2024 Pop Culture in Review: Hidden Gems
Doomsday or Fri-Yay: The Streaming Content You Missed this Year
As 2024 bids us adieu, it’s only natural to spend the final days reminiscing about what we witnessed over the last year. The movies we watched, the music we listened to, the shows we streamed in our pajamas. From the typical Taylor Swift clout surrounding another successful album with The Tortured Poets Department to Sabrina Carpenter’s rise to fame with Short n’ Sweet and Ariana Grande’s stunning performance in Wicked, we were hooked this year. Summer break was the month we gawked at Glen Powell’s wet t-shirt contest in Twisters. In November, it was Paul Mescal in Gladiator II. And who could forget Ryan Reynolds’s and Hugh Jackman's exceptional banter as unlikely allies in Deadpool and Wolverine?
It’s all trendy for a reason. But I’d rather not rehash what we already committed to memory. Not everything deserves a worn-out spotlight. Instead, I choose to exit from the usual popularity merry-go-round because this publication is about the content right under our noses—the hidden gems. A saturated market might overshadow them, but I’m here to be their well-deserved spotlight.
Television: It’s All About Good Intentions
Nobody Wants This (Netflix) - Nobody wants this. But let’s be honest, everyone wants this. A rabbi and a sex podcaster fall in love and must navigate their religious and social differences. It’s a rom-com that escapes the typical unattainable romance trope to show that working toward healthy communication can be just as swoon-worthy as chasing red flags.
Starring: Kirsten Bell, Adam Brody
English Teacher (FX on Hulu) - A raw take on the irony of “woke” culture. This comedy will leave your jaw on the floor, and have you question “Did they really just say that?” The characters are a laugh-out-loud funny and dangerous internal monologue. At the front and center is a high school English teacher who is flawed, a self-sabotager with good intentions, but who would still do anything for his students. How admirable.
Starring: Brian Jordan Alvarez, Stephanie Koenig, Sean Patton
Bad Sisters (Apple TV+) - These Irish sisters are back for a second season. If you missed the first season, just know that they murdered their brother-in-law because he was an arse. It’s a darkly funny tale about what family bonds entail. Blood is thicker than water, but secrets tend to come out regardless.
Starring: Eve Hewson, Sharon Horgan, Fiona Shaw
Palm Royale (Apple TV+) - A Chatanooga beauty queen infiltrates a Palm Beach country club. It’s 1969, and all she wants to be is high society, and damn it, she’s gonna get there whether everyone likes it or not. Witty writing comes to life as comedy legends Kristen Wiig, Alison Janney, and Carol Burnett deliver it with gold.
Starring: Kristen Wiig, Allison Janney, Ricky Martin, Carol Burnett, Josh Lucas
Laid (Peacock) - A woman can’t find Mr. Right because the last one died. Oh, and the one before him too. All the men from her past are dropping like flies, and while dating is hard, no one expected it to be life or death. Refreshingly poignant, Laid is a story about self-reflection and the hard work it takes to confront the past.
Starring: Stephanie Hsu, Zosia Mamet, Michael Angarano
Music: You’re Gonna Be (Pop)ular
Suki Waterhouse: The Sultry Crooner
Suki Waterhouse’s atmospheric pop sound and Fleetwood Mac nods found my speakers on a tipsy late-summer afternoon. Fall turned to winter. Winter will turn to spring. Memoir of a Sparklemuffin isn’t just a breath of fresh air paired with classic acoustics, it’s an album that helps take in the highs and lows of a year.
Ashe: The Sheryl Crow Resurgence
Ashe is a singer-songwriter who laces emotional wit into her folksy electric pop with a Sheryl Crow grace. Running a track two or three times won’t do her songs any justice as there will always be more banter to discover. Her newest record Willson released in September captures the golden sun of late summer in echoes of love, loss, and moving on to new seasons of life.
Dagny: The Dancing Queen
The Norwegian singer-songwriter released her brief eight-track sophomore album ELLE in June. Stacked with bombshell hits and an ear for 80s-inspired punchy pop, it’s no wonder the Norwegian pop star has a cult following loyal to her optimistic, heart-pumping sound. Try sitting still to her music, and you’ll find it’s impossible. She’s a drip coffee to the veins. The only complaint? We need more. And we need it now.
Film: Fear, Lies, and Mushrooms
Longlegs - A harrowing analysis of the darkness we can’t always see. Something about it lingers. While not everyone’s cup of tea, if you consider yourself a fan of unexplained impending doom, Longlegs is a gold mine of fear.
Starring: Nicholas Cage, Maika Monroe
My Old Ass - On a mushroom-induced birthday trip, 18-year-old Eliott meets 39-year-old Eliott. A quippy movie about the mistakes we make, and the shoulds and shouldnots of life. What would you tell your younger self?
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Maisy Stella
Hitman - For those who couldn’t stop staring at Glen Powell’s face during Twisters, just know that his charisma and comedic chops are on steroids in Hitman. He plays Gary Johnson, a college professor and volunteer police tech, who must pose as a fake professional killer to gather evidence against people trying to find murder for hire. But when Gary breaks protocol for a woman who wants her abusive husband dead, can he maintain the ruse?
Starring: Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Retta
Happy New Year, sourpusses!
Kat