It’s the year of the horse so listen to my favorite horse-themed song and album while you read this.

Modern Musings

Takes on what’s happening both big and small

A Trip to Paradise
I recently attended an early screening of Paradise Season 2, easily the biggest opportunity I’ve had so far since fully committing to this TV and culture commentary journey. What started as a DM from a TV show Instagram account (that I was 60% sure was a scam) turned into a flight to Hollywood. A reminder that you truly never know who’s watching so you might as well keep going.

Major shoutout to Hulu for curating such an incredible experience. The space felt intentional, celebratory, and rooted in community. I met Hulu’s social team, connected with some of the cast of Jury Duty Season 2 (Season 2s are really my thing right now), and spent time with other creators who, like me, were marking a major career milestone that night.

What stood out most was how much the night centered the fans. It didn’t feel like a celebrity spectacle (Though I am absolutely still manifesting a future run-in with Sterling K. Brown). It felt like a genuine thank you to the people who’ve been championing this story from day one.

Above all, Paradise is simply incredible television. Real TV is SO back. For more reasons why you should tune in, check out this Hotline segment.

You Wanna Be On Top?

The piece of TV I talked about most this month was Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model (with whatever is happening on Love Is Blind as a close second). Growing up, America's Next Top Model was appointment television for me and yet another reason why UPN deserves its flowers. I can still vividly picture my favorite contestants, the most unhinged photoshoots, and the electric anticipation of finale night, fully convinced the winner’s life was about to change forever. According to the documentary, it did change forever, just not in the ways we imagined.

At its core, the exploitation detailed in Reality Check is about how power operates. Tyra Banks is (understandably) getting much of the public heat, but my biggest takeaway is that it took an entire ecosystem to sustain what happened. Network executives, production companies, editors, advertisers, our cultural appetite all working in tandem. Harm at that scale is rarely accidental. It’s structural.

As someone who loves unpacking the craft of making television, I’m often confronted with the same unsettling truth: behind the glamour is harm I wouldn’t have imagined. Reality TV is still very much the Wild West, especially when it comes to protecting contestants. It’s easy to shrug and ask, “Well, why did she audition?” Here are some better questions: “Why isn’t respect and care the baseline?” “Why are so many sacrifices required for “good tv”?” Even Tyra suggests the audience bears some responsibility and I was absolutely tuned in.

If viewers had more transparency about how these shows are made before they air, I can’t help but think maybe something would shift. The process of making television should matter just as much as the product itself. Those two things shouldn’t live in opposition.

On March 4, E! is set to release Dirty Rotten Scandals, a special promising to revisit ANTM through the lens of contestants rather than those in power. And per usual, I’ll be watching. 

Consider This for Comfort 

SEASON 4 IS UNDERWAY. Catch up on the first 3 episodes of the season: Drag Race, The Parkers and Heated Rivalry. 

Want to be featured in the NEW hotline segment? Leave me a 20-30 second voice message with your dilemma. To hear your personalized TV recommendation, you’ll have to tune in to the podcast and make sure you’re following along on Instagram for the latest updates.

Eteng Recommends

Film/TV

• DMV. A show buried so deep in Paramount+ that I only discovered it because of my flight to Paradise. It’s a workplace comedy set exactly where you think it is (where you get your license, not where I grew up). Tim Meadows is in it and absolutely hysterical.

• The discourse around Love Is Blind. It’s BEEN clear that love is not blind. At this point, I only tune in to the (actually licensed) professional therapists that break down what the hell is going on. I definitely do not enjoy watching accomplished, self-assured women get berated by men clearly intimidated by them. I do feel like the tide is changing and more and more people are speaking to the very real challenges that come with navigating “modern dating” in your 30s. 

• Hamnet. I’m on a quest to watch all the Best Picture nominees by next month. The cinematography is stunning and I get why the critics are projecting a Best Actress win for Jessie Buckley. (Still no Sinners though).

• Benito Bowl. All Hail Bad Bunny. His layered performance transported us to Puerto Rico, spotlighted the island’s ongoing challenges and centered everyday Puerto Ricans in a way that felt intentional and powerful. I watch the performance daily at this point.

Lifestyle/Misc

• Black History Month. It’s almost the finale of a pivotal month so spend the rest of this month (and the rest of the year and then the year after that) diving into your favorite Black stories and storytellers. The “Heard!” podcast spent every day this month spotlighting Black podcasters. Yours truly was featured on Day 19.

• Spirits. I got to talk about spirits (ghosts) and spirits (Mezcal) on Spirits: Mythology, Legends & Folklore.

• Manon & Black Girls in Girl Groups. I’ve somehow found myself on the KATSEYE side of the Internet. I’ll spare you the details but I’m here for all the incredible Black women musicians publicly rallying around Manon as she takes a “temporary hiatus” from the group.

Sincerely,