NETFLIX
Michelle Wolf has returned to Netflix for a new stand-up special It’s Great to Be Here. Wolf, who was part of Netflix’s short-lived venture into talk show content with The Break, offers up a unique experience with her stand-up broken into three parts – each around a half-hour – and delving deep into a few topics per episode.
It’s Great to Be Here is unified by the overarching theme. Much of Wolf’s material is about white women in western civilisation, whether that concerns the Me-Too movement or equating beauty with success. Part of Wolf’s charm is how rarely she’s fazed by even the harshest criticism’s – It’s Great to Be Here spends some time on her favourite insult thrown at her and how much time and effort went into trying to discredit her. Throughout it all, Wolf offers a gigantic grin and plenty of sarcasm.
Michelle Wolf is a vulgar comedian, and her material is very tied to pushing some boundaries and veering into unexpected territory. Those who enjoyed The Break with Michelle Wolf, or her previous Netflix stand-up effort Joke Show should make some time to enjoy It’s Great to Be Here.
PARAMOUNT +
Migrating from Prime Video (home to its first three seasons) to Paramount + is the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks. Entering its fourth season, Lower Decks feels like it’s taking a victory lap. Part of this is due to the previous three seasons which managed to marry the Star Trek ethos with an animated comedy and another part is managing to produce a successful crossover between this series and the live-action Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
As with previous seasons, our main cast of brash and rebellious Mariner (Tawny Newsome), the overeager Boimler (Jack Quaid), excitable scientist Tendi (Noël Wells) and easy-going engineer Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) return to duty on the lower decks of the USS Cerritos. This season sees promotions to our main cast, finally moving up the ranks and facing new responsibilities as well as the addition of new ensign T’Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz).
Star Trek: Lower Decks offers up a sci-fi comedy that looks at the lighter side of the Star Trek universe and mines its history for several clever jokes. Star Trek: Lower Decks is an enjoyable glimpse into the potential of the Star Trek franchise, and one that never takes itself too seriously.
DISNEY +
Returning to Disney + is the documentary series Welcome to Wrexham. The first season of this series covered the story of how celebrities Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool, Definitely, Maybe, Free Guy) and Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Mythic Quest) purchased the Welsh football team Wrexham AFC. Despite not having a personal history with soccer – McElhenney’s references point him more as a gridiron fan – the duo take on running the team with every intention of getting the team promoted into the Football League.
Welcome to Wrexham is made with an American audience in mind, this is never clearer when McElhenney or Reynolds discuss terminology unfamiliar to them – like a place being chockers or people making fun of McElhenney’s whinging – and the show offers a graphic of the word and translates it into American English. That said, the show manages to make a compelling story out of the odd reality taking place. Season 2 also offers a look into how the show has impacted the community of Wrexham.
Since airing, the show has increased awareness of the Welsh city and drove in new tourism to the community. Footage is shown of international tourists, typically dressed in Wrexham attire, as they discuss their visit. Players share stories of their newfound fame, and even merchants show their increased business. Season 2 also shows McElhenney and Reynolds meeting King Charles. The duo take etiquette lessons on how to act in front of the monarch and tour him through their facility.
Not everything seems to be sunny though, Wrexham is still in the National League – the fifth tier of the English footballing pyramid, and still need to pull themselves out of that tier for the team to be profitable enough to keep their celebrity owners. On top of that, the stadium itself needs some major refurbishment to increase ticket sales and profitability to make that happen. While there have been positives, the documentary does show the reality of this venture still being a business. The economic reality of profitability hangs over the series, as well as financial concerns.
Welcome to Wrexham is not all doom-and-gloom, it offers an interesting portrait into what it takes to run a club likes this, alongside what it means to several others, including supporters and past players. The club’s history is used to full effect and Wrexham is also quite picturesque providing a nice backdrop to most events covered in the series.
Welcome to Wrexham is an interesting series about an ongoing event. Well worth checking out for sports fans and beyond.
