Wow! Friend! It’s so nice to see you and catch up. Are we at the part of the conversation where we’ve run out of small talk, so we can talk about TV shows instead? Because I’ve been addicted to this incredible true crime series about a rich family whose veneer of wealth conceals dark secrets. Hooked yet?

Good, because the first episode is awful. It’s predictable, it’s melodramatic, it’s in non-chronological order for no reason. There’s not a single person on screen to like. I nearly turned it off three times. But if you just stick with it for episode two… that’s the juicy part.

Well, sort of. That’s when we get into the backstory. It’s an extended flashback with a completely new cast that actually has no bearing on the original plot. That lasts from episodes two through five. But you can just scroll through TikTok while you watch those.

Once you hit episode six: strap in! When it’s all over one episode later, you’ll be begging for season two.

Oh, and you’ve got to check out this series of epic fantasy novels I started a few months ago. It’s about a young hero with magical powers and the struggle for control in a realm of warring states. Just promise me you’ll stick with the first book. It’s kind of boring and cliche and most of the 850 pages are descriptions of cloaks. But by the time you’re 90% of the way through the sequel, you won’t be able to put it down. It’s such a slow burn, the author won’t even finish the series!

Do you want to see a movie sometime? My friend recommended this thriller with a mind-blowing twist in the finale. The beginning is 150 minutes of extremely dimly-lit action sequences, but I think it’s worth it. Or there’s this new play I’ve been meaning to check out that’s a six-hour solo monologue with no intermission. The ending is amazing, as long as you’re still awake.

Or we could go to a baseball game. Not much happens, but things get exciting after the seventh-inning stretch.

What’s in my queue now? Glad you asked. I love this podcast “Gradual Build.” The hosts have great banter—but you really should listen to the first 48 episodes or you won’t get any of the inside jokes.

Oh, and I’ve been obsessed with this soap opera period piece that’s a dark take on familiar intellectual property. I’ve been watching for ten seasons, and honestly? It’s unbearable! A complete failure on every level. I hate it. So after a long day of work, I flop down on the couch, get a glass of wine, and wind down with two hours of a show that makes me wish I were dead.

But I’m wise to what they’re doing. They’re taking their time: developing character, building out the world, creating storylines. And if the characters are despicable, the world is unoriginal, and storylines are nonsensical—all the better. After the countless hours of terrible TV I’ve suffered through, I figure, if the show is this bad… can you imagine what it’ll be like when it gets good?