Here we are at the end of 2021, and Cheddar's Digital Team has some suggestions on how to kick off the final month of the year via your streaming services. So, tune into the return of the Gang in 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia,' revisit The Beatles in the highly-touted Peter Jackson documentary, check out Andrew Garfield's singing chops, and bust a gut with the Christmas-themed entry in the 'Friday' series.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 15 Premiere - Hulu
Picked by Sr. News Editor Dina Ross
I had no idea It's Always Sunny was breaking records until I read an interview with creator Rob McElhenney last weekend, but here we are. The show's ensemble cast, featuring legendary comedian Danny DeVito, has now been on the air longer than any other live-action sitcom in U.S. history, giving us chuckles with episodes like The Gang Finds a Dead Guy, The Aluminum Monster vs. Fatty Magoo, and The Gang Gets Quarantined (an episode that happened years before COVID-19). "The Gang" is a foul-mouth group of despicable friends in the City of Brotherly Love who occasionally pull through with some sort of redeeming act. Wholesome family entertainment? No way. But it is fun for the dark-humor crowd. So let's all check out what The Gang is up to at Paddy's Pub this weekend.
The Beatles: Get Back - Disney+
Picked by Reporter Alex Vuocolo
The number of documentaries, specials, biographies, and retrospectives about Britain's most famous pop group is enough to boggle the mind. It's basically a cottage industry, and one could reasonably wonder if there is anything left unsaid or unshown. Yet apparently, there is. Peter Jackson, the director behind The Lord of the Rings trilogy, has painstakingly reassembled long-unavailable footage of the band as they recorded their last studio album, Let it Be. The intimacy of the footage and how it captures the Fab Four's private foibles and relationships, has been a pleasant surprise to even the most learned Beatles' fans. If you're a fan, this is a must-see, but I'd also recommend it to anyone interested in the twists and turns of the creative process.
tick, tick...Boom! - Netflix
Picked by Digital Editor Mike Nam
Poor Andrew Garfield. During promotions for his star turn, in this film based on Jonathan Larson's autobiographical play, Garfield was relentlessly asked if he was appearing in the upcoming Spider-Man flick. It's a shame because his work, portraying the young Larson working feverishly to hit it big on Broadway as his 30th birthday approaches, is thrilling and moving all on its own. Lin-Manuel Miranda directed this homage to (sometimes detrimentally) obsessive creatives, filling the scenes with supporting actors and cameos from a veritable who's who of the theater world. The title itself evokes the rapid passage of time, and sadly Larson's ran out at the age of 35 on the very day of the off-Broadway preview premiere of his eventual megahit Rent. Keep an eye out for Bradley Whitford as Stephen Sondheim as well, an important mentor to both Larson and Miranda who also just passed away last week.
Friday After Next - HBO Max
Picked by Producer Lawrence Banton
For whatever reason, I am wildly into the holidays this year and so I've made the executive decision to make all of my suggestions festive for December. Coming in this week is a classic comedy in the Friday series, Ice Cube's Friday After Next. First thing, this definitely counts as a Christmas comedy — I mean Christmas is literally an additional character in the movie. Now that that dispute has been cleared, the film catches up with Craig, played by Ice Cube, who, after moving to Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., returns to Los Angeles with his cousin Day-Day, played by comedian Mike Epps, where they are robbed by Santa Claus just before Christmas. The pair spend a portion of the movie trying to figure out how to pay next month's rent that Santa stole by deciding to pick up jobs as security guards. You can imagine how many strained stomach muscles I have endured watching Craig and Day-Day "serve and protect" an L.A. strip mall. In my opinion, this third installment in the series ranks at number two behind the original. Tweet us @cheddar and share your take.
Looking for more to watch? Check out our recommendations from last week and the week before.
