer, alleging he was retaliated against for making whistleblower complaints about the response to the deadly Eaton Fire.
Why it matters: Nicholas Vaquero, an associate director in the Office of Emergency Management, alleges that officials leading the county office failed to properly staff the response to the fire, that the county’s emergency alerts were inadequate and that it submitted fraudulent data in order to receive FEMA reimbursement.
The background: LAist previously reported on the whistleblower complaint, which contained the allegation that a key county employee was asleep on the job during the first night of the Eaton Fire.
The county's response: A spokesperson said the county would respond to the lawsuit in court.
Read on ... for more details on the lawsuit filed earlier this month.
An employee of Los Angeles County’s Office of Emergency Management has sued his employer, alleging he was retaliated against for making whistleblower complaints about the response to the deadly Eaton Fire.
Nicholas Vaquero, an associate director in the Office of Emergency Management, alleges that officials leading the office failed to properly staff the response to the fire, which killed at least 19 people and burned thousands of homes and businesses in January 2025.
He also alleges the county’s emergency alerts were inadequate and that it submitted fraudulent data in order to receive FEMA reimbursement. Vaquero says in the suit that he used official county whistleblower channels to raise his concerns, in addition to speaking to OEM’s top two officials, Director Kevin McGowan and Deputy Director Leslie Luke.
Vaquero’s lawyers and the county declined to comment on the substance of the lawsuit. “L.A. County is going to address the allegations in court,” spokesperson Elizabeth Marcellino wrote in a statement to LAist.
LAist previously reported on Vaquero’s whistleblower complaint, in which he alleged that a now-retired employee with “a long history of sleeping on the job” was put in charge of emergency workers sending evacuation alerts and was asleep during critical moments of the first night of the Eaton Fire, when many of the deaths and much of the devastation occurred.
In the lawsuit, Vaquero alleges he has faced retaliation after raising his concerns, including being excluded from meetings he previously was a part of and being treated with hostility by the department’s leadership, among other things.
The complaint comes after county leadership launched a three-year restructuring of the Office of Emergency Management, which includes working to add staff and to conduct regular training for all staff on emergency alert software.
An after-action report from the McChrystal Group highlighted that the emergency management office was severely short-staffed during the fire. The department, which serves 10 million people, had a staff of 37 people at the time the fires broke out. Meanwhile, New York City has a population of 8.5 million and an emergency management staff of about 200 people, the report noted.
Pasadena record store and venue Healing Force of the Universe, a destination for local musicians and music fans, is fundraising to move to a bigger space.
The performances: The shows Healing Force puts on are all kinds of genres, but they share a common thread. They’re often meant to promote peace and relaxation, as well as deep, careful listening on the hi-fi sound system.
What's next: Its current location is set to close this month, but Manuel and his team are already raising funds to cover a move to another space: G-Son Studios in Atwater Village. The repurposed ballroom was the home base for the Beastie Boys when they recorded their classic albums Check Your Head and Ill Communication.
See the Pasadena space before it closes: The venue is still open at 1200 E. Walnut Street and is holding events through this Halloween weekend. You can see their calendar of events on their website.
For the last three years, the record store and music venue Healing Force of the Universe has been operating on a sleepy street corner not far from Pasadena City College. Nearby businesses include a shoe repair store, a nail salon and several auto shops.
“We're kind of in a dead corner,” owner Austin Manuel said. “No offense if anybody lives here, but not a very foot-trafficked area, kind of a hard place to have a store.”
In spite of the location, Manuel said Healing Force has become a home away from home for musicians and music fans. One of them is Bobby Bradford, a jazz trumpet legend who lost his house and personal archive in the Eaton Fire. He performs regularly at the venue. (Healing Force has also partnered with LAist on fire recovery events.)
Its current location is set to close this month, but Manuel and his team are already raising funds to cover a move to another space: G-Son Studios in Atwater Village. The repurposed ballroom was the Beastie Boys' home base when they recorded their classic albums Check Your Head and Ill Communication. Run-DMC and Biz Markie stopped by at one point, and Beck also laid down tracks for his album Odelay there.
Healing Force sells records, of course, but these days it’s more of a nighttime performance space. Manuel said he wants people to feel comfortable striking up conversations after a show.
“I grew up in the church in the South, and I was like, ‘How do I design this so that it feels like a Southern church lady could come in here and feel welcome?’" Manuel said. “ I didn't want it to be too cool. I wanted it to feel kind of suburban in a way.”
Though the name might call to mind a cult slogan — and Manuel said they lean into that aesthetic on purpose — it’s actually a reference to the 1970 album Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe by saxophonist Albert Ayler.
At the venue, “people can kind of get … into a meditative zone,” Manuel said. “After the [January 2025] fires, it felt so good to come back together in this room and feel the healing of community.”
The shows Healing Force puts on share a common thread: They’re meant to promote peace and relaxation, as well as deep, careful listening on the hi-fi sound system. But they’re an eclectic mix of genres. On one night, you might see L.A. spiritual jazz band Phi-Psonics, who turned a residency at the venue into a live album, Expanding to One.
On another night, you might catch a spaced-out electronic set, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter or a group of session musicians who’ve played with the likes of Paul Simon, Elton John and Lucinda Williams.
With the new space on Glendale Boulevard, Manuel said, Healing Force would triple its capacity for concerts, get a bar space and be closer to other venues in Northeast L.A.
“If 1,000 people gave $25, we would get there,” Manuel said – though he also said most people have been giving more.
You can read more about the fundraiser and donate at Healing Force’s GoFundMe.
The venue is still open at 1200 E. Walnut Street and is holding events through this Halloween weekend. You can see their events calendar on their website.
Racist language still lurks in housing documents. You can get rid of it as part of a 2021 law which mandates its removal in California. Here’s how to do it across Southern California.
Why now: California counties are reporting mixed progress meeting the demands of a 2021 law to excise the language from property records.
The backstory: Language in housing documents that restricts the sale of a property to a person of the white race is called a “restrictive covenant,” and in California the practice began in the 19th century.
What's next: Counties are asking for the public’s help by identifying the language in their housing documents and filling out a form to get rid of it.
Read on… to read the text from a restrictive covenant from 1924.
The racist DNA of Jim Crow discrimination may be embedded in your housing documents.
The language in housing documents that restricts sale or use of a property only to a person of the white race is called a “restrictive covenant,” and in California the practice goes back to the 19th century and continued into the mid-20th century. While housing discrimination persists, the practice was found unconstitutional in 1948.
California counties are reporting mixed progress in meeting the demands of a 2021 law to excise the language from property records.
According to Sylvia Manzo, deputy recorder in the Orange County Clerk-Recorder’s office, the county finished the job in March of this year, removing racist language from more than 27,000 property documents with the help of computer software.
L.A. County is far from done. It says that with the help of an outside company hired in 2024, 50 million pages will be examined yearly, which would take about 10 years to finish the job.
Public agencies could use the public’s help.
Here’s a 1924 example from a property in Bakersfield. The text reads, “That the lands herein conveyed shall never, at any time, be sold to or rented to or occupied by any person not of the white or Caucasian race.”
Or this language from a 1936 document relating to a Costa Mesa property: “That said premises shall not be sold, conveyed, rented, or leased to, or occupied by any person of African, Mexican, or Asiatic descent.”
The Restrictive Covenant Modification Form is at the heart of the effort to remove the racist language from housing documents. Each county has its own process. Some charge a fee; others don’t. Some require a notary certification for the signature; others don’t.
Registrar-Recorder officials recommend these steps:
The Orange County spokesperson says there may be some properties not caught by its software and urges the public to report them. Here’s the form
Here’s the Riverside County form
Here’s the San Bernardino County form
Here’s the San Diego County form
Here’s the Santa Barbara County form
Ignoring the racist language in property documents, some say, reinforces the legacy of segregation, while taking steps to remove restrictive covenant language is a way individuals and organizations can repudiate policies that sought to discriminate.
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Workers will begin removing the iconic Santa Monica Pier sign today for restoration.
Why now: It's part of the city's Pier Bridge Replacement Project, which will replace the bridge that connects the pier to Ocean Avenue.
The backstory: The sign has been on the Santa Monica Pier since 1941 and is listed on the California Register of Historical Resources. It will be sent to a company called YESCO, which is based in Las Vegas and, according to the city of Santa Monica, is nationally recognized for its work creating, maintaining and restoring neon signage.
What's next: The city says workers will set up equipment and start taking down the neon today. The top crown portion of the sign will come down Wednesday, and then the main sign itself on Thursday.
How to watch: If you want to watch, the city has set up two viewing areas — one at the southern edge of Palisades Park across from The Lobster restaurant and another at the corner of Ocean and Colorado avenues. The work will happen between 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. You can view a map here.
