Welcome to What to Watch, a series where we tell you the best shows, movies and series out right now, both on networks and streaming services.
Tidying Up with Marie Kondo (Netflix)
You’ve heard of her book, “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” that debuted two years ago at the height of our fascination with minimalism. Maybe you even tried the KonMari method yourself: pouring through all of your possessions and getting rid of any that don’t immediately “spark joy.” Unfortunately, bringing this method to reality television is as monotonous as the act of tidying up itself. The families Kondo visits aren’t the hoarders you’ve gawked at on TLC nor are their lives a mess like another famous self-help shows.
This series is more akin to Netflix’s “Great British Bake Off.” Picture average people slowly revealing interior lives and quirks for your serene viewing pleasure. Of course what’s most enthralling about the show is its titular figure. Kondo and her translator do little to tidy the houses themselves, stopping in periodically only to leave the families with her rulebook and a few words of encouragement. It’s not spectacular viewing, but if you’ve never tried the KonMari method, you’ll probably find yourself rifling through your closet on a hunt to reduce the entropy in your home before the series is over. Or so reactions on social media would have you believe.
My wife and I watched two full episodes, hit the pause button, KonMari’d our entire book collection and jacket/bag closet, and took an entire Honda Accord full of items to the Goodwill drop-off in Norwalk. Thank you yet again, @MarieKondo!! ❤️??♂️??♀️❤️
— Abraham Beltran (@_abrahambeltran) January 2, 2019
A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 3 (Netflix)
“A Series of Unfortunate Events” will always be credited with initially filling my 8-year-old soul with everlasting despair. The final season of the Netflix adaptation, however, allows longtime fans to reckon more closely with the truths of Lemony Snicket. To wit, good people do bad things and bad people can occasionally do good. After one movie that ended up only covering the first three books and better but loooong rollout of episodes on Netflix (each book is covered in two 50-minute episodes), the visual retelling of the series that ended 12 years ago has allowed an offbeat children’s saga to become something much deeper for old and new fans alike.
The Masked Singer (Fox)
I’ve never seen anything this insane. I’ve also never done acid, but I briefly thought someone might have spiked my lemon herbal tea when watching the first episode of “The Masked Singer.” Inspired by the popular South Korean version, celebrities of all marks don a mask for a singing competition whose rounds are titled “Hippo vs. Peacock,” “Monster vs. Unicorn,” and “Deer vs. Lion.” Were this any other show, it’s clear who would win (Hippo, Unicorn, Lion), but this is something outside of the normal bounds of logic. Robin Thicke, Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, and Nicole Scherzinger judge these sing-offs and determine the worst of the losers to take off their mask and reveal themselves every episode.
i have just seen a clip of The Masked Singer, and I am now certain that we are only in an age of television that could be called “All The Fake Shows From 30 Rock Came True”
— Sean Doherty (@theruraljuror_) January 3, 2019
Will anyone watch this show through to the finale? Probably not, but it’s something that must be seen to be believed, which is clearly what Fox is banking on. While not on a streaming site, you can be baffled by the first episode on Fox.com and enjoy the second when it airs on Fox next Wednesday, 9 pm EST.
75th Annual Golden Globe Awards (NBC)
No matter the mess of the Oscars, we can count on the Golden Globes to always deliver two perfect hosts. If you’re reading this column then you’re fully expected to tune in to the show on Sunday. Here’s your friendly reminder to keep your schedule clear that night starting at 8 pm EST. Here are the nominees.
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