With the parallel announcement of its second season renewal with the release of its season finale, “Chapter Eight,” we had a chance to speak with Soo Hugh, the executive producer, showrunner, creator, and writer of Pachinko about her groundbreaking series. We discuss key differences between the novel and the series, working with directorial talents such as Justin Chon and Kogonada, and the universal resonance of its very specific story of a very real people.

The streaming wars have all but killed the traditional release model for television, but the fall season continues to house the biggest surges in new shows and season premieres. I spent the last week catching up on the biggest TV releases of the past month to parse what’s worth your time and what isn’t. Here are some quick reviews of Cowboy Bebop, Hellbound, Yellowjackets, Dexter: New Blood, Invasion, and Chucky. Minor spoilers ahead…

It’s that time of year again. With Spooky Season in full swing, I’m once again counting down a collection of under-the-radar horror gems you can stream right now. Scrolling through all your streaming services for the perfect Halloween movie night can be a daunting task, especially if they’re spitting out the same recommendations time and time again. For this list, we’re skipping right past the old favorites, the classics, and the genre mainstays for some deeper cuts - truly scary and unnerving horror movies that just might have escaped your attention, all a click away.

The fourth installment of the found footage anthology series, V/H/S, hits Shudder today. A collection of four short horror vignettes sandwiched within a sinister frame narrative, V/H/S/94 continues the tradition of its predecessors delivering nasty - and uneven - chills. Running the gamut of sewer-dwelling cryptids, haunted wakes, and outrageous mad scientists, there’s a little something for everyone within the creepy walls of V/H/S/94. Minor spoilers ahead…

As the first series to usher in a new slate of original content on Disney Plus and the first Marvel Cinematic Universe project to grace our screens in over a year, WandaVision has a lot riding on its shoulders. And it’s largely excellent. Those critical of Marvel’s workmanlike superhero fare will find that WandaVision taps into some of the MCU’s wildest potential with two of its most compelling characters. Three episodes watched for review.

Playing a thrash drummer grappling with rapid onset hearing loss, Riz Ahmed gives the performance of his career in Darius Marder’s Sound of Metal. With its thoughtful examination of the deaf community and its gripping soundscapes, the film breathes new life into a conventional narrative, delivering a remarkably sensitive cinematic experience. There’s surprising tenderness afoot within Sound of Metal’s emotional tempest, and it makes for one of the best films of the year. Minor spoilers…

Seemingly out of nowhere, with a trailer released only a month ago, Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit has captured the hearts and minds of audiences everywhere, and for good reason - it’s quite fun. Pure escapism through the lens of high-stakes chess, the limited series stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon, a child prodigy that enters the male-dominated realm of one of the world’s oldest strategy games. With a captivating lead performance and a meticulous attention paid to its period details, The Queen’s Gambit looks to dose chess with some cinematic octane, and it largely succeeds despite its hesitation to dig deep. Minor spoilers ahead…

With a lovingly curated grimoire of genre films that range from under-appreciated gems to blockbuster hits, Shudder is quickly becoming my favorite streaming service. Recently reaching a milestone of one million subscribers, the AMC Networks platform has cultivated a deep library of horror and thrillers, doled out by a calendar of fun and clever programming. Its latest slate? The jam-packed 61 Days of Halloween: a two-month long celebration of horror with a stacked roster of new releases. From a new Lovecraftian Nicolas Cage joint to a haunted house mega-hit from Spain, Shudder’s 61 Days of Halloween is a lot of horror to digest, so here’s the Strange Harbors guide to navigating these new releases. Minor spoilers ahead…

Mulan, which saw its unprecedented streaming release on September 4th in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, rises above the recent spate of facile live-action Disney remakes by trying something a little different, but the bar is so low that it barely feels like a victory. And while there’s something undoubtedly stirring about seeing an all-Asian cast in such a high-profile tentpole film, Mulan’s representation only extends to the actors in front of the camera, resulting in an end product that is woefully dispirited and underwritten. In the end, by glossing over rich historical detail and ignoring an era of atypically empowered women, the film’s all-white producers and writers are never more apparent, especially when tackling what could have been the story’s most fascinating addition: Gong Li’s sorceress villain, Xian Lang. Minor spoilers ahead…

Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball, Beyond the Lights) switches up genres with a blockbuster adaptation of Greg Rucka’s comic book, The Old Guard. A tale of immortal warriors inducting a new member into their ranks, Netflix’s The Old Guard suffers from a thin plot and a largely forgettable villain, but the film’s quieter moments shine, tied together with great performances from Charlize Theron and Kiki Layne. Minor spoilers ahead…

The digital flood of true crime continues - this time, with the Netflix revival of a 90s cult favorite, Unsolved Mysteries. Helmed by the original series’ creators, John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer, this new series attempts to toe the line between nostalgia and freshness, but often comes up short in delivering either. Minor spoilers below…

As we practice social distancing and quarantine during this new age of COVID-19, there’s only so much to do when stuck at home. Luckily, for all the cinephiles and TV buffs out there protecting themselves from coronavirus, we have our streaming services to keep us company. Today, at Strange Harbors, I’ll be recommending some of my personal favorites across all platforms that you can stream while self-isolating. Without further ado, here’s the official Strange Harbors quarantine streaming guide…

Writer and director Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation) brings his brand of heady sci-fi to television in the form of Devs, a joint production between FX and Hulu. As an intimate exploration of the human condition framed by macro science fiction, Devs keeps Garland’s signature style intact in a serialized and thrilling way. Three episodes watched for review, minor spoilers ahead…

DC Universe’s third live-action original series, Swamp Thing, debuted less than two weeks ago, but has already been mysteriously and unceremoniously canceled. But like many one-season wonders can tell you, just because something has been canceled doesn’t mean it isn’t worth your time. An enthralling blend of body horror, Southern Gothic, and comic book weirdness, Swamp Thing is the best version of itself. Minor spoilers ahead...

February 15th saw the premieres of not just one, but two super-team television shows. The first, Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy, is based upon a popular Dark Horse comic book by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way and artist Gabriel Bá; the second, Doom Patrol on the DC Universe streaming platform, is adapted from a long-running DC Comics series. And while both shows focus on a ragtag team of superpowered misfits coming together to fight evil, one is clearly better than the other in the way that it translates its source material to screen. Mild spoilers ahead for both The Umbrella Academy and Doom Patrol.

Netflix, in an unprecedented move, dropped an entire feature-length film onto unsuspecting audiences right after the Super Bowl last night. The third film in the Cloverfield franchise developed by J.J. Abrams, The Cloverfield Paradox is a new sci-fi film that attempts to tackle parallel universes, space adventure, and giant monsters...and fails miserably. Uninspired, lazy, and mostly just nonsensical, The Cloverfield Paradox is a waste of a perfectly executed marketing stunt. Mild spoilers ahead...

Under the Radar is a column by Strange Harbors that explores hidden gems in pop culture. Whether it's a little seen film, an underappreciated television show, or a forgotten comic, there's a lot of quality stuff out there that goes relatively unnoticed. This column's job is to shine an oft-needed light on these overlooked, but ultimately worthwhile, works. This week, we'll be taking a look at the Canadian sci-fi import that's currently streaming on Netflix: Travelers.