If you’re tired of endlessly scrolling through a buffet of viewing options without a trusty recommendation, you’ve come to the right place! Each week I list a handful of titles I’ve enjoyed to help you shake up your weekly streaming routine.

The Great British Baking Show (Great British Bake-Off) (Competition/Reality)

Netflix

[image error]Generally speaking, I can’t stand reality television. Competition shows tend to attract egotists and narcissists whose defensive reactions to constructive criticism and completely unwarranted self-confidence make me literally, unironically sick to my stomach. So I’m surprised as anyone to have been swept off my feet by The Great British Baking Show (or The Great British Bake-Off depending on your market). The premise is simple: each week a group of bakers competes through a series of baking challenges. It’s almost too simple, but the show is carried by the diverse personalities and baking styles the contestants bring with them. On top of that, judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry are the kind of tough-but-fair experts you want adjudicating a competition like this. The hosts can be somewhat annoying, but consistently inject levity into the otherwise stressful proceedings. Maybe it’s just the cultural difference between America and the UK, but The Great British Baking Show is mercifully devoid of the toxicity I railed against in my opening sentence. That’s not to say the show is devoid of drama; in fact, far from it. But if you, like me, initially shied away from a reality show for fear it peddles in the loathsome qualities I mentioned above, fear not! The Great British Baking Show almost couldn’t be more family friendly. As of this writing, Netflix has three seasons of The Great British Baking Show, though the show is currently filming an 8th season (re: different markets, slightly different titles, etc) Additional seasons can be purchased through the usual channels: iTunes, YouTube, Google Play, etc.

P. S. You’re gonna want something sweet to snack on with this one. Trust me.

Genius of the Ancient World (Documentary)

Netflix

[image error]The BBC really knows how to put together a top-notch documentary series. In this case, historian and author Bettany Hughes explores 3 men from a time long ago whose ideas continue to impact the way we think: Buddha, Socrates, and Confucius. This is not merely a dispassionate overview of these thinkers’ revelations, or a few on-location shots from tourist traps. What makes Genius… such a thought-provoking and engaging watch is how it explores the lives of the figures in question. By providing the historical context in which these men conceived and developed their ideas, the ideas themselves become more accessible. In the same way I’ve rhapsodized about docu-dramas “bringing history to life,” so to speak, so too does Genius of the Ancient World emphasize the living aspect of the history it chronicles. To be sure, the show has to condense its material into an hour run time; this is primarily a survey of highlights. Still, as a starting point for these men and the ideas they brought into the world, Genius of the Ancient World is excellent.

You’ve Got Mail (Romantic Comedy)

Amazon Prime

[image error]You probably haven’t forgotten about this gem from the late, great Nora Ephron. You also probably haven’t watched it recently and that, dear reader, is why it’s on the list. For starters, this movie is just delightful. You’ve got the incomparable chemistry between Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan once again at the center of a saccharine yet sincere romance. You’ve got a colorful cast of side characters – from Dave Chappelle as the token black friend, to Steve Zahn and Heather Burns as the token idiosyncratic friends, to Brinkley, the uncharacteristically well-behaved golden retriever. It’s a winning formula with familiar ingredients, but where You’ve Got Mail really shines is how it elevates the overused tropes upon which its built. You know how in most romantic comedies, there’s the doomed relationship that precedes the two leads getting involved with each other? It’s such a cliche by now that a lot of movies barely bother making this relationship plausible, since it’s whole function is to contrast a happily-ever-after with someone else. Greg Kinnear assumes this time-honored mantel opposite Meg Ryan in the film’s first half. What sets this initial coupling apart from other examples, though, is how right the characters are for each other – at least on paper. They even say something to this effect when the imminent breakup arrives. It’s a small detail, but goes such a long way to making You’ve Got Mail emotionally resonant. That’s to say nothing of the other touches that make this movie so irresistibly charming; the way Meg Ryan, crippled by a cold, renders temperature as teppuhcher… How eloquent the Instant Messenger exchanges between the two leads…  Finally, of course, the movie acts as a kind of time capsule to an America on the brink of internet ubiquity. You’d hardly know it to browse the web now, disingenuous outrage and unfledged hostility everywhere, but there was a time when this newfangled “World Wide Web” was defined by runaway optimism. This is not to say that such naivety was warranted, of course, but that’s a different conversation.

You’ve Got Mail is a wistful reminder of simpler times with shorter usernames and sluggish download speeds. If you’re looking for the warm fuzzies, they’re still here.