The What’s Poppin’ List (w/e June 13th)
1. In The Heights (100%)
After a year of pandemic-related delays, it is finally lights up on the “In the Heights” movie. This is Jon Chu’s (director of “Crazy Rich Asians”) hotly anticipated adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Broadway musical. It tells the story of a community on the northern tip of Manhattan that’s on the brink of change. With a killer score by Miranda and phenomenal performances by a cast of Latino actors, this is the perfect movie to celebrate being able to gather together again in a theater. With a 100% rating on the app, it’s clear that this exuberant musical more than surpassed our PopViewers’ expectations! Grab your subway card, because a trip to 181st street is well in order!
Watch in theaters and on HBO Max
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2. Hacks (100%)
It’s Jean Smart’s world and we’re all just living in it! In this HBO Max series, Smart plays a legendary Las Vegas comedian who forms an unconventional mentorship with an outcast millennial comedy writer. Most of our PopViewers are still gooped and gagged from Smart’s role on the early 90’s sitcom, Designing Women, and they clearly stan her new leading lady role on Hacks. The final two episodes aired this week and thankfully, the show stuck the landing! PLUS- good news for you Deborah Vance fans…. HBO announced that the show will be returning for a second season!
Watch on HBO Max
3. Cruella (100%)
Hide your puppies, because Cruella is back in action! In this live-action villain origin story, Emma Stone stars as a young grifter named Estella who dreams of making a name for herself as a designer. Her life changes when she catches the attention of fashion legend, Baroness von Hellman (played by Emma Thompson). It is this relationship that inspires Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the evil Cruella de Vil we know her as today. According to our PopViewers, the film delivered campy chaos that they weren’t able to look away from.
Watch in theaters and on Disney+
4. The Underground Railroad (100%)
Based on the critically acclaimed novel by Colson Whitehead, this series (directed by Barry Jenkins) follows Cora, an enslaved Black woman in Georgia, as she boards a train on a harrowing trip to freedom. To be clear- this story takes place in an alternate universe in which the underground railroad is literal rather than metaphorical. The series has already been called the most ambitious take on American slavery since “Roots” and the daily production budget exceeded the entire budget of Jenkins’ Oscar-winning film, “Moonlight.” Needless to say… The PopViewers are definitely on board for this one!
Watch on Amazon Prime Video
5. A Quiet Place: Part 2 (100%)
John Krasinski’s first “A Quiet Place” made some serious noise when it opened back in 2018. This sequel finds the Abbott family facing the terrors of the outside world as they continue to fight for their survival in silence. Starring Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe this horror film maintains its heart while also expanding the nerve-wracking world established in the first movie. With a 100% rating on the app, our PopViewers were anything but quiet over their love for this film!
Watch in Theaters
6. Friends: The Reunion (100%)
So no one told you life was gonna be this way… clap clap clap clap clap! The gang from “Friends” is back on their iconic orange sofa and spilling all of the Central Perk coffee. Filmed on the show’s original Burbank soundstage, this reunion features an episode table read and an in-depth Q&A about cast members’ memories of filming the show. They’re truly always there for you…. (plus it doesn’t hurt that each actor allegedly received over $2 million each to appear.)
Watch on HBO Max
7. Ziwe (100%)
Can you say iconic?!? Few people have had a bigger past year than Ziwe Fumudoh. Now the hilarious comedian has come to Showtime with her own variety show! Viewers can expect the signature no-holds-barred brand of comedy that she’s become known for along with sketches and musical numbers. No “Karens” here! With a 100% score on the app, Ziwe is Certified Poppin’!
Watch on Showtime
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8. Cruel Summer (100%)
If you’re a fan of Pretty Little Liars, this one is for you! Told over three summers in the 1990s, the series follows two teenage girls, and the aftermath that follows after one is kidnapped and the other basically takes her place. Even our PopViewers will admit that this isn’t “highbrow” entertainment… but that won’t stop them from binging every SECOND of it!
Watch on Freeform/ Hulu
9. Lupin (91%)
Viewers who were left hanging after the giant cliffhanger at the end of Part 1 of “Lupin” are in luck! The world-famous gentleman thief and master of disguise is back in action for the second part of this French series. Jam-packed with heists, revenge, and Parisian style, this series put Omar Sy’s name on the map and our PopViewers can’t stop binging!
Watch on Netflix
10. Sweet Tooth (88%)
Based on a DC Comic, this post-apocalyptic fairytale has quickly become one of the buzziest series of the summer! The show is set in the near future after the world has been ravaged by a disease that’s wiped out much of the human population and turned a generation of children into what appears to be part human and part animal. The series follows one such boy, who now must survive in a world that fears these animal-human hybrids. We get that some viewers may be reluctant to start a series about a pandemic given what we’re all going through… but the show’s 88% rating on the app proves that this story cuts much deeper than that. In fact, it’s even inspired our CEO, Chris, to try out some bold fashion choices this summer.
Watch on Netflix
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These are our PopViewer’s current top picks- but there is so much more content to discover on the app! Download PopViewers and make your voice heard on what should be included on next week’s list!
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