January lineup
Watch
Bad Sisters on Apple TV+: This Irish series follows five sisters (Eva, Ursula, Bibi, Becka and Grace) as they navigate the recent death of Grace’s husband, JP - an objectively horrible and cruel narcissist. In a six-month flashback, we see the other four sisters drunkly discuss how much better life would be for them and Grace if JP just…died. Yes it’s dark, but I somehow found myself on board with the plan once exposed to the disturbing behaviour, gaslighting and coercive control that JP exerts not just on his wife, but on everyone around him (trigger warning, it can be difficult to watch).
The sisters try to enact their plan to kill JP - and hilariously fail - over and over again. We’re constantly left wondering how JP actually dies, but don’t fear, we do find out eventually. The show is full of sisterly bickering and banter about how to do it, who’s in charge and who’s at fault when it goes wrong. Bad Sisters can’t be pigeonholed into just one genre. It’s a dark comedy - witty, funny, full of dry Irish humour - but also really sad and heartbreaking. It brings serious issues that many women face to mainstream television with humour, yes, but also with the gravity that it deserves.
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Riley Keogh on Call Her Daddy: Riley is the granddaughter of Elvis and actor - you might recognise her from Daisy Jones and the Six (obsessed, a must-watch if you haven’t seen) or Mad Max: Fury Road.
Riley’s mother, Lisa Marie Presley, was still writing her autobiography “From Here to the Great Unknown” when she passed away. Not long before she passed, Lisa asked Riley to help her finish the book and Riley has since helped finish and publish her mother’s book.
In this interview Riley discusses the grief and catharsis of finishing the book, her mother’s battle with addiction and the grief of losing her mum and brother. On the lighter side, she provides insight into the unique experience of growing up in a famous family (an outlet paid $300k for her baby photo) and the unusual childhood that went along with that (she remembers toy stores and theme parks getting closed down so the family could visit).
Somehow despite her upbringing and family history, Riley comes across grounded and this interview made me love her more than I already did, having fallen in love with her in Daisy Jones and the Six! I’ll definitely be listening to the audiobook of “From Here to the Great Unknown”, narrated by Julia Roberts and Riley Keogh.
Read
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe: When you are 20 and you have a baby and no money, how many options are available to you? After a brief affair with a married college professor Margo Millet finds out she’s pregnant. Faced with the reality that society is not set up to support a young and single mother, Margo decides to experiment on OnlyFans to gain financial freedom. Margo is incredibly clever and funny and quickly becomes a huge success by creating a character, producing content and writing storylines unlike anything else out there.
Rufi’s writing style is unique and unusal, but somehow it works. She flips between third and first person, and when she’s in first person it feels like she’s broken the fourth wall and is speaking directly to you (albiet through Margo). This book is clever, funny, playful and self-referential. It will challenge your perceptions on heavy topics - parenting, addiction, class privilege and sex work - without feeling heavy. The characters are real and complicated - they make questionable decisions but none of them are painted as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, simply as humans navigating difficult circumstances. I was cheering Margo on the entire way and was left wanting to know what the future holds for her. It’s no surprise to learn that Apple TV+ is already working on adapting the novel for a tv series.