This weekend, get ready to say goodbye to fan-favorite shows while also being introduced to new seasons, characters and stories.
At the top of Watch With Us’ bingewatch list is The Bear, which wraps up its Emmy-winning run with season 5. Will Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) finally get that elusive Michelin star he’s been chasing his entire career?
Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Larry David returns to HBO with the historical sketch comedy show, Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness.
Over at Netflix, Avatar: The Last Airbender returns with season 2, while the new series Oasis weaves a tantalizing mystery set at an exclusive resort that is totally unrelated to The White Lotus.
‘The Bear’ Season 5 – Hulu
After four seasons of exhausting food prep, endless flashbacks to family feuds and scene after scene of delicious-looking meals you can’t possibly afford, The Bear is coming to an end. It’s probably for the best – season 4 wasn’t all that great, and the series already showed signs of wear and tear. Hopefully, Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri and the rest of the cast can go out on a high note.
One thing season 5 will have to answer right away is what the hell happened to Carmy (White). As loyal Bear fans know, the stressed-out chef quit the food business and left his business to Sydney (Edebiri), Natalie (Abby Elliott) and Richie (Moss-Bachrach). Can they succeed where Carmy failed? And will he return to help them? All eight episodes of season 5 are available to stream right now.
‘Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness’ Season 1 – HBO Max
Curb Your Enthusiasm only ended two years ago, but I already miss it. Creator and star Larry David had a knack for funnelling his anxieties – and many, many grievances – of the present into a half-hour format that was largely improvised. It didn’t take David long to return to his HBO stomping grounds with a new show, Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, and it’s largely another season of Curb, but set in America’s distant past.
Across seven episodes, David and a large ensemble consisting of Curb veterans (Susie Essman, J.B. Smoove), Seinfeld collaborators (Jerry Seinfeld shows up) and some of comedy’s best actors (Kathryn Hahn, Bill Hader) parody such historical events as the signing of the Declaration of Independence and Deep Throat talking to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. The result is a sketch comedy show that is sometimes random, often funny and a bit lacking in reaching the comic highs of Curb.
‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Season 2 – Netflix
It’s been two years since Avatar: The Last Airbender premiered on Netflix and permanently wiped away the bad memories left by the awful 2010 feature-film adaptation. The show’s finally back with a new season full of new adventures, new allies (hello, Toph!) and new lands to explore.
In season 2, Aang (Gordon Cormier), Sokka (Ian Ousely) and Katara (Kiawentiio) enter the Earth Kingdom, where the legendary city of Ba Sing Se is located. But it won’t be easy to reach it as the trio faces new dangers and challenges. Will new ally Toph (Miya Chec) help them defeat Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim) and his Fire Nation army? Find out by binging all eight episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2 this weekend.
‘Oasis’ Season 1 – Netflix
Dani (Tomy Aguilera) isn’t like all the rich kids at the posh Mexican resort Oasis Infinity, his parents dragged him to for the summer. For one thing, he’s not exactly rich, which is what draws him toward the resort’s working-class crew. He’s particularly attracted to Celia (Victoria Kantch), the concierge who seems to like him, too. But when she suddenly disappears, the police suspect Dani is behind it. He has no clue what happened to her, but he’s determined to find out, even if it may cost him his freedom – or even his life.
Oasis is what you’d get if you crossed The White Lotus with Outer Banks. There’s some subtle social commentary about how the rich are kinda awful (well, duh), and the main class warfare narrative is not all that different from the Pogues’ conflict with the Kooks, but Oasis is mainly an excuse to watch really attractive people solve a mystery in as little clothing as possible. We’re not complaining!
