This weekend I have … 10 minutes, and I’m tender.
‘Old Enough’
When to watch: Now, on Netflix.
Viral clips of this Japanese seres (in Japanese, with subtitles) make the rounds periodically, but now 20 episodes have made their way to Netflix. On each installment, adorable children, usually between 2 and 4 years old, run their very first errands, all by themselves — going to the market, taking shirts to the cleaners, bringing dad an apron. They often walk several blocks, cross busy streets and encounter dozens of people on their sojourns, but there is zero sense of menace, just independence and pride. If you care about pedestrian safety, or you love toddler milestones, watch this. And prepare to cry.
… an hour, and I miss “GLOW.”
‘Dirty Lines’
When to watch: Now, on Netflix.
God bless those ragtag crews in period garb who approach some kind of erotic or déclassé endeavor with wholesome camaraderie; may we be them, may we know them, may we continue to have bubbly, charming shows about them. This six-part Dutch dramedy (in Dutch, with subtitles, or dubbed) starts in 1989 and follows the early days of phone sex lines in the Netherlands. It has the coming-of-age energy of “Deutschland 83” and some of the tech enthusiasm of “Halt and Catch Fire,” but the real draw is happy, ambient, supportive horniness that reminds me of “Lovesick” and especially “Sex Education.”
… an hour, and I like talky-family shows.
‘Cecilia’
When to watch: Now, on Paramount+.
Mariana Treviño stars in this Mexican import (in Spanish, with subtitles) as Cecilia, a single mother with demanding teenage children, a business on the verge of a big transition, needy exes and ailing parents. It’s so much stress that she has a stroke, which means she can no longer be the martyred Giving Tree; instead, everyone has to adjust to some new dynamics. This is much more antic than “Better Things,” more soapy, but if you like that show’s “there are 900 people in my house, and they’re all yelling at me … but that’s actually how I thrive!” vibe, watch this.