For some showrunners, nothing hurts more than a Rotten Tomato.
The splattered green mark on the review-aggregator website is a sign that the production failed to impress critics. It's digital equivalent of having spoiled fruit hurled at you. While many would be happy with a red tomato, the Certified Fresh label is what they really want. To earn that, a show has to score more than 70 per cent.
But there is a higher honour even still on Rotten Tomatoes, and that is a perfect 100 per cent. So far, only eight shows (and one of those is a special) have managed a three-digit score on Rotten Tomatoes this year.
But what are they?
1. ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’
The Baby-Sitters Club is based on the series of novels by US children's writer Ann M Martin. The Netflix show follows the adventures of five middle schoolers as they start a babysitting business in Stoneybrook, Connecticut.
The critics' consensus: "Sweet, sincere, and full of hope, The Baby-Sitters Club's grounded approach honours its source material while updating the story for a new generation."
2. ‘Parks and Recreation: A Parks and Recreation Special’
Five years after audiences said goodbye to one of the most beloved comedies in television history, the cast of Parks and Recreation reunited for a 30-minute special that aired in April. The story is a topical one too, with Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) determined to stay connected to her friends and co-workers in a time of isolation and social distancing.
The critics' consensus: "Against all odds the delightful cast and crew of Parks and Recreation pull off a socially distant reunion that's warm, funny, and very, very special."
3. ‘One Day At A Time’
The remake of Normal Lear’s classic 1975 sitcom is now in its fourth season. The show unravels the everyday life of a Cuban-American family as each member charts their own path. The series was cancelled by Netflix in 2019 but was picked up by PopTV for a fourth season.
The critics' consensus: "As layered, loving, and laugh-out-loud funny as ever, One Day at a Time successfully does the network shuffle without missing a beat."
4. ‘Schitt’s Creek’
The show that follows the once-wealthy Rose family is now in its sixth and final season. Schitt's Creek follows video store magnate Johnny, his wife Moira, who is a former soap opera actress and their spoiled adult children David and Alexis, after the family moves to run-down Schitt's Creek after they lose their fortune.
The critics' consensus: "Witty, warm, and with just the right blend of wisdom and wisecracks, Schitt's Creek's final season is the perfect farewell to the Roses and the town that changed their lives."
5. ‘Feel Good’
A British comedy-drama that follows the development of a romance between Mae, a Canadian comedian, and George, a middle-class English woman.
The critics' consensus: "An intimate portrait of addiction and love, Feel Good is at once sweetly charming, uncomfortably complicated, and completely worth falling for."
6. ‘What We Do In The Shadows’
Based on the 2014 Taika Waititi film of the same name, What We Do In The Shadows is a mockumentary that follows four vampire roommates in Staten Island. The show aired its second season in April and has been renewed for a third.
The critics' consensus: "What We Do In the Shadows loses no steam in a smashing second season that savvily expands its supernatural horizons while doubling down on the fast flying fun."
7. ‘Giri/Haji
A Netflix drama that follows a detective from Tokyo as he travels to London in search of his missing brother, who has ties to the Yakuza (a transnational organised-crime group with origins in Japan). Though the show first premiered in the UK last year, it didn't see its worldwide debut until January.
The critics' consensus: "Smart, suspenseful, and superbly shot, Giri/Haji is a near-perfect crime thriller with a surprisingly sharp sense of humour.
8. ‘P-Valley’
A drama based on the play by Katori Hall, P-Valley follows the lives of several people who work at a club in a fictional city in Mississippi.
The critics' consensus: "It's a lyrical and atmospheric series that centres on lives of a community unlike anything television has seen before."
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Zayed Sustainability Prize
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
2020 Oscars winners: in numbers
- Parasite – 4
- 1917– 3
- Ford v Ferrari – 2
- Joker – 2
- Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood – 2
- American Factory – 1
- Bombshell – 1
- Hair Love – 1
- Jojo Rabbit – 1
- Judy – 1
- Little Women – 1
- Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) – 1
- Marriage Story – 1
- Rocketman – 1
- The Neighbors' Window – 1
- Toy Story 4 – 1
The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
More coverage from the Future Forum
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
T20 World Cup Qualifier, Muscat
UAE FIXTURES
Friday February 18: v Ireland
Saturday February 19: v Germany
Monday February 21: v Philippines
Tuesday February 22: semi-finals
Thursday February 24: final
India team for Sri Lanka series
Test squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharath (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Sourabh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
T20 squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Match info
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Liverpool v Porto, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
Oppenheimer
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5