I get asked a lot around this time of year if it sucks to live up north. The assumption is that I’m jealous of places like Florida or Southern California where it’s warm all year. But honestly… I love seasons. Fall, especially, but really all seasons.

But how about when it’s sub-freezing for weeks on end and there’s a foot of snow on the ground? I still love it. A warm fire, a good book, watching the snow come down, snuggling up on the couch with my wife, binging an entire series in a day… some things are just better when it’s cold outside.

Now around mid-February or so, I’ll admit I’m ready for a change. Luckily, there’s one just around the corner in March. And that’s the great thing about four seasons. But enough about four seasons, let’s get into three things.

This will be the first THREE NEW THINGS where I lead with music. But it’s not every day I discover someone as crazy talented as Emi Grace. Just 22 years old, this LA-based artist is not only an incredible singer, but also a guitar virtuoso. And her sound certainly has a Southern California rock flavor.

Her body of work, so far, is pretty small. Just six songs. But they’re all bangers. The song that caught my attention— and the one I’ve had on repeat since yesterday— is Mr. Melodramatic. If you took No Doubt, Van Halen, a little Latin spice, and threw them into a blender, you’d have this song. Put it on, crank it up, and I’ll come back after the break.

There’s no official video yet, just official audio, which is a shame because half the fun is watching her play. There are a series of TikTok clips where you can see play bits of the song. I picked the one where she shreds Eddie Van Halen style.

My second favorite song from her EP is “Known Better.” She channels Amy Winehouse a bit in this one with her vocals. You can certainly hear her influences, but she’s mashed them all into a sound that’s completely her own.

A lot of people my age like to say rock is dead. It’s not. You just have to know where to look. THREE NEW THINGS is one such place as I’ll be bringing you new rock acts all year, but there are other places, too, like Spotify or Apple Music. You just have to train the algorithm to find the stuff you like. And if you need a cheat sheet for 2026, check out the THREE NEW THINGS playlist!

“The Beast in Me” on Netflix is probably more of a newish thing than a new thing. I believe it’s been out for a few months, but I just caught up with it this week during our extended cold stretch here in Northern Ohio. That it’s still in the Netflix Top 10 is a testament to its staying power.

The story kicks off with author Aggie Wiggs, played by Claire Danes, in the midst of a four-year case of writer’s block following the death of her young son. What ends up shaking her out of it is a new next-door neighbor— Nile Jarvis— played by Matthew Rhys, who chews every piece of scenery. Danes has the more difficult role because she’s basically on the edge of a nervous breakdown in every scene. Rhys has the flashier, fun role playing the is-he-or-isn’t-he villain.

It’s difficult to review The Beast in Me without giving away the answer to the central question at the heart of the show— did Nile Jarvis really kill his wife? So I’m not going to try. Instead, I’m going to put up a big ol’ SPOILER warning. If you don’t want to know the answer, stop reading right now and come back after you’ve watched the series.

SPOILER WARNING!!!

The first thing I’ll say is that while I enjoyed The Beast in Me overall, the show is much more interesting before we learn that Nile did, in fact, kill his wife. The dance that Nile and Aggie do, which is never sexual since Nile is straight and Aggie is gay, is the part of the show I enjoyed most.

There’s a darkness in Aggie that I wish the show would have explored more. And while the topic of having dark thoughts versus acting upon them is touched on, ultimately the show doesn’t allow Aggie to be anything more than depressed and guilt-ridden. From the point that Nile’s secret is revealed, The Beast in Me becomes Silence of the Lambs Light. Still enjoyable, but the seeds were there for it to be more.

So my final verdict is a good show, an enjoyable little romp, but I wish there had been a more complex and nuanced payoff. Still worth your time, however, if you’re looking for something to binge over a weekend.

IIf you’ve been following this newsletter, you know I watch a lot of fantasy series. But there’s no series on television that seems more fantastical to me than Shrinking.

With its third season kicking off on Wednesday, Shrinking is the story of Jimmy Laird, played by Jason Segal, and his tight-knit circle of family and friends. Season 1 begins with Jimmy still deep in depression and alcoholism after the death of his wife, who was killed by a drunk driver.

If that premise makes Shrinking sound like a downer of a show, it’s anything but. Made by Bill Lawrence (Ted Lasso, Scrubs, Spin City), the show is incredibly upbeat and positive, even while dealing with topics like grief and trauma. That Segal, along with Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams, plays a therapist, helps with the exploration of getting through emotional struggles and difficult times in our lives.

The “fantasy” part of the show may be more of a reflection of my own life, but I suspect a lot of others are in similar situations. It’s difficult to make friends the older we get. That’s doubly true if you’ve moved around a lot for work purposes, as I have.

Jimmy’s friend group consists of people who are quirky, damaged, and flawed, and yet love and accept one another unconditionally. Actually, I shouldn’t say unconditionally because the show does preach setting certain boundaries. All the same, it’s been my experience that quirky isn’t something that is generally accepted. It’s just something you see on TV. In real life, there’s a set of norms that people conform to, boxes you have to put yourself in so that you can fit in. People perform around one another as opposed to being real. I’m fortunate to have an AMAZING wife of 38 years and counting, plus two great sons, but as far as friends go, things are a little more lean. To have friends like the ones Jimmy has would be amazing, but again, it’s a TV show.

Angst, violence, murder, severe medical conditions, and revenge all make for compelling television. It’s why so many shows prominently feature one of the above. Shinking, like Ted Lasso before it, makes for a great palate cleanser. It’s a weekly dose of good people being good to each other. And the world could use more of that.

Issue #013 is in the books. I’m efforting to make these tighter reads as I know people’s time is at a premium these days. I hope that’s coming across. You should be able to get through one of these newsletters in under 5 minutes. If you all have any feedback on things you’d like to see me cover or ways I can improve, feel free to reach out to me at: [email protected]. See you next week!