CULTURE

Round-Up | 5 Top Shows to Watch This Weekend

Premiere of the week: Molly Ringwald stars in The Kissing Booth on Netflix

In this movie adaptation of the young adult novel by Beth Reekles, Elle, a high school virgin, decides to take a risk and set up a kissing booth at her school fair. To her surprise, she ends up in the booth herself, locking lips with Noah, the hottest guy in school. The only problem? Noah is Elle's best friend's older brother. When a secret romance between Elle and Noah unexpectedly blossoms, Elle has to decide what's more important: her friendship or the chance to step out of her good girl persona. Molly Ringwald, the original queen of teen film, stars as Noah's mother.

Here's what else to watch out for this week:

Motherland is a brilliantly awkward mom comedy

Sharon Horgan, the writer behind Divorce and Catastrophe (in which Horgan also stars opposite Rob Delaney), is back with a new comedy about moms who are tortured by the myth of being able to "have it all." Julia is a mom who is trying and failing to achieve a comfortable work-life balance. When she decides to lean on a group of "alpha mums" for help, hilarity and awkward misunderstandings ensue. You can stream Motherland online on BBC2.

Good Girls is a dramedy about suburban moms-cum-criminals

The new NBC showGood Girls challenges who gets to be bad on television, and decides to assign the label antihero to an unlikely trio: three suburban moms. But the moms have their reasons, of course, which we learn about after they rob a grocery store and the story backtracks. Each woman struggles with money and/or marriage in their own way, and each has been put in a desperate situation. But do they commit crimes because they need to, or because they want to? The line is blurred with darkly comic, if sometimes uneven, effects.

Come Dine with Me is a British cooking show with a bite

This hit British show has been around since 2005, but isn't well known stateside. Like most British reality shows, there is something less scripted and more genuine here, which makes Come Dine with Me incredible fun. Here's the premise: A group of strangers throw a dinner party together and grade one another on their efforts, while a sardonic narrator offers clever quips on everything from dochey behavior to collapsed souffles. As with any dinner table, each meal reveals more than just food, but also assumptions about class, gender, and what counts as proper etiquette. You can find full episodes on YouTube.

Call the Midwife season 6 comes to Netflix

Netflix has added the 6thseason of the BBC show Call the Midwife, which has been quietly but steadily gaining critical praise. Adapted from the memoirs of former nurse Jennifer Worth, the show follows a young midwife working in London's impoverished East End during the 1950s and 60s. The show deals with women-centric issues like abortion, miscarriage, and prostitution and showcases some excellent acting and writing. While it can be harrowing to watch, the compassion and humanity at the show's core make it inspiring, as well.

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