Every month staff of The Northwood Omniscient recommends something for students and staff. For the month of November, staff members recommended their favorite shows for students. Ms. Brinkley, advisor for The Northwood Omniscient, and Ms. Sabiston, Northwood theater teacher, also recommended shows for staff.
For Students:
Mrs. America
Hulu
Following the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), Mrs. America shows the push and pull of women on both sides of the aisle. Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Shirley Chisholm, Bella Abzug and Jill Ruckelshaus work with second-wave feminists to pass an amendment that would provide equal rights for all Americans regardless of gender. Phyllis Schlafly leads the right’s opposition to the ERA, interpreting the amendment as taking away women’s rights as homemakers and reigniting a problem that had already been solved with previous legislation. This Hulu mini-series follows the real fight of these women throughout the 70s, giving insight into their personal lives and reigniting discussion about the still unratified Equal Rights Amendment.
-Ella Sullivan, Co-Editor in Chief
Truth Seekers
Amazon Prime
Gus Roberts (Nick Frost) and Elton John (Samson Kayo) are two everyday cable and wifi installers who, in their free time, also operate a Youtube channel dedicated to solving paranormal mysteries. However, after meeting Astrid (Emma D’Arcy), a girl haunted by a burning ghost, they stumble into a plot that could destroy the world. This show is a comedy but also has several very scary moments. It was created by Simon Pegg, who also worked on Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, so if you like those shows, you’ll love Truth Seekers.
-Torin Priddle, Co-Editor in Chief
The Goldbergs
Hulu
The Goldbergs is a comedy series based on the creator, Adam F. Goldberg, and his family that will leave you laughing for hours. It is a family-friendly show set in Pennsylvania in the 1980’s following Adam Goldberg, his two older siblings–Barry and Erica, his parents–Beverly and Murray– and his grandfather, Pops. Adam videotapes the dysfunctional family’s day-to-day life where things go awry, but at the end of the day, they are all lovable characters. At the end of each episode, a short recording of the real Adam Goldberg’s family is played and it always syncs up with a piece of the show. If you enjoy a good laugh, casual viewing or the 1980’s, then you are guaranteed to love The Goldbergs.
-Grace Leonard, Social Media Editor
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts
Netflix
Based on the popular webcomic Kipo by Rad Sechrist, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts is an imaginative Netflix original animated series. The show has 30 episodes split across 3 seasons, the last of which was released in October. The series follows the whimsical and mildly disturbing misadventures of Kipo Oak, a human girl who has been living underground with her father for her entire life. The show fully embraces its anime-inspired aesthetics and 90’s-esque color scheme, these aspects of the series’ appearance are what contributed to its notoriety early on. Kipo has also been praised for its diversity and representation, featuring in Netflix’s “Representations Matters” list. Fans of comedy, action and neon colors should love Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts
-Ethan Westmoreland, Design Editor
The Baker and the Beauty
Hulu
This Hulu show is a romantic-comedy TV series that features the love story between a baker and an international supermodel. They face challenges staying together because of their differing backgrounds. Additionally, their families clash culturally, and everyone has to work together to make their relationship work. Anyone who enjoys either the comedy or romance genre will like The Baker and the Beauty.
-Loren King, Staff Writer
It’s Okay To Not Be Okay
Netflix
Released in June of 2020, the sixteen-episode Korean Drama tells the story of three tormented souls whose pasts are intertwined. Gang-Tae is a caretaker at a psychiatric hospital and grew up living with his brother, Sang-Tae, who is on the autism spectrum. The two move back to the city they grew up in due to their circumstances and they start to build a relationship with Mun-yeong, who is a children’s book writer with Antisocial Personality Disorder. With the haunting plot and the main setting being a psychiatric hospital, the show has a heavy and thought-provoking take on mental illnesses and neurodiversity. The series also finds a way to uniquely incorporate fairy tales to teach the characters and the viewers important lessons. One relatable theme is love and the different types of it– the kinds of love one can have for a romantic partner, a sibling, a friend or a parent are all portrayed. For those of you who are open-minded and ready to take on a whirlwind of emotions, bringing heartbreak but also laughter, It’s Ok To Not Be Okay is the series to watch.
-July Two, Staff Writer
Over The Garden Wall
Hulu
Premiering in 2014 on Cartoon Network, Over The Garden Wall follows Greg and Wirt, two step-brothers, as they wander through the Unknown, a mysterious forest that is lost in time. During their adventure, they encounter a paranoid woodsman, befriend a talking bluebird named Beatrice, and adopt a singing frog. In order to escape the forest and get back home, Wirt must face his past and outwit the Beast, a shadowy figure all the Unknown’s residents seem to be terrified of. Set to a musical soundtrack, Over The Garden Wall is a perfectly haunting autumn binge watch.
-Gianna Cacciato, Staff Writer
Chef’s Table
Netflix
Premiering as Netflix’s first original documentary in the spring of 2015, Chef’s Table is a 30- episode series that showcases the diverse elements amongst the world of professional culinarians. Filmed with the intention of highlighting the behind-the-scenes of a masterful cuisine, each episode focuses on a different celebrated chef from around the globe and explores their personal stories and individual characteristics. All six seasons provide direct insight into each featured chef’s life and their road to success, pulling the audience in with captivating imagery and interesting details behind the process of preparing food. Viewers who are interested in learning more about the world around them–the food industry in particular–will be consumed with this show, as it encapsulates both the artistry and precision of culinary work.
-Olivia McMurray, Staff Writer
For Teachers:
Unsolved Mysteries
Netflix
This is a 2020 reboot of the original Unsolved Mysteries TV series that ran from 1987-2002. Each episode, produced in a kind of documentary-style featuring interviews with people connected to the case, recounts the events of some real-life mystery–typically a crime, most often involving murder–that has yet to be solved. The first season of the reboot was released on Netflix back in July. Of those six episodes, perhaps the most riveting is the third, which details the killings of four children and their mother in the city of Nantes in France as well as the subsequent disappearance of the family patriarch, Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès. Just last month, six new episodes were added and include the stories of several murders, ghost sightings and the inexplicable disappearance of two Harlem children in the 1980s. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys trying to solve a detective novel before it ends, you’ll get hooked to this series quickly. Don’t forget to google each case later to see if any new leads have come to light since the episode’s release!
-Ms. Brinkley, Advisor
The Haunting of Bly Manor
Netflix
I am a scary movie fanatic, so that is what initially attracted me to the show. However, if you are one who hates scary movies or shows, I still highly suggest The Haunting of Bly Manor because it is so much more than that and honestly only has a few scary moments. The story is about a young governess who is hired by a man to take care of his niece and nephew after they lose their parents. After she arrives, she begins to experience strange occurrences around the manor. The Haunting of Bly Manor is a loose adaptation of The Turn of the Screw by Henry James and covers themes of death, love, and possession. If you love a show with twists and turns, then this is the show for you!
-Ms. Sabiston, Theater Teacher
