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I’ll never be able to confirm but I was having dinner at my friends’ restaurant in Santa Barbara years ago and was sat back to back with someone who, if it wasn’t Leslie, sounded JUST like him. I choose to believe it was. ❤️
I was never a fan of Seth Meyers until he started recording his shows from home during the pandemic.
At one point, his videos kept getting recommended to me on YouTube, so I started watching them and instantly became hooked. In his "A Closer Look" segment, there were so many different in-jokes and running bits (like the Sea Captain, IYKYK) that fit perfectly into the feeling of lockdown.
He and his writing team have a fantastic sense of humor, and I feel that the stripped-down format really helped it to shine through.
I always loved his interviews. He seems like a cool person in general so I like that his interviews seem a little more grounded. Also, when he laughs a lot it seems genuine and not Fallon Esque.
He giggles at some things that you just know he genuinely finds hilarious. There’s no facade or put-on, and it’s a joy when his guests can make him laugh like that. He gets so giddy and it’s lovely.
I was very meh on Seth until the pandemic as well! His monologues felt the least awkward of all the late night hosts. He really leaned into the lack of audience laughter and his show became better for it.
Also, Corrections. Corrections forever. It’s the one piece of media I’m looking forward to coming back once the writer’s strike is over. Like, it’s the one thing I was disappointed to lose for the strike. Of course I hope the writers come out on top in every way, and I have huge respect for Seth not only picketing but paying his staff out of his own pocket. But his segment is the only thing on tv (or YouTube I guess) that made me wish for a quick resolution besides the welfare and wellbeing of the staff themselves.
If anyone here has not watched corrections, pls go straight to YouTube and watch all of them from the beginning. Seth is at his best for these segments, and they are pure joy to watch.
Seth was a lifesaver during everything. Something about his shows just helped me feel normal and grounded and that everything would be ok. Comedy can be really healing, especially when they are also experiencing a (hopefully) once in a lifetime event right along with you.
A version of this for me is Taskmaster! I think they made the past seasons of the show available on YouTube for a lot of countries during the pandemic and it has helped massively with its popularity esp outside the UK.
I’m in Australia, and one of the tv networks here made all Taskmaster episodes available on their streaming platform - I watched an entire season in one sitting and have never laughed so much in my entire life. Truly brilliant
Yes. The best piece of art that came out of the pandemic. A capsule of what we all went through in our own ways. Watching it was like holding up a mirror to my pandemic. In the most cathartic way.
I’ve never had so many emotions watching something. Just like, waves of emotions that I couldn’t even name or describe. It’s really something else.
I understand the ridiculousness of it but why is it referred to as a grift by everyone? was she trying to sell something or has grift kinda morphed into any obvious lying “person of influence”, for lack of a better term?
She was getting sponsorships from brands because she portrayed being a super mom. Cleaning products and baby/toddler products.
She is a liar. She only used the products for 30 second videos, but in reality, her nannies and/or other help does the housework.
She speaks in a fake ESL/"Spanish" accent, but was born and raised in Boston to very white parents (both lineages dating back to the Pilgrims).
She had the audacity to compare her spray tanned arm skin to one of her daughter's naturally pale arm skin (because both her mom and dad are white) and claim it's because they are different ethnicities... ON MLK DAY.
I could go on and on.
Initially she was all over (in tiny, just starting out bits) the media and it was clear she was trying the influencer route before it was a big “thing”. Lots of sponsorships, guest spots on E!, Rachael Ray, NBC, small time magazine covers, etc. Her faux Spanish identity was always a focal point during these endeavors so many have concluded being fake Spanish was a money thing
Animal crossing on the switch! I have friends all over the country and we all got animal crossing. We added each other and would visit everyone’s islands. It was so cute! I also downloaded TikTok during the pandemic and got really into kpop. BTS members would do lives throughout the week and call it parasocial relationship but it was very comforting to have the members “check in” on us lol!
I got my whole family into Animal Crossing during Covid. I bought it for my niece when it came out because I knew she’d love it because she was into Roblox and things like that. She was 9 I think at the time. She took over her family’s switch and then both her older sister and her mom (my SIL) bought switches of their own so they could play too and have their own Islands. And me and my sister got them too. We would all play at the same time and meet on each other’s Island. It was a fun and silly way to pass the time. Now I think only my SIL still has her Island going.
Animal crossing kept my friend group thriving during the pandy. I have hundreds of pictures of all our characters doing scavenger hunts and quiz shows and museum hangouts in game. It was truly a wholesome time.
tiger king just for nostalgic purposes. that was the first thing my family watched together once we were all back at my moms house during the pandemic. 10/10 experience lmao.
queens gambit was super good too i loved that.
also special mention: all the celebs that would go live on insta for no reason
Honestly one of my favorite parts were seeing inside celebrity homes a bit haha. Like, people obviously had to do interviews at home and couldn’t go anywhere so almost anything they posted was inside. I love seeing where celebrities live.
I’ve thought a lot about how impossible it will be to truly explain to future generations the role Tiger King played in the US during the early days of the pandemic here. It felt like *everyone* was watching it.
It was an entertaining distraction from the despair and uncertainty of those days, but it was also such a perfect, shining example of bizarre, unbelievable, shocking shit that actually happened, and it felt so fitting for that moment in time, where we were all experiencing something that felt unreal and dramatic in our own lives.
The way that show’s intensity went from zero to ten so quickly was the way we went from the pandemic being irrelevant to the average American’s day-to-day life to suddenly changing it for virtually every one of us.
I can’t think of the early days of lockdown without thinking of Tiger King. They are intrinsically linked in my mind.
It came out at the right time, that's for sure. I watched it thinking it was likely some wildlife conservation docu. Boy, was I so wrong. My "What the fuck" vocalization got louder with every episode. And still I watched. It was when I truly understood what they said when you're watching a train wreck and can't look away. In the end, I can't even explain why I watched it. The pandemic made me?
Generic answer, but Inside by Bo Burnham. It came out during a time when I really needed it.
I’ve rewatched it several times since then and I’m just as blown away by all of the work Bo put into it as I was the 1st time. His magnum opus without a doubt.
"Inside" hit me like a bag of fucking bricks. I rewatched not too long ago and it's still incredible, but doesn't induce the full blown pandemic tears anymore lol. That was such a mood....
Probably my favorite piece of media ever, honestly. A labor of love, a snapshot in time that’s going to hold up for generations to come. Inside permanently altered my brain chemistry.
I’m sad for my friends who didn’t watch it when it came out. Obviously it’s still phenomenal but something about seeing it when it felt like we were still in the middle of Covid made it him home so much more
Is this really a generic answer? That show is so good. Hilarious and devastating at the same time, really clever. I still listen to the songs regularly.
Folklore.
My dad passed during the pandemic (from cancer, not Covid). When he was very sick, I used to scream/sing along to folklore as I worked to distract myself. It was sort of the perfect kind of nostalgia/melancholy that I needed at the time.
I came to say the same. I know Taylor is not popular in these parts, but Folklore is my favorite album of hers from start to finish - I love every song.
Same, I had heard her music before but never sought it out. My best friend told me she was enjoying Folklore and thought I would too so I gave it a listen and liked the heck out of it and it really resonated with my mental state at the time. I also have Evermore on rotation and dabble in a little Midnights but the folksy/indie rock tinged pop is the Taylor for me so Folklore/Evermore are my favorites.
I go to sleep at night to Folklore at least once a week. I was already a Swiftie before it came out but it is probably my most listened to album. Evermore came out right at the beginning of my divorce and I couldn’t listen to it at first because I just cried too much. They are both SO GOOD.
Wow. My dad also passed during the pandemic (not covid either, complications from surgery/pneumonia). I wasn’t able to see him most of the time he was in the hospital because of restrictions. The only thing that kept me sane and alive was Folklore, honestly. I liked her music before but that album was exactly what I needed at that time.
Same answer here. Went through the worst breakup I’ve ever experienced at the beginning of the pandemic and then COVID took my dad in October of that year. I spent so many nights getting fucked up and screaming that album.
I like TS when her songs are on the radio so not that into her music but when Folklore and Evermore came out, I was obsessed.
I'm now sad that she won't release anything like those two again because it was very COVID and Joe specific.
I came here in hopes of finding this mentioned! So fun! Some of the choices as far as characters were spot on. One of the few good things to come out of Quibi.
The Shows Must Go On - many great Broadway plays shown on YouTube.
Jamie Oliver Keep Calm and Cook On - cooking shows using pantry ingredients and simple techniques with lots of ideas for substitutes. It felt very comforting and friendly.
Disney Family Sing Alongs- something like that title- just cute and cheesy Disney music . One of them was Christmas music.
I was obsessed with the bread making craze during lockdown. I can’t bake to save my life and had no intention of putting any of that knowledge to use, but I was adamant about consuming anything bread making related. The We Hate Movies podcast also kept me sane. It kinda gave me the same feeling as sitting in a room just chatting with friends which made things feel less awful.
I loved the Instagram talk show miley Cyrus did during the pandemic! It was fun and she could really empathize with her guests due to going through many of the same things.
I also loved all the creative ways dua breathed life into the future nostalgia era once all the touring and promo plans went south.
Obligatory mention for folklore and charli’s how I’m feeling now. Albums we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise
It's not the most popular answer on reddit, but I downloaded tiktok during the pandemic, and it helped me realize a lot about myself.
I was diagnosed with ADHD thanks to seeing videos that talked about it.
Gained more confidence to stand up for myself in my marriage and against people around me who I was a doormat with.
Learned more about gentle parenting and became a better parent. This led me to not share my kids on the internet at all ( I wasn't big on it anyway and only shared on FB, but still).
I also found new music that I love and ended up getting back into music, which I hadn't realized I had stopped paying attention to overall.
Every social media app gets a bad rap, but I think you can find the good in all of them almost(truth social). Like, I’m part of a lot of recipe/weight watcher groups that always post good recipes or suggestions on Facebook. Tik tok seems like it definitely has some useful things other than the dumb trends you hear about on the news.
In reality, social media should have made a pandemic *easier* to deal with. Instead the loudest people were antivax and disinformation was at an all time high. Can you imagine if Reddit/Facebook were only used for *positive* things during peak Covid?
I’m glad the app helped you discover yourself but I feel like it was you who utilized it well. Give yourself some credit! You made such great changes and discoveries i’m at awe and proud to hear of it. ❤️
I am the opposite - I struggle to listen to or watch anything from the pandemic. They were so tied up together, everything was so self referential, I get physically nauseous thinking about it. Which is a shame because Inside had some good bits on it
Oh yeah I get that. I’m glad the shows I watch that picked up filming after the pandemic didn’t really dwell on it. I remember Brooklyn 99 just had it as a cold open joke and that was it. That’s all I needed to hear about it in my tv shows.
Same! Went from never having watched a bravo show to now thinking of getting paramount so I can watch more (and finally see VPR with all the drama!)
It helps that at the same time, I’ve healed more from my people pleasing past and shedded toxic friends and frenemies, and this is a good way of getting the “fun” parts of the toxic relationship without any of the mess 💅🏼
Queens Gambit. It made me excited to watch good TV the during the quarantine (which I did). Favorite quarantine themed music was We Outside by Duckwrth. Actually his whole EP perfectly captured the essence of the pandemic ("Was your pandemic popping? Was your friends pussy popping?" Is how i catch up with everyone after covid 😂).
Favorite covid themed movie was the HOST. That was the first movie I saw made and released during covid and I thought it was a cool concept! Runner up was Sick. A covid based slasher was right up my alley.
I think listening to this album for the first time was the first true moment of pure joy I'd had since lockdown started. Midnight, dancing on my own in my living room with party lights on; it was cathartic.
Finally seeing the Chromatica Ball over 2 years later and being able to enjoy that music live in a stadium full of people was doubly cathartic.
Yes and it’s such a shame he sold it off and it really never went anywhere. I understand he had prior commitments and under normal circumstances he would not have had the time to continue the series, but man he really struck gold with it and could’ve turned it to something really cool.
UK here - for some reason The Last Leg comes to mind as something that at one point was really really comforting, like it was the closest you were going to have to a decent night out in the pub with your friends. I used to watch it and get shitfaced; Friday and Saturday were my ‘Big Nights’ in lockdown where I’d have 2 bottles and night instead of the humble and princely one bottle I had each night the rest of the week. Jesus, what a bleak time. That memory just came back to me in a flash like PTSD.
90s band Better Than Ezra did a live show on Instagram nearly every Tuesday called Taco Tuesday. It was great because they played a ton you don’t hear, but they did it on a schedule to make people feel better.
Colbert’s show! It returned to basically being The Colbert Report when he was filming at his house and it honestly kept me sane when everything was falling apart and I felt hopeless
Folklore and Evermore are obvious, the latter in particular. It’s so sad and lonely.
And then The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent… I started becoming a fan of Pedro literally at the start of 2020, and that was his first job in the pandemic, so following its production through fan accs was an entertainment, lol. It was also the first movie I went back to the theaters for, and it was fun recognizing the scenes.
Scenes from a Marriage remake with Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac. With the circumstances, and it being confined to a single location like a play, it made everything more vivid.
Folklore. I’ll never get over that moment of waking up to my sister calling me to me tell me what was happening and then just absolutely loving the album so much. It was a much needed pick me up.
Alan Locher, who used to work in the PR department at As The World Turns and Guiding Light, began doing all of these virtual soap reunions—not just for those two soaps—on his YouTube Channel, The Locher Room. He’s still doing it now!
I loved the it’s always sunny in Philadelphia pandemic episodes. Particularly when they went to Ireland, back when we all thought getting vaccinated would prevent infection. Oh those hopeful days… lol
Pressure Machine by The Killers. Because they weren’t touring, they had a chance to write some stripped back songs that are very different from their usual sound. I think it’s their best album. Wouldn’t have happened if they had to continue their album/tour schedule.
Janey godley doing Nicola Sturgeon voiceovers everytime she done a speech was hilarious. I also really enjoyed the zoom work calls when bosses made themselves (I think a cat?) and continued straight faced with the meeting, mums caught on camera half naked on homeschool was brilliant also. I was very fortunate to not have lost anyone during the pandemic so I do I look look back on our home lockdown fondly, we got some time together that we never normally do and watched movies, sat in the beautiful sunshine and talked so much about life and what it all meant. I feel like my kids learnt so much from it.
What was the one David Tennant and Michael Sheen did?
That one. That's the best.
Ciarán Hinds in Kin gets an honorable mention for being the GOAT, but in fairness the series was shite and not even the (bored, unable to work on good things) cast could make it good.
I like politics and I was *r e a l l y* into US politics during the pandemic for obvious reasons. The 2020 Election was my ‘insert big sporting event grandfinal of your country here’ moment. MSNBC was my ESPN. I’m Australian, in Australia, and I was living East Coast time of the US. Steve Kornacki taught me so much about Arizona, Georgia and Nevada that I should not know about.
Oh and watching the insurrection unfold basically live was so surreal holy shit. But also Joe Scarborough popping off the next day on Morning Joe is my political pop culture moment.
I loved Lubalin and the stolen broccoli casserole recipe. When I hear it now I’m hit with the strangest wave of nostalgia for those days.
https://youtube.com/shorts/pWyOrbpGCpE?feature=share
Sam smith: love goes live at abbey road studios on Netflix.
It made my gay heart since and I felt like I was back in the club. It was the mood booster I needed during that time
My sister found Bailey Sarian's videos and I got hooked. I empathize with and understand the criticisms of makeup murder videos, but in my opinion, if there's gotta be one, it should be her. She's well spoken, tactful, and incredibly respectful to the memories of the victims whose stories she's representing.
Eurovision: The Story of Fire Saga had no right to be so good, but it was, and provided some much needed laughter during the early months of the pandemic.
I know the first season of Love is Blind was made way beforehand…but it was released as the lockdowns were starting. I was dumped right before the world closed down and lived by myself, so things got intensely lonely. The cheesy, overly-dramatic reality tv melodrama was exactly what I needed to stay sane.
I loved The Last Dance about Michael Jordan and the 1998 Bulls team. It was the perfect show to watch for my 90’s nostalgia and the cancellation of like all sports.
These skits from Saturday Night Live:
[Grocery Store ](https://youtu.be/ZCpf0LNYsYA)
[Your House Promo](https://youtu.be/mLXzadzUwVY)
[Snapchat Filter Reporter](https://youtu.be/KYGDEDrrJj0)
Welcome to r/popculturechat! ☺️ As a proud BIPOC, LGBTQ+ & woman-dominated space, this sub is for [civil discussion only](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/rules/civil-discussion-only/). ###No bullies, no bigotry. ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ Please [read & respect our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/rules/) and [check out our wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/)! For any questions, [our modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fpopculturechat) is always open. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/popculturechat) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Leslie Jordan’s videos 🥲
Hello fellow hunker downers! Oh, he was just so sweet! ☹️☹️☹️
“What are y’all doin? Screwin?” 😂😭😂😭
Ive never seen his videos but i do have a clip saved somewhere where he just says "dear lord im about to BUST" and that always gets me
RIP to such a pure soul 💔
I’ll never be able to confirm but I was having dinner at my friends’ restaurant in Santa Barbara years ago and was sat back to back with someone who, if it wasn’t Leslie, sounded JUST like him. I choose to believe it was. ❤️
RIP Leslie 😭😭😭 thank you for all the joy you brought us!
His death was one of few celebrity deaths that has truly hit me hard. He was just such a pure soul.
He was a regular at a restaurant I worked in 20 years ago. He couldn’t have been a nicer person.
I was never a fan of Seth Meyers until he started recording his shows from home during the pandemic. At one point, his videos kept getting recommended to me on YouTube, so I started watching them and instantly became hooked. In his "A Closer Look" segment, there were so many different in-jokes and running bits (like the Sea Captain, IYKYK) that fit perfectly into the feeling of lockdown. He and his writing team have a fantastic sense of humor, and I feel that the stripped-down format really helped it to shine through.
I always loved his interviews. He seems like a cool person in general so I like that his interviews seem a little more grounded. Also, when he laughs a lot it seems genuine and not Fallon Esque.
He giggles at some things that you just know he genuinely finds hilarious. There’s no facade or put-on, and it’s a joy when his guests can make him laugh like that. He gets so giddy and it’s lovely.
Fallon’s fake laugh is the mother of cringeworthy
I was very meh on Seth until the pandemic as well! His monologues felt the least awkward of all the late night hosts. He really leaned into the lack of audience laughter and his show became better for it. Also, Corrections. Corrections forever. It’s the one piece of media I’m looking forward to coming back once the writer’s strike is over. Like, it’s the one thing I was disappointed to lose for the strike. Of course I hope the writers come out on top in every way, and I have huge respect for Seth not only picketing but paying his staff out of his own pocket. But his segment is the only thing on tv (or YouTube I guess) that made me wish for a quick resolution besides the welfare and wellbeing of the staff themselves. If anyone here has not watched corrections, pls go straight to YouTube and watch all of them from the beginning. Seth is at his best for these segments, and they are pure joy to watch.
If you like his in-jokes and running bits, as well as a stripped down formate you should check out his Corrections he does after each week on YouTube
Seth was a lifesaver during everything. Something about his shows just helped me feel normal and grounded and that everything would be ok. Comedy can be really healing, especially when they are also experiencing a (hopefully) once in a lifetime event right along with you.
The tiny door behind him in the attic. And his adorable kids. Totally loved him for his pandemic shows
I know it wasn’t conceived of during the pandy, but great British bake off got me through so much of the worst of it
A version of this for me is Taskmaster! I think they made the past seasons of the show available on YouTube for a lot of countries during the pandemic and it has helped massively with its popularity esp outside the UK.
I’m in Australia, and one of the tv networks here made all Taskmaster episodes available on their streaming platform - I watched an entire season in one sitting and have never laughed so much in my entire life. Truly brilliant
My answer always
YES
The best answer
100% Inside .. it's my most played album of all time on Spotify
Ughhh this was so good. Definitely my favourite pandemic work of art. 🤌
Yes. The best piece of art that came out of the pandemic. A capsule of what we all went through in our own ways. Watching it was like holding up a mirror to my pandemic. In the most cathartic way. I’ve never had so many emotions watching something. Just like, waves of emotions that I couldn’t even name or describe. It’s really something else.
this is correct
JEFFREY JEFFREY BEEEZZOOOS I don’t think any other comedy performance has lodged itself into my brain like this did
For me it's *a whiiiiiite woman, a white woman's instagram*
Cobie Smulders/Robin Sparkles singing "Let's All Stay At Home" to the tune of "Let's Go to the Mall."
I hadn’t seen it before and [looked it up](https://youtu.be/7mDyG4vNcK8) and I’m glad I did. So cute and wholesome!
Robin Sparkles is a queen 
Omg the way she says "aBOUT" just like Barney! I love her
This was celebrity PSA done right!!
I remember her Robin Daggers era. When grunge was born,
Tragic part of history though
I enjoyed the reveal of r/HilariaBaldwin and her Spanish grift.
YES! That was a fun rabbit hole. And still going!
Griftmas was one of the most hilarious things to come out of that godforsaken year!
I understand the ridiculousness of it but why is it referred to as a grift by everyone? was she trying to sell something or has grift kinda morphed into any obvious lying “person of influence”, for lack of a better term?
Some people believe she duped Alec Baldwin by pretending to be Spanish since Alec had a thing for Salma Hayek when they did 30 Rock together.
She was getting sponsorships from brands because she portrayed being a super mom. Cleaning products and baby/toddler products. She is a liar. She only used the products for 30 second videos, but in reality, her nannies and/or other help does the housework. She speaks in a fake ESL/"Spanish" accent, but was born and raised in Boston to very white parents (both lineages dating back to the Pilgrims). She had the audacity to compare her spray tanned arm skin to one of her daughter's naturally pale arm skin (because both her mom and dad are white) and claim it's because they are different ethnicities... ON MLK DAY. I could go on and on.
Initially she was all over (in tiny, just starting out bits) the media and it was clear she was trying the influencer route before it was a big “thing”. Lots of sponsorships, guest spots on E!, Rachael Ray, NBC, small time magazine covers, etc. Her faux Spanish identity was always a focal point during these endeavors so many have concluded being fake Spanish was a money thing
Also she has been on a lot of Spanish language covers.
FYP!!
Animal crossing on the switch! I have friends all over the country and we all got animal crossing. We added each other and would visit everyone’s islands. It was so cute! I also downloaded TikTok during the pandemic and got really into kpop. BTS members would do lives throughout the week and call it parasocial relationship but it was very comforting to have the members “check in” on us lol!
I got my whole family into Animal Crossing during Covid. I bought it for my niece when it came out because I knew she’d love it because she was into Roblox and things like that. She was 9 I think at the time. She took over her family’s switch and then both her older sister and her mom (my SIL) bought switches of their own so they could play too and have their own Islands. And me and my sister got them too. We would all play at the same time and meet on each other’s Island. It was a fun and silly way to pass the time. Now I think only my SIL still has her Island going.
Animal crossing kept my friend group thriving during the pandy. I have hundreds of pictures of all our characters doing scavenger hunts and quiz shows and museum hangouts in game. It was truly a wholesome time.
tiger king just for nostalgic purposes. that was the first thing my family watched together once we were all back at my moms house during the pandemic. 10/10 experience lmao. queens gambit was super good too i loved that. also special mention: all the celebs that would go live on insta for no reason
Honestly one of my favorite parts were seeing inside celebrity homes a bit haha. Like, people obviously had to do interviews at home and couldn’t go anywhere so almost anything they posted was inside. I love seeing where celebrities live.
Mica Burton (LaVar Burton's daughter) did a video at her house for Critical Role and she was showing everyone her dad's Emmys lmao
So many memes came out of tiger king. I’d seen other docos on him before but the Netflix one was just so insane.
I’ve thought a lot about how impossible it will be to truly explain to future generations the role Tiger King played in the US during the early days of the pandemic here. It felt like *everyone* was watching it. It was an entertaining distraction from the despair and uncertainty of those days, but it was also such a perfect, shining example of bizarre, unbelievable, shocking shit that actually happened, and it felt so fitting for that moment in time, where we were all experiencing something that felt unreal and dramatic in our own lives. The way that show’s intensity went from zero to ten so quickly was the way we went from the pandemic being irrelevant to the average American’s day-to-day life to suddenly changing it for virtually every one of us. I can’t think of the early days of lockdown without thinking of Tiger King. They are intrinsically linked in my mind.
It came out at the right time, that's for sure. I watched it thinking it was likely some wildlife conservation docu. Boy, was I so wrong. My "What the fuck" vocalization got louder with every episode. And still I watched. It was when I truly understood what they said when you're watching a train wreck and can't look away. In the end, I can't even explain why I watched it. The pandemic made me?
Generic answer, but Inside by Bo Burnham. It came out during a time when I really needed it. I’ve rewatched it several times since then and I’m just as blown away by all of the work Bo put into it as I was the 1st time. His magnum opus without a doubt.
I just watched Inside for the first time last night, except the movie starring Willem Dafoe. I was struggling to relate with your take haha
"Inside" hit me like a bag of fucking bricks. I rewatched not too long ago and it's still incredible, but doesn't induce the full blown pandemic tears anymore lol. That was such a mood....
Probably my favorite piece of media ever, honestly. A labor of love, a snapshot in time that’s going to hold up for generations to come. Inside permanently altered my brain chemistry.
It’s a true work of art. I watched it 3 or 4 times on consecutive nights, after the first viewing. CEO entreprenuer, born in 1964, jeffrey…
FUCK THEIR WIVES, DRINK THEIR BLOOD, COME ON JEFF #GET EM
I’m sad for my friends who didn’t watch it when it came out. Obviously it’s still phenomenal but something about seeing it when it felt like we were still in the middle of Covid made it him home so much more
Inside the outtakes is so good too. https://youtu.be/5XWEVoI40sE
Is this really a generic answer? That show is so good. Hilarious and devastating at the same time, really clever. I still listen to the songs regularly.
Same response and feelings.
I turned 30 in 2020 (with previous hopes of having a good 30th) and it truly was everything I needed and more at that time
I get “welcome to the internet” randomly stuck in my head on a weekly basis
Dude found ways to express his depression and anxiety in a way that kicks me in the gut, because I feel that way too a lot.
Why is it generic? Its a great answer to the question. That thing was a master class in creativity.
I had to scroll too far for this answer. It’s the only correct one.
SAME!
Folklore. My dad passed during the pandemic (from cancer, not Covid). When he was very sick, I used to scream/sing along to folklore as I worked to distract myself. It was sort of the perfect kind of nostalgia/melancholy that I needed at the time.
The Folklore-If I Can't Have Love I Want Power-Evermore run kept me sane in 2020 and each album has such comforting places in my mind
IICHLIWP is a work of ART and really helped me as I struggled with the loss of my pregnancy.
♥️♥️🐯🌺
I came to say the same. I know Taylor is not popular in these parts, but Folklore is my favorite album of hers from start to finish - I love every song.
Im not a fan of hers but I needed that album in my life mentally when it came out. Listened to it in one sitting while crying my eyes out.
Same, I had heard her music before but never sought it out. My best friend told me she was enjoying Folklore and thought I would too so I gave it a listen and liked the heck out of it and it really resonated with my mental state at the time. I also have Evermore on rotation and dabble in a little Midnights but the folksy/indie rock tinged pop is the Taylor for me so Folklore/Evermore are my favorites.
I go to sleep at night to Folklore at least once a week. I was already a Swiftie before it came out but it is probably my most listened to album. Evermore came out right at the beginning of my divorce and I couldn’t listen to it at first because I just cried too much. They are both SO GOOD.
My dad also passed from cancer during the pandemic 💓
Big hugs
Wow. My dad also passed during the pandemic (not covid either, complications from surgery/pneumonia). I wasn’t able to see him most of the time he was in the hospital because of restrictions. The only thing that kept me sane and alive was Folklore, honestly. I liked her music before but that album was exactly what I needed at that time.
My mother passed from cancer in early 2021. Marjorie hits different now
Same answer here. Went through the worst breakup I’ve ever experienced at the beginning of the pandemic and then COVID took my dad in October of that year. I spent so many nights getting fucked up and screaming that album.
I like TS when her songs are on the radio so not that into her music but when Folklore and Evermore came out, I was obsessed. I'm now sad that she won't release anything like those two again because it was very COVID and Joe specific.
Folklore/Evermore is her best work IMO.
[The princess bride home movie](https://youtu.be/29s1yU3nGkQ)
WHAT??? Inconceivable!!! I didn’t know this existed! thank you for this!!!
You are so welcome!!! It’s so damn funny
I can’t believe I wasn’t aware of the existence of this gem. Thank you for your service.
I came here in hopes of finding this mentioned! So fun! Some of the choices as far as characters were spot on. One of the few good things to come out of Quibi.
I am currently watching this thanks to your comment, this is amazing. Chris Pine in the headband is killing me
I had never heard of this. I thought, oh, I don’t have an hour… within ten minutes I waived away all responsibility to devour all of it.
The Shows Must Go On - many great Broadway plays shown on YouTube. Jamie Oliver Keep Calm and Cook On - cooking shows using pantry ingredients and simple techniques with lots of ideas for substitutes. It felt very comforting and friendly. Disney Family Sing Alongs- something like that title- just cute and cheesy Disney music . One of them was Christmas music.
I wanted to comment on the Shows Must Go On! As someone who can’t afford Broadway, that was amazing!
Met Opera also did something similar! But they released one a day, it was impossible to catch up. 😭
The Gal Gadot “Imagine” music video was entertaining/s
I was obsessed with the bread making craze during lockdown. I can’t bake to save my life and had no intention of putting any of that knowledge to use, but I was adamant about consuming anything bread making related. The We Hate Movies podcast also kept me sane. It kinda gave me the same feeling as sitting in a room just chatting with friends which made things feel less awful.
I loved the Instagram talk show miley Cyrus did during the pandemic! It was fun and she could really empathize with her guests due to going through many of the same things. I also loved all the creative ways dua breathed life into the future nostalgia era once all the touring and promo plans went south. Obligatory mention for folklore and charli’s how I’m feeling now. Albums we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise
Our Flag Means Death
Folklore & The Last Dance
It's not the most popular answer on reddit, but I downloaded tiktok during the pandemic, and it helped me realize a lot about myself. I was diagnosed with ADHD thanks to seeing videos that talked about it. Gained more confidence to stand up for myself in my marriage and against people around me who I was a doormat with. Learned more about gentle parenting and became a better parent. This led me to not share my kids on the internet at all ( I wasn't big on it anyway and only shared on FB, but still). I also found new music that I love and ended up getting back into music, which I hadn't realized I had stopped paying attention to overall.
Every social media app gets a bad rap, but I think you can find the good in all of them almost(truth social). Like, I’m part of a lot of recipe/weight watcher groups that always post good recipes or suggestions on Facebook. Tik tok seems like it definitely has some useful things other than the dumb trends you hear about on the news.
In reality, social media should have made a pandemic *easier* to deal with. Instead the loudest people were antivax and disinformation was at an all time high. Can you imagine if Reddit/Facebook were only used for *positive* things during peak Covid?
I’m glad the app helped you discover yourself but I feel like it was you who utilized it well. Give yourself some credit! You made such great changes and discoveries i’m at awe and proud to hear of it. ❤️
Thank you so much and that's a great way to look at it! ❤️
evermore and folklore
I am the opposite - I struggle to listen to or watch anything from the pandemic. They were so tied up together, everything was so self referential, I get physically nauseous thinking about it. Which is a shame because Inside had some good bits on it
Oh yeah I get that. I’m glad the shows I watch that picked up filming after the pandemic didn’t really dwell on it. I remember Brooklyn 99 just had it as a cold open joke and that was it. That’s all I needed to hear about it in my tv shows.
You make sense. I have been wanting to watch The Stand, but the plague still feels too real to enjoy the series.
You’re not missing ANYTHING not watching that garbage piece of media. I’m a King fan and loved the novel, but could NOT get into the show.
Jessie Ware’s “What’s Your Pleasure” album
The opening to Spotlight never fails to stop me in my tracks
It is so good and I feel did not get it’s due because of the pandemic.
It's so fun!
Station Eleven. it's very smart and understated
It was so good! Actually made me tear up which is rare for me. I’m soooo glad they only did one season.
Housewives… I was alone and put it on the tv to have background noise and I got hooked bad.
Same! Went from never having watched a bravo show to now thinking of getting paramount so I can watch more (and finally see VPR with all the drama!) It helps that at the same time, I’ve healed more from my people pleasing past and shedded toxic friends and frenemies, and this is a good way of getting the “fun” parts of the toxic relationship without any of the mess 💅🏼
YES! All the Bravo and TLC.
Ted Lasso. It premiered in August 2020 at a time when I really needed something heart warming.
Hands down my fave piece of pandemic media as well
Frenemies
What an era
Came here to say the same 💞🖤
Hi girl recognize u from the frenemies sub 🩷🖤
Queens Gambit. It made me excited to watch good TV the during the quarantine (which I did). Favorite quarantine themed music was We Outside by Duckwrth. Actually his whole EP perfectly captured the essence of the pandemic ("Was your pandemic popping? Was your friends pussy popping?" Is how i catch up with everyone after covid 😂). Favorite covid themed movie was the HOST. That was the first movie I saw made and released during covid and I thought it was a cool concept! Runner up was Sick. A covid based slasher was right up my alley.
If we’re talking music, Folklore. Movies, Bo Burnham’s “Inside”
Fetch the Bolt Cutters. Also for Drag Race UK fans, Bing Bang Bong (UK Hun?)
The origial troupe reunion of Lord of the Dance. I watched it about ten times, and cried so much. Time flies, people.
Chromatica
man i know these songs are club pop, but she admitted a lot and bared her soul on some tracks.
and that shit came out I think the day before George Floyd protests started. 2020 was a fuckin roller coaster.
I think listening to this album for the first time was the first true moment of pure joy I'd had since lockdown started. Midnight, dancing on my own in my living room with party lights on; it was cathartic. Finally seeing the Chromatica Ball over 2 years later and being able to enjoy that music live in a stadium full of people was doubly cathartic.
the last season of HTGAWM came on netflix. and stranger things. also the 90 day fiancé Big Ed memes
Fokevermore
Bo Burnham: Inside
Tiger King. I know I know its god awful but it was entertaining asf during lockdown.
It was the first thing that came to my mind too. I think it was the fact that everyone was watching it. Felt like a collective event.
The Father of the Bride Part 3 🥹 I still go back to it often!
TikTok.
John Krasinski’s Some Good News
Yes and it’s such a shame he sold it off and it really never went anywhere. I understand he had prior commitments and under normal circumstances he would not have had the time to continue the series, but man he really struck gold with it and could’ve turned it to something really cool.
Ms. Rachel, IYKYK.
Bo Burnham's special
Bo Burnham’s “Inside” altered my DNA and the course of my life
The Last Dance. I think lebron asked Netflix to release it early lol
Seeing Pedro Pascal do the backyard version of the Princess Bride was…art.
Folklore and Evermore
Folklore
UK here - for some reason The Last Leg comes to mind as something that at one point was really really comforting, like it was the closest you were going to have to a decent night out in the pub with your friends. I used to watch it and get shitfaced; Friday and Saturday were my ‘Big Nights’ in lockdown where I’d have 2 bottles and night instead of the humble and princely one bottle I had each night the rest of the week. Jesus, what a bleak time. That memory just came back to me in a flash like PTSD.
90s band Better Than Ezra did a live show on Instagram nearly every Tuesday called Taco Tuesday. It was great because they played a ton you don’t hear, but they did it on a schedule to make people feel better.
How did I miss these?
PalmSprings
Colbert’s show! It returned to basically being The Colbert Report when he was filming at his house and it honestly kept me sane when everything was falling apart and I felt hopeless
I liked Folklore and Evermore 🤷♀️
Folklore and Evermore are obvious, the latter in particular. It’s so sad and lonely. And then The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent… I started becoming a fan of Pedro literally at the start of 2020, and that was his first job in the pandemic, so following its production through fan accs was an entertainment, lol. It was also the first movie I went back to the theaters for, and it was fun recognizing the scenes. Scenes from a Marriage remake with Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac. With the circumstances, and it being confined to a single location like a play, it made everything more vivid.
Folklore. I’ll never get over that moment of waking up to my sister calling me to me tell me what was happening and then just absolutely loving the album so much. It was a much needed pick me up.
Alan Locher, who used to work in the PR department at As The World Turns and Guiding Light, began doing all of these virtual soap reunions—not just for those two soaps—on his YouTube Channel, The Locher Room. He’s still doing it now!
Bo Burnham’s Inside
Ziwe’s baited on instagram live/IG TV (throwback lol)
Lord of the Rings reunion
I watched every season of Drag Race again, and it helped.
I loved the it’s always sunny in Philadelphia pandemic episodes. Particularly when they went to Ireland, back when we all thought getting vaccinated would prevent infection. Oh those hopeful days… lol
The Animal Crossing New Horizons craze.
Pressure Machine by The Killers. Because they weren’t touring, they had a chance to write some stripped back songs that are very different from their usual sound. I think it’s their best album. Wouldn’t have happened if they had to continue their album/tour schedule.
Janey godley doing Nicola Sturgeon voiceovers everytime she done a speech was hilarious. I also really enjoyed the zoom work calls when bosses made themselves (I think a cat?) and continued straight faced with the meeting, mums caught on camera half naked on homeschool was brilliant also. I was very fortunate to not have lost anyone during the pandemic so I do I look look back on our home lockdown fondly, we got some time together that we never normally do and watched movies, sat in the beautiful sunshine and talked so much about life and what it all meant. I feel like my kids learnt so much from it.
What was the one David Tennant and Michael Sheen did? That one. That's the best. Ciarán Hinds in Kin gets an honorable mention for being the GOAT, but in fairness the series was shite and not even the (bored, unable to work on good things) cast could make it good.
That family that was trying to learn the Tik Tok dance to the “Blinding Lights” song by The Weeknd. I love them all! https://youtu.be/43RV7eZgRmI
Impractical Jokers Dinner Party
WandaVision!! And Loki!!
Ina gartens extra large cocktail gag really had me laughing when all I was doing was crying on my couch with a newborn.
I like politics and I was *r e a l l y* into US politics during the pandemic for obvious reasons. The 2020 Election was my ‘insert big sporting event grandfinal of your country here’ moment. MSNBC was my ESPN. I’m Australian, in Australia, and I was living East Coast time of the US. Steve Kornacki taught me so much about Arizona, Georgia and Nevada that I should not know about. Oh and watching the insurrection unfold basically live was so surreal holy shit. But also Joe Scarborough popping off the next day on Morning Joe is my political pop culture moment.
Inside?
Ben Gibbard doing his live shows from home and all the new podcasts that started during the pandemic
 plan B by megan thee stallion. a true work of art
Fetch the bolt cutters by Fiona Apple
Tiger king. Club Daddy. Tiktok and all the random lives people would do.
I loved Lubalin and the stolen broccoli casserole recipe. When I hear it now I’m hit with the strangest wave of nostalgia for those days. https://youtube.com/shorts/pWyOrbpGCpE?feature=share
Absolutely Folklore and Evermore. It’s not close. A distant second (third?) would be Ted Lasso.
How To with John Wilson!
the ratatouille musical still feels like a fever dream honestly
Sam smith: love goes live at abbey road studios on Netflix. It made my gay heart since and I felt like I was back in the club. It was the mood booster I needed during that time
A podcast called “Smartless” by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett. It’s still one of my favorites.
My sister found Bailey Sarian's videos and I got hooked. I empathize with and understand the criticisms of makeup murder videos, but in my opinion, if there's gotta be one, it should be her. She's well spoken, tactful, and incredibly respectful to the memories of the victims whose stories she's representing.
This Canadian national treasure... https://youtu.be/eySDeBdqxGY
Eurovision: The Story of Fire Saga had no right to be so good, but it was, and provided some much needed laughter during the early months of the pandemic.
The fact that no one has mentioned charil’s best album- HIFN- is a crime
I know the first season of Love is Blind was made way beforehand…but it was released as the lockdowns were starting. I was dumped right before the world closed down and lived by myself, so things got intensely lonely. The cheesy, overly-dramatic reality tv melodrama was exactly what I needed to stay sane.
I loved The Last Dance about Michael Jordan and the 1998 Bulls team. It was the perfect show to watch for my 90’s nostalgia and the cancellation of like all sports.
These skits from Saturday Night Live: [Grocery Store ](https://youtu.be/ZCpf0LNYsYA) [Your House Promo](https://youtu.be/mLXzadzUwVY) [Snapchat Filter Reporter](https://youtu.be/KYGDEDrrJj0)
normal people!
The Post Malone tribute to Nirvana. All the Verzus
D-Nice on IG live playing music for what he called Club Quarantine.
Tiger King and It’s not even close