Philly communities get creative for Easter | Morning Newsletter

Easter weekend for many is typically a time of rejoicing and fun — done in the company of others. The pandemic has halted traditional forms of celebration, but it hasn’t stopped people from seeking joy and participating in the holiday from the safe distance of their porches, lawns, and living rooms. Speaking of living rooms, today’s Q&A is with Ellen Gray, whose extensive coverage of TV has come in handy for those who find themselves yearning for entertainment and relaxation while we all ride out this pandemic. Scroll down to learn about what’s available for you to watch.

— Tauhid Chappell (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Each week we go behind the scenes with one of our reporters or editors to discuss their work and the challenges they face along the way. This week we chat with The Inquirer’s Ellen Gray, who has reviewed hundreds of hours of TV and movies across several streaming platforms and channels.

Ellen, you’ve studied and reported on TV for quite some time. Many times, TV is scheduled around people’s other commitments. Now, people may have more time on their hands. If there were a few shows that you think people should really watch now that they have the time, what are some shows that come to mind?

I’ve grown very fond of NBC’s Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, though nothing will take the place of The Good Place, which, now that it’s come to a wholly satisfying conclusion, is safe for everyone to watch from the beginning on Hulu or Netflix. If you have Amazon Prime, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is pretty marvelous. I would recommend Netflix’s very good (and prophetic) documentary series Pandemic, but I understand that not everyone’s going to be into that right now.

We all know about Netflix, but do you think Hulu, Disney+, and other apps offer the same caliber of selection as Netflix?

Depending on what you want to watch, there might be much better choices than Netflix, which is trying to be all things to all people — a bit HBO here, a bit Hallmark there, with more than a touch of Investigation Discovery’s true-crime obsession. It’s hard to beat Disney+ if you have kids or a love for all things Star Wars. If you go to Netflix for British shows, BritBox and Acorn are cheaper (though neither, of course, has The Crown). If you’ve found yourself repeatedly watching movies about people who get accidentally engaged or women who fall in love when their car/plane/snowmobile breaks down in a small town (occasionally guilty), well, Hallmark Channel Now won’t bug you to watch Tiger King instead. I’ve become a big fan of Amazon Prime because it has “channels” you can subscribe to (and drop more easily than you would a Comcast premium). It’s how I get my HBO these days, and I recently added Starz to watch the new season of Outlander and The Dublin Murders.

Oh, and if you just used to watch Friends on Netflix, it’s coming to the new HBO Max in May.

If there’s one show you feel like everyone must watch, what would it be?

I hate sweeping pronouncements because TV’s not meant to be like vegetables, but if you’ve never seen The Wire, now could be the time.

How do you think TV consumption will be impacted by the coronavirus?

Hard to say. Right now, of course, people seem to be watching enormous amounts of TV. But productions are also shut down, which is bound to have an effect on the amount of programming available later this year, when, we hope, people will have less time on their hands. One thing I’ll be interested to see is whether our renewed interest in watching things together, whether it’s over Zoom or Netflix Party, might lead back to some idea of non-sports appointment television.

How are TV companies and streaming services changing with a sudden influx of new and steady watchers?

There are some streaming deals out there right now — several services have extended their free trials to 30 days — so this is a great time to reevaluate your subscriptions, and maybe even save some money. Disney+ first moved up its presentation of Frozen 2 and now Onward, which seems smart. I haven’t noticed too much different in broadcast yet, beyond the many coronavirus updates.

Fill in the blank: One thing people don’t know about my own TV habits is that ________.

When I wrote about TV full-time I frequently didn’t have time to watch the shows lots of people were obsessed with. So for a while this winter, I watched almost nothing but reruns of The Great British Baking Show, and now I, too, know what it is to miss Sue and Mel and Mary Berry and to still not be able to wait for the next season.

You can stay in touch with Ellen by following her on Twitter at @elgray or by emailing her at egray@inquirer.com.

Loving the sun rays in this picture. Some would call this heavenly. Thanks for the photo, @yo_navaz.

Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout-out!

We know you might be getting cabin fever staying indoors while the battle to combat the pandemic continues outside our homes, and the yearning to be outside can grow stronger every day. We’ve made a handy Q&A to help you understand the outdoor activities you might be able to still enjoy while being smart and safe about your travel. As a reminder, if you do plan on going outside, wear a mask and gloves, and stay at least 6 feet away from others to protect yourself and them.

This is a very accurate depiction of the current challenges in the meat processing industry. It is extremely difficult work in a cold, wet and noisy environment with relatively low wages. These are essential workers that are not getting the “recognition” that other essential workers are getting during this crisis. My hat is off to the entire food processing industry for trying to keep the food supply available while attempting to keep their employees safe. My prayers for the Benjamin family during this difficult time. — thee mountain man, on Hazleton meat-packaging plant closes with 130 workers testing positive for COVID-19. Union leader at Souderton plant died last Friday.

Meet Dolores Paolino, warmly known as Dolly Broadway. This local South Philly resident is a diehard White Claw fan and now has become a TikTok celebrity.