EW Must List: The Good Place, Harry Potter and the Sacred Text

The Good Place

Over the past decade, two-time Emmy-winner Michael Schur has cemented himself as one of the leading creators of quality comedy television. Between 2005 and 2007, he wrote 10 episodes of the American adaptation of The Office, and would later go on to create acclaimed sitcoms like Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Schur’s latest project, The Good Place, follows Eleanor (Kristen Bell), a woman navigating the afterlife after she’s struck and killed by a tractor-trailer. In his A- review, EW’s Jeff Jensen heralds The Good Place as a heady comedy “about the folly of phoniness, judgment, and perfection.” He also praises the performance of Ted Danson, Bell’s co-star, as a key example of the performer’s “amazing versatility, character actor chops, and comic skills.”

The Good Place airs Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Harry Potter and the Sacred Text

After a stage adaptation, a handful of theme park attractions around the world, and Jelly Belly bringing Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans to life, you’d think the Harry Potter books couldn’t possibly be exploited any further; Harvard Divinity School grads Casper ter Kuile and Vanessa Zoltan, however, have taken coverage of the beloved book series to new levels with their Harry Potter and the Sacred Text podcast, which dissects each chapter of J.K. Rowling’s novels as if they were, well, sacred texts.

Taking the books chapter by chapter, each episode explores the Potter world through the lens of a thought-provoking theme, from friendship and love to betrayal and regret. According to the podcast’s official iTunes page, the project aims to read the books as “instructive and inspirational texts that will teach us about our own lives.”

Download new episodes of Harry Potter and the Sacred Text now on iTunes.

Forza Horizon 3

With 350 of the world’s fastest cars at your fingertips, what’s not to get excited about? The fast-paced Xbox One racing title boasts slick graphics, tons of customizability options, and a throbbing soundtrack that perfectly matches the game’s amped-up tone.

Forza Horizon 3 is available Sept. 27 on the Xbox One.

High Maintenance

A TV series revolving around the distribution of weed that’s doesn’t qualify as a stoner comedy? That’s what EW’s Shirley Li says about HBO’s new show, High Maintenance, in her A- review. And that’s definitely a good thing.

Adapted from actor-creator Ben Sinclair’s web series of the same name, High Maintenance follows an unnamed drug dealer (known simply as “The Guy”) as he delivers orders. Across six episodes, the series finds a captivating high as it examines the lives of The Guy’s customers, a diverse group of New Yorkers all in need of a fix for one reason or another. With guest stars ranging from Dan Stevens to Hannibal Buress and Yael Stone providing the sweet cherry on top of an already-stellar first season, High Maintenance is simply unmissable.

High Maintenance airs Fridays at 11:00 p.m. ET on HBO.

Who Can I Be Now? by David Bowie

It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly nine months since the death of David Bowie, but the new box set, Who Can I Be Now?, keeps his legendary spirit alive and well with several astounding, previously-unreleased recordings.

The set offers a musical snapshot of Bowie’s career as it existed between 1974-1976, containing 12 CDs and a 13-piece vinyl collection that includes the album The Gouster, which was recorded at Sigma Sound in Philadelphia in 1974 and produced by Tony Visconti, but never officially released.

The Gouster contains three unheard mixes of “Right,” “Can You Hear Me,” and “Somebody Up There Likes Me,” while Visconti oversaw the mastering from the original tapes and photos, by Eric Stephen Jacobs, which he compiled for the album’s sleeve. He based the creative concept around one of the late musician’s original concepts for the LP.

Head over to David Bowie’s website for full details on the box set’s contents. Who Can I Be Now? will be released on Sept. 23.