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Did 'House of the Dragon' finally find its voice? Plus more TV recs
The World premiere of HBO original drama series "House of the Dragon" at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.
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TV-Talk: 'Love Island,' House of the Dragon' season finale and more
Have you felt completely overwhelmed when deciding what new show to watch these days? Us too. There’s just so much content out there between network TV and numerous streaming platforms. Each week, we will try to break through the noise with TV watchers who can point us to the must-sees and steer us clear of the shows that maybe don’t live up to the hype. This week, listeners will get the latest scoop on what’s worth watching with Dominic Patten, executive editor for Deadline, and Marcus Jones, awards editor for TV & Film at IndieWire. Shows: House of the Dragon (HBO/Max) Throwback (Peacock) Love Island USA (Peacock) Kennedy, Sinatra and the Mafia (Sundance Now) Hollywood Black (MGM+) Bad Monkey (Apple TV+) Yo Gabba GabbaLand (Apple TV+)
Each week, some of the best TV critics in the game join AirTalk, LAist 89.3's daily news program, to share TV recommendations. Dominic Patten, executive editor for Deadline, and Marcus Jones, awards editor for TV & Film at IndieWire, joined to discuss the House of the Dragon season finale episode, and they share the docuseries they're watching right now.
House of the Dragon
Season 2, Episode 8 aired this past weekend, and it wasn't necessarily the explosive finale many Game of Thrones fans have come to know and love. But a path for Season 3 has certainly been set.
"There were some who doubted that it could actually meet the standards set by Game of Thrones," said Patten. "This finale really pushed it up there. I often think that in this era we live in, we don't give patience enough to some shows."
Where to watch: Season 1 and 2 are available now on Max.
Hollywood Black
From the director of Dear White People and The Haunted Mansion remake, the four-part documentary series chronicles the history of the Black experience in Hollywood and features prominent voices like Forest Whitaker, Issa Rae, Ava DuVernay, Omar Epps, LaKeith Stanfield and more.
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“It emphasizes how Black people have actually been a part of cinema from the beginning and adds this real context,” Jones said.
Where to watch: Episodes premiere on Sunday, Aug. 11, on MGM+, which offers a free week-long trial if you don't already have access to the network through a cable subscription.
Kennedy, Sinatra, and the Mafia
The details are in the title. JFK, Frank Sinatra, and the mob. The two-part docuseries looks at the connections between those three entities, especially during and after the 1960 election.
Singer Frank Sinatra with former U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
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“It really looks at the transactional realities of America, certainly during that period of the post war era, specifically how the mafia helps JFK get elected mainly through these connections with his father... and how Frank Sinatra's career rose through the mafia,” Patten said.
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Where to watch: Episodes are available on Sundance Now, which offers a free week-long trial.
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TV-Talk: 'Love Island,' House of the Dragon' season finale and more
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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