Now Playing: May 2023

Our May edition of Now Playing features character deep dives, memorable wardrobes and casts, and TV show recs, all from our contributors!

Jade Jones

I was super late to the podcast trend. Years late. Recently, I started listening to a podcast on Spotify called Heavyweight, where the host Jonathan Goldstein talks to people who have some regrets about their pasts or want to see a certain situation in their lives change. I used to listen to a lot of true crime but I needed a shift, and this short story format where the host dives deeply into a person’s life for a singular moment has been the break I need. Heavyweight has everything I love about short fiction: thoughtful characterizations, tightly constructed plots, and this inexplicable ability to end at just the right moment. The last episode I listened to was #51 The Elliotts, and it’s a blend of humor, suspense, and storytelling that I really recommend.

antmen pimentel mendoza 

I’m watching through The Good Wife for the first time and I am pretty sure finishing it will be the equivalent of passing the bar exam. I have been listening to Magdalena Bay’s album Mercurial World, Curtis Mayfield’s Super Fly soundtrack, and Perfume Genius’ No Shape because I bought myself a cheap record player and can finally listen to the physical records I have again. I also rewatched Easy A with my students recently. I largely remember that movie for Stanley Tucci’s half-buttoned henley but that cast is really stacked!

Jesse Nee-Vogelman

The only television show I watch is Drive to Survive on Netflix.