Streaming premieres this week perfect for bingeing with takeout.
Premieres Wednesday: Best Leftovers Ever — In a helpful and educational new series, $10,000 goes to the contestant who does the best job of turning holiday leftovers into inventive delicacies. That's great news if you're currently sitting on your sofa, staring into the kitchen and wondering how you're ever going to get rid of all the useless stuff that's in there. But remember: Those are your relatives, and they're as entitled to eat as you are. (Netflix)
Yearly Departed — Sarah Silverman, Rachel "Mrs. Maisel" Brosnahan and a bunch of other female comics stage a funeral for everything we said goodbye to in 2020. Um, it seems like the most obvious entry on that list would be "300,000 Americans," which doesn't exactly strike me as the setup to a wicked pisser. Maybe they'll move right to No. 2, "Pier 1 Imports." (Amazon Prime)
Premieres Friday: Earth to Ned — Here come 10 more episodes of the Jim Henson Company's alien-helmed talk show, in which Ned peppers a fresh lineup of human celebrities with, um, probing questions. And if one of those questions is "What did you most regret saying goodbye to in 2020," let's hope everybody has the good sense to say "Pier 1." (Disney+)
Headspace Guide to Meditation — The Headspace app becomes an eight-episode animated series, with former Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe teaching the techniques and tactics of meditation. You know what would be a classic move? If they outfitted that "Are you still watching?" prompt with an ooga horn. (Netflix)
The Minimalists: Less Is Now — This documentary about the world-renowned simplicity movement argues that 2021 is the perfect time to reject the excesses of capitalism. You know, in case you were worried that $600 check was going to turn you into Scrooge McDuck. (Netflix)
Save Yourselves — And for an alternative viewpoint on minimalism, check out this comedy feature about a Brooklyn couple whose decision to disengage from the hustle and bustle of modern life leaves them utterly unprepared for an extraterrestrial invasion. The movie played in a few theaters in October, but you were so minimalist you didn't even notice! (Hulu)
Premieres Tuesday: History of Swear Words — I think it was George Orwell who said that, if you want a picture of the future, you should imagine Nicolas Cage screaming obscenities into your face, forever. Which means the future is apparently here, since that's the thrust of this six-episode documentary series, in which host Cage explores the etymology of all sorts of colorful potty-mouth-isms. At long last: a program your closed captioning won't even acknowledge. (Netflix)
