Fun
GLOW
Deep summer brings memories of deliciously wasted time: game shows, reruns of I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched, the 4 o’clock movie that my mom watched while ironing, and, most delectable of all, Dark Shadows at the neighbor’s house (because Mom had something against us watching an occult-themed soap opera). I remember it all as deeply relaxing, a holiday from the day-to-day of September to June. Bomb pops may have been involved.
It is in that spirit–pure summer entertainment, no judgment, no New Yorker looking over our shoulder—that I recommend GLOW, a 10-episode series on Netflix.
GLOW stands for Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. It’s a comedy/drama set in 1980s Los Angeles, based on a true story.
One episode in, I can say that it won’t break your brain. Or mess up your knitting. Pure summer entertainment and great 80s nostalgia, very well done.
Break for a bomb pop.
P.S. Guess what? The New Yorker likes it.
I’ve been meaning to check out GLOW. Your summer childhood viewing sounded like mine. And Dark Shadows was a favorite! I was so disappointed with the remake. Though I had a chance to go back and watch some originals in the last year, and it was much more hokey than I remembered. But it sure kept me hooked as a kid. I used to race home from the school bus to try and catch the last five minutes.
Dark Shadows, yes! And I loved the 4 o’clock movies. Tammy week, Troy Donahue week, the Gidget movies… all were favorites, especially A Summer Place.
Oh! A Summer Place! I used to watch the reruns and feel so grown up.
I laughed my fool head off through the entire series run. It’s cotton candy for sure, but it’s fun-to-watch cotton candy.
There’s a documentary on Netflix about the real GLOW show from the 80s, if you’re interested in the true story behind the dramatization. 🙂
But what’s a bomb pop?
What is a bomb pop?
A red white and blue frozen popsicle
http://bombpop.com
Oh those! I did not even know they had a name.
Thanks for that! Who knew Bomb Pops have a website! The world is full of wonders. Express patriotism with a quiescently frozen treat!
OMG I started watching episode #1 at 8:30 pm (“just one before bed”) – HUUUUUGE mistake!!! Netflix as a production company is on fire right now – a big boon for rabid knitters or chronic insomniacs (and those who suffer both).
Dark Shadows! I got my whole junior high class watching that (OK, just the girls). Eighth graders we were, I think. Imagine my surprise years later when I saw a clip on the evening news of Alexandra Moltke, the original Victoria Winters in that show, testifying at the Claus von Bulow trial. She had been identified as his mistress. Of course I had heard that he had a mistress. Until that moment, however, her identity was unknown to me. I hadn’t really been paying so much attention.
“No New Yorker looking over your shoulder?” I have a stack of them right here, They are glaring at me from the nightstand. It’s hard to turn on the TV these days – never know what breaking news will assault you -so I’m sticking to podcasts and audible.com. And yes, those past-due New Yorkers.
That is a fab lolly.
loved, loved, loved GLOW!
Just been watching Stacy from verypink and she has said what plenty of other bloggers have said Americans don’t like knitting purl stitch, why is that?
Oh boy, I needed a new series — thanks! (And my roommates and I watched Dark Shadows every day in the dorm.)
Such memories! I was also forced to watch Dark Shadows at a friend’s house, though for us we indulged after school, rather than in summer. And in our southern California neighborhood, the popsicle/ice lolly of choice was a Big Stick. Wonder if that was a west coast thing? Will definitely take a look at GLOW.
Oh, Dark Shadows, that brings back memories. So much fun watching that with the neighbor kids while earring popsicles.
I love GLOW! I haven’t laughed that hard at a series in a long time, though it has its serious moments too. Such a good show.
GLOW was such fluffy summer fun! my only beef was that I liked it visually too much to really knit. They really nailed the period costuming. Even the makeup looked shiny and oily. And the hair!
It’s so good. I’ve never been a wrestling fan, but this really sucked me in, and I even watched the GLOW documentary on Netflix, which is a tearjerker because you can see some of the real people the characters were based on, and what’s happened to them since the original show. Definitely don’t write it off if you aren’t a wrestling fan. (Also, I didn’t recognize Trudy from Mad Men until the second episode.) #cantknittoeverything
Thanks for the recommendation! I watched the whole series on Friday. I was miserable with a summer cold and did not knit a stitch, but GLOW took my mind off my headache, runny eyes and nose.