Topline:
We know there are a ton of TV shows to watch these days, so each week on LAist's daily news show AirTalk, we ask television critics to help you (and us) sift through them.
This week's critics: NPR TV critic Eric Deggans and Roxana Hadadi, TV critic for Vulture.
This week's shows: Telemarketers (HBO & Max), Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop (Netflix), and Painkiller (Netflix).
It’s both a blessing and a curse that we’ve reached a time where there’s just so much television to experience but so many different places to find it. It makes scrolling across your streamer of choice an inconvenience that doesn’t offer as much of a payoff if you try a show half-heartedly and are disappointed.
That’s where I and some friends step in as a Deus-ex-machina of sorts, a way for you to resolve that inner conflict of what to choose and make sure it’s something worth investing in.
On LAist 89.3’s AirTalk, we bring television critics every week to give you a rundown of those shows that are fresh out of the oven. They’ll serve you a taste of what to expect and from there, you can choose whether or not you want to eat the rest.
Along with that, I’ll add to their topline thoughts and then offer an initial sense I got from the show’s initial episode(s). I may not have TV critic as my title but I got enough knowledge as a fan of film and television to at least give you an informed perspective. And as a member of Gen-Z, I’ll be able to add an extra filter you might get from someone on Twitter but with much less toxicity tied to it.
Sound good? Are you hungry now? Well while you wait for your food to be ready to eat, read through what we got to tell you.
This week, AirTalk’s Austin Cross talked about the latest on television and streaming with Eric Deggans, tv critic for NPR, and Roxana Hadadi, tv critic for Vulture, about the latest in television worth checking out.
This week’s shows included:
Streaming on Netflix
"What's great about this is you get to see a lot of female hip-hop artists talking to the camera, telling their stories. You also get to see female journalists, producers, and even record company executives who also were involved tell their stories." — Eric Deggans, NPR
First Impression: To celebrate the 50 years of rap, this new docu-series is meant to encapsulate women who were trailblazers in their craft. Not only focusing on the impact that they had but shining a light on their history and the politics that shaped their musical activism.
Lasting Impression: What’s really cool about this documentary is the fact that it doesn’t try to be completely linear, it certainly has a timeline element but it also does a good job of weaving in the stories of future faces of the rap scene. So you’ll see MC Lyte’s history get showcased, but it’s put together with new folks like Tierra Whack talking about the strength an artist like Lyte gave her to pursue rap.
I should also note— you don’t necessarily need to do any prior research to catch up with the documentary. I knew some of the newer artists quite well (shoutout to Whack and Rapsody) but that was more like icing on my brain (that’s actually just cake).
So enjoy the music, the women MCs who pushed back against the men who attempted to belittle them, and their articulations.
Who's behind it: The creators are Hannah Beachler, Dream Hampton and Raeshem Nijhon. Beachler is an Oscar-award-winning production designer who you likely know from both Black Panther and Wakanda Forever, among some other great films and music videos. Hampton you might recall from her work on the hard-hitting docu-series Surviving R. Kelly. Nijhon had a great series released last fall on Hulu called Hair Tales, which looked into how hair plays a part in the identity of many Black women.
When and where: All four episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
Streaming on Max
"I don't quite know how to describe it, but these guys, they're sort of bumbling working-class dudes [that] stumble into this mystery and they get to the heart of it. It is really a great show." — Eric Deggans, NPR
"I think it might be my favorite thing that I saw this summer. That sounds bold, but I'm gonna go with it because I think it [structurally] is very smart." — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture
First impression: A firsthand look and exploration of what made the telemarketing boom of the 90s and 2000s– Civic Development Group (CDG). You get firsthand accounts from the people working the phone lines and the straits that put them at the job, as well as the way they passed the time there.
Lasting Impression: This collection of archival moments in office spaces and the absolutely absurd things going on half of the time was entertaining to watch. It shows the crowds telemarketing companies bring together, as well as the constant cycle of taking advantage of people who decided to pick up the phone one day.
Hearing the shady ways they could come up with rebuttals and the lack of background checking, particularly when it was on behalf of the Fraternal Order of Police, shows the extent to which an unchecked economic system treats everyday citizens.
It’s both humorous and disappointing, playing the line perfectly with its storytelling, I’m amazed at just how much material the creators had to work with for this documentary.
Who's behind it: The show’s creators Adam Bhala Lough & Sam Lipman-Stern. One of Lough’s most recent projects was the documentary Alt-Right: Age of Rage, where he looked to tell the differing lives of Antifa activist Daryle Lamont Jenkins and Richard Spencer, one of the faces of the alt-right movement in the United States.
Lipman-Stern is the main face of Telemarketers, telling his own story through footage and connections he made during his time there as a teenager. He also worked on a documentary series called Forbes: Rap Mentor, where he interviewed artists about breaking into the industry.
When and where: Episode 1 release on August 13; One episode is out now; the next episode of this three-part series released Sunday, Aug. 20.
Streaming on Netflix
"I would not advise doing what I did, which is watch all six episodes back to back. That might have been the wrong choice, but I have been recommending it. It did turn out very impactful for me, and I didn't anticipate that." — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture
"As much as I like parts of this show, it is odd to be watching this high, big budget program that essentially covers the same ground as [Dopesick] that won multiple Emmys just a couple of years ago." — Eric Deggans, NPR
First Impression: Based on the 2003 book “Pain Killer” by Barry Meier, this show is a dramatized retelling of the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma’s pushing of OxyContin through advertising campaigns for the addictive substance. Along with the dramatized story of folks like Richard Sackler (played by Matthew Broderick), you also see the very realistic impact the drug had on people. The show does this not only through its episodic format but through the short testimonies you get at the beginning of each episode.
Lasting Impression: The first episode for me definitely felt like a stage-setter, getting an understanding of all the main players in the show and giving you a glimpse into red flags that will come up. Having gotten the chance to also see the second episode, the greater story being told does become a lot more clear.
You certainly get more of Taylor Kitsch and West Duchovny, who I think are the standouts of the show. They both shine a lot on the stories I think are most important in this heartbreaking story of how a drug’s marketing disinformed and took advantage of millions of people.
I also applaud the show for adding more to Uzo Aduba’s character in the show, since the first episode felt like it lacked more of her acting, character, and motivations. That is much improved in the second episode and I’m sure it’ll just be added on as you get further into the show.
Who's behind it: The show creators are Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster. Both of them have worked together in the past, having produced the biographical drama “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” and the comedic drama “Transparent.”
When and where: All six episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
Topline:
A number of marine animals that don’t normally live here are showing up off the coast of Southern California because of El Niño's warm waters.
The details: The animals are mostly native to the ocean off the coast of Mexico, but scientists say they are following the warm waters that fuel El Niño north to Southern California. Scientists expect the climate system to have a dramatic effect on our marine ecosystems over the next few months.
The creatures: An endangered olive ridley sea turtle was seen laying eggs in the sand near Seal Beach on Sept. 16. A fisherman also recently caught a longfinned bigeye from the Venice fishing pier, a bright red-orange fish that normally lives off of Mexico and Baja. Other sightings include a whale shark off the coast of Malibu, hammerhead sharks and possibly a yellow-bellied sea snake.
Native species: The warmer waters could pose a threat to native marine life by disrupting food sources and fueling toxic algae blooms. Marine mammals like seals and sea lions are especially susceptible to the changes. If you see a sick or stranded animal, keep your distance and contact authorities.
Read on … to learn more about these unusual ocean visitors.
Unusual creatures are visiting Southern California’s coastal waters.
One of them, a sea turtle, nested near Seal Beach last week for the first time in California history.
And they’re here because of El Niño.
Forecasters say there is more than a 90% chance that this year’s El Niño is going to be very strong, and most Southern Californians are bracing for record-high surf and heavy rains that usually come with the climate pattern.
Residents got a taste earlier this month of what could come this fall and winter, when surf from Hurricane Marie caused widespread damage along the Southern California coast.
But the region is also starting to see a lesser-known effect of El Niño: sea creatures that don’t normally live here showing up in our waters.
Scientists say they are following the warm waters that fuel El Niño, which are likely to have a dramatic impact on our marine ecosystems over the course of the season.
“ Animals like a certain range of temperature, just like you're setting the thermostat at home to a certain temperature that you like,” said Bill Ludt, a curator of ichthyology, or the study of fish, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History.
During an El Niño year, the normally cool waters off the California coast warm significantly. As that happens, animals that normally live in warmer, tropical waters off the coast of Mexico, like sea turtles, move north.
The endangered olive ridley sea turtle crawled out of the ocean near Seal Beach on Sept. 16, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It dug a hole and laid its clutch of eggs inside before burying it and shuffling back into the sea.
A turtle was also seen nesting near the Huntington Beach Pier. Officials have fenced off both nesting sites.
The Seal Beach turtle is just one of a number of unusual creatures that have been spotted off the Southern California coast lately.
A whale shark was spotted near the Channel Islands, off the coast of Malibu. There have also been reports of hammerhead sharks and other large fish like mahi mahi and bullet tuna.
Like the turtle, some creatures have never been recorded in California waters before. A fisherman recently caught a longfinned bigeye from the Venice fishing pier, a bright red-orange fish that normally lives off of Mexico and Baja California.
“It is a wide-ranging species, just not typically in California,” Ludt said. “So it will occur in Baja, as well as other parts of the world. But for California, this is a first.”
Ludt and his colleagues at the Natural History Museum collected the longfinned bigeye and are preserving the physical specimen in the museum’s archive.
“We just want to document things that are rare along our coast, as well as the common things,” Ludt said. “Our goal is always to just document life and how it changes over time on our planet.”
According to Ludt, the creatures Southern California is seeing so far are just the beginning of what’s to come this year.
Animals like the sea turtle and the sharks are what scientists call pelagic animals, meaning they live mostly in open oceans, often migrating in search of food.
Ludt said it will take longer for sea life to show up that doesn’t normally migrate over long distances, like smaller fish. He said we could eventually see colorful reef fish, such as damselfish, angelfish or pufferfish, similar to those one might see living among corals in Hawaii.
Sea snakes are also likely to move into our waters. There was a report of a yellow-bellied sea snake washing up at Crystal Cove in Orange County, but scientists have yet to confirm its authenticity.
Yellow-bellied sea snakes have also been seen here during past El Niño events. They are venomous but don’t pose a threat to humans unless handled.
These warm-water animals will likely retreat south, and some may die and wash ashore when waters cool down again later this winter.
While the newcomers thrive in warm waters, California’s native sea life does not.
The heat can affect their immune system and metabolism. That, in turn, means less food is available for other animals that eat fish, including seals, sea lions and dolphins.
Another danger is algal blooms. Warmer water allows more algae to grow, and at times, the algae can be toxic, especially to marine mammals.
Scientists say these stressors will likely leave some animals sick and stranded.
“They'll beach, and they'll be acting up weirdly, sometimes maybe more aggressively than they normally would,” said Jorge Velez-Juarbe, curator of marine mammals at the L.A. County Natural History Museum.
Velez-Juarbe added that we could also see more deaths of marine mammals over the next few months.
El Niño’s warming trend is also a window into the effects of a changing climate. Velez-Juarbe said it's an example of how ongoing ocean warming due to climate change can affect Southern California’s marine environments.
Thankfully, Velez-Juarbe said it's unlikely El Niño will cause long-term damage to native species populations. They will likely rebound when ocean temperatures fall later this winter.
If you see a sick or stranded animal, the best thing to do is to keep your distance and call authorities. He also recommends reporting the animal to NOAA’s stranded animal hotline at (866) 767-6114.
If you come across an unusual sea creature along the shore, you can also email the team at the Natural History Museum at nature@nhm.org.
In this edition:
The Lucas Museum opens, free pancakes at Redbird, Watts Towers festivals and more of the best things to do this week.
Highlights:
The big day is finally here: The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opened its doors in Expo Park on Tuesday. But have no fear if you missed the big, celeb-studded bash last weekend (I’m just here scrolling through the Vanity Fair photos of Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry, too, my friends); the museum is here to stay. Keep those reviews coming, and I’m planning to work remotely from that gorgeous reading room one day soon.
Elsewhere on LAist, you read up on Long Beach Aquarium’s plans to save an endangered frog and find your favorite fat bear to vote for during Fat Bear week.
Licorice Pizza’s music picks this week include:
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Through Feb. 2027
Marciano Art Foundation
4357 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire
COST: FREE WITH ONLINE RESERVATION; MORE INFO
One of my favorite things about writing this column every week is that over time, I get to see how art and culture are on a continuum in L.A. This was one of those weeks. I went to the opening of the new Tacita Dean installation, Film, at Marciano Art Foundation. Dean is a British artist and champion of analogue film (it’s no surprise that she counts Christopher Nolan among her many fans and friends). In April, her work was shown at the now-closed Marion Goodman Gallery, and it’s been a joy to get to know a new-to-me artist this year who has such deep ties to film and L.A. culture. While you’re there, the Foundation also has an enjoyable new exhibit from Belgian artist Pierre Leguillon on artists and advertising.
Through Sunday, Sept. 27
The Actors’ Gang
9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City
COST: FROM $28; MORE INFO
This play, first produced in the early 2000s, looks at one woman's search for her son's remains years after he was killed in the attack on Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Presented loosely as a Greek tragedy and inspired by true events, the drama looks at the ties that bind people through loss and stars Actors’ Gang regular Kate Mulligan.
Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26-27
Redbird
114 E. 2nd St. Downtown L.A.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
I hope these pancakes look like Leia’s buns! To celebrate the opening of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Redbird is offering a free short stack for your table; just show a ticket from your visit to the newest art museum in LA. And don’t worry: If you’re brunching pre-museum, just use the passphrase “may the force be with you” to secure the sustenance.
Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26-27
Watts Towers Arts Center
1727 E. 107th St., Watts
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Two festivals are on at Watts Towers, with both days featuring music and culture at Simon Rodia’s ship-shaped temple of tile. Saturday is the 44th Annual Watts Towers Day of the Drum Festival, and Sunday brings the 49th Annual Simon Rodia Watts Towers Jazz Festival.
Saturday, Sept. 26, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
HVW8 Gallery
661 N. Spaulding Ave., Fairfax District
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
President Barack Obama granted clemency to Mr. Wash in 2016 after 21 years of wrongful incarceration. Self-taught while in prison, Mr. Wash has seen his work shown and collected across L.A. at the Hammer Museum, LACMA and the Huntington Library; his latest work is on view at David Zwirner Gallery. Celebrate his first decade out and support his Art By Wash Studio and Community Center in Compton, which will offer all-levels art classes and workshops, creative residencies and “reintegration resources for individuals returning home from prison” at the HVW8 party.
Through Sunday, Oct. 18
Colony Theatre
555 N. Third St., Burbank
COST: $60; MORE INFO
The Colony puts on consistently fun, solid shows, and Catch Me If You Can is no exception. This version of the musical adaptation of the 2002 Leonardo DiCaprio movie is directed by Colony regular Michael Donovan, who most recently directed the theater’s The Wedding Singer. The original musical about con artist extraordinaire Frank Abagnale scored four Tony nominations.
Friday, Sept. 25, 6 p.m.
Zibby’s Bookshop
1113 Montana Ave., Santa Monica
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
It’s that time of year again, and Zibby’s Bookshop in Santa Monica has gathered some student-essay-writing experts to help your teenager through the application process, whether that’s a personal statement for college, a local private or boarding school or any other application. The art of the essay is in self-discovery, so bring your budding writer and strap in.
Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26-27, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
ARK/8
115 S. La Brea Ave., Inglewood
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
I’ve missed iam8bit’s shows, so I’m delighted to see this new partnership with SEGA for all the other '90s gamers out there. It celebrates 35 years of Sonic the Hedgehog with 35 Years of Speed: The Sonic Art Exhibit, and will feature original works from more than 30 renowned artists who pay homage to Sonic’s journey throughout the years.
Topline:
State and local lawmakers are joining immigrant rights groups in urging Governor Gavin Newsom to sign a bill that would bar California law enforcement from moonlighting for ICE.
Why it matters: If implemented, the bill would ban California police, sheriffs and other law enforcement from taking on second jobs that involve “arresting, detaining, transporting, or deporting” people.
What police unions say: The Peace Officers Research Association Of California, which represents officers across the state, has spoken out against the bill, arguing that “policies like this don’t improve public safety.”
What the bill’s supporters argue: Pointing to multiple deaths involving federal immigration agents in recent months — from Minneapolis to Houston — and to a recent shooting in Austin, supporters like José Madera, who directs the Pasadena Job Center, say: “We don't need our local police to be part of that violence.”
What's next: Gov. Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the bill.
Go deeper: Los Angeles protesters join nationwide call to action against ICE
State and local lawmakers are joining immigrant rights groups in urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a bill that would bar California law enforcement from moonlighting for ICE.
Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, who represents Angelenos from South L.A. to Mar Vista, introduced AB 1537 in January. If implemented, the bill would ban California police, sheriffs and other law enforcement from taking on second jobs that involve “arresting, detaining, transporting, or deporting” people.
The bill has made its way through the state legislature and is now on the governor’s desk. Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto it.
At a press conference outside L.A. City Hall on Wednesday, José Madera, who directs the Pasadena Job Center, pointed to multiple deaths involving federal immigration agents in recent months — from Minneapolis to Houston — and to a recent shooting in Austin. “We don't need our local police to be part of that violence,” he said.
“ICE is a lawless, rogue agency that is terrorizing our communities, separating our families and kidnapping our neighbors,” said Bruno Huizar, supervising policy manager at the California Immigrant Policy Center. “Governor Newsom must sign AB 1537 into law to protect Californians.”
L.A. City councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, whose own parents were undocumented, said it pained him to see immigrant parents go to work and to church in fear of being separated from their children.
“If you’re a public servant, you should be serving the public — not helping ICE tear families apart,” he added in a follow-up email statement.
The bill, dubbed “No side jobs for ICE” by its proponents, would also require officers to report secondary employment offers relating to immigration to their employers.
“If a law enforcement agent gets a conditional offer from an immigration enforcement agency, that will be part of their employment records. And that will be subject to a public records act request,” said Shiu-Ming Cheer, a licensed attorney at the California Immigration Policy Center. “This is aimed at bringing transparency, so that we know how many officers are actually getting offers to work as an ICE agent or a Border Patrol agent.”
The Peace Officers Research Association of California, which represents officers across the state, has spoken out against the bill, arguing that “policies like this don’t improve public safety.” The Los Angeles Police Protective League did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.
The bill is part of a growing effort to bar local law enforcement from engaging in the ongoing mass deportation effort. The L.A. City Council approved a motion in March, barring city employees from holding second jobs with federal immigration enforcement agencies.
In Santa Ana, the City Council recently adopted a policy that prohibits employees from obtaining outside work that involves federal immigration enforcement activities.
Topline:
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill aimed at protecting children who are abused. The law, which went into effect this week, is named “Gabriel’s Law,” after Gabriel Fernandez— an 8-year-old boy in Palmdale who died in 2013 after being tortured and abused by his mother and her boyfriend.
The backstory: Gabriel died in May 2013, after months of abuse from his mother and her boyfriend. His mother and her boyfriend were both sentenced. A teacher had reported signs of abuse to the county, but social workers did not remove him from the home and ended the investigation.
Keep reading: To learn more about what the law changes.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill aimed at protecting children who are abused.
The law, which went into effect this week, is named “Gabriel’s Law,” after Gabriel Fernandez — an 8-year-old boy in Palmdale who died in 2013 after being tortured and abused by his mother and her boyfriend.
“It devastated the community. Still has,” said State Assemblymember Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale), who worked on legislation related to Gabriel’s case for years. “It hasn't gone away, right? It’s something we still acknowledge.”
Since Fernandez’s death, the Antelope Valley has seen a number of high-profile child deaths at the hands of their parents.
The new law requires social workers to make sure a child gets emergency medical care when needed, and it makes it easier to prosecute social workers who knowingly falsify records.
Officials said there had been warning signs about Fernandez’s abuse, but social workers with the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services failed to follow up on them. The high-profile case prompted internal reforms in the agency.
Gabriel died in May 2013, after months of abuse from his mother and her boyfriend. He was found with a number of injuries, including a fractured skull, broken ribs and BB pellets lodged in his body. His mother and her boyfriend were both sentenced.
A teacher had reported signs of abuse to the county, but social workers did not remove him from the home. Then they ended the investigation. Prosecutors charged the social workers with child abuse, but the charges were later dismissed.
“He was literally tortured. And there were many, many, many documented events, and there are many encounters that he had with people that lacked follow-up,” Lackey said.
Before this week, the law said that social workers may authorize care if a child needs immediate emergency care, but did not require it. Gabriel’s law requires a social worker to secure medical care for a child.
“ They call for an ambulance or escort the child to an emergency room— make sure a physician has the opportunity to provide some level of remedy and documentation of the injury,” Lackey said.
It also clarifies the law so that social workers who are guilty of falsifying or destroying public records can be imprisoned or fined.
Lackey’s previous legislative efforts related to Fernandez’s case failed over the years. He introduced at least five different pieces of legislation that failed to advance.
“I'm not even saying that I blame the pushback and the concern, because if you're too aggressive, there's a tendency to accuse people of wrongdoing when they are not guilty of wrongdoing, so we wanted to make sure that the balance was reasonable,” he said.
Lackey terms out this year. “We're trying to do something as a community to not only pay tribute to [Gabriel], but to prevent it from reoccurring,” he said.
