If you’re like me and don’t have a lot of time these days, deciding which new show to get into can feel like something of a risk. The last thing you want to do is feel unsure about a new title and then invest a certain amount of time before deciding you don’t like it — and you then feel like your wasted investment could have been better spent on a different TV show, one that actually makes you happy.
One factor you could consider is a show’s Rotten Tomatoes score, which can be determinative or at least helpful to some viewers. There’s obviously no guarantee that a high score means you’ll like this or that show, but it’s at least an indicator of sorts. Accordingly, what you’ll find below are three new shows that have the highest score possible on the review aggregation site right now — a perfect 100%. One or more of these could end up being perfect for your next binge-watch.
We Were the Lucky Ones (Hulu)
Executive produced and written by Erica Lipez (Julia, The Morning Show), this first TV show with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score is adapted from Georgia Hunter’s New York Times bestselling novel about a Jewish family separated at the start of World War II — and their determination to survive and to eventually reunite. One sibling flees Europe, one is forced into exile, and the others scramble to escape certain death by either working grueling hours in their ghetto’s factories or hiding in plain sight as gentiles.
The show stars Joey King and Logan Lerman. “We Were the Lucky Ones,” Hulu explains, “demonstrates how in the face of the twentieth century’s darkest moment, the human spirit can endure and even thrive. The series is a tribute to the triumph of hope and love against all odds.”
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (Max)
This next TV show is a shocking documentary series that uncovers the dark behind-the-scenes world of late 90s and early 2000s children’s TV — focusing, particularly, on Dan Schneider’s problematic run as a showrunner and producer on Nickelodeon. Episodes cover everything from actor Drake Bell’s abuse by a dialogue coach to sexual innuendo present in children’s programming, as well as the toxic environment of writers rooms.
A review of this docuseries in The Guardian probably said it best: How on earth was this stuff ever broadcast? “This series is hard to watch without becoming emotional,” one Rotten Tomatoes viewer review reads. “I liked the entire series and respect everybody’s contributions, but Drake’s courage to come forward and share his story of abuse to the world is why I will never forget the show. I highly recommend this series.”
Jerrod Carmichael: Reality Show (HBO)
This third TV show we want to spotlight for its perfect Rotten Tomatoes score comes from Jerrod Carmichael, a risk-taking comedian whose new eight-episode docuseries plays out sort of like episodes of Seinfeld. Comedy sets are interspersed with quasi-unscripted scenes from Carmichael’s daily life, scenes that are often lacerating in their frankness — such as when he’s discussing his sexuality with his mother and father.
“I’m trying to Truman Show-myself,” Carmichael says at one point in the series. This is a performer whose last special, Rothaniel, included deeply personal details such as the fact that his mother’s conservative Christianity won’t let her accept her son is gay. Carmichael, meanwhile, is also wrestling with the fact that his father had a secret second family for years.
“There’s public and private,” one of Carmichael’s friends tells him in his new show, “and then there’s masturbatorily public.” All in a day’s work for a comedian who prefers to deconstruct life and his own reality in front of cameras.
