Here's a community-built list of ways to distract yourself...

…from the aforementioned Horrors of the current landscape (thank you to everyone who responded with these glorious recommendations!!!):

• Severance on Apple TV+ (nearly everyone who replied suggested this show, and I concur — it is inventive and irreverent and dark and hilarious and currently in its second season! I also wonder if there’s something about a show featuring characters who choose to simply not remember half of their day that makes it especially intriguing right now, but I digress);

• The Traitors on Peacock (we also had several recs for this competition show featuring host Alan Cumming and his glorious outfits, especially Season 3 for those missing Vanderpump who want to see Tom Sandoval continue to make a fool of himself);

• Love Island U.K. on Hulu, U.S. on Peacock (between the U.K. and U.S. versions, this show has many, many, MANY seasons, including one hosted by VPR’s very own Ariana Madix);

• The Valley on Peacock (the messiest VPR alums attempt adulthood in the San Fernando Valley);

• Southern Hospitality on Bravo and Peacock (described as “VPR but a club instead of a restaurant and in Charleston”);

• The Pitt on Max (a scripted medical drama);

• Taskmaster on Pluto TV, Prime Video, and YouTube (the absurdly funny British show where comedians pitted against each other complete ridiculous tasks for nothing more than bragging rights and a papier-mâché head of the Taskmaster himself, Greg Davies, and there are a whopping 19 seasons of that to get through);

• Bluey on Disney+ (which is incredible whether you have kids or not);

• Midsomer Murders on Prime Video (a goofy British murder show with approximately a bajillion episodes that are 90 minutes each);

• Paradise on Hulu (a twisty political thriller that “becomes something even more and even weirder at the end of the first episode,” starring Sterling K. Brown, Julianne Nicholson, and James Marsden);

• The White Lotus on HBO or Max (Season 3 starts on Sunday, let’s GOOOOOOO!)

non-TV suggestions like…

• the Severance podcast hosted by Adam Scott and Ben Stiller (I realize this is very nearly a TV suggestion);

• yoga;

• making “an absurd amount” of Spotify playlists, “like a new one every week … sometimes every day;”

• The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides on audiobook;

• celebrity memoirs on audiobook, especially Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz, The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop, and Thicker Than Water by Kerry Washington;

• painting your nails, specifically with “sparkly holographic colors that absolutely mesmerize in sunlight” from brands like Holo Taco;

• checking out way too many books from the library;

and if, like me, you are possibly, maybe, sort of, on some level, ready to face The Horrors, be inspired by the work being done, and even dip your toe into doing the work yourself, keep reading (NO PRESSURE THOUGH)…

…because I found this newsletter from civil rights lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill titled, “Democracy Is Crumbling. Is Anyone Doing Anything?” and perhaps more importantly for our purposes subtitled, “Yes. And You Can Too,” full of concrete actions being taken by others and helpful thoughts and suggestions for what we can do too, so I’m personally starting with visiting 5calls.org, which provides phone numbers and scripts and makes it extraordinarily easy to contact your representatives and make your voice heard about issues you care about … between episodes of Severance.