Friday open thread: Looking forward

Here we are, 10 days in to the new year, and, like every other new year, it feels a lot like last year. Which is to say, there’s a lot of overstatement of what a new year actually is - it’s not some miraculous new start to anything, it’s just marking a set number of days since the earth revolved around the sun to the same spot.

Which isn’t nothing! It’s just that I have never put a whole lot of stock in the mythical qualities of a new year. I’m the same person I was 11 days ago, just 11 days older. That doesn’t, however, mean I’m not looking forward to some things that are going to happen in 2019.

There’s always fun stuff to look forward to, and even if that fun stuff comes in an otherwise tough time for someone personally (I’m not saying that in regards to me, life’s good, it’s just more a general observation), there’s always - hopefully - a band one likes putting out a new record, a TV show one likes starting a new season, a movie to be looked forward to...there’s always something culturally that can put a smile on your face.

One such thing occurred for me yesterday - You’re The Worst kicked off its last season. If you’re not familiar, it’s an unbelievably funny show about two relatively broken, poisonous people and their relationship, and the people around them. It’s a pitch-black comedy that still manages to find good things about the miserable people in it, and it’s really well done.

I’m also looking forward to What We Do In The Shadows. If you haven’t seen the film, go see it now - it’s basically a mock-reality show like the Real World or any number of shows on E!, about people living together and their daily lives, but it’s about vampires. It’s hilarious. Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi have taken their film and turned it into a TV show set in New York, and I can’t wait.

As far as movies, I’m really looking forward to Us, Jordan Peele’s follow up to Get Out. I also thought there was going to be a chance for some pretty great ugly-crying about childhood when Toy Story 4 comes out, but then I read this:

The story now seems to revolve around a creature called Forky (Tony Hale), a plastic spork who gained sentience when someone glued googly eyes onto him and began using him as a toy.

and now I’m really on board for whatever it turns out to be.

What are you looking forward to, pop culturally, in 2019?