I’m back for another installment of Meredith’s TV Guide.

It wasn’t a very exciting television week for me with a couple of exceptions beginning with Wednesday. I was planning to skip this one because I never watched The Addams Family, which I know is unusual (and probably unexpected since I watch just about everything else), but my literary agent siblings were gushing over it and promised I’d love it. I’m so glad I listened to them because I watched the first two episodes and am hooked! Jenna Ortega is wonderful in the titular role. She’s so grumpy, it’s hilarious, and I get a kick out of the dynamic between Wednesday and Enid, her sunshine roommate. I should have known I’d enjoy it since I’m a fan of paranormal-type shows and have been since Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I’m definitely excited to see where this goes and who (or what) is behind all the killings.

Another treat was the latest episode of Survivor. This is the first season I’ve watched in years after following it religiously the first several seasons. It used to be a weekly “event” with me and my friends, but when those friends moved away, I stopped watching. For some reason, I decided to pick it up again for season 43. This week’s episode was dramatic! I did not see Jesse’s betrayal of Cody coming. With the season almost over, I’m rooting for Gabler, mostly because he’s the oldest and I’m middle age too! Karla might be the best competitor, but she plays dirty, and even though you sometimes have to in this game, I don’t like her seemingly lack of conscience and crocodile tears. We shall see!

Finally, I started the new season of My Unorthodox Life and I cannot look away. It’s addicting! There are parts of it that have become too Real Housewives/Kardashians for me—like I don’t really care about Batsheva’s sex life or Miriam/Nathalie’s for that matter. But I am riveted to Julia’s story and the perfect and amicable divorce from Silvio which is not perfect and amicable at all! I also love Robert and although he’s not technically part of the family, his segments are some of my favorites. I’m a reform Jew and know very little about the ultra-Orthodox community, specifically the alleged treatment of women as second-class citizens. While I doubt Julia’s mission to “free women” is as altruistic as she wants us to believe, I’m glad she’s shining a light on some of the issues facing women in her old community. My favorite character might be Miriam, who seems genuinely kind, supportive, and down-to-Earth. I love how supportive she is of everyone, particularly her mother but also her sister. Batsheva, on the other hand, is so blissfully unaware of her privilege, that it’s difficult to watch at times…like when she called a masseuse to the penthouse for her mother (and herself, of course) while her mother’s empire was under attack and everyone else was trying to put out fires.

Returning shows from last week:

I watched another episode of Animal Kingdom this week and I’m still not sure why. I don’t particularly enjoy it. I think I’m determined to watch until the end so that Past Meri didn’t watch the first five seasons for nothing.

I’m halfway through Extraordinary Attorney Woo. K-dramas tend to take me a long time because I don’t watch consistently and I also split each episode into two, so instead of 16 episodes, there are 32. Sometimes I have to force myself to turn it on, not because I don’t think I’ll enjoy it—I always do—but because reading the sub-titles takes effort I don’t like to expend during TV time. But once it’s on, I’m always thoroughly charmed.

There are so many twists in The Umbrella Academy, and I absolutely love it. I had thought the “new” Reginald was kinder, but it was just my naïve wishful thinking! And when Pogo explained the reason the Sparrows drugged him was to protect themselves against his intended experiments, I felt less sorry for him and more sympathetic toward them. One thing I love about this show is how things are rarely what they seem, and the onion is peeled one layer at a time.

I only have one episode left of The White Lotus and really excited for the season finale. The last episode I watched got very dark and I’m sincerely worried for Tanya. Is Quentin going to steal all her money? Portia is clearly suspicious at this point, given Jack’s drunk ramblings. I’m hoping she’ll slip out while he’s sleeping and save Tanya! Who died this season???

I said last week that Dead to Me might be too hard to watch given Julia’s cancer diagnosis, but the last episode I watched (Ep 6: We’re Gonna Beat This) was such a darn delight! When Julia and Jen got high on mushrooms, I could not stop laughing. I wonder how much of that scene was scripted because it felt improvised, and I mean that in the BEST way.

I’m still having a blast watching The Sex Lives of College Girls. It’s what I turn on when I don’t want to think too hard or feel too much. It’s the perfect escape and there’s nothing wrong with that!

I’ve only watched the first three episodes of the second season of Firefly Lane so far because I don’t want to rush this one. I love the actresses who play teenage Tully and Kate, particularly Tully because the actress (Alissa Skovbye) reminds me so much of one of my nieces, which I can’t really explain. My sister (her mother) doesn’t see it. Anyway, this show is so riveting and the perfect balance of drama and comedy. I called the twist regarding Tully’s birth father, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out. I’m also totally vested in Kate and Johnny. The scene where Sean came out to his parents was so powerful. Because there are several timelines playing out at once, it sometimes takes me a minute to place myself. That might be my only complaint so far.

Last but not least, I have not watched another episode of Fleishman is in Trouble yet because I’m saving my current favorite show for Sunday night (tonight) as something to make the Sunday night blues less blue.

And that’s all for me this week! Let me know in the comments if you’re watching the same shows and what you think.