Jonathan Van Ness’s effervescent personality, the insightful questions he asks as the show deep dives into quirky and inspiring topics, and the reminder to stay open-minded!

Getting Curious is the perfect combination of science, history, and hilarious commentary from one of the most big-hearted people on television today. Whether you know Jonathan Van Ness (JVN) from Queer Eye’s Fab Five or not, this journalist and stylist will feel like an old friend. Each episode’s title is a fun, slightly absurd, and thought-provoking question like, “Why Is Hair So Major?” or “Are Skyscrapers Huge Divas?” From there, viewers are taken everywhere from laboratories to museums to design studies, while JVN interviews artists, scientists, congresswomen, and more.

‍

The six episodes are short and the topics are wide-ranging, so it’s easy to watch them all at once or save them for when you need a pick-me-up and watch them one at a time. The long-running podcast of the same name also has a large catalog of episodes!

This show proves journalism is anything but boring! The diverse cast of experts often left me feeling inspired. Among the facts I learned is how long humans have been wearing wigs and how designers account for wind when building a skyscraper.  More than once, I finished an episode and went right to my library app to learn more about these amazing people and topics.

‍

It’s also such a life-affirming show. JVN has an empathetic take on topics like gender identity, body image, and beauty standards. When he talks into the camera, I feel like I have my own personal cheerleader. Jonathan identifies as non-binary but uses he/him pronouns frequently. He was also a cheerleader in high school! If you had a rough week, this is a soft landing for your weekend. I appreciate JVN’s quirky and sometimes spicy humor. A few SNL veterans make cameos, and there are hilarious commercial and music video parodies that relate to the topics. With some parental pre-screening, you might even convince older teens to join you on the sofa!