The summer of 2024 was supposed to be a blockbuster season for TV. After a two-year wait, Ryan Condal’s barnstorming Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon , was coming back to screens for a fiery second season. The Bear , Christopher Storer’s beloved culinary saga, was returning, too, after an exemplary second installment.
And then there was also the next Polin-focused helping of Bridgerton , the fourth outing for Emily in Paris , and a string of brand-new releases, from Queenie to Becoming Karl Lagerfeld . But what was billed as a cancel-all-your-plans-and-hunker-down sort of summer has turned out to be a bit of a damp squib, televisually. And as a result, I’ve found myself watching most, if not all, of these shows ambiently.
I watched The Bear while cooking. I (sorry) nodded off slightly during slower portions of House of the Dragon. (Daemon’s extended, vision-filled stay at Harrenhal, I’m looking at you.
) I did the washing up while watching Bridgerton . I did my nails while watching Emily in Paris . In some cases, I actually don’t mind—I almost prefer it.
That’s certainly how I feel about shows which, in my opinion, are designed to be consumed ambiently; shows that are inherently soothing and reliably unchallenging. For instance, did I thoroughly enjoy watching Nicola Coughlan’s Penelope and Luke Newton’s Colin finally get their happy ending in Season 3 of Bridgerton ? Of course. But did I also watch most of that season while tidying my apartment.