TV That Sucks You In
Welcome to the Trash Vortex, the entertainment black holes that never fail to suck you in and won’t let go until the trashy, so-bad-it’s-good end.
Glee: Oh Glee. If you haven’t seen it, you’ve heard of it. And if you’re interested in seeing it, here’s my glowing recommendation: Glee is awful. It’s another show that centers around over dramatic high schoolers and their shenanigans, where the Glee Club is the main focus of the show. Creepy Spanish teacher, who doesn’t even know Spanish, Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) leads the Glee Club to their competitions, and shows way too much interest in his students’ personal lives. Cheerleader coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) is constantly trying to tear down the success of the Glee Club as they prepare for whichever competition is next. The dialogue is so outlandish, filled with insults generated by run-on sentences, that I find myself laughing at nearly every scene. They discuss many issues out in the world such as eating disorders, depression, poverty, school shootings, and discrimination against race, ethnicity, the LGBTQ+ community, and women in the workplace—yet somehow, they are all handled poorly. The best way to describe it is the show’s creator, Ryan Murphy, came close to winning the relay but gave up right before the finish line. But hey! They cover some really good songs, and the drama is hilariously addicting. Available on Netflix.
Episode Recommendations:
- “Vitamin D” (S1E6): The students get lazy preparing for Sectionals, so the boys are put against the girls in a glee competition. Whoever wins gets to pick the song they use to compete. Both teams compete while jumped up on pseudoephedrine, which leads to extremely energetic performances.
- “Britney/Brittany” (S2E2): Glee does many episodes dedicated to musical artists, and some of their most successful are their two Britney Spears episodes. I prefer Season 2’s dedication. The students get their confidence back as they embody Britney Spears’ performing persona, featuring guest star appearances by John Stamos and Britney Spears herself.
- “Michael” (S3E11): The students fight for the right to perform a Michael Jackson song for Regionals against their rival glee club for that season, The Warblers. “Michael” is an episode packed with Michael Jackson songs, including a version of “Smooth Criminal” that I always find myself going back to.
—Kira Doman, Entertainment Editor
Julie and the Phantoms: After losing her mother, ultra-talented Los Angeles high schooler Julie Molina also loses her passion for singing. All of a sudden, Julie’s world is turned upside-down once she accidentally summons the spirits of three super cute teenage ghosts named Luke, Alex, and Reggie—all of whom were members of an up-and-coming rock band called Sunset Curve before they died in 1995. Now they’re back to “life”… kinda. While no one except Julie can see the boys, they quickly discover they become visible to crowds whenever they perform with her; bonded by their shared love for music, the quartet decides to form their own group. Unfortunately, love triangles, mean girls, a sinister ghost with evil superpowers, and the *tiny* problem that ¾ of their band is deceased all create issues for Julie and her phantoms in their quest for stardom. Sounds kind of stupid, right? But despite this show being slightly ridiculous, cringey at times, and wholly unrealistic, it’s also funny and wholesome and full of characters you can’t help but fall in love with. Bonus: the soundtrack is totally amazing! Available on Netflix.
Episode Recommendations: There are nine half-hour episodes with one major story arc, so the show won’t make sense unless you watch from beginning to end
—Mallory Allen
Ted Lasso: Former Saturday Night Live star Jason Sudeikis stars as the title character of Apple TV’s Ted Lasso, a preternaturally positive American football coach lured to England to helm the AFC Richmond soccer (or “football” to the rest of the world) team. Little does he know that owner Rebecca Welton has set him up for failure. Her cheating husband recently left her, she got the ownership stake in AFC Richmond in the divorce settlement, and she’s determined to burn the team he loves to the ground to exact her well-deserved revenge.
But she didn’t count on Ted Lasso. With a Ned Flanders mustache and a Spongebob Squarepants outlook on life, Ted absorbs all of the slings and arrows hurled his way with wide-eyed smiles and convoluted Texan metaphors about kindess and self-belief. He slowly worms his way into the hearts of his boss, the foul-mouthed fans at his local pub, and even the most bitter and self-centered members of his team. Mini-spoiler alert: Turns out, he’s pretty darn good at bringing out the best in people, especially his players.
I’m sure a more high-brow TV critic would have a field day with Ted Lasso‘s often-earnest themes, which is the only reason this show is a Trash Vortex pick for me. But after all of the political divisiveness we’ve been witnessing on the news for a socially distanced eternity, I found Ted Lasso was just what I needed. This sweet little comedy made me laugh and caused my jaded heart to grow at least three sizes as my family and I binged it in a weekend. Okay, I commandeered our big TV and forced them to watch it with me. I have zero regrets. And in true Trash Vortex form, I’m sure I’ll do it again. Available on Apple TV+.
Episode Recommendations: Season 1 has only ten half-hour episodes that create one major story arc, so I suggest watching them all from beginning to end. Apple is set to release Season 2 some time this summer.
—Tracy Fernandez Rysavy, Driftwood Advisor