I have difficulty sleeping at night and often find myself up late searching for something to watch on television. I watch a wide variety of things from documentaries about nature, to prison and cops shows, to documentaries about the history of California gangs, to the Kardashians, Teen Mom, Intervention, Hoarders, and old movies like The Proposal. One night last year I happened upon a new channel called Viceland. The show was called Woman and it was narrated by Gloria Steinem. I think the first one that I watched was about how the rape of women had become a common military tactic for the warring military groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was so powerful. I recorded every episode in the series. It was an amazing show filled with stories of women around the world and the struggles they face.
So I decided to look into what else this new channel had to offer. Here are ten more shows that I enjoy watching on Viceland.
Desus and Mero
These two are hilarious. They are from the Bronx and proud of it. When I first started watching this show as a middle aged white woman, I had a little bit of a hard time following every joke and reference. I'm getting better. There is so much I love about these two but the thing that I love most is that they are who they are. They don't try to make their show something that middle age white women can relate to, they do their show, their way and I love it. They open with a rundown of the days events with plenty of jokes and jabs and giggles. In the middle of the show they do an interview, usually someone I don't know about so I get to learn about so many people and what they are doing in the world. They give each guest a rainbow that they get to decide what phrase goes into it. It is not for children or people who are easily offended but I love it.
Weediquette
This show has been very educational for me. I have a natural aversion to most any drug use/addiction due to past trauma associated with being around addiction. I didn't differentiate between alcohol, crack, or pot, it was all the same and it was all bad. This show has forced me to confront some of my beliefs and ask if they are rational or just fear-based. I still don't know where I stand but I can tell you that I have learned a lot and that I can see how there is plenty of grey on a subject that for me has been so black and white for so long. If you want both sides of the pot argument from an intelligent pot smoking host, this is the show to watch. The episode about search and seizure was filmed in Michigan and explores the challenges of having medical marijuana shops as a business.
Abandoned
A skateboarding host travels across the U.S. finding building, factories, and sometimes even whole towns that have been abandoned. He gives you the backstory on the property, interviews people about it's history and they takes some locals and skateboards wherever he can through it. It is very interesting to see places that are just deserted and left to crumble.
Noisey
Detroit, L.A., Vegas, and Paris are just a few of the music scenes that this show explores. The host goes to these cities and talks to the major artists contributing to the music in the area. My favorite episode was when he interviewed Kendrick Lamar in Compton. They interviewed his friends from his neighborhood and how it all influenced the music he makes. I just remember two of his buddies that were serving food out of their Compton kitchen to people in the neighborhood. Once again challenging so many of the stereotypes I had in my head of what Compton looks like. I had the warm fuzzys instead of the gripping,blinding fear I usually have when even hearing the word Compton.
Black Market
In the opening of this show about illicit trade the host says "When the system fails you, you create your own system." It is impossible to watch this show and hold on to your idea that all criminals are just bad people who choose to do wrong. This show is informative, eye opening, and thought provoking. It gives you a window into why people do the things that they do. The first one I watched was about car jacking in New Jersey. So many of the people who do this have been in the system since their teen years and have almost no hope at a real job where they can provide a nice life for their families because of their past. They can steal a car, put it in a shipping crate to Africa in one day, and make more than they could in a year at a job that would hire a convicted felon. As a bonus, I learned some of the cars that they look to steal and now know that driving around a junker car can have it's perks.
The Therapist
Dr. Siri Sat Sam Singh is a therapist who sits down and has a session with musicians in many different genres who usually have had something traumatic happen to them as a result of being in the limelight. I've only seen one interview with Freddie Gibbs, a rapper who was falsely accused of rape and spent time in prison before being released after DNA evidence showed he did not rape the woman. What I love about this show is that it is showing the side of the music world that doesn't get shown. We see the headlines of the outrageous things that happen in the world of music, rape, abusive relationships, cheating, shootings, drugs, etc. but we don't see what happens afterword. How do men in particular deal and heal from some of these traumas, and how can they get what they need to learn what they need to learn to not repeat the events or to continue with their craft even when it has brought the trauma to them? I look forward to more of these episodes.
Hamilton's Pharmacopeia
It is probably a good thing for me that I was eased into softening my views on drugs with Weediquette before I watched this program. Host Hamilton Morris takes you on a journey to explore different drugs used throughout the world. He gives you a chemistry lesson, talks about the history, goes to where the drug originated and then actually tries the drug and documents his journey. I've watched several of these episodes and it really is fascinating. It does sometimes trigger me to watch someone tripping on PCP, but it challenges me to think about these drugs more as medicinal as they have been used by native people for years and created by scientists in labs the same way drugs we use in hospitals are.
Gaycation
Ellen Paige and her best friend Ian Daniel travel to places all over the world to explore what it is like to be gay in different cultures. The show is powerful. I cried several times. They were in Orlando in the aftermath of the Pulse nightclub shooting and brought human faces and stories to that terrible night. Once again this was an example of staying somewhere after the headlines fade and seeing the aftermath of what an event like that does to the people who survived and what happens for the families that lost loved ones that night. If you want to know what it is like to be a gay, transgender, non-conforming person all over the world, watch this show. Ellen and Ian are tender, brave, fun, empathetic and vulnerable.
States Of Undress
Hailey Gates travels around the globe looking at what people wear around the world and why. On the surface this seems like a fluffy fashion show but Hailey goes deeper and digs into the culture of each country and the challenges women in particular are facing in the country. How does a lingerie designer start a business in a culture that requires women to dress modestly? It is actually a fascinating show and as a bonus you get to learn the latest fashion craze in Pakistan.
Vice World Of Sports
I hate watching sports on television. It is just not my thing. So I was shocked when this show sucked me in. Honestly it is a documentary about different sports in different cultures and who plays them. One of my favorite episodes was of a prison in Uganda where the prisoners are allowed to form a soccer league. The whole prison is involved in the matches and you would never know that you are watching a game played by prisoners with guards cheering for their favorite team and it is peaceful and respectful. They also did an episode in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (Yay!) about two rival teams that play hockey every year for a chance to win the Gibson Cup. The show is about sports but it really more about the people who play the sport and the culture of the sport in the community.
If you have denied yourself the opportunity to expose yourself to some interesting new television, do yourself a favor and check out Viceland. They have even more than what I've talked about here but these are the ones I most often tune into. You may find that some of the shows make you uncomfortable and challenge you to reconsider some of your stances on things. It is never a bad thing to have to think about why we think what we think and to explore those beautiful gray areas between black and white.
