Steven Soderbergh’s meticulous self-reported media diary has become an annual tradition at this point, and 2016 doesn’t disappoint. While many of the lessons are the same as years past (Dateline continues to be an eminently watchable show, Steven Soderbergh loves Amy Schumer, etc.), this year’s day-by-day play-by-play of the director’s habits offers some new helpful insights into how to consume TV, film, and books … the Steven Soderbergh way. Those insights include:
Olympic Sports Aren’t Just for the Olympics
Like you, Steven Soderbergh spent days on end this summer watching nothing but the 31st Olympiad in Rio. However, he also took in the women’s U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January. Maybe it’s time to become the rabid luge fan you were always meant to be 24/7.
Remember: TV Isn’t the Only Bingeable MediaÂ
On June 6, Soderbergh gobbled up Zadie Smith’s “Two Men Arrive in a Village,†Ben Lerner’s “The Polish Rider,†Langston Hughes’s “Seven People Dancing,†and Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Maybe It Was the Distance.†Short-story binges satisfy as much and/or more than the TV kind, plus you can finally recycle all the New Yorkers piling up in your bathroom.
Mix Up Your Binge
Soderbergh binged ten episodes of Vinyl over three days in May, but stuck his toe into Master of None two episodes at a time over a couple of weeks. You can consume a show quickly without giving yourself dry, tired eyes and a Bobby Cannavale hangover (unless, of course, that’s exactly what you’re aiming for).
… But Let a Show Go If It’s Not Working for You
Sorry, Aziz. Four episodes of Master of None was enough for Steven Soderbergh to know he didn’t want to watch more. Just because you are well into a series, novel, or movie doesn’t mean you “have to finish it.†Of course you don’t. Let Steven Soderbergh show you the way.
Repeat As Necessary
If it’s a year that starts with a number, you know Steven Soderbergh is rewatching Ex-Machina and Mad Max: Fury Road. Both familiar and entertaining, the best films, televisions shows, and books can offer a viewer something new and different with each viewing. Also, that crazy truck guy’s guitar shoots fire, and that will never get old.
See Everything As Soon As You Can See It
Well, this is more of a perk of being Steven Soderbergh, but he already knows what he thinks of Matthew McConaughey’s Gold, and it’s not even out yet. If something sounds like it’s up your alley and you can see it, then why wait?
Once You Find Your Genre, Commit, Commit, Commit
Steven Soderbergh loves Investigation Discovery, but he will watch true crime anywhere and everywhere he can. He consumes a wide variety of critically acclaimed films and TV shows in all genres, but Dateline: Saturday Night Mystery, Vanity Fair Confidential, 48 Hours, Forensic Files, and 20/20 form the backbone of his viewing experience. Steven Soderbergh knows you’ll never regret going with what you love best. Which is, of course, Dateline.
Maybe Give Billions a Try
The Showtime show is sure to be experiencing the Steven Soderbergh bump in 2017.