Brit + Co’s Weekly Entertainment Planner: ‘PLL: The Perfectionists,’ ‘Us,’ and More!

Welcome to Brit + Co’s Weekly Entertainment Planner! Each Monday, we highlight one thing we’re excited about in six categories — movies, TV, music, streaming services, podcasts, and a bonus pick from all of the above — to help you navigate your week in watching and listening. Check out our picks for the week of March 18 to 24 below. Your eyes and your ears will thank us!

Movies

Us (March 22): Jordan Peele’s last movie, Get Out, was one of the best movies of 2017, so we’ve been excitedly awaiting his follow-up — and man, does it look creepy. Proving himself a modern master of psychological horror, Peele directs Winston Duke and Lupita Nyong’o as a husband and wife who find themselves being hunted by strangers who look exactly like them and their kids. It sounds like a nightmare (but one we can’t wait to watch). Check it out in theaters starting Friday, March 22. (Photo via Claudette Barius/Universal Pictures)

TV

Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists (March 20): Almost two years after the Pretty Little Liars finale, its spinoff/sequel is finally here. Like its predecessor, The Perfectionists is based on a book series by author Sara Shepard. This one follows three high-achieving college friends in Beacon Heights, an idyllic-seeming town hiding some dark secrets. PLL stars Sasha Pieterse and Janel Parrish reprise their roles as Alison DiLaurentis and Mona Vanderwaal, and the 10-episode season kicks off on Freeform on March 20. (Photo via Freeform/Kurt Iswarienko)

Streaming

Amy Schumer: Growing (March 19): Amy Schumer has had a busy two years since her last Netflix special, 2017’s The Leather Special. Not only has she gone on to star in several more feature films, but she got married and is expecting her first child. These personal changes inform much of her latest hour-long set, Growing, which arrives on Netflix on March 19. (Photo via Elizabeth Sisson/Netflix)

Podcasts

Invisibilia, Season 5: The beloved NPR podcast returns for a fifth season, which they’re billing as a “survival guide” for the current state of the world. The six new episodes will look at the opioid crisis and our “culture’s relationship with pain,” what it feels like to lose and try to gain control of every aspect of our lives, and more — all with a scientific slant, of course. Listen online, or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Music

Ariana Grande’s Sweetener Tour Kickoff (March 18): Two years after the devastating attack at her Manchester concert, Grande is going back on the road with her massive Sweetener world tour, which kicks off Monday, March 18, in Albany, NY. While the tour is meant to support her chart-topping August 2018 album of the same name, fans will no doubt also be treated to lots of material from her most recent album, Thank U, Next. (Photo via Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

Bonus

Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin: Hot on the heels of the massive success of Marie Kondo’s Netflix series, Tidying Up, comes a new book from Gretchen Rubin, the best-selling author of TheHappiness Project, to further help you organize your life. Outer Order, Inner Calm includes insights into the challenges of keeping a tidy space, as well as manageable steps to make it happen in your home. It’s the perfect book to read as spring-cleaning fever sets in.

"What would you do if your entire family, and your hometown, set you up to find love?" That's the question Ashley Williams poses in the first Small Town Setup trailer, coming to Hallmark+ in 2025. And if anyone has the answer, I have no doubt it's Hallmark — if anyone knows about warm, cozy, and sappy romance it's them! Even if you're not a huge reality dating show fan (or if you couldn't stop watching Reese Witherspoon's Love in Fairhope) this is one January TV show you won't want to miss.

Here's everything we know about Hallmark's dating show Small Town Setup, hosted by Ashley Williams.

'Small Town Setup' puts you right in a Hallmark movie.

All six episodes of Small Town Setup premieres on Hallmark+ on Thursday, January 2, 2025, and is hosted by Ashley Williams, who you'll recognize from movies like Falling Together and Two Tickets to Paradise as well as How I Met Your Mother.

Just like your favorite Hallmark movies are all about finding love, Small Town Setup focuses on singles coupling up. The show will follow a single who "has made it in the big city, but has yet to find love." And their concerned parents (definitely a Hallmark trope and an IRL trope...) get the whole neighborhood involved in finding three potential matches.

"When the singleton arrives home for a visit, they are presented with dating options curated by their hometown. After three dates, will they find love in their hometown? Or head back to the big city? All is revealed at a big town hall event, full of heart, warmth, and a few laughs along the way."

Okay, getting the entire town involved in my love life sounds crazy, but the whole community coming together for a town hall event sounds exactly like the kind of sweet and sappy event my life needs. (Listen!! Dating as a 20-something in the city is harder than I expected...)

Throughout the trailer we see our singles looking for love around their hometown, going on small town dates, and finding connection in the most unexpected places. Yeah...I'll be tuning in — especially since Small Town Setup is totally giving Gilmore Girls.

Check out the 11 New January 2025 Movies Viewers Will Adore — and you'll want to add to your calendar ASAP!

I truly feel like I’ve been living under a rock when it comes to what’s good at Whole Foods. Turns out, they’ve been hiding some really impressive deals on groceries in the shadows, but I’m here to shed some light on ‘em. Whole Foods offers savings every week, and I’m fully convinced that my local Whole Foods will be seeing a whole lot more of me from now on.

Scroll on for details on Whole Foods’ top deals to shop starting today!

Kaboompics / PEXELS

1. BOGO 50% off packaged soups (Tuesdays)

Tuesdays and Fridays are the main days of the week that Whole Foods offers savings on their groceries. The first amazing deal for Tuesdays is BOGO 50% off packaged soups – perfect for this time of year!

They’ve got every kind of flavor from minestrone and chicken noodle to Italian wedding and broccoli cheddar. Their packaged soups average out at about $9 per 24-ounce tub, so saving 50% on one when you buy one is pretty good, especially for meal prep purposes.

Lukas / PEXELS

2. $2 off classic and organic rotisserie chickens (Tuesdays)

You can take $2 off two kinds of Whole Foods’ rotisserie chickens every Tuesday. Their classic rotisserie chicken goes for $9 while the organic version sells for $13. I love using rotisserie chicken for soups, sandwiches, wraps, and pastas, so getting a whole chicken to use for recipes all week long for just $7 is so nice!

Nadin Sh / PEXELS

3. $8 large cheese pizzas (Friday)

Sometimes you just do not feel like cooking on a Friday evening after work – that’s where this Whole Foods savings hack comes in! Every Friday, you can get a large cheese pizza for $8. While there’s nothing wrong with a plain cheese pizza (nostalgia galore!), I’d take advantage of this deal then bulk up my slices with various toppings like peppers, pepperoni, and olives.

Nadin Sh / PEXELS

4. 12 for $12 wild caught oysters (Friday)

Ooh, fancy! Every Friday, Whole Foods’ wild caught oysters go for $1 a pop. Buy a dozen for just $12, and you’re golden. This deal would be perfect for a bougie at-home date night.

Pixabay / PEXELS

5. BOGO 50% off packaged sushi rolls (Friday)

This is another great date night pick! Buy one packaged sushi roll, and get another 50% off on Fridays only. From rainbow rolls to California rolls, this Whole Foods savings hack has my cravings going crazy.

Minchephoto Photography / PEXELS

6. $10 family-sized tiramisu (Friday)

Got a hankering for a sweet treat? Don’t fret – you can shop a whole family-sized serving of tiramisu at Whole Foods for just $10 every Friday.

Kseniia Lopyreva / PEXELS

7. $12 bottles of prosecco (Friday)

The death of the work week and start of the weekend is obviously a cause for celebration, and Whole Foods has you covered with $12 bottles of Presto prosecco every Friday. Cheers!

Subscribe to our newsletter to discover more deals!

Taylor Swift has been teasing Reputation (Taylor's Version) for two years — or, at least, Swifties have been clowning over it for two years. When Tay showed up to the 2022 VMAs in a "Look What You Made Me Do"-inspired outfit, fans expected her to drop the first Rep (TV) single, but she announced Midnights instead. And history repeated itself at the 2024 Grammys, when Taylor showed up in black & white before announcing The Tortured Poets Department.

Even though some fans feel confused, NOT getting Reputation (Taylor's Version) in 2024 totally goes with the "2 re-recordings one year, 1 new album the next" pattern we've seen since 2021. But there's one huge Easter egg that's been pointing us to 2025 all along: it's the Year of the Snake.

Here's the one major Reputation (Taylor's Version) release date Easter egg that suggests Taylor Swift could drop it in 2025.

When is Reputation (Taylor's Version) coming out?

Let it be known we still don't have an official Reputation (Taylor's Version) release date yet, but after the "I Can See You" music video featured the number 2.16 (February 16), everyone eagerly awaited February 2024 with baited breath...only to receive nothing. But now I've turned my eyes to February 16, 2025 because DUH, releasing Reputation (TV) during the Year of the Snake (the icon associated with the entire 2.5-year era) makes more sense than anything.

"Some of us have been saying this since like 2022," one TikTok user jokes, while another rationalizes, "We had fearless, red in 2021 then speak now, 1989 in 2023 so reputation and debut in 2025."

The Year of the Snake officially kicks off January 29, meaning we could be in for a late-January announcement, but some fans think Taylor will announce the album on New Year's Day 2025 in honor of the closing track on the album. In my opinion, it makes total sense to get Reputation (TV) for the first half of the year, and to wrap up the re-recording era with Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version) for the second half of the year before transitioning to her new movie (and a potential TS12, of course).

Will there be a Reputation (Taylor's Version)?

Yes, we're getting a Reputation (Taylor's Version)! Taylor Swift announced she'd be re-recording all of the albums leading up to Lover after she was unable to buy the rights to her music. In addition to more modern versions of all our favorite Taylor Swift songs, she's also added brand new tunes (called "From the Vault" tracks) as bonus songs for each album. Tracks like "When Emma Falls In Love (Taylor's Version)", "Timeless (Taylor's Version)", and "Is It Over Now? (Taylor's Version)" quickly became fan favorites!

Reputation has always been my favorite Taylor Swift album, and I can't wait to see what kind of vault tracks we get. At its core, Rep is a love album that also address fear and hope, and Reputation (TV) is going to be the one re-recording you won't want to miss.

Check out All The Pics From Taylor Swift's Sweet Eras Tour Party for more!

As much as I love celebrity couples, I love celebrity sibling relationships even more. And Elle and Dakota Fanning are two sisters I've grown up watching since I first saw Dreamer in 2005. Considering Elle Fanning is only five months older than me, and I have a sister of my own, this is one relationship that feels particularly familiar. And while Elle has also watched Dakota Fanning act since we were kids, Dakota just revealed seeing Elle onscreen is just as special for her.

Here's why Dakota & Elle Fanning get emotional seeing each other onscreen.

Elle remembers "sobbing" during one particularly emotional Dakota Fanning movie.

“When Elle’s in anything, it makes me feel it deeper,” Dakota Fanning said at TheWrap’s Power Women Summit on December 3. “She never can fully disappear into a character totally for me as her sister. She obviously does an amazing job, but I’m always gonna see my little sister a little bit.”

And Elle is just as touched by Dakota's roles, and remembers "uncontrollably sobbing" after seeing Now Is Good, a movie where Dakota's character was dying of cancer. “Because it was my sister, I had a real traumatic reaction after that premiere and the screening,” Elle says. “Obviously the acting, but it was something felt on a deeper level.”

“I’m doing this job, I’m an actor because my sister started before me and I watched her,” Elle continues. “I wanted to do exactly what my big sister wanted to do.”

And their movies have also made an impact on everyone who watches them.

When Brit + Co caught up with Dakota Fanning at the world premiere of The Watchers, I had to ask about one of her most iconic movies: Uptown Girls. "I love it," she says of TikTok memes and edits giving the movie new life. "It's nostalgic for people who are kind of around my age, who grew up watching that movie, I think it's like a comfort movie for people. And so I love that people are still revisiting it and loving it. And maybe now that everyone's older [they're] understanding different things about it."

Dakota starred opposite Brittany Murphy, who also had roles in movies like Clueless, 8 Mile, and Girl, Interrupted. Brittany passed away in 2009 when Dakota was 15. "I loved Brittany so much and I still miss her," she says. "So anytime that she has, you know, a moment where people think about her is also nice."

You can see Elle Fanning in A Complete Unknown, in theaters December 25, and you can also stream Dakota Fanning's new show The Perfect Couple on Netflix now.

Heaping plates of Christmas cookies are synonymous with the holidays. It seems that nearly every country around the globe has their own variation on the holiday classic. In fact, some of these regions have been making their version of Christmas cookies for literal hundreds of years.

If you’re looking for a way to reconnect with your heritage, or maybe just want a little baking inspiration, check out our picks for the yummiest Christmas cookies from around the world.

The Noshery

Mantecaditos con Guayaba

These may look like ordinary thumbprint cookies, but these almond shortbreads from Puerto Rico are filled with a special guava marmalade. (via The Noshery)

Broma Bakery

Meringues

French meringues are a classic crumbly egg white cookie with a chewy interior. These get an extra European twist with the addition of Nutella. (via Broma Bakery)

Pretty. Simple. Sweet.

Alfajores

Deeply flavored dulce de leche, a caramel made from whole milk commonly found in Spain and many Latin American countries, is the key ingredient in these super pretty sandwiched Christmas cookies. (via Pretty. Simple. Sweet.)

Fancy Peasant

Melomakarona

These Christmas cookies that hail from Greece get their sweetness from a generous soaking of fresh honey! (via Fancy Peasant)

Very Eatalian

Baci di Dama

The name of this Italian treat translates to “lady’s kisses” — how adorable is that? These bite-sized cuties are made with ground hazelnuts and filled with a dollop of dark chocolate. (via Very Eatalian)

Cooking Classy

Linzer Cookies

These Austrian Christmas cookies are typically made with raspberry jam, but feel free to get crazy with a filling of your choice. Plus, the gorgeous windowpane look will make them a prize takeaway at your next cookie exchange. (via Cooking Classy)

Olivia’s Cuisine

Basler Brunsli

If you’re hanging out in Switzerland around Christmas time, you’ll definitely see these chocolate treats around. They’re often described as Swiss brownies due to their deliciously chewy texture. Perfect with a cup of eggnog or coffee! (via Olivia’s Cuisine)

Cilantro Parsley

Buñuelos

These tender miniature fritters from Mexico are a mix between a donut and cookie. Whatever you want to call them, they’re delicious. (via Cilantro Parsley)

Chef Lindsey Farr

Apricot Kolachys

The Hungarians definitely know what’s up when tart apricot jam gets wrapped in a blanket of flaky pastry. They’re a bright spot on a cold Christmas day. (via Chef Lindsey Farr)

Life, Love and Sugar

Cutout Sugar Cookies

In the United States, a plate of these festively decorated sugar cookies is just what Santa ordered. (via Life, Love and Sugar)

Saveur

Polvorones

You’ll find these simple pecan shortbread cookies all over Mexico around this time of year. The coating of powdered sugar and canela, a type of Mexican cinnamon, really bring the flavor to the next level. (via Saveur)

A Healthy Life for Me

Pignoli

These Italian Christmas cookies are made of a chewy almond base and topped with pine nuts. (via A Healthy Life for Me)

Fancy Peasant

Kourabiedes

These Greek Christmas cookies feature a buttery biscuit topped with mass amounts of powdered sugar. (via Fancy Peasant)

Does your family have a traditional cookie recipe for the holidays? Tag us @BritandBo in your Instagram photos and let us know!

This post has been updated with additional reporting by Meredith Holser.

Lead image via Pretty. Simple. Sweet.