Issue No. 002 | July 2026
Your weekly pop culture digest · TV · Film · Podcasts · Everything in between
This week's issue is brought to you by my television, which I have been yelling at. Affectionately. Mostly. Let's get into what I've been watching, what made me shout curse words at a credits roll, and the trailer binge that just added nine things to a watchlist that did not need nine more things.
🩸 THE THREE PICKS
1. Cape Fear — Apple TV+
I need to talk about this show, and specifically about its ending credits, because every single episode this series has made me shout actual curse words at my screen. It has its weaknesses — I'm not going to pretend it doesn't — but Cape Fear has mastered the art of the cliffhanger. Mastered it. There should be a class. Other shows should be forced to attend.
And I'm going deep on this one: I just finished the audiobook of The Executioners, the novel the movies and this series are based on. I liked it, but you can absolutely tell the era it was written in — the misogyny is doing a lot of unpaid labor in that book. The series swerves so far from the source material that I'm pretty sure the only thing they have in common is some character names. The two films are next on my list, and then... well, see ON THE RADAR below. 👀
Watch it if: you enjoy being emotionally ambushed at the 58-minute mark, every week, on schedule.
2. Furious — Hulu
I just started this and it is fantastic — gripping, gritty, exactly the kind of show that makes you say "one more episode" at a time of night when one more episode is a lie. And here's my confession: I genuinely did not think I could see Emmy Rossum as anyone other than Fiona Gallagher after Shameless. I was wrong. I love this new character so much.
Although — and this is the fun part — structurally? Her life isn't actually that far off from Fiona's. Different show, different world, same architecture of a woman holding everything together while everything actively resists being held. Emmy Rossum has a type, and the type is "load-bearing."
Watch it if: you like your protagonists gritted-teeth capable and one bad day from the edge.
3. The Four Seasons — Netflix
I finished all four seasons and I loved this as much as I loved The Five-Star Weekend — and if you read that issue, you know that's saying something. Both shows have the same winning formula: fantastic cast, fantastic backdrop, fantastic storylines. Both are about friend groups on getaways where the scenery is gorgeous and the subtext is armed.
Both of them also left me asking the same unsettling question: why am I not planning friends' weekends and getaways? Is my friend group missing scheduled emotional reckonings in beautiful locations? Someone book a house.
Watch it if: you want to feel warm, seen, and vaguely guilty about your group chat.
Go find something you can't let go of.
⚡ RAPID FIRE
Dubai Bling (Netflix) — Finished all three seasons. Guilty pleasure, zero apologies. Disgustingly wealthy people behaving very, very messily. Sometimes the horror lens is just watching someone's third yacht party go wrong.
The Patient (Hulu) — Continuing my accidental Steve Carell arc, and this show was CRAZY TOWN. Steve Carell made me so mad — first because he keeps dying on me across projects, and second because in this one he had SO many opportunities to get away!!! Sir. The door. It's right there.
House of the Dragon (HBO Max) — The most recent episode was genuinely action-packed, and I love that Helaena is becoming a critical character. Full honesty though: I am struggling to keep track of the Targaryen children. Rhaenyra's boys, Alicent's boys — at this point I need a laminated chart and possibly a support group.The best pop culture doesn't just entertain you. It makes you feel seen — even when it's set on a cursed island.
📋 THE QUEUE
What's on deck once I claw back some free time:
Criminal Minds — I'm two seasons behind, which is unacceptable, so a binge is scheduled for the next few weeks.
The Terror — The latest season looks really good. I'll rewatch season one first, and no, I never saw season two — the beauty of an anthology is that nobody can stop me.
Interview with the Vampire — The new season, which I don't think is technically a new season so much as a spinoff, but either way: in.
The Bear (final season) — It's waiting in the wings and I keep hesitating, because I'm genuinely sad it's ending. Watching it means it's over. I'm not ready. Yes, chef. Not yet, chef.
🗓️ This Weekend, Specifically
Practical Magic hits HBO Max on Saturday, so the rewatch is officially scheduled. I'm also halfway through the book, which is quite different from the movie — more on that in ON THE RADAR.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 is out on Hulu, and yes, it's happening this weekend too. Florals for spring may not be groundbreaking, but a sequel decades in the making? I'm seated.
🎬 TRAILER BINGE
I fell down a trailer hole, and here's everything that clawed its way onto my can't-wait list:
Children of Blood and Bone — Based on the book of the same name, which I own and have not read. The book will judge me from the shelf either way.
Ebenezer — Johnny Depp doing Christmas horror. Who doesn't love a good Christmas horror?
The Fix — Looks interesting. I couldn't tell from the trailer if it's based on real events, but I'll be seeing it regardless.
Don't Move — The trailer was so good I immediately added the book to my Audible queue. That's the highest honor a trailer can receive from me.
Insidious 6 — The obligatory watch. I'm invested in this franchise. We've been through too much together.
She Saw Us — Looks creepy. Made the list on vibes alone.
Victorian Psycho — This looks like a movie I will need to cover my eyes through significant portions of. So obviously I'm going.
The Girl in the River — A twisty, turny crime flick with what looks like a great cast. My weakness.
Crystal Lake — Because why wouldn't Peacock create an original series based on one of the greatest horror franchises ever? Correct decision. See you at camp.
📡 ON THE RADAR
Upcoming episode: Cape Fear × 4. I'll be comparing all four iterations of this story — the novel The Executioners, both films, and the Apple TV+ series. Four versions, one premise, wildly different results. This one's going to be fun.
Upcoming episode: Practical Magic × 3. The book, the original film, and the sequel — because the book and the movie are already telling noticeably different stories, and I want to see where Practical Magic 2 lands between them.
Practical Magic 2 — September 11. The countdown continues. I cannot wait to see what the Owens sisters are up to.
I Saw This… · Sent weekly · Reply anytime · Issue 002 · July 2026
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