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TV Shows To Watch This Weekend: 'My Life with the Walter Boys,' 'Doctor Who' & 'Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas'
Hannah Waddingham and the English National Opera Chorus in "Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas," now streaming on Apple TV+.
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Finding TV shows to watch around this time of year can get ridiculously overwhelming. You find yourself stuck between the trendy picks on your feed and something a good friend recommended months back that you just haven’t had time to see.
With a lot to choose from— what should you prioritize and is there anywhere to go for guidance?
Fear not, we at LAist got you.
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 Angie Han, TV critic for The Hollywood Reporter.
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Listen to the full conversation for a rundown of all the shows they discussed. Here are the big three to consider.
Listen to the conversation here
Listen
• 14:43
TV-Talk: 7 Shows To Watch Including ‘My Life With The Walter Boys,’ ‘Archie,’ & More
This week's shows include:
- My Life with the Walter Boys (Netflix)
- Archie (Britbox)
- Blue Eye Samurai (Netflix)
- Doctor Who [60th Anniversary Specials] (Disney+)
- The Buccaneers (Apple TV+)
- Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas (Apple TV+)
- Faraway Downs (Hulu)
My Life with the Walter Boys
Streaming on Netflix
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A girl, following the tragic death of her parents, moves from New York to rural Colorado. Now living with a whole new family, including some adoptive brothers that local school girls fawn over, she must adapt to her new life and grow from her past trauma.
"Like someone kind of cobbled together a bunch of teen drama tropes into an outline of a show and then shot that without getting around to adding much in the way of like humor or depth or nuance or personality." — Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter
Overall take: The trailer shows you most of what this show has to offer. Its execution leaves a lot to be desired. And the final product doesn't give you much to think about.
Fun facts: The show is based on the book of the same name, written by Ali Novak. The show itself was created by Melanie Halsall, who also helped produce shows like League of Super Evil and Shaun the Sheep.
When and where: All 10 episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
Read Angie’s review of 'My Life With The Walter Boys' by clicking here
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Doctor Who [60th Anniversary Specials]
Streaming on Disney+
Follows the Doctor, an extraterrestrial time traveler who uses power to protect the fabric of time and space. In these specials to celebrate the series’ 60th anniversary, the Doctor’s 14th iteration (played by David Tennant) is tasked to defeat a villain from his past named The Toymaker (presently played by Neil Patrick Harris).
"These first two episodes so far have been just really fun Doctor Who action. The kind that made me personally fall in love with the show back in 2005." — Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
Overall take: This’ll be a major nostalgia trip for Whovians out there if they haven’t already caught up with the series’ recent events. David Tennant takes up the role once again, having been the most well-received Doctor since the series’ 2005 revival.
Fun facts: The executive producer behind the specials is Russell T. Davies, who was a key figure in the show’s revival up until 2010, leaving around the same time Tennant originally did. These three special episodes will lead up to a Christmas special that’ll fold into the next iteration of The Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa.
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When and where: Episodes one and two are now streaming on Disney+; the third special episode releases on Saturday, Dec. 9.
Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas
Streaming on Apple TV+
A Christmas special made up of music and holiday cheer, hosted by Hannah Waddingham, best known for her role in Ted Lasso as AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton. She's joined by friends from the show and special musical guests.
"It's a very pleasant way to reconnect with all your favorite Ted Lasso friends and also hear some good music." — Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
Overall take: Check this out if you want to see Hannah Waddingham slay beautiful renditions of Christmas classics in glamorous dresses. Plus, some cool cameos, including Jason Sudeikis and Leslie Odom Jr.
Fun facts: Not to spoil too much, but let’s say that folks who watch should expect a sweet moment between Sudeikis and Waddingham. Not as glossy as their duet of the song Shallow but still cute.
When and where: The special is now streaming on Apple TV+.
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