Tara Ward: The Residence, Good American Family, The Leftovers

The Residence   

Cordelia Cupp, an eccentric detective, arrives at the White House in order to solve a murder which happened during a state dinner (Netflix).

Good American Family 

A couple adopts who they believe is an 8-year-old girl with a rare form of dwarfism, but questions soon arise concerning the actual identity of the adoptee (Disney+).

The Leftovers  

Three years ago, two percent of the global population disappeared without a trace. Now, 'the leftovers' in the small town of Mapleton try to move on with their lives in the wake of this inexplicable event (3 seasons, Neon).   

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to this Saturday Morning with Jack Teams podcast
from News Talks at B.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
It is screen Time time on News Talks heid B
Tar Awards. Here as she is this time every Saturday
with her screen Time picks for this week. Coultatara, Gotta Jack. Okay,
let's give me a new show streaming on Netflix. Tell
us about the Residents.

Speaker 3 (00:27):
Yeah. This is a quirky new American drama that's been
produced by Shonda Rimes, who, of course is a powerhouse
in American television. She's made shows like Gray's Anatomy and
Scandal and Bridgeton and this time she's venturing into comedy
with this new murder mystery called The Residence, which is
inspired by a book about the behind the scenes, private
world of the White House. And it's about a murder

(00:50):
that takes place in the White House on the night
of a state dinner with the Australian Prime Minister. The
White House Chief Usher is discovered dead and it becomes
a who done it? And a building filled with lots
of different floors and rooms and hundreds of staff who
all have very different and unusual roles in the White House,
And it's taking us behind the facade and capturing all

(01:12):
the politics behind the politics. And Uzo Aduba plays Cordelia Kupp,
who is this wonderfully unorthodox detective who's in charge of
the investigation. She has some very quirky ways of narrowing
down the suspects. And the show feels a bit like
Knives Out. It's satirical, it's very stylish. It jumps back
and forward in time. It does take a bit of

(01:33):
time to find its feet, and it's at its best
when Cordelia cup is on the screen. But you know,
very light and entertaining and a very easy watch.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
Yeah, nice, cool, Okay, that's The Residence is on Netflix,
on Disney Plus. Good American Family.

Speaker 3 (01:48):
Yeah, this is a new drama series. It stars Alan
Pompeo and Mark du Plas, and it's based on a
very strange real life story about an American family who
adopted a young girl in twenty ten who had a
rare form of Dwarlfism, and the family later claimed that
the child, Natalie Grace, was actually an adult who was
trying to scam them. And it's a story that's gone

(02:10):
through the tabloids and been through the courts and had
documentaries made about it already, but this drama tells the
story of the adoption and what happens afterwards a little
bit differently. The first four episodes tell it from the
parent's perspective, and then halfway through it switches and it
tells it again from the daughter's viewpoint. So it's trying
to challenge everything you think you know about the story

(02:32):
and make your question who is really telling the truth
here and who you can rely on. I mean, it's
quite a tragic case no matter which way you look
at it. I found this quite an uncomfortable watch. And
the show starts with this huge legal disclaimer, so you
know this isn't going to be straightforward. But the tone
of this is quite uneasy, like something is on edge

(02:53):
the whole way through, and that's quite deliberate, but it's
quite heavy handed. It's almost sort of verging into horror territory.
So not for everyone, perhaps, but probably a show for
people who like an unusual true crime drama or have
already been following this story and watched all the documentaries
and things.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Yeah, okay, sounds curious. It's always interesting though, when you
start a show and the big legal disklimber at the top.

Speaker 3 (03:15):
Yeah, a lot going on behind that.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
Saying nothing was like that as well. I remember that
it was like yeah, yeah, yeah, note to self. Okay, last,
but not least on Neon, tell us about The Leftovers.

Speaker 3 (03:28):
Yeah. The Leftovers is an HBO series that first came
out in twenty fourteen, but all three seasons have just
landed on Neon. And if you're in the mood this
weekend to binge watch something that's gritty and dystopian and
a bit supernatural. This is definitely worth a look. It's
set three years after an unexplained event called the Sudden Departure,
where two percent of the population around the world have

(03:51):
mysteriously disappeared, and it's about a community of people in
New York who are trying to adjust to this new
reality and work out what actually happened. And you know,
lots of religious cults are forming, the power balances are
pretty pretty unstable, and society it's pretty fragile. So it's
quite dystopian and a bit grim, but it does have
this amazing all star cast. Justin Throw stars in this

(04:14):
as the local police chief. It's also got Carrie Kuhn,
Liv Tyler, Christopher Eckston, Margaret Qually, Regina King, just this
really impressive cast and it was created by Damon Lindeloff,
who was the showrunner of Lost, and it has that
similar surreal you know, it's a little bit confusing vibe
of loss. You're not quite sure where you are the
whole time. So if you like Lost, or you like

(04:35):
shows like The Last of Us or from I think
you're like this as well.

Speaker 2 (04:38):
Okay, but have you watched it the whole way through? Like,
can you tell us that it's going to have a
slightly more satisfying finish than off?

Speaker 3 (04:44):
I can't guarantee it, Okay, you know, yeah, I don't know. Answers, Yeah, exactly,
that's the journey you'll go on.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
Very good. Okay, Hey, thank you so much. Really appreciate
your time. As always, we'll put all of those screen
time picks from Tara up on the News Talks. He'd
b website those shows once again. The Residence is on Netflix.
Good American Family is the one with the legal disclaim
that streaming on Disney Plus and The Leftovers is on Neon.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame. Listen live
to News Talks at B from nine am Saturday or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio,