For this month’s streaming article I considered featuring films and televisions shows dealing with women’s health issues. I disregarded this idea when I realized in the majority of these programs women eventually died of their illnesses.
With over 7.8 million women worldwide alive who were diagnosed with breast cancer in the past five years, death is not the message I want to promote.
Twenty-three percent (1 of 4) women will die within a year of having a heart attack down from 26% in 2016. Horrible numbers, but for the 77% who survive we should celebrate. Unfortunately far too many women and men die of cancer or heart disease each year. We need to be aware of these numbers – both sets, the casualties, and the survivors.
Death scenes are popular in books, plays, movies, and television. They present writers, directors, and actors with opportunities to evoke powerful emotional responses from their audiences. These amazing works have their place. It’s just not in this issue about women’s health.
Instead I chose to select movies and television shows that were fun. Some have strong female characters we can all celebrate.
Ted Lasso - I’m sure most of you have seen at least one episode of this show on Apple+. Jason Sudeikis stars as Ted Lasso, an American football coach who is hired to coach the struggling English football club, AFC Richmond. Lasso has never coached soccer, and he was hired to fail by the new owner, Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham). Rebecca was awarded the club in her divorce from her womanizing ex Rupert (Anthony Head). Instead of failing, Ted changes the dynamic of the team and the management including its owner. For three seasons we watch as Rebecca begins to embrace her role as a businesswoman and steward of this group of young players, the coaching staff, and their quirky fanbase. These changes are made possible by the goodness of Ted, who really may be the kindest and best character ever created.
Welcome to Wrexham – Actor, writer, producer, podcaster, and businessman, Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) decided to buy a struggling football club in Wales. He sought the help of his friend, Ryan Reynolds. They decided to make a docuseries about the team’s struggles to regain a spot in the Premier League. First off, let me say I am astounded by McElhenney’s work ethic and business acumen. I know Reynolds is a savvy businessman as well as a talented actor. What surprises me most is the sincerity of these men to do the right thing for this football club and the people of Wrexham who have stood by their team through thick and thin. It’s heartwarming to get to know the players and their families, the coaching staff and team employees as well as the fans. The language is salty at times and not for the easily offended, but so far it has been an exciting and fun ride. Now in its third season, you can stream it on Hulu.
Your Home Made Perfect is a British property makeover series hosted by Angela Scanlon. Homeowners are given the opportunity to consult with two architects who will walk the homeowners through virtual reality redesigns of their homes. The homeowners choose the design they favor and with guidance from the architect they hire contractors to complete the project. Scanlon and the winning architect return to the renovated home to see the results. I like the low drama feature of this show. The architects are creative and even though they want to be chosen, they aren’t afraid to compliment and appreciate the rival designs. The homeowners often make their own tweaks to the designs to better fit their personal style and family needs. Available to stream on Hulu.
For the remainder of my streaming recommendations I’m going to suggest watching Halloween classics such as the Halloweentown Series, Twitch, Hocus Pocus, The Good Witch, It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, The Harry Potter Series, or Ghostbusters. There are so many fun movies for Halloween, why not start tonight?