The Reel World: Trending TV Series
If you're missing out on the TV series your friends have been talking about because you don't want to pay for a subscription, check it out from the library and join the conversations. I'm highlighting just a few of the many trending series you can check out from the library digitally, on DVD or Blu-Ray.
References to Jason Sudeikis' hit Apple TV show Ted Lasso have been everywhere the last few years (even the 2026 World Cup Finals halftime show). It's definitely time to get in the loop if you've missed this one.
This is a comedy with a lot of heart. Sudeikis plays Lasso, an American football coach from Wichita, Kansas, hired to coach an English soccer team. He knows nothing about the sport, but manages to win over the players with kind and compassionate coaching.
The fish-out-of-water setup provides lots of humor and of course Sudeikis is funny in everything he does. There is also a strong supporting cast including Hannah Waddingham, Jeremy Swift and Phil Dunster who add even more quirkiness, awkward situations and heart.
Unfortunately, only season one has been released for libraries. But season one is very entertaining and it will help you be in on the references happening all around you.
Yellowjackets is a dark thriller drama that explores the best and worst in humanity. It follows two primary storylines. The first is about a group of teenagers trying to survive in the wild after a 1996 plane crash. The second takes place 25 years later and focuses on the survivors' efforts to get their lives back after escaping the wilderness.
The show stars a large cast led by Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher and Samantha Hanratty as the core teenage survivors. Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Juliette Lewis and Christina Ricci portray their adult counterparts.
"Yellowjackets maintains an intriguing tonal balance in early episodes. The survival timeline is pure horror, all steadily increasing dread and glimpses of grotesque violence. It helps that the flashback cast is strong enough to carry an entire drama on their own; standouts Brown, Thatcher, and Nélisse are particularly adept at delivering performances that feel distinct and yet authentically echo the personas of their adult counterparts." –Kristen Baldwin, Entertainment Weekly
This is a space western and part of the Star Wars franchise. The story begins five years after the events of the film Return of the Jedi and the fall of the Galactic Empire. It's a must see for Star Wars fans.
A lone bounty hunter Din Djarin (played by Pedro Pascal) is hired to retrieve a child, Grogu, for Imperial forces. When he finds the infant he decides to hide Grogu from those who want to exploit his connection to the Force. The space chase and battles begin.
The series has received largely positive reviews from critics and several accolades, including Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award wins for all three seasons.
Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez star in this funny and quirky cozy mystery series. The three start out as neighbors in a large New York City apartment building. At first they are mere acquaintances but they form a friendship and then a podcast when someone is murdered in their building and they want to find the killer.
Martin plays an actor best known for a playing a TV detective. Short plays a theater director famous for his flops. And Gomez plays a young struggling artist trying to figure out her next steps. There are lots of jokes around the age difference between the two men and the young woman, and the three are often in ridiculous and hilarious situations.
The mysteries are interesting and each season has one or more murders that aren't gruesome. Each season also includes impressive guest stars. My favorite regular cast member is Da'Vine Joy Randolph who plays the blunt and exasperated NYPD Detective Donna Williams.
