Welcome to Culture Hound, InsideHook’s deep dive into the month’s most important cultural happenings, pop and otherwise (note: you can find our monthly book guide a little later this week).
WATCH: Road House
I’d rarely recommend rebooting a film as iconic as Patrick Swayze’s 1989 hypermasculine cult classic, but advance word on the new version by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow) and star Jake Gyllenhaal suggests the concept might be worth another visit — this time, there’s a UFC angle and it takes place in the Florida Keys, but otherwise, expect a lot of bar brawls and snappy one-liners…even if they’re not as memorable as the first film. (3/21, Prime Video) *More new films coming to the big screen and small: Dune Part Two (3/1, theaters); Spaceman (3/1, Netflix); Knox Goes Away (3/15, theaters); Immaculate (3/22, theaters); Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (3/22, theaters)
WELCOME BACK: Extraordinary
The funniest show of 2023 was also its most overlooked. So let’s try not to make that mistake for season two of this charming British comedy, which centers around a struggling costume designer who also happens to be one of the few people on Earth without superpowers. It’s a little high concept, but the show is more about the struggles of a few quirky twentysomethings. (3/6, Hulu) *More returning TV shows: The Reluctant Traveler (3/8, Apple TV+); The Amazing Race (3/13, CBS); Invincible (3/14, Prime Video); X-Men ‘97 (3/20, Disney+)
An Ode to “Extraordinary,” the Funniest Show on TV
Hulu’s little-known comedy lands somewhere between “Community” and “Fleabag,” but with superpowersBINGE: 3 Body Problem
An ambitious and mysterious sci-fi drama about alien contact (set over multiple time periods), this adaptation of a popular Chinese book series is being shepherded by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Until its last season, a new show from the Game of Thrones co-creators would have seemed exciting. But now? We’ll have to wait and see. (3/21, Netflix) *More new TV series and miniseries: The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin (3/1, Apple TV+); The Regime (3/3, HBO/Max); The Gentlemen (3/7, Netflix); Apples Never Fall (3/14, Peacock); Chicken Nugget (3/15, Netflix — yes, this is a show about a woman who gets turned into a chicken nugget)
LISTEN: Beyoncé
Act II is the second part of a three-act project that began with the retro dance leanings of 2022’s Renaissance. Here, Beyoncé is reappropriating country music and celebrating the “overlooked history of the American Black cowboy.” Based on the first two singles — particularly the already number-one pop and country single “Texas Hold ‘Em” — she seems to have aced the genre (although this isn’t her first rodeo). (3/29) *More new music: Liam Gallagher and John Squire (3/1); Bleachers (3/8); Norah Jones (3/15); The Dandy Warhols (3/15); Gossip (3/22)
STUDY: Space: The Longest Goodbye
How do you prepare for a three-year mission to Mars? This documentary focuses on the psychologists tasked with keeping the astronauts in good mental health. (3/8, theaters/VOD) *More new documentaries and specials: 500 Days in the Wild (3/1, theaters); 96th Academy Awards (3/10, ABC); Stormy (3/18, Peacock); In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon (3/17, MGM+); William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill (3/22, theaters)
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