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Is Season 3 Of 'Ted Lasso' Worth Your Time? How About 'Swarm'? Our TV Picks For The Week Ending March 18
Hannah Waddingham, Jason Sudeikis, and Brett Goldstein attend the "Ted Lasso" Season 3 Red Carpet Premiere at Westwood Village Theater.
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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.
That's why we've asked a variety of television critics to join us each Thursday on LAist's talk show, AirTalk, which airs on 89.3 and on-demand wherever you get your podcasts.
We know there are a ton of options and we want to help you sift through them.
Joining us this week to help is Roxana Hadadi, television critic for Vulture.
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TV-Talk: ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 3, ‘Swarm,’ ‘Extrapolations’ & More
The reviews
'Ted Lasso' [Season 3]
Streaming on Apple TV+
Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt and Jason Sudeikis in "Ted Lasso," now streaming on Apple TV+
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Apple TV+
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"The show is doing some interesting things ... incorporating what could be viewer doubt to its own storyline. There are some fun things coming up ahead in future episodes." — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture
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The basics: Formerly an American college football coach, Ted Lasso goes to England to manage the underwhelming AFC Richmond. Unknowingly set up to fail, Lasso leads the team with his unwavering kindness, although internal turmoil plagues him.
What it might remind you of: If you’re interested in feel-good comedies that also offer substance to them, you’ll definitely find this series and this recent season up your alley.
Who's behind it: The show is created by a quartet of folks: Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly & Bill Lawrence. Sudeikis and Hunt also star in the show and they appeared on the original ad campaign NBC Sports ran to promote the Premiere League (very meta, yes).
When and where: Episode 1 is out now on Apple TV+; episode 2 will be streaming next Wednesday
'Swarm'
"I think what this show is doing in an interesting way is speaking to this real-life phenomenon of these groups of people who create their personalities around a famous figure, and pushing the idea of how far that could go." — Hadadi
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The basics: A young woman, Dre, ascends into madness as her obsession over a pop star leads to a cross-country trip and some destructive (and seemingly fatal) behavior.
What it might remind you of: A story of someone’s obsession going too far. Co-creator Donald Glover noted it best in an interview with Variety Fair, relating it to Michael Haneke's The Piano Teacher and Martin Scorsese's The King of Comedy. I'd even add that it's got similar elements to the film One Hour Photo starring Robin Williams.
Who's behind it: The show is created by Donald Glover and Janine Nabers. Glover of course is an award-winning actor, producer, and writer. His credits include the shows Community and Atlanta. Chances are if you don’t know him from this you may have seen his stand-up comedy or listened to his musical alias, Childish Gambino. This show about music also has appearances by musicians, including Chloe Bailey and Billie Eilish, who makes her on-camera acting debut with Swarm.
When and where: All seven episodes are out now on Amazon Prime Video
'Extrapolations'
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"[Scott Z. Burns] has a skill of taking large ideas like financial collapse and making them into entertaining products for us to learn from and be engaged with." — Hadadi
The basics: Taking place in the near future, it follows a mostly upper-class cast of characters as they deal with the effects of climate change in their everyday lives.
What it might remind you of: There really isn't a proper comparison; it's got political commentary like Scorsese's Wolf of Wall Street but done with a backdrop that's similar to Universal Picture's Waterworld.
Who's behind it: The show is created by Scott Z. Burns, whose credits include films like The Report, Contagion, and The Informant. The series also has familiar faces in it, including Diane Lane, Marion Cotillard, Tobey Maguire, Forest Whitaker, Daveed Diggs, Matthew Rhys, Meryl Streep, and David Schwimmer. That all being said, if you like the political themes that Burns has used in the past, this climate crises-centered series is worth checking out.
When and where: Episodes 1-3 are out now on Apple TV+; episode 4 releases next Friday
The Last of Us
Airing on HBO & Streaming on HBO Max
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in "The Last of Us"
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HBO
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"I think it was an incredibly effective adaptation of the video game. I think it made people wonder what is the cost of love and companionship and [whether we] are willing to pay that cost." — Hadadi
The basics: Taking place during a zombie apocalypse, the show follows Joel, a man who is entrusted with the safety of Ellie, a teenager whose immunity to a zombie-altering virus may be what saves humanity.
What it will definitely remind you of: This show is inspired by the popular 2013 video game of the same name and has become one of the most popular programs around, with its season finale garnering 8.2 million viewers last Sunday, eclipsing its previous record of 8.1 million despite competing with the 95th annual Oscars.
When and where: All nine episodes of the first season are out now on HBO Max, with a second season recently being confirmed and in the works. The projected time for a second season release is still unclear, with HBO announcing the second season on Jan. 27 and Bella Ramsey confirming her participation at a writer's room session during an interview with GQ she did last month.
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