What To Watch On TV This Weekend: 'The Bear' Season 2, 'Secret Invasion,' And 'I'm A Virgo'

Is it a bit exhausting for you to scroll along streaming services, trying to figure out what show premise is speaking to you like you’re picking between your favorite takeout spots?

The feeling isn’t much different from when you try a new food and end up getting disappointed halfway through your first bite. You’re at least lucky in that you don’t have to track the nutritional benefits of your favorite show (maybe the snacks you eat while watching it but that’s beside the point).

Luckily for you though that’s what television critics are for! Some folks have really been able to develop their taste to where they can give you an honest opinion. So that you can better find stuff you think fits your current taste and maybe something that’ll expand it! That’s where we come 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.

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 Larry Mantle talked about the latest on television and streaming with Angie Han, TV critic for The Hollywood Reporter, and Liz Shannon Miller, senior entertainment editor at Consequence.

This week’s shows include:

• The Bear [Season 2] (Hulu) 
• Secret Invasion  (Disney+)
• Glamorous (Netflix)
• I’m A Virgo (Amazon Prime Video)
• And Just Like That  [Season 2] (Max)
• Swagger [Season 2] (Apple TV+)

Listen here

'The Bear' [Season 2]

Streaming on Hulu

Promotional photo of Carmy in "The Bear" Season 2

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First impression: The show centers on the life of Carmy, a James Beard award-winning chef who takes on his late brother’s restaurant in Chicago, The Original Beef, and the issues that come with it. The first season saw him and the restaurant staff attempting to manage through one issue after another and doing so in a way that honors Carmy’s brother, Michael.

Spoiler for Season 1 and a transition to what season gets into: The Original Beef comes to a close, and from its ashes we see the crew open up a new restaurant called The Bear. The new place offers more fine dining than the deli-style spot we saw at the beginning of Season 1.

Season 2 offers you more of a well-rounded look into the crew and sees them adjust to their new style of doing business.

Lasting impression: It’s a show that’s pacing feels perfect, being 30-minute episodes that keep you engaged and don’t lose steam in the way longer performances can. This show will also get looped into the comedy category but it’s way more than that; don’t let genres fool you because if anything this show’s driving force is its drama and character exploration.

The first season is an easy binge at a total of four hours and change, so it’ll be easy to see why this show gets the kind of critical acclaim it does. Not only that but it’ll serve as either an introduction to what it’s like working in a kitchen or re-hash the memories you got working in one.

Each character, from their costume design and acting style, feels unique in the context of the show; the distinctness of each character is another thing I love since you get to appreciate them for who they are. To offer a shoutout to one of the supporting roles, I love Marcus (played by Lionel Boyce of Odd Future fame), his love for pastries is refreshing and I think his growth in the show is such a cool development. He’s one of the characters who benefit from the second season's deeper dive.

Who's behind it: The show creator is Christopher Storer, who’s worked on projects I’m very fond of. He’s worked as a show producer for the Hulu show Ramy, Bo Burnham’s directorial debut Eighth Grade, and Hasan Minhaj’s Netflix stand-up special Homecoming King.

All of these have their different levels of humor but also do a good job of telling a pointed story that still offers an exploration of the human condition in a way that feels universal. So although you aren’t a middle schooler in today’s age, or the kid of immigrant parents, these projects are ways you can empathize and also reflect on your life through the overarching points each of them makes.

When and where: All 10 episodes of Season 2 are streaming now on Hulu.

Read Angie’s review of The Bear Season 2 for The Hollywood Reporter by clicking here.

'Secret Invasion'

Streaming on Disney+

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn as Talos in Marvel Studios' SECRET INVASION

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First impression: Nick Fury is back on a secret mission with his colleague Talos, trying to stop a group of enemy Skrulls (an out-of-this-world group of shapeshifters in Marvel comics and its cinematic universe) who are looking to invade Earth by infiltrating high-profile, powerful positions.

For those who aren’t sure where this fits into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this show’s timeline fits in with recent films that released this year like Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Worth noting though that this series is meant to be a spy thriller, so it’s much more low key but its consequences will likely reverberate across the MCU.

Lasting impression: As someone who was an avid Marvel Cinematic Universe fan up until Endgame, having sporadically seen some of what’s come out since I’d say this show is solid. I think it may be hard to keep up with if you aren’t delved into what’s going on in the MCU because a lot of what it’s referencing does require some prior knowledge.

I will say though that I did enjoy the stage being set in the first episode. It reminded me of Captain America: The Winter Soldier although I felt Secret Invasion does a lot better job of serving as a spy thriller. Some folks may feel differently, which I understand, mainly because I wasn’t as high on The Winter Solider as others were.

Who's behind it: The show’s creator is Kyle Bradstreet, he notably was a writer and producer for the show Mr. Robot starring Rami Malek and Christian Slater. The pacing of Mr. Robot is something you’ll be able to find in Secret Invasion, and I think the subtleness of both shows is something you’ll definitely take to if you enjoy espionage and cunning action.

When and where: Episode 1 was released yesterday June 21 on Disney+; episode 2 is scheduled to release on Wednesday, June 28.

Read Liz’s latest piece on Secret Invasion for Consequence by clicking here.

'I’m A Virgo'

Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Jharrel Jerome (Cootie), Allius Barnes (Scat), Brett Grey (Felix), and Kara Young (Jones) in "I'm A Virgo."

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First impression: A bit of an off-kilter, coming-of-age story on a 19-year-old named Cootie who was born with the trait of being 13 feet tall. The show sees him wanting to learn more about the world, and loving comic books, but also getting brought down to a certain degree by his parents.

This has all the elements of a coming-of-age story, however, I feel like comparing it to others feels very much like “apple and oranges.”

Lasting impression: I really appreciated the need to tackle a story where a kid feels abnormal, not as a result of who they are but more so as a result of how folks treat him, primarily his parents since they spend so much time together. This show is essentially his journey in becoming Cootie the person and moving away from just being this shut-in child.

You always hope a parent is going to be the best role model, but this show reminds you sometimes they got their own issues that you’ll eventually find out about, and it’s through that that you become your own person.

Who's behind it: The show is created by Boots Riley, who you might know as the director of the 2018 film “Sorry To Bother You.” Riley’s creative direction is identifiable in both, you’ll find an absurd presentation in a world not far off from ours but gets into the social component of each issue at hand.

I’m A Virgo, and from the some I’ve seen, does get into why a young man who’s well-meaning and curious about the world around him can’t experience things since it may freak folks out. Sorry, To Bother You looks more at the social consequences of a well-meaning person wanting to move up in the professional world, only to realize that their lack of a political analysis leads to them getting taken advantage of.

When and where: All seven episodes are streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.