I watch a lot of television and movies throughout the year – as both part of my job and for entertainment. I am also a voracious reader and listen to a copious amount of podcasts. 2018 brought a slew of new finds. Some started out as promising, but completely missed the mark [I’m looking at you The Haunting of Hill House (what was that ending, amirite?), Crazy Rich Asians (which felt about two hours too long), Dirty John (I couldn’t even get through the pilot episode), Home Again (such a snoozefest), and A Simple Favor (again, what was with that ending?!?)], but a few became fast favorites. Taking a departure from my usual posts, I thought it would be fun to corral my most-loved finds of the year into an article so that my fellow stalkers can discover them, too. These productions aren’t necessarily new – some are on the older side, actually – they were just new to me in 2018. So without further ado, here is my list of my best entertainment discoveries of the past year.
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1. Bosch (Amazon original series) – I’ve mentioned my love for this show several times over the past few months. Dark, gritty, thrilling and mysterious, with well-placed noirish undertones, the L.A.-set police procedural, based upon the best-selling series of books by Michael Connelly, makes for a fabulous watch. I don’t know what I love more, Titus Welliver’s compelling take on lead character Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch or the striking locations. Either way, I’m smitten.
2. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (currently airing on NBC, past episodes available on Hulu) – I’ve also mentioned my love for this series, which will begin airing its sixth season on NBC this month, several times in recent posts. The Grim Cheaper and I started binging it immediately after our friend Kate sent us this hilarious clip last year and never looked back. The cop comedy, which chronicles the uproarious hijinks of NYPD’s fictional 99th Precinct, is laugh-out-loud hilarious (don’t believe me – watch the aforementioned clip, which has to be one of my favorite television moments EVER) and reminds me quite a bit of fave shows The Office and Parks and Recreation. I was devastated when it was cancelled by Fox in May, but, thankfully, NBC swooped in and picked it up, so fans will be getting their Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) and Captain Holt (Andrew Braugher) fixes soon. Cool cool cool!
3. The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair (book available on Amazon) – This one is a bit of a cheat since I actually read the gripping Joël Dicker mystery novel several years ago. A miniseries based upon it was released this past fall in the UK, though, and it looks captivating! I am absolutely clamoring to watch, but sadly it is not yet available in the U.S. Say whaaaa? Because the book is hands-down one of the best I’ve ever read and since I am guessing the show will be hitting American airwaves at some point in the near future, I thought a recommendation was due.
4. The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat (available on Amazon) – A neighbor recommended this novel to me in the late summer, saying it was one of her favorite books of all time (a hearty proclamation), and I ordered it immediately from my phone while sitting on her porch. I dove right in upon receiving it and was promptly transfixed by the tale of three lifelong friends living in Plainview, Indiana, which is in the same vein as Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, one of my all-time faves. I started reading the book so quickly that I didn’t peruse the synopsis on the back or even taken a good look at the cover and was shocked to learn after finishing that the poignant story about women was actually penned by a man! Edward Kelsey Moore nailed the nuances of female friendship to a T! I promptly ordered copies for my mom and grandma and can honestly say the tome is now one of my all-time favorites, as well.
5. True Crime Obsessed (available on all podcast platforms; bonus episodes on Patreon) – Where have Gillian Pensavalle and Patrick Hinds been all my life? I found True Crime Obsessed, the duo’s podcast which comically recaps true crime documentaries, thanks to a recommended post on Instagram, started listening immediately and haven’t looked back since. It is hands-down the.best.podcast. I’ve ever heard (yes, it’s even better than Serial). Polished, professional and downright hilarious, the GC and I are all in with this one – not only did we become Patreon members so that we could access all of the bonus material, but we even purchased our very own “garbage bell.” Walk, don’t run, to your iPhone and subscribe to True Crime Obsessed immediately! You can thank me later. (My recommendation is to start from the very beginning with “Episode 1: The Imposter.” If you’re just wanting to wet your whistle, though, to get a feel for what Gillian and Patrick are all about, give “Episode 33: My Friend Rockefeller” a go. It’s one of my favorites.)
6. The Bitch Bible (available on all podcast platforms) – The GC and I are massive fans of Vanderpump Rules and its leading lady Stassi Schroeder. As such, we’ve been avid listeners of her Straight Up with Stassi podcast from the beginning. It did not take long for us to also become enamored with her BFF and frequent guest Jackie Schimmel, who is a podcaster herself. For whatever reason, though, we failed to listen to her show, The Bitch Bible, until earlier this year. And I am really sorry we waited because Jackie puts out some of the funniest narrative I’ve ever listened to in my life. She is opinionated, snarky and not afraid to say exactly what is on her mind. And I am here for it – every single minute of it!
7. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (Netflix original movie) – A sweet, sweet tale of teen romance in which two high schoolers fall for each other while pretending to be a couple, à la Drive Me Crazy, a longtime favorite of mine. You can’t help but fall in love with lead actress Lana Condor while watching. Her leading man, Noah Centineo, isn’t too shabby either.
8. Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. (USA Network) – I’ve made no secret of my love for the first season of this true crime anthology which covers the killings of Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace. While rap isn’t really my thing and I knew little of Tupac or Biggie prior to watching, I became absolutely hooked on the show. It is fabulous from start to finish. (The fact that Josh Duhamel stars certainly doesn’t hurt.) I’ve since researched the murders and was pleasantly surprised at the production’s level of accuracy, which is likely thanks to the fact that former LAPD detective Greg Kading, who served on several task forces that investigated the deaths, acted as co-executive producer.
9. Last Holiday (available on Amazon) – Definitely the oldest addition on this list, Last Holiday was released in 2006, but I only discovered it this past December. The sweet, uplifting tale of a woman who, after receiving a terminal health diagnosis, cashes in her life savings to take an extravagant, long-dreamed-about trip to Europe and, in the process, learns how to finally start living, is now a staple of our annual Christmas movie rotation. The flick is also responsible for several new spots on my ever-growing To-Stalk List, namely the Czech Republic’s magnificent Grandhotel Pupp where much of the story takes place.
10. You (available on Netflix) – Lifetime’s recent thriller series, which has since been acquired by Netflix, is an interesting take on a crime drama. Told from the perspective of the surprisingly sympathetic bookstore manager/psychotic killer Joe Goldberg (encapsulated perfectly by Gossip Girl’s Penn Badgley), I almost (almost) found myself rooting for the bad guy and wishing ill on his love interest, Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail), and her manipulative best friend, Peach Salinger (Shay Mitchell). Who knew Badgley could be so good at playing bad?
11. The Real Housewives of New York City (currently airing on Bravo, past episodes available on Hulu) – Though the GC and I have been devoted fans of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills since its inception, for some reason we never got into its New York City counterpart. That changed this summer. On a whim, we watched the Season 7 premiere and were immediately hooked. We wound up binging the rest of Season 7, as well as Seasons 8 through 10 in about two weeks time and then went back to the beginning to view Seasons 1 through 4. We are still getting through the series and loving every minute of it, though I have to say, without Bethenny Frankel at the helm, the mid-seasons are a bit lacking. Regardless, it is easily the most binge-worthy show I’ve ever seen. RHONY is pure gold – everything reality TV should be. As Michael Rapaport recently said in an interview, “Meryl Streep on her best day couldn’t do what Dorinda Medley does!” So make it nice and go watch!
12. Peppermint (available on DVD or streaming at Amazon) – There’s pretty much nothing I love more than a good revenge flick and Peppermint, Jennifer Garner’s recent foray into the genre, did not disappoint. When her husband and daughter’s murderers get off scot-free due to judicial corruption, suburban mom Riley North (Garner) takes matters into her own hands, bulldozing anyone and anything who gets in the way of her quest for justice. Let’s just say, she kicks a** gloriously.
13. Book Club (available on Amazon) – This 2018 romcom/friendship tale should not be missed! Hilarious and charming, the movie feels a bit like a re-envisioning of The First Wives Club with a Nancy Meyers element kicked in. All four lead actresses, Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen, are pure perfection. Not to mention, they all look fabulous! Bonus – it was set and filmed in L.A., so I even managed to get some good stalking locations out of it!
14. Chappaquiddick (available on Netflix) – I have never really researched the 1969 death of Mary Jo Kopechne, so I am unsure about the historical accuracy of the 2018 drama based upon the tragedy, but it sure made for a fabulous watch. The flick is extremely well-done, well-acted, and well-shot and I found myself fully immersed in the sad story. I also became obsessed with Kate Mara’s (Kopechne) hairstyle in it, which I very quickly emulated.
15. Ocean’s 8 (available on Amazon) – Last year’s all-female reboot of the 2001 caper classic Ocean’s Eleven could not have been more fun! Campy, witty and cinematically stunning, the flick is a fast-paced romp that I enjoyed every minute of. (Though I am seriously peeved that – spoiler alert! – George Clooney’s Danny Ocean was killed off.) The costume design was especially on point, as were the locations. My award for best locale of the year goes to the fabulous urban loft where Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), Lou (Cate Blanchett – who has never looked better!) and their team conspire to steal a diamond necklace, which per production designer Alex DiGerlando was actually the heavily modified interior of the annex of Brooklyn’s Bushwick United Methodist Church.
16. Going in Style (available on both Amazon and Hulu with a Cinemax subscription) – Though this one came out in 2017, the GC and I didn’t see it until early this year. A buddy heist comedy, in the same vein as Last Vegas, Going in Style centers around three octogenarians who lose their well-earned pensions thanks to a financial restructuring and decide to rob the bank behind it. The movie (directed by Zach Braff, who also helmed Garden State, one of my all-time favorites) is hilarious, heart-warming and downright fun.
17. Set It Up (Netflix original movie) – The Devil Wears Prada meets Cyrano de Bergerac in this cute romcom about two overwrought personal assistants who conspire to make their bosses fall in love in order to alleviate their insufferable workload. I adore anything and everything with Zoey Deutch and this flick was no different. The fact that I spent several years as a personal assistant only added to my enjoyment of it.
18. The Kissing Booth (Netflix original movie) – An undeniably cheesy story of teen love, but an entertaining watch nonetheless. The fact that stars Joey King and Jacob Elordi are together in real life (though there’s speculation they’ve since split) only made it more fun to view.
19. Broken Harts (available on all podcast platforms) – This new investigative podcast, which premiered in December and is still currently airing, hooked me from word one. Covering the March 2018 car crash in which prolific Facebook poster Jen Hart intentionally took the lives of her wife, Sarah, and five of their six adoptive children (though the sixth is believed dead, too), the story is eerie, dark and wholeheartedly perplexing. It delves into the many falsehoods of social media, lifting the veil on an Insta-famous family with whom not everything was nearly as rosy as it seemed.
20. I Was There Too (available on all podcast platforms) – To be fair, I’ve only listened to one episode of this podcast, but it was utterly fascinating and right up my alley. Matt Gourley’s show is a deep dive into the behind-the-scenes of classic movie moments told by people who were actually there during filming, whether it be a day player, an extra, a screenwriter, or a crew member. In the episode I heard (#83), musician Jordan Katz tells of his experience as a 14-year-old extra in the famous “I’d take a flamethrower to this place!” scene from Scent of a Woman. Not only does he spill the tea on the various actors involved and share a few humorous anecdotes from the five days he spent on set (yes, the scene took five days to shoot!), but he divulged exactly where the segment was lensed, which was not at all where I thought it was.
