The No-Concerts, No-Theaters, No-Sports Guide to Culture in 2020

(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- So you want to stay home, but you’re running out of ways to entertain yourself. You’ve already watched The Office and The Wire for the second (or fourth) time; even Hamilton is losing its luster. Your kids know all the words to every song in Frozen 2, and your partner doesn’t share your taste in music. 

What’s a socially distanced culture vulture supposed to do for the rest of the year? There’s no live music or Broadway until 2021 at the earliest. Movie theaters have pushed reopening back. Sports leagues say full speed ahead, but can you really bet on that?

More than likely, you’re looking at another several months with a limited set of entertainment options. Bloomberg has compiled a list of 27 new TV shows, video games, audiobooks, albums, and virtual events to help you and your family ride out the remainder via the safety of a screen.

For Parents at Their Wits’ End With Small Children

Sesame Street
The most famous kids’ TV show in the U.S. returns for a new season on a new service. Expect celebrity cameos from Billy Porter, Issa Rae, and Stephen and Ayesha Curry. This fall on HBO Max

Paper Mario: The Origami King
A twist on the classic Super Mario Bros. video game. This time the characters have become origami and are counting on Mario to save them from the Origami King. On Nintendo Switch now

Class Act
A follow-up to New Kid, the first graphic novel to earn the Newbery Medal, Jerry Craft’s Class Act audiobook features a young student discussing being one of the few kids of color at a ritzy private school. Oct. 6

Night Life
Sarah Lovell’s just-released children’s album is billed as a collection of lullabies, but you and the tots will be bopping to I Don’t Want to Go to Bed all day long. And there’s the soulful Lullaby for Grownups for when you need a break. On Spotify now

For the Single Adult So Over Quarantine

Selena Gomez’s cooking show
We’re getting tired of cooking for ourselves, but what if you could make pasta with one of the world’s most popular celebrities—and some famous chefs? This summer on HBO Max

FIFA 21
Soccer fans who can’t play or attend games can get their fix with the latest version of the bestselling sports video game of all time. You can play with friends around the world for hours, without risk of the story ending or repeating. Oct. 9 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC

The School Nurse Files
Korean TV dramas are wildly popular across Asia, but they are just starting to get their due in the U.S., thanks to streaming. The School Nurse Files is about a young nurse with the ability to see ghosts. She enlists the help of a teacher to exorcise evil spirits. If you like the show, the service has a growing trove of K-dramas to keep you occupied. This fall on Netflix

The Searcher
Tana French, author of award-winning novels In the Woods and The Witch Elm, is back with a tale that combines two of her strengths: Ireland and crime. The Searcher follows a Chicago cop who moves to an Irish village that he thinks will provide a calm, tranquil new life. (Spoiler: It doesn’t.) Oct. 6

Midnight Snack
From Sirius XM host Michelle Collins, this hilarious biweekly podcast showcases talented comedians and examines love, dating, and other complexities of living single in a pandemic. On all podcast platforms now

Virtual Black Rock City
Although Burning Man was canceled, causing legions of burners to skip their annual trip to the playa, at least this year anybody can get a ticket—to whatever this turns out to be. Late August through Sept. 7

For the Political Junkie Counting the Days to Nov. 3

The Trial of the Chicago 7
Aaron Sorkin wrote and directed this dramatization of the protests outside the Democratic National Convention in 1968 and the subsequent trial, when seven leaders of the antiwar movement were charged with conspiracy. This fall on Netflix

The Comey Rule
A miniseries starring Jeff Daniels and based on former FBI Director James Comey’s best-selling book, A Higher Loyalty, will offer plenty of debate fodder before the election. Sept. 27 on Showtime

His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life
Carter is our only living one-term president. Sound like something you’d want to read about? Jonathan Alter’s new biography promises to offer a fresh look at a familiar face. Sept. 29

Boys State
One of the biggest sales at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was a documentary about teens trying to build a new kind of representative government at Texas’ Boys State leadership conference, run by the American Legion. Can they fix democracy? Aug. 14 on Apple TV+
 

For the Budding Black History Scholar

Lovecraft Country
A young Black man travels across the 1950s Deep South in search of his father and finds human violence and actual monsters along the way. Produced by Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us) and J.J. Abrams (Star Wars), the series is based on a novel and connects the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft and racism in the U.S. during the Jim Crow era. Aug. 16 on HBO

Genius: Aretha
One of two projects about the late Queen of Soul, this TV miniseries stars Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin and examines the singer’s role in defining the music of Black America. Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson tackles the role in Respect, scheduled for Christmas Day. This fall on National Geographic

Black Is King
Based on The Lion King (2019) soundtrack, Beyoncé’s new visual album (à la Lemonade) is a celebration of Black excellence and culture. July 31 on Disney+

All Rise
Gregory Porter, one of the great jazz vocalists of our era (and a favorite of Michelle Obama’s), drops his new album. Aug. 28

Woke
A comedy inspired by the life of artist Keith Knight and his autobiographical comic strip The K Chronicles is a biting take on race, politics, and current events. The show was created by Knight and Marshall Todd, who co-wrote Barbershop. Sept. 9 on Hulu

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
After chronicling the great migration of Black Americans to the North, Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson now tackles racism intrinsic to our social caste system. Aug. 4

For Students Stuck at Home

Carousel
Thanks to the New York Philharmonic, drama majors can view this Rodgers & Hammerstein classic without leaving the couch. July 10 to Sept. 8 on Lincoln Center at Home

Berlin Philharmonic’s season-opening concert
For an eminently reasonable subscription fee starting at €9.90 ($11), viewers can stream live events from arguably the world’s best orchestra, and that includes the first concert of its season. Led by conductor Kirill Petrenko, the performance features music by Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Webern. Make sure you’ve got good speakers. Aug. 28

The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design
A gift to liberal arts majors around the world, from the creators of 99% Invisible. Like the popular podcast, the book (and accompanying audiobook) will shed light on the overlooked urban minutiae—power grids; graffiti tags; drinking fountains; wacky, waving, inflatable arm-flailing tube men—that make a city a city. If you like the book, you have about 400 episodes to keep you occupied. Oct. 6

Frieze Art Fair
As with Art Basel in Switzerland, the U.K.’s premier contemporary art fair has been canceled. But while galleries can’t showcase art in tents in London’s Regent’s Park, Frieze’s robust online sales platform will mean billionaires can still buy pieces from the comfort of their homes and the rest of us can browse the latest the art market has to offer. Oct. 7

PEN15, season two
The best middle-school comedy on TV right now is a good study break, work break, or anything break. Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle star as teenage versions of themselves. Sept. 18 on Hulu

Cyberpunk 2077
This open-world, action-adventure video game follows V, a corporate hacker/nomad/street kid—you choose!—navigating California following an economic disaster. Now her (or his) reality is filled with gangs and violence. (An animated series from Netflix is in the works.) Nov. 19 on all major gaming platforms

Energy
The new album from the electronic music duo Disclosure can be the soundtrack to your Zoom party. It might not be as loud as your local bar or dorm party, but it won’t be as sweaty, either. Aug. 28

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