PEACOCK PROUD
If British sitcom We Are Lady Parts fails to find an American audience because it resides on the Peacock app, that would be a damn shame. Written and directed by Nida Manzoor, it's a brilliant blast of energy courtesy of the fictional band at its center, the Lady Parts, consisting of all Muslim women. Anjana Vasan is the heart and soul of the show as the band's newest member Amina, a devout and hilarious guitarist who vomits whenever she has to perform. The three other members – all hilarious, all utterly unique – convince Amina she can overcome her stage fright and navigate a potential romance with drummer Ayesha's brother, being a maid of honor in her best friend's wedding and keep her new punk habit a secret. The songs are infectious (and actually performed by the cast), the relationships feel real, and it's unlike any show you've seen, an inspiring outlier a la Atlanta. (DAN NAILEN)
SERIOUS BUSINESS
New documentary Hysterical aims to delve into what life is like for women navigating the boys club of stand-up comedy, and it manages to be revealing and entertaining at the same time. The movie, now streaming on Hulu, is pretty straightforward, full of interviews with comedians at varying stages of their careers, including Kathy Griffin, Iliza Shlesinger and Margaret Cho. Their stories of breaking barriers and creepy club owners make the movie move at a good clip, but the best parts include lesser knowns like Carmen Lynch, the brave woman who roasted Harvey Weinstein when the rapist was in the audience at one of her shows. Hysterical is well worth a watch for any stand-up fans. (DAN NAILEN)
THIS WEEK'S PLAYLIST
There's noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online Aug. 27. To wit:
HALSEY, If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power. If you have Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) producing your album, you have power.
BIG RED MACHINE, How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? The National's Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon welcome a slew of famous faces to collaborate on this set.
DANKO JONES, Power Trio. These hard rockers scaring the hell out of a room full of Sundance Film Fest stiffs is one of my favorite concert memories. (DAN NAILEN)
