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Nothing better than sitting down for the holidays and bingeing television shows this weekend with loved ones. Here's some help on what's new and worth watching.
This week's shows: Julia Season 2, The Crown Season 6 and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
Keep reading... to save yourself the trouble of going into a show unaware of what to expect.
Heading into a week where folks spend their holiday time watching television with family, it’d be nice to watch something entertaining together, right?
On LAist 89.3’s AirTalk, we're joined by television critics each week to give you a rundown of shows that are as fresh as the pies folks will have cooling on their window sills. I’ll also give you some added insight into three shows we’ve talked about to get you prepared.
We had a lot of adapted content to talk about this week, so I’ll take you through three of those shows to give you a better sense of what's worth your precious time this holiday weekend.
This week, AirTalk’s Larry Mantle talked about the latest on television and streaming with Jen Chaney, television critic for Vulture, and Dominic Patten, senior editor for Deadline.
Today’s shows include:
Streaming on Max
“It feels a little more sprawling… still very entertaining, and it's the kind of show you want to watch over Thanksgiving. It just feels very cozy.” – Jen Chaney, Vulture
First Impression: Centered on the storied history of Pasadena-native Julia Childs as she ascends to icon status through her cooking program.
Lasting Impression: The first season offers a good introduction to Childs’ celebrity through personal issues that many go through, like experiencing menopause, but also the more unique problem of attempting to assist in kickstarting a cooking program following her successful cookbook.
Season 2 sees more fruits borne of Childs' labor as she gets a chance to work on her next book and continue building a legacy following the success of her television program. Along with seeing that process and Julia’s personal life at the time, you’ll also get to see the production staff at WGBH go through the process of building off the lightning-in-a-bottle success with The French Chef.
Overall, definitely worth a watch given its timeliness, particularly as folks arrive at the kitchen to make their favorite holiday comfort foods. For those who grew up on Childs’ work, this also serves as a great reminder about why she was so beloved.
Who's behind it: The creator of the show is Daniel Goldfarb, whose most notable credits include serving as a producer for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, a show that takes place during a similar era in American history. Goldfarb had worked on Seasons 2 through 4, with his growing in size, first serving a co-producer and ending his time on the show as a supervising producer.
When and where: Episodes 1-3 are now streaming on Max; Episode 4 releases Thursday, Nov. 23.
Streaming on Netflix
“The Death of Diana episodes are drawn out, maudlin, [and] cliche-ridden” – Dominic Patten, Deadline
“I will say that Elizabeth Debicki, who plays Diana at this point in her life, is continuing to give just a terrific performance” – Jen Chaney, Vulture
First Impression: Following the life of the British Royal Family of our lifetimes, we see drama within the family as most struggle with the balancing of its royal traditions and meeting their own personal desires.
Lasting Impression: For as much fascinating gossip each season has offered, and its cathartic elements keeping viewers intrigued, it does seem like the start of Season 6 is capping the show’s end in lackluster fashion. For context, the first 4 episodes of the new season are centered on some of the last moments prior to Princess Diana’s death.
Who's behind it: The creator of the show is Peter Morgan. He’s been nominated for 2 Academy awards, one for his work on the 2008 film Frost/Nixon and the other for the 2006 film The Queen. Along with this, he’s of course been nominated and won multiple Emmys for The Crown.
When and where: Part 1 (Episodes 1-4) are now streaming on Netflix; Part 2 (Episodes 5-10) will release on Dec. 14.
Streaming on Netflix
“It does follow some of the same narrative beats [as the film] and then it goes in a completely different direction that you don't expect.” – Jen Chaney, Vulture
First impression: Tells the story originally written by Bryan Lee O'Malley that started out as a comic book series, but eventually gained traction in being adapted into a film and video game. It follows Canadian slacker Scott Pilgrim as he literally fights to date his love interest Ramona Flowers, needing to defeat her seven evil exes.
Lasting Impression: Having the work be adapted into a television show is very fitting, allowing for a bit more time that isn’t awarded in a film and making it a closer attempt at bringing to life what the comic book was.
And, in a fun turn of events that is sure to delight fans of the 2010 Edgar Wright film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, it serves as a reunion for the actors from that cast — Michael Cera returns as our intrepid hero, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the mysterious Ramona Flowers, Kieran Culkin as Scott's wisecracking roommate Wallace Wells and an slew of other recognizable faces like Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Brie Larson and Chris Evans.
Who's behind it: The creators of the show are Bryan Lee O'Malley and BenDavid Grabinski. O’Malley of course was the creator of the series, some notable credits for Grabinski include the 2019 revival of Nickelodeon’s Are You Afraid of the Dark? and writing the 2021 crime-comedy Happily.
When and where: All 8 episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
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Nithya Raman turned the tide in the L.A. mayoral race by winning over large swathes of the city that voted for Karen Bass in 2022, according to an LAist analysis of election data.
Breaking down the vote: Raman had overwhelming support from Hollywood through downtown and across the East side. She also won majority support in areas like Van Nuys and North Hollywood that voted for Bass in the 2022 general and 2026 primary elections.Bass made her biggest gains in the Pacific Palisades, South Valley and San Pedro — drawing voters from areas that supported Rick Caruso in 2022 and Spencer Pratt in the 2026 primary.
Read on . . . for a more detailed view of how precincts voted.
Nithya Raman turned the tide in the L.A. mayoral race by winning over large swathes of the city that voted for Karen Bass in 2022, according to an LAist analysis of election data.
Bass was a favorite in many areas that voted for Rick Caruso when she faced him in 2022. She held onto a majority of voters across South L.A., but lost much of her previous support.
The switchup came after Bass — a veteran in progressive politics — took a relatively-conservative approach on issues like policing and high-density housing developments compared to Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Election data in this analysis includes 793,692 votes recorded by the L.A. County Registrar of Voters in precinct-level data as of Nov. 9. More than 1 million votes were cast in the L.A. mayoral race across the city. This story will be updated as additional precinct-level data is made available by county election officials.
If you have a tip, you can reach me on Signal. My username is jrynning.56.
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A claims support center to help victims evacuated in Garden Grove’s chemical tank scare opens Tuesday, Nov. 10. GKN Aerospace, the company behind the hazmat incident, said the center in Los Alamitos will help eligible residents file for reimbursement.
Background: GKN Aerospace opened its $100 million claims program last month for those affected by the Garden Grove hazmat scare that forced more than 50,000 nearby residents to evacuate their homes and businesses.
What we know: The independent Claims Administrator, Ernst & Young, will operate the center and is responsible for reviewing, processing and evaluating claims. Assistance will be available in English, Vietnamese, Spanish and Korean.
Who is eligible? People and households who lived within the mandatory evacuation zone are eligible for the claims program. Businesses can file a business interruption claim for losses of income. Residents who lived in the warning zone, not the mandatory evacuation zone, do not qualify.
Know before you go: The center is located at 4281 Katella Ave., Suite 100 in Los Alamitos. Doors are open Monday through Friday from noon to 8 p.m.
Topline: The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority told its employees Friday to stop work, shut down their computers and stay off agency systems while it looked into “a potential security issue affecting our systems,” its chief executive confirmed to LAist. That shutdown order was still in place Monday evening, according to a LAHSA official not authorized to speak on the record.
Unknowns: Gita O'Neill, the agency’s interim CEO, told LAist on Friday evening that the agency did not “yet have enough information to say definitively whether any sensitive or confidential personal information was accessed.” She has not answered questions about whether or not services for unhoused people are disrupted.
Sensitive data: LAHSA holds highly sensitive information collected from people experiencing homelessness in the region. The agency oversees the Homeless Management Information System, or HMIS, which includes unhoused people’s names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and disabilities, as well as self-reported mental health and substance abuse history, income sources and domestic violence history.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority told its employees Friday to stop work, shut down their computers and stay off agency systems while it looked into “a potential security issue affecting our systems,” its chief executive confirmed to LAist.
That shutdown order was still in place Monday evening, according to a LAHSA official not authorized to speak on the record.
Gita O'Neill, the agency’s interim CEO, told LAist on Friday evening that the agency did not “yet have enough information to say definitively whether any sensitive or confidential personal information was accessed.”
She has not answered questions about whether or not services for unhoused people are disrupted.
LAHSA holds highly sensitive information collected from people experiencing homelessness in the region. The agency oversees the Homeless Management Information System, or HMIS, which includes unhoused people’s names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and disabilities, as well as self-reported mental health and substance abuse history, income sources and domestic violence history.
In a statement Monday, LAHSA said it had taken its internal computer systems offline “as a precaution” and “engaged outside cybersecurity specialists to investigate the nature and scope of the incident.” The statement, sent on O'Neill's behalf by outside public relations strategist Trevor Daley, continued to call it “a potential cybersecurity incident.”
The agency is “taking steps to maintain essential operations,” the statement added, saying LAHSA “remains open” while the investigation continues. It said the agency is working with its technical and legal teams.
Friday’s email to "Team LAHSA" carried the subject line "URGENT: Log Off and Shut Down for the Week." LAist obtained a copy, and O'Neill confirmed by text message that she had sent it.
“As a precaution while we look into a potential security issue affecting our systems, we're asking all staff to stop work and take their machines offline for the remainder of today and through the weekend,” the email said.
It told employees to “Log off and shut down your LAHSA computer” and not to log back in or connect to LAHSA systems, including email, “until you receive an all-clear from us.”
The email also told staff to report anything “unusual” before shutting down, such as “files renaming on their own, unexpected pop-ups or messages.”
In a texted response to LAist on Friday evening, O'Neill said she asked staff to take their computers offline “out of an abundance of caution” while the agency’s IT team assessed the situation.
“Our IT team is actively reviewing the situation now and working to understand exactly what occurred and whether any information was affected,” she wrote. “Protecting people’s personal and confidential information is a top priority in that review.”
Leaders of three LAHSA-funded service providers told LAist on Monday afternoon that they had not received any communications from LAHSA about the potential cybersecurity issue. All three use the HMIS system that holds unhoused people’s personal details.
Another L.A. housing agency was previously hit by cyberattacks. The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles — a separate agency known as HACLA — has said hackers got inside its network in 2022 and may have accessed people’s names, Social Security numbers, financial accounts numbers and medical information.
Two years later, HACLA was breached again, according to an official notice, with hackers potentially accessing names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and phone numbers.
LAist reporter Aaron Schrank contributed reporting to this story.
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Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath announced Monday that she is running to be the county’s first elected chief executive. Horvath is the only candidate so far to enter the race, which is set for 2028.
Why it matters: The new executive post will take the place of the county’s appointed CEO and implement key priorities of the county Board of Supervisors.
Voters created the position in 2024 when they approved Measure G, which was proposed by supervisors Horvath and Janice Hahn.
Pushback: On Monday, Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued a statement saying she believed it was “premature” to campaign for the new county executive position when it remained unclear whether “the office itself is constitutional.” Barger pointed to questions raised by former federal judge Stephen Larson about whether California’s Constitution allows an elected county executive to veto board decisions, control county contracts and take on powers state law currently gives the Board of Supervisors.
Go deeper: Supervisors vote to create LA County’s first ethics commission
LA County’s $2M CEO payout was over claims she was harmed by ballot measure
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath announced Monday that she is running to be the county’s first elected chief executive. Horvath is the only candidate so far to enter the race, which is set for 2028.
The new executive post will take the place of the county’s appointed CEO and implement key priorities of the county Board of Supervisors. The executive will oversee the county budget, which is currently roughly $50 billion, and labor relations with more than 100,000 employees.
Horvath was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2022 and was re-elected in June to another four-year term. She represents the county’s 3rd District, which covers the San Fernando Valley and parts of the Westside and Central Los Angeles. She is a former mayor of West Hollywood.
The supervisor made her announcement Monday via social media and her campaign website. She called the race a “once-in-a-generation opportunity.”
Voters created the position in 2024 when they approved Measure G, which was proposed by Supervisors Horvath and Janice Hahn.
Among other changes, the measure allowed the Board of Supervisors to expand from five to nine members by 2030 and established an independent Ethics Commission, which held its first meeting last month.
On Monday, Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued a statement saying she believed it was “premature” to campaign for the new county executive position when it remained unclear whether “the office itself is constitutional.”
Barger pointed to questions raised by former federal judge Stephen Larson about whether California’s Constitution allows an elected county executive to veto board decisions, control county contracts and take on powers state law currently gives the Board of Supervisors.
“Moving forward with an office that would fundamentally change how Los Angeles County is governed, without first resolving these questions, is putting the cart before the horse,” Barger said in her statement. “We need clarity.”
The primary election is scheduled for March 7, 2028.
