Extremely Helpful
The TV show 50 years the making, White Lotus, and the Beans That Broke Reddit
Another week of watching, reading, and listening to everything—so you don’t have to.
Here's what's actually worth your attention this weekend:
📰 BIG NEWS
Monty, a giant schnauzer who looks like Hercule Poirot, won the Westminster Dog Show.
They busted a Human Egg Farm. In related news, the final season of The Handmaid's Tale is coming April 8th.
📺 Shows I Can't Shut Up About
There are 3 big things happening this weekend:
💘 Valentine’s Day
🎤 The 50th Anniversary of SNL
🌴 The premiere of White Lotus Season 3
❤️ Valentine’s Day Treats
WE LIVE IN TIME Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh will make you cry. (Max)
ONE DAY This had a moment last year, but if you missed it, please watch this sweet show about two friends who spend one day together year after year. (Netflix)
LOVE IS BLIND SEASON 8 There have been diminishing returns each season as the participants are clearly there for clout and not the premise of the show but I do still love the first part where they’re dating in the pods and we see the promise of the premise that people can fall in love without ever seeing each other. I usually drop off for the part where they live together and we watch them do squats and try to become fitness influencers, but then tune in again for the reunion. This first drop is 6 episodes of pod content. (Netflix)
BRIDGET JONES: MAD ABOUT THE BOY If you’ve seen all the movies (and remember them) this is a satisfying conclusion. (Peacock)
💔 If You Hate Valentine’s Day
SUMMER HOUSE Love is dead in this Hamptons share house. Last season’s on-camera breakup was the most scandalous since Scandoval. Now, just in time for Valentine’s, two sets of exes reunite—one is pregnant by another man, and one has to answer for dumping his girlfriend the moment he got famous. And that doesn’t even cover what we know in retrospect: Paige and Craig would break up 3 months later. (Peacock)
YELLOWJACKETS SEASON 3 Not into heart eyes? Try cannibal teenage girls eating hearts and eyes. (Paramount+)
📺 It’s the 50th Anniversary of Saturday Night Live
The big weekend starts tonight with a TRIBUTE CONCERT (NBC/Peacock)
If you don’t get why anyone cares, watch the Peacock DOC SERIES:
📌 Episode 1: The Auditions – Cast members watch their audition tapes for the first time.
📌 Episode 3: The Writers’ Room – If you’re interested in what it’s like to work in TV this is a day-by-day breakdown of how SNL comes together. It captures how fun, and how hard, it is to make live television. The irony of being great at this job? The better you are, the more people think you don’t do anything.
Questlove’s LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: 50 YEARS OF SNL MUSIC – If you’re not particularly interested in music, just watch the first 5 minutes—the montage is unreal.
Then on Sunday
The 3 HOUR LIVE EVENT 50 years in the making. Expect everything that makes Live TV fun: laughs, tears, and surprises.
♥️ If you like those you’ll love:
SATURDAY NIGHT The behind-the-scenes movie about the chaotic 90 minutes before the first-ever SNL episode. (Netflix)
30 ROCK Tina Fey’s SNL-inspired workplace comedy, with one of the highest jokes-per-minute ratios ever. (Peacock and Hulu)
THE LONELY ISLAND AND SETH MEYERS podcast An oral history of the SNL digital shorts. It’s crazy to remember that Lazy Sunday is basically what made youtube happen.
📺 If You Can Only Watch One
WHITE LOTUS SEASON 3 This time they’re in Thailand and exploring spirituality and existential dread the way Season 2 explored love and morality and Season 1 tackled class and colonialism. Some things stay the same, though: somebody’s dead, and rich people are the worst.
📚 Books Worth Reading
DEMON COPPERHEAD I read this in 2022 and haven't stopped thinking about it. A modern retelling of David Copperfield that is genuinely great, and also—Barbara Kingsolver used the book royalties to build a rehab center in Appalachia to help the people who shared their stories with her.
🎧 Pods Worth Listening To
HYSTERICAL The true story of a mysterious, often violent, illness that spreads among a group of high schoolers in upstate New York. Is there something in the water? Is it all in their heads? Why is it spreading? Are we talking demons? What’s happening?
📱 Internet Rabbit Holes Worth Falling Into
WHY GOLDEN RETRIEVERS WILL NEVER WIN WESTMINSTER even though they’re the cutest and save lives!
INSIDE THE SHADY WORLD OF CELEBRITY MEME COINS I love when the people scammed get revenge on the scammers.
The People's Choice Awards for BEST NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY
💰 Things Worth Your Money
MIRUMI The hottest accessory of the season didn’t come out of Fashion Week, it came out of the Consumer Electronics Show. Mirumi, is a furry puffball robot that clips onto our bag and interacts with people. Emotional support Tamagotchi but make it luxury.
The undisputed winner of the superbowl were Kendrick’s jeans. Lucky for you I was on this beat before he trotted out in his $1200 Celines. Abercrombie & American Eagle
NEUTER YOUR EX, or name a COCKROACH after them
🥨 Food Worth Eating
Its GIRL SCOUT COOKIE season
Have you heard about THE BEANS? Every once in a while a recipe goes so viral it disrupts the supply chain. In the tradition of Shallot Pasta, The Stew, and Baked Feta Pasta this is the recipe that spawned a Reddit megathread and made my grocery store run out of cannellini beans.
Valentine’s Candy – My favorite this year? SOUR PATCH BLACK HEARTS Wait until they go on sale tomorrow and make yourself a candy salad.
💭 And Finally, Why I Was Late
🤔 Before You Go
Thank you to everyone for subscribing. I hope you’re finding this extremely helpful.
📅 Next Week: The Oscar movies actually worth seeing before the show + more good TV.
I’ll be back in a few days with an Extremely Helpful Explainer of the self help book that’s been most impactful. Spoiler: It’s not the one you think.
I didn’t even know about this viral bean recipe!!!