Created by: Patrick Somerville
Cast: Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, Justin Theroux, Sally Field, Sonoya Mizuno, Gabriel Byrne, Julia Garner and Billy Magnussen
The limited series
Maniac is unlike anything else on television, made all the better by the fact that
True Detective and
Bond 25 helmer
Cary Fukunaga
directed all 10 episodes. The series takes place in a slightly more
advanced version of Earth in which two depressed and despondent
individuals—played by
Emma Stone and
Jonah Hill—take
part in a mind-bending pharmaceutical trial meant to cure them of their
ills. The trial sees them mentally living out various different
fantasies and scenarios, which then gives Fukunaga the opportunity to
traffic in various genres as Stone and Hill play different versions of
themselves in everything from a
Coen Brothers-esque crime story to a
Lord of the Rings-like
fantasy world. It’s admittedly a little uneven, but the performances
are fantastic and it’s a truly unique spin on a sci-fi drama. –
Adam Chitwood
The Great British Baking Show
If only all reality TV was this good. Rather than stuff
the competition with people who “aren’t here to make friends” and cut
each others throats for a cash prize,
The Great British Baking Show is
all about people being nice to each other as they attempt various
baking challenges to win the title of Britain’s best amateur
baker. With the help of charming lead hosts
Mel Giedroyc and
Sue Perkins and thoughtful judges
Mary Berry and
Paul Hollywood,
there’s plenty of humor and a surprising level of intensity as you
anxiously hope the contestants’ baked goods can come to fruition. My
fiancée introduced me to this show, and while I was hesitant at first,
I’m obsessed with it now. Try not to devour the series all at once. –
Matt Goldberg
GLOW
Image via Netflix
Created by: Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch
Cast: Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, Sydelle Noel,
Brittney Young, Marc Maron, Britt Baron, Kate Nash, Gayle Rankin, Kia
Stevens, Jackie Tohn, and Chris Lowell
The Netflix original series
GLOW
has one of the more original premises in recent TV history: It
chronicles the life of a fledgling professional wrestling promotion
called the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, as various aspiring actresses
and generally women down on their luck audition and agree to take a stab
at a wholly new field.
Marc Maron plays the schlock B-movie director tasked with turning GLOW into a show,
Alison Brie plays a theater nerd and aspiring actress taking it all way too seriously, and
Betty Gilpin
plays Brie’s former friend and soap opera star who becomes the
centerpiece of the wrestling event. Season 1 is delightful, but Season 2
is one of the best seasons of a Netflix TV show ever made. It’s purely
joyous, focused, character-rich, and wildly entertaining, and did I
mention the bangin’ 80s soundtrack? –
Adam Chitwood
Mad Men
Created By: Matthew Weiner
Cast: Jon Hamm, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss, John
Slattery, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina Hendricks, Robert Morse, Kiernan
Shipka, Jared Harris, Rich Sommer, and Aaron Staton
Despite a somewhat puzzling “falling out of favor” with the Emmys in its later years, Mad Men
remains one of the best shows to ever air on television. That it
wrapped up with a near-perfect series finale makes the watch that much
sweeter, but while creator Matthew Weiner was certainly dealing with serialized storytelling, he took a cue from his prior employment on The Sopranos by tackling much of Mad Men’s episodes like short novels unto themselves. Character is king in Mad Men, and sometimes that means we don’t necessarily need to focus on all
the characters in a given episode. Weiner’s fondness for time jumps not
only between seasons but also between episodes allowed the full
thematic weight of each installment to sink in, untethered from
connecting the dots from event to event.
Mad Men also features some of TV’s best performances in
history, despite a lack of acclaim from the Emmys in that department
(though it did tie The West Wing’s record for most Best Drama
wins in a row with four). Standout episodes are too numerous to list, so
I’ll just say that if you’ve been putting off watching this new
classic, stop. It’s right there, waiting for you on Netflix, and you
won’t be disappointed. – Adam Chitwood
Russian Doll
Created by: Leslye Headland, Natasha Lyonne, and Amy Poehler
Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Greta Lee, Yul Vasquez, Charlie Barnett, and Elizabeth Ashley
Netflix’s next great binge-worthy show has arrived, and it’s a brash, bracing series with just the right amount of heart. Russian Doll, the propulsive new series from Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, and Leslye Headland,
is a brilliant tale of morality and mortality that finds an expert
balance between sincerity, cutting comedy, and wild genre flourish. In
the first episode, we meet Nadia (Lyonne); an acerbic, chain-smoking
software designer in rockstar duds gets trapped a time loop that film
fans will quickly recognize; a Groundhog Day rinse-repeat format, where the protagonist is forced to learn a life lesson to break the loop.
If you think the time-loop concept is over-familiar, Russian Doll is way ahead of you. It’s a show that recognizes what it owes to Groundhog Day and
tips its hat all along the way. From the release date — the series
dropped on Netflix one day before the actual Groundhog Day — to the
ear-worm song waiting for Nadia every time she reboots. Not “I Got You,
Babe,” but Harry Nilsson‘s absurdly peppy “Gotta Get Up.”
Tightly constructed with a brief eight-episode run, each episode coming in at 30 minutes or under, Russian Doll takes
a tight grip and never lets go. It moves fast and, the first few
episodes especially, makes you feel like you’re experiencing the
insanity in real-time with Nadia. It’s pure binge-watching magic; a show
that’s not only expertly designed to compel viewers to the next episode
but invests just as much in the integrity of story and character. Try
to space out the delights of Russian Doll if you can, but if you
blow through all eight episodes (as I did), don’t worry. Like Nadia,
you’ll probably just go back to the beginning and start it all over
again. — Haleigh Foutch
The Umbrella Academy
Image via Netflix
For those fatigued by the current glut of superhero TV shows and/or movies,
The Umbrella Academy is the tonic you need.
Steve Blackman and
Jeremy Slater’s Netflix series, based on the Dark Horse comics by
Gerard Way,
immediately immerses you in this strange world and establishes that it
is playing by its own rules. It’s not always clear what those rules are,
but it doesn’t matter because the journey is so much fun.
The series, which runs for 10 episodes, is not an origin story —
although origins are important. The members of The Umbrella Academy are
all grown up now, after a childhood spent in the limelight. One day in
1989, 43 babies were born to mothers who were not pregnant the day
before. Seven of them were purchased by an eccentric billionaire, Sir
Reginald Hargreeves (
Colm Feore), who trained them up
as The Umbrella Academy to be crime fighters — and perhaps something
more. Over the years, most of the seven left the academy and struck out
on their own (major daddy issues being at the core of it all), but the
death of their “father” has brought them back together for something
exceptionally important.
Like the CW series
Legends of Tomorrow,
The Umbrella Academy has
a talented cast and a bonkers premise that improbably add up to a
series full of humor and compelling drama. And, refreshingly, the
members of the academy don’t really rely on their powers very much. It’s
strangely both the focus of the series and something taken casually in
stride, like the fact that the kids were raised by an android mother and
looked after by a talking chimpanzee butler (which all feels mildly
Neo Yokio-esque). Anything is possible in this show, and yet those eccentricities are presented as nothing more than subtle quirks.
It’s frankly difficult to think back to how everything began in this
crazy show after having buzzed through its 10 episodes, because it’s so
full of layered narratives. Don’t look up spoilers, though — knowing
less is more. Not having read the books, I can’t speak to the Netflix
series’ success as an adaptation. But as a superhero-tinged TV show, it
gets everything right.
The Umbrella Academy is incredibly interesting, enjoyable, quirky, and well worth your time. —
Allison Keene
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson
Image via Netflix
Creators: Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin
Cast: Tim Robinson
Netflix is so perfect for sketch comedy that I’m a little shocked
it’s taken this long for a sketch comedy program to finally break out,
especially one as weird and unique as
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.
Because the series doesn’t have to worry about commercial breaks or
sponsors or really anything, it’s free to be deeply weird and bizarre in
the most wonderful of ways. Robinson, a former writer on
Saturday Night Live,
brings his unique comic voice to a series of unforgettable sketches
that may be hit or miss, but when they hit, they’re unbelievably funny.
If you like your comedy bizarre, twisted, and off-kilter, you’ll easily
binge
I Think You Should Leave in a single sitting. –
Matt Goldberg
Sex Education
Created by: Laurie Nunn
Cast: Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, Connor Swindells, Kedar Williams-Stirling, Alistair Petrie
For most people, being a teenager is awkward, weird, random, and confusing. Netflix’s 8-episode series
Sex Education, created by
Laurie Nunn, not only understands that but leans into it completely. The show stars
Asa Butterfield as
Otis, a sixth former (high schooler, for Americans — the series is set
in the UK) who starts an underground therapy clinic for his peers. Or,
as one classmate describes him, he is “that weird sex kid who looks like
a Victorian ghost.”
If it wasn’t already clear,
Sex Education is very explicit.
There are plenty of frank discussions about sex and anatomy, as well as
full nudity. Most episodes revolve around a kind of Case of the Week
that’s teased in a cold open, although the show uses that to evolve its
major narratives, and doesn’t always end the hour with the problem being
solved. Otis’ advice for his classmates is also usually more about
their psyche and expectations than sexual positions. “What makes you
feel like you have to give your boyfriend a blowjob?” he asks one
“client,” and tells another to name five things she likes about herself.
The show is careful to normalize an array of preferences, including not
having sex at all.
Sex Education is, perhaps like Otis, more charming than it
has any right to be, making it extremely easy to feel emotionally
invested in the lives of these kids (and choice few adults) who are all
just trying to figure themselves out. Its upfront inclusion of sex in a
real and grounded way (rather than just for comedic effect) also makes
it different from other coming-of-age stories or teen comedies True to
life, not everything is resolved immediately, and Otis’ advice isn’t
always solid. People hold grudges, hearts are broken, and not all
stories of unrequited love get a happy ending. But
Sex Education is
just as much about the triumphs, the times things do go right, and the
consequences of emotional vulnerability that ultimately make it a happy
and satisfying watch. — Allison Keene
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Image via FX
Created by: Ryan Murphy
Cast: Darren Criss, Edgar Ramirez, Penelope Cruz, Ricky Martin, Cody Fern, Finn Wittrock, Judith Light, and Jon Jon Briones
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
is not the show you think it is. The limited series was marketed as a
show about glitz, gamour, and fame, but in reality it’s an
American Psycho-esque
portrait of a spree killer that hones in on issues relating to
homophobia and self-hate. In 1997, fashion designer Gianni Versace (
Edgar Ramirez) was shot dead by a man named Andrew Cunanan (
Darren Criss). As it turns out this was only part of the story, and
The Assassination of Gianni Versace unfolds backwards in time (each episode is set before the events of the previous one—think
Memento,
but as a TV series) as it tracks Cunanan’s other murders and delves
into his personal life, trying to understand just what made this young
man turn so violent in such a public way. It’s every bit as engrossing
and enlightening as
People v. O.J. Simpson, and you’ve no doubt noticed it sweeping every TV awards ceremony over the last year. Now see for yourself. –
Adam Chitwood
Bodyguard
Image via Netflix
Creator: Jed Mercurio
Cast: Richard Madden, Keeley Hawes, Gina McKee, Sophe Rundle, and Paul Ready
The opening scene of the first episode of
Bodyguard
sinks its hooks in you, and the show never really lets up throughout
its six-episode first season. The series premiered in the UK to
staggering numbers before making its US debut on Netflix, and it follows
a metropolitan police officer named David Budd (
Richard Madden) who is tasked with guarding the life of Conservative Home Secretary Julia Montague (
Keeley Hawes)
in the midst of a political crisis—namely the debate over how to deal
with terrorism. Budd’s personal life and background are slowly revealed
throughout the show, forcing the audience to consistently question
whether he’s a true hero or a potential villain. If you loved the first
season of
Homeland, this show is absolutely for you. –
Adam Chitwood
The Haunting of Hill House
Image via Netflix
Creator: Mike Flanagan
Cast: Carla Gugino, Michael Huisman, Kate Siegel,
Mckenna Grace, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Elizabeth Reaser, Victoria
Pedretti, Lulu Wilson, Timothy Hutton, Violet McGraw, Julian Hilliard,
Hush and
Gerald’s Game filmmaker
Mike Flanagan delivers
his most ambitious Netflix project yet (and that’s really saying
something when you’re talking about someone who successfully adapted
Gerald’s Game) with
The Haunting of Hill House.
Inspired by Shirley Jackson’s seminal ghost story, the series carries
over almost none of Jackson’s narrative (though occasionally too much of
her prose), and focuses instead on the haunted lives of the withering
Crain family. Bouncing back and forth between the summer the Crain’s
spent in the titular haunted mansion and the years of grief and family
trauma they endured in the aftermath. Flanagan has proven in previous
works that he’s got a knack for upsetting visuals and well-composed
scares, but his great success in
The Haunting of Hill House is
the way he ties the scares into a rich, intertwining tale of family
tinged with tragedy. Led by a spectacular ensemble, the series veers
between emotional revelation and moments of horror that give you
full-body chills. It’s the most moving and honest portrayal of mortality
and grief this side of
Six Feet Under, but it’ll give you a whole lot more nightmares. —
Haleigh Foutch
The Office (U.S.)
Created by: Greg Daniels
Cast: Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer,
Rainn Wilson, B.J. Novak, Melora Hardin, Mindy Kaling, Angela Kinsey,
Phyllis Smith, Craig Robinson, Ellie Kemper, B.J. Novak, Oscar Nunez,
Paul Lieberstein, Amy Ryan, James Spader, and Ed Helms
Let’s face it, most U.S. remakes of U.K. TV shows suck. And in fact, the initial launch of the American
The Office wasn’t great. The 6-episode first season showed promise, mostly in the form of
Steve Carell’s
committed performance, but from a story and character point of view it
was seriously lacking. However, the last few episodes started building
on what
was working, leading to the show’s second season, which
stands as one of the best seasons of comedy television in history. From
there, the show was golden, launching a terrifically involved will
they/won’t they with Jim and Pam, and fleshing Michael Scott out as an
incredibly frustrating yet human character. It’s a crime Carell never
won an Emmy for his phenomenal performance over the course of the show’s
run, and while the series itself overstayed its welcome by two or three
seasons, it remains a positive delightful—and worthwhile—watch at just
about any time. –
Adam Chitwood
Documentary Now!
Created by: Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Seth Meyers, and Rhys Thomas
Cast: Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, and Helen Mirren
One of the most delightfully pleasant surprises of 2015 was the IFC comedy series
Documentary Now!, which is the brain child of
Bill Hader,
Fred Armisen,
Seth Meyers, and
Rhys Thomas.
The conceit of the series is something of a mockumentary anthology, in
which each half-hour episode takes on the format of a famous or
groundbreaking documentary genre and is given the comedy treatment via
Hader and Armisen. The result is a series of hilarious installments that
tackle everything from
Grey Gardens to
The Thin Blue Line to
Behind the Music,
but perhaps the show’s magnum opus (at least thus far), is the
tremendous VICE-spoofing installment “DRONEZ: The Hunt for El Chingon.”
Documentary Now! is a must-watch, plain and simple, especially if you happen to be of the cinephile persuasion. –
Adam Chitwood
Mindhunter
Created by: Joe Penhall
Cast: Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, Anna Torv, Hannah Gross, and Cotter Smith
Executive produced and essentially run by
David Fincher,
Mindhunter
is one of TV’s best new shows of 2017. The series is based on true
events and follows the early days of the FBI’s criminal profiling unit
in the late 1970s. Two FBI agents from the FBI’s Behavioral Science
Unit—Holden Ford (
Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (
Holt McCallany)—set
out to interview imprisoned serial killers to see if they can
understand why they did what they did, to help create a profile for the
FBI to catch these kinds of killers. The show is methodical, wildly
engrossing, and surprisingly funny, and Fincher himself directs four of
the first season’s 10 episodes, resulting in terrific piece of
filmmaking as well. It’s an addictive series that refuses to go down
easy or well-worn paths, instead finding brand new ways to chronicle
stories that have been told countless times, and as a result offering
wholly new insight into human behavior. Oh yeah, and it’s
deliciously entertaining. –
Adam Chitwood
Trollhunters
Image via DreamWorks, Netflix
Created by: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Anton Yelchin, Charlie Saxton, Jonathan Hyde,
Kelsey Grammer, Ron Perlman, Amy Landecker, Steven Yeun, Clancy Brown,
Mark Hamill, and Angelica Huston
Guillermo del Toro’s original animated series
Trollhunters
is an absolute delight. The DreamWorks Animation production takes place
in the quiet town of Arcadia, where a young boy named Jim not only
stumbled upon an amulet that makes him a “Trollhunter,” but who also
discovers that there’s an entire world full of trolls living in secret
underground. The show combines the classic Saturday morning cartoon vibe
with the serialized narrative drive of something like
Breaking Bad, resulting in a series that’s as delightful as it is addicting. –
Adam Chitwood
Parks and Recreation
Created By: Greg Daniels and Michael Schur
Starring: Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Rashida Jones,
Chris Pratt, Aubrey Plaza, Aziz Ansari, Retta, Jim O’Heir, Adam Scott,
Rob Lowe, and Paul Schneider
Ah,
Parks and Rec.
This NBC series is a perfect example of why you shouldn’t judge a
sitcom by its first few episodes. The show’s first season—which is only
six episodes in total—began as a semi-spinoff of
The Office,
but struggled to find its own voice. From the Season 2 premiere onward,
though, this show is gold, and it’s really hits its stride in the third
season, with the introduction of
Adam Scott and
Rob Lowe to the cast. What sets
Parks and Recreation apart
from other comedies is that it’s absolutely sincere and free of
cynicism. It’s clear that even if the characters rib each other, there’s
genuine love between them. But yes, the show is hilarious, and
Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope is one of the seminal sitcom characters of our time. If you haven’t seen
Parks and Recreation, get on it. If you have, treat yo’ self to a rewatch. —
Adam Chitwood
Legends of Tomorrow
Image via CW
Creators: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, Phil Klemmer
Cast: Victor Garber, Brandon
Routh, Arthur Darvill, Caity Lotz, Franz Drameh, Dominic Purcell,
Wentworth Miller, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Nick Zano, Tala Ashe
Two years ago you could not have convinced me that one of the best shows on television would be The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow,
but by God it is. The series has truly come into its own in its third
season (after a still very good second season), finding a wonderful
rhythm in both weekly adventures an overarching villains — including the
rehabilitation of Damian Darhk from his time on Arrow, as well
as the introduction of magical creatures where time travel isn’t always a
cure-all. Plus, it’s opened the door for Constantine!
The series focuses on a group of
time-traveling rogues, mostly cobbled together from elsewhere in the
Arrow-verse. The first season isn’t great, but it lays the groundwork
for the friendships that define the show. But if you need to skip ahead
and start with Season 2 or even 3, I don’t blame you. Another thing that
has made the series so successful is its willingness to change up its
storylines and its cast. If something doesn’t work, or a dynamic doesn’t
take, they scrap it and try something else. And meanwhile, the show
also brings back what does work — like Beebo, everyone’s favorite fuzzy
blue savior.
There were so many fantastic episodes and moments in Legends’
third season, which was also just fun. Grodd vs Barack Obama! Time
loops! Pirates! Mick Rory’s book! Themyscira! John Noble! That’s what a
superhero show about a ragtag bunch of time travelers should be about:
bonkers fun. And yet, the series also has great emotional arcs that
really resonate. It does it all, folks. — Allison Keene
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Image via Netflix
Creator: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Cast: Kiernan Shipka, Ross Lynch, Lucy Davis, Chance Perdomo, Michelle Gomez, Jaz Sinclair, Richard Coyle, and Miranda Otto
There is no trick to the treat that is
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Netflix’s adaptation of
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s comic of the same name, starring
Kiernan Shipka as the titular teen. The updated story is a far cry from the days of
Sabrina the Teenage Witch,
and yet, it encompasses many of the same themes of the original Archie
comics and other iterations. It’s just that this time, the story is
wrapped up in a moody, dark, funny, and stylishly atmospheric package
that could be not be a better herald of fall and the Halloween season.
The series picks up just before Sabrina’s sixteenth birthday, which will be marked not by a traditional celebration, but an
old tradition:
a Dark Baptism under a blood moon where Sabrina will sign over her soul
to the Dark Lord. Except, Sabrina isn’t so sure she wants to do that.
She’s only half a witch (on her father’s side), and she’s spent her
entire life living at home with witches and going to school with
mortals. But that baptism — and whether or not she’s ready to tether
herself to the Dark Lord — is just the start of Sabrina’s adventures,
not the end, as she finds a way to honor both her mortal and
supernatural heritage. Ultimately, it’s a delight and an obsession, and
the scariest thing about it is just how good it is. [
Full Review]
— Allison Keene
The West Wing
Created By: Aaron Sorkin
Cast: Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford, Alison Janney, Rob Lowe, John Spencer, Richard Schiff, Janel Moloney, and Dule Hill
Given that The West Wing is probably my favorite TV show of all time I may be a little biased here, but this is Aaron Sorkin‘s
magnum opus. An ode to good people trying to do their jobs well, the
series is not only an incredibly engaging look “behind the scenes” of
the White House, it’s also a hilarious comedy, a moving drama, and a
charming love story all rolled into one. Granted, the show goes downhill
after Sorkin leaves, but while Season 5 is straight up bad, the series
rebounds for its final two seasons as it settles into a new, slightly
different creative voice under new showrunner John Wells.
But man, you’d be hard pressed to find anything better than those first
few seasons. And that cast! If you’re looking for something that’s
smart, fun, and slightly addictive, make your way to The West Wing. — Adam Chitwood
Hap and Leonard
Image via SundanceTV
Developed by: Jim Mickle, Nick Damici
Cast: James Purefoy, Michael K. Williams
Based on Joe R. Lansdale’s series of novels,
Hap and Leonard
is a wonderfully funny, action-packed, and unique story about two
unlikely friends — one a white, hippie-cowboy, and the other a black,
gay, Vietnam vet — who live in East Texas in the 1980s. They often get
into scrapes and accidentally end up in the middle of a crime they never
planned on investigating, but the series is as dark, deep, and soulful
as it is manic, violent, and often hilarious. The show walks a difficult
line in each of its brisk 6-episode seasons, balancing humor and
heartbreak as its heroes, villains, and the gorgeous landscape all pop
colorfully off of the screen. Ultimately, it does so with aplomb. Each
season is a complete story, like the novels, that tackle very different
tales, making it an easy and satisfying binge. The southern-fried banter
and unique dynamics also help make
Hap and Leonard a wonderfully unique gem of Peak TV.
— Allison Keene
The Magicians
Created by: Sera Gamble and John McNamara
Cast: Jason Ralph, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Stella Maeve, Arjun Gupta, Hale Appleman, and Summer Bishil
Based on the terrific book trilogy by
Lev Grossman, Syfy’s
The Magicians could be crudely described as an R-rated
Harry Potter.
Jason Ralph
stars as Quentin Coldwater, a melancholic late-twentysomething who
discovers that not only is magic actually real, but he’s a magician. He
goes to Brakebills, a graduate school for magicians of sorts, and soon
discovers there’s an even bigger twist involved. The show, like the
books, tackles issues of depression, sexual assault, and mental illness
in a realistic but entertaining way. Its darkly funny sense of humor
keeps things from getting
too dark, and the performances are
great. The show really comes into its own in Season 2 and only gets
better as it goes on, but the first season is an
entertaining introduction into the f*cked up world of
The Magicians. –
Adam Chitwood
The Good Place
Created by: Michael Schur
Cast: Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, Manny Jacinto, and D’Arcy Carden
Try to imagine
Lost as a sitcom plus some more philosophical depth and a lot more humor, and you’re on your way to
The Good Place.
Parks and Recreation showrunner
Michael Schur’s
new sitcom is set in an afterlife where Eleanor Shellstrop (Bell), a
recently deceased woman who lived a selfish, spiteful life, has ended up
in the “good place” by mistake. With the help of her soulmate Chidi
(Harper), she tries to learn how to be a better person as we get
flashbacks to Eleanor’s life and the lives of those around her.
Meanwhile, the architect of the good place, Michael (Danson), tries to
figure out why everything in this utopia is going haywire.
It’s a sweet, funny, brilliant bit of television, and when I finally
caught up with it, I was angry that I hadn’t watched it sooner. Watch it
as soon as possible. –
Matt Goldberg
Black Lightning
Image via The CW
Developed By: Salim Akil
Cast: Cress Williams, China Anne McClain, Nafessa Williams, Christine Adams, Marvin “Krondon” Jones III, Damon Gupton, James Remar
Just when I was starting to think we had reached peak superhero fatigue, Black Lightning hit
the scene and shook things up. The CW’s dynamic series is laudable for a
number of reasons, the most obvious one being that it focuses on a
black family, and the second most obvious one being that its lead
character isn’t a teenager. But the series also might be the superhero
genre’s most intelligent; it knows what it wants to say about race and
politics without ever being preachy. The first season also made a lot of
smart choices about when to introduce the powers of characters other
than Jefferson Pierce (a charming Cress Williams), and also didn’t feel
the need to dispatch of its Big Bad by the season’s end (though it did
take care of a host of more minor villains throughout). The story of a
vigilante-turned-principal looking to get back into the game because of
drug violence on his streets is a refreshing one, and helped keep Black Lightning grounded and relevant throughout its run. This is a hero to unequivocally root for. — Allison Keene
The Shannara Chronicles
Image via Spike TV
Created by: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Cast: Austin Butler, Poppy Drayton, Ivana Baquero, Manu Bennett
Based on
Terry Brooks’
The Sword of Shannara Trilogy (which only scratches the surface of his mythical book series),
The Shannara Chronicles
is the closest thing TV had to an RPG fantasy adaptation. The series
follows a half-human/half-elf, Wil Ohmsford, who is destined to save the
Four Lands from the return of demons banished in the Forbidding. He
journeys with an Elven princess, a tough rover girl, and a powerful
Druid, as they go up against warlocks, trolls, dwarves, and more. But as
Wil is learning to wield the magical elf stones passed down to him as a
Shannara, the politics of the Four Land start to interfere with his
mission to beat back the demon horde.
The series’ isn’t perfect by any means, but it’s fun, immersive, and
has a serious commitment to its world-building (the practical effects
and costuming are particularly swoon-worthy). The young cast improves
quite a bit between the first and second (final) season, as the story
itself also matures. Though the show bounced from MTV to Spike (later
renamed the Paramount Network), wrecking havoc on it ratings,
Shannara is an underrated and very solid fantasy series that’s accessible even for those who don’t own 20-sided dice.
— Allison Keene
The Hollow
Image via Netflix
Created by: Vito Viscomi
Cast: Ashleigh Ball, Connor Parnall, Adrian Petriw, Diana Kaarina, Jesse Moss
Taking a page out of the mystery-focused hook-books like
The Maze Runner and just about anything
J.J. Abrams slaps his name on,
The Hollow gets you
invested from the get-go by quickly establishing that Mira, Kai, and
Adam are strangers who must work together if they want to stay alive.
There’s not a lot of time to question anything, meaning that by the time
you’ve seen whether or not the trio can cooperate and escape the
immediate threat, you’ve likely already become attached to their
characters.
The Hollow really succeeds by rewarding viewers who tune in
for all 10 episodes to see how the mystery finally gets solved; no
cliffhangers here. For the mystery and the payoff alone,
The Hollow is worth a watch. –
Dave Trumbore
Better Call Saul
Created by: Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould
Cast: Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Michael McKean
AMC’s Breaking Bad spinoff goes
back to find Saul Goodman (Odenkirk) at a time when he was known as
Jimmy McGill (or “Slippin’ Jimmy”), a hustler with courtroom ambitions,
whose life had yet to be turned upside down by Walter White. Though as
comedically quirky as expected, the languid and artistically rendered Saul
also proved to also be very dark, affecting, and dramatic, thanks to
Odenkirk’s outstandingly nuanced performance. Jimmy’s complicated
relationship with his brother Chuck (McKean) drives the emotional
undercurrent of the season, alongside his being thwarted in his
ambitions to join a real law firm. When he opens up his own business (in
the closet of a nail salon), a revolving door of crazy clients appear,
but it’s the selfless work that Jimmy does on behalf of an elderly
contingent in town that imbues his journey with meaning, and gives the
series truly dramatic stakes.
Still, at every step, Jimmy finds himself running into
walls, and his frustration with the misfires and betrayals that litter
his life eventually start adding up to his transformation as the slick
Saul Goodman. The show is at its best when it distances itself from
Breaking Bad, and though it starts off slow with some curious digressions,
Better Call Saul
picks up tremendously towards the end of the first season. Ultimately,
being swept along in the chaos, hilarity, and sadness of Jimmy’s rise
and fall (and eventual resurrection as Saul) is an immersive experience
— Allison Keene
Weeds
Image via Showtime
Created by: Jenji Kohan
Cast: Mary-Louise Parker, Elizabeth Perkins, Justin Kirk, Romany Malco, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, and Kevin Nealon
Before
Veep or
Girls, Showtime was doing dark comedy right with
Weeds. The series hails from
Orange Is the New Black creator
Jenji Kohan and stars
Mary-Louise Parker
as a suburban mother of two who finds herself widowed when her husband
suddenly passes away. To make ends meet, she becomes a drug dealer to
suburban clientele, but consistently finds herself way in over her head.
This is a show that was known for reinvention, changing locations,
settings, and tones multiple times over its eight seasons to varying
degrees of success. The suburbia-set first couple of seasons remain the
best, as Kohan toes the line between comedy and drama in a really
affecting way while Parker proves effortlessly charming throughout.
Weeds is, through and through, a delight of a show. –
Adam Chitwood
The End of the F***ing World
Created by: Charlie Covell
Cast: Alex Lawther, Jessica Barden, Gemma Whelan, Steve Oram
On premise-level alone,
The End of the F***ing World has most teenage romances beat by a mile.
Alex Lawther’s James is almost positive that he’s a serial killer and when Alyssa (
Jessica Barden in
a lively breakout performance) takes an interest in him, he thinks he’s
found the perfect first victim. In essence, they both want release from
the bonds of society and their bodies, with Alyssa seeking that release
through exploration and confrontation while James seeks the same
through destruction and rejection of humanity. When they impulsively
take off together on a road trip, however, the dynamics get a bit more
complicated and yield surprising insights. Early on, there’s a fear that
the show might veer too hard into the cutesy, but the actors,
including
Steve Oram of
Ben Wheatley’s
Sightseers,
and the writing consistently evade letting the gooey overwhelm the
unseemly. If the series is given a second season, the creative team
might do well to push the story into darker terrain but for now, it’s
the kind of engagingly morbid, funny, and surprisingly moving show that
Netflix devotees should make time for.
— Chris Cabin
Anne with an E
Image via Netflix
Created by: Moira Walley-Beckett
Cast: Amybeth McNulty, Geraldine James, R.H. Thomson, Lucas Jade Zumann, Dalila Bela
Even though Moira Walley-Beckett‘s retelling of Lucy Maud Montgomery‘s classic Anne of Green Gables stories
leans heavily into the darker side of Anne’s orphan upbringing and the
bullying she experiences in school once she gets to Prince Edward
Island, Anne with an E is a happy one. And in case you forgot, yes! Dramas can be joyous!
The second season moves away somewhat
from its beloved source material, but in doing so, it’s able to find its
own voice and become even better. The series is also finding modern relevance with
the inclusion of more “woke” storylines, but it never feels forced — it
all fits in with Anne’s (McNulty) optimistic view of the world and the
people in it. Anne is joyous, funny, and ultimately a delightful
exploration of teenage life. And though it’s set over 100 years in the
past, the series does an exceptional job creating a deeply relatable
mood and aesthetic, one that makes both the perils and precious moments
of growing up feel as raw and real as they do in real life. The new
season is full of triumphant moments and joyous subplots, as well as
scenes of sorrow and hardship. It all adds up to an uplifting season
that concludes with Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, and all those around her,
looking towards the scope of possibilities in an ever-widening world. — Allison Keene
Stranger Things
Created by: The Duffer Brothers
Cast: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard,
Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara
Buono, and Matthew Modine
You’ve no doubt heard the hype, so let us set you straight: believe it.
Stranger Things
popped up almost out of nowhere as a new Netflix original series that
had little buzz surrounding its pre-release. But the 80s-set mystery
thriller is equal parts
It,
Stand by Me, and
The Goonies as it mashes up the creepy atmosphere of a
Stephen King novel with compelling characters and a strong narrative drive. The true test of
Stranger Things
is whether the show works without the nostalgia-inducing 80s setting,
and the answer is yes. There’s a government mystery, impressive effects,
and most of all memorable characters that are a joy to watch, and
creators/writers/directors
Matt Duffer and
Ross Duffer
craft each season like one long movie divided into chapters. Indeed,
one could easily watch an entire season in one day without feeling like
it’s dragging or hitting upon an easy “stopping point,” as this is more
television as novel than episodic TV. Which makes it a delightful binge.
So have at it! –
Adam Chitwood
Collateral
Created by: David Hare
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Billie Piper, Jeany Spark, Nathaniel Martelo-White, John Simm
In the era of #PeakTV it’s impossible to watch everything, but here’s
a show that you can binge in a very limited amount of time and get
maximum satisfaction in return:
Collateral. The four-hour BBC-produced limited series hails from writer
David Hare (
The Hours) and director
SJ Clarkson (
Jessica Jones).
Carey Mulligan
stars as a confident and charismatic detective in London who’s tasked
with investigating the murder of a pizza deliveryman, who may be an
immigrant or refugee. A
Robert Altman-like ensemble
forms the tapestry of this story, but by the end of the four hours
you’ll be in awe of how well all the disparate characters’ storylines
fit together. This is a show that digs deep into issues of immigration
and racial tensions in a post-Brexit England, but maintains a sense of
joy and humor throughout so as not to drown the viewer in despair like
some other British dramas. It’s immensely compelling, supremely
satisfying, and Mulligan gives one hell of a lead performance that has
colors of
Fargo’s Marge Gunderson. And it’s only four hours! This is an incredibly easy recommend. –
Adam Chitwood
Rectify
Created By: Ray McKinnon
Cast: Aden Young, Abigail Spencer, J. Smith-Cameron, Adelaide Clemens, Clayne Crawford, Luke Kirby, Jake Austin Walker
Rectify is quite possibly the best prison
drama on television that no one seems to have watched. The Sundance TV
series debuted in 2013 and ran for four critically acclaimed seasons,
but if you didn’t see it, now’s the perfect time to catch up. The plot
centers on Daniel Holden (Aden Young), a Georgia man
who has been let out of prison due to questionable DNA evidence after
serving 19 years on Death Row for the rape and murder of his then
16-year-old girlfriend, Hannah. Despite protests of locals and some
family members, Holden returns to his childhood home upon release.
While the mystery element of whether or not Holden was actually
guilty provides an excellent hook for the show, the real draw to Rectify
is its excellent Southern Gothic character study of Holden and the
folks of Paulie, Georgia. Holden has a few allies, but many more
detractors in town; both sides interpret the evidence, or lack thereof,
in their own ways. It’s up to viewers to decide which side they’re on,
though Young’s performance – at times aloof, innocent, or downright
disturbing – keeps you guessing. – Dave Trumbore
Black Mirror
Created By: Charlie Brooker
Cast: Mackenzie Davis, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Bryce Dallas
Howard, Kelly Macdonald, Hayley Atwell, Domhnall Gleeson, Michael
Smiley, Rory Kinnear, Toby Kebbell, Daniel Kaluuya, Jesse Plemons,
Rosemarie DeWitt, Letitia Wright
American audiences were a bit late to the Channel 4 anthology series, but when Netflix released the first six episodes of
Black Mirror to streaming, the internet collectively lost its mind over
Charlie Brooker‘s dark, unsettling spin on contemporary culture. Often described a modern-day
Twilight Zone,
Black Mirror tackles
subjects like politics, technology, fame, and grief through the lens of
genre fiction, leading to self-contained episodes that are engrossing,
terrifying, wrenching and occasionally revolting (Looking at you, The
National Anthem). A touch of Kurt Vonnegut, a splash of William
Gibson, and yes, a hint of
The Twilight Zone,
Black Mirror is
its own beast entirely, but like all the best sci-fi, it rattles your
perceptions and leaves you wanting more. And now, with brand new
episodes produced exclusively for Netflix, there’s even more
Black Mirror to enjoy. Have fun debating your favorite episodes with your friends.
— Haleigh Foutch
Gilmore Girls
Created by: Amy Sherman-Palladino
Cast: Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, Melissa McCarthy, Scott Patterson, Kelly Bishop, Edward Hermann, Liza Weil
With the 4-part reunion available on Netflix as well, now is the perfect time to catch up on
Amy Sherman-Palladino’s fast-talking, pop culture-laded comfort TV.
Gilmore Girls
is about three generations of brilliant women: grandmother Emily, a
wealthy socialite, her rebellious daughter Lorelai, and Lorelai’s
studious daughter Rory, who spends the series finding out her place
between her mother’s and grandmother’s worlds. The series’ dialogue
moves at a manic pace, contrasting with the sleepy town of Stars Hollow,
Connecticut, which serves as a cozy backdrop
for the series. While romances dominate most of the plot lines, the
series meanwhile introduces a wealth of unforgettable characters as it
explores the importance of family, friends, and honest relationships.
After showrunner Palladino left in the final season, the series hit a
major stumbling block, but the full series is worth a watch regardless.
— Allison Keene
The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Created by: Ryan Murphy
Cast: Sarah Paulson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Sterling K.
Brown, Bruce Greenwood, Kennth Choi, Nathan Lane, David Schwimmer,
Courtney B. Vance, and John Travolta
Few could have predicted not only how big of a deal
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story would be, but also how genuinely great the show is. The first installment of a new anthology series from
American Horror Story and
Glee creator
Ryan Murphy,
O.J.
takes a unique look at this seminal moment in history by revealing new
truths not just about the case, but the environment surrounding it. How
issues of sexism, racism, and class played heavy roles in the outcome,
and how little-known facts changed the course of history forever. The
show is tremendously well acted, especially by
Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark,
Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden, and
Courtney B. Vance
as Johnnie Cochran. Trust me, this is not the show you think, and as a
10-episode piece of storytelling it’s one of the best things that’s
aired on TV in the past decade. –
Adam Chitwood
The Flash
Created By: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Geoff Johns
Starring: Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Rick Cosnett, Carlos Valdes, Tom Cavanagh, Jesse L. Martin
If you aren’t ready for the entirely crazy, true comic book fever of
The Flash,
then the CW’s superhero show may not be for you. But for those willing
to work with its full embrace of its comic origins — including time
travel, alternate universes, and Gorilla Grodd — will be rewarded.
The Flash
deals with many dark and difficult themes, and yet, more often feels
like a light and fun romp through Central City’s chaotic world. It
follows the story of Barry Allen (
Grant Gustin) as he
comes to terms with his newly-bestowed super speed, and his city’s need
to fight off a myriad of superpowered villains. But, he still has time
for dating and unrequited love, as well as some crossover time spent
with Team Arrow (the same creative team is responsible for both shows).
The Flash has a instantly lovable cast, a
never-ending supply of great hooks, and a myriad of long-form arcs that
help anchor its Villain of the Week plots. It’s wholly accessible to
non-comic readers (or to those not typically superhero genre fans), but
also has plenty of insider references to keep comic fans happy. Above
all, it never loses its heart or its mirth — even in the midst of saving
the world. – Allison Keene
Bates Motel
Created By: Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin, Anthony Cipriano
Cast: Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Max Thieriot, Olivia Cooke, Nicola Peltz, Nestor Carbonell, Kenny Johnson
Fashioned as a prequel to
Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film
Psycho,
Bates Motel introduces
viewers to Norma (Farmiga) and Norman (Highmore) Bates just when Norman
is starting to realize he may not be normal. The moody, atmospheric
series is referential to the movie though without being beholden to it,
and has found room to expand the stories of interesting side characters
in the town of White Pine Bay, and their relation to mysterious murders.
Still, nothing holds a candle to the performances of Farmiga and
Highmore, who are both hypnotically disturbing, shifting back and forth
from normalcy to the sinister in an increasingly deranged way. The
series also plays with their obsessive closeness in a way that makes
their being bound together feel claustrophobic, uncomfortable, and
completely necessary. When moving away from the central duo, the plots
can sometimes lag or lose their way, but
Bates Motel always
manages to brings things back around to the interesting and unexpected,
often subverting viewers’ guesses about what crimes Norman may or may
not be involved with. The perfect binge-watch for a cold, rainy evening.
—
Allison Keene
Sherlock
Created by: Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss
Cast: Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Graves, Andrew Scott, and Louise Brealey
While innumerable adaptations of
Sherlock Holmes have surfaced over the decades, with most network procedurals themselves owing a great debt to
Arthur Conan Doyle’s source material, the BBC series
Sherlock offers one of the more fun and entertaining
Sherlock twists in recent memory. The series puts the characters of Sherlock Holmes (
Benedict Cumberbatch) and Dr. James Watson (
Martin Freeman) in a contemporary context, using the classic dynamic and detective genre as the foundation on which
Sherlock
is built. The series stands on its own, though, with the chemistry
between Cumberbatch and Freeman giving us something electric onscreen,
and the scripts by Moffat and Gatiss surprising viewers at every turn.
Sherlock
benefits from the fact that each episode is 90 minutes long (each
season only consists of three episodes total), so while it’s technically
a TV series, each episode feels like a feature film. Moreover, Moffat
and Gatiss do their best to ensure that no one episode feels too similar
to another, offering a great degree of diversity throughout the series.
Smart, thrilling, and wildly entertaining, this is must-watch TV. –
Adam Chitwood
The Crown
Created By: Peter Morgan
Cast: Claire Foy, Matt Smith, Jared Harris, John Lithgow
Netflix’s most expensive series yet,
The Crown
examines the early reign of England’s Queen Elizabeth II. The series is
beautifully directed in sumptuous yet staid tones, as young Elizabeth
(Claire Foy) — newly married to Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh (Matt
Smith, playing against type) — first lives as a privileged princess
before having to transition into the position of Queen. From there, as
her grandmother cautions her, there will be two Elizabeths at odds with
one another: one who is a young woman with her own hopes and dreams, and
one who is a royal, whose life will be full of duty and sacrifice. “But
the crown must always win.”
Foy is again exceptional, as she always is (we last saw her as Anne Boleyn in Wolf Hall, a far cry from the kind of monarch she plays in The Crown).
Her huge blue eyes and placid, doll-like features can easily go from a
questioning innocence to a stern acceptance of duty in a moment, and she
imbues Queen Elizabeth’s story with striking warmth and humanity
(something that can be forgotten when regarding someone who has been a
monarch for over half a century). The excellent casting extends to every
role, from Smith’s take on the handsome but irreverent Philip to Jared
Harris’ anxious, measured King George VI. Perhaps most inspired of all
is John Lithgow as an aged Winston Churchill, whose story is reaching
its twilight as Elizabeth begins her rise.
The Crown is a fascinating and easily engrossing
portrait of a young monarch in a fairly modern age, and benefits from
having one writer (creator Peter Morgan) to lend it narrative
continuity. The story, which offers a glimpse of many familiar faces
associated with government at the time, glides through history and
crosses the globe, yet is most effective when its examining the nuances
of Elizabeth’s life and the lives of those around her who must change
the way they regard her (from a wife, sister, and daughter, to a monarch
they must defer to at all times). The trappings of power, such as they
are, are shown here as being claustrophobic and wearisome, even though
the lavish lifestyle it seems to offer is also seductive. And that is
why, once you enter into the regal world of The Crown, you will not want to leave. It always wins. — Allison Keene
Jessica Jones
Created By: Melissa Rosenberg
Cast: Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, Rachael Taylor, David Tennant, Eka Darville, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Wil Travail
It’s now quite clear that
Jessica Jones is one of the best things to come out of a Marvel adaptation to date, beating out notable frontrunners such as Netflix’s
Daredevil series, the first and third
Iron Man films, and Peyton Reed’s rowdy, joyous
Ant-Man. Unlike its brethren,
Jessica Jones
has a sturdy thematic backbone of survival, one that keeps each
exchange in the narrative, whether verbal or physical, teeming with
insight and sly fascination. It’s not just the titular hardened super
heroine (a fantastic
Krysten Ritter) who has the wounds of survival on her, but also
Mike Colter’s
similarly indestructible Luke Cage, making a daily wage as a bar owner,
and Rachael Taylor’s Trish Walker, Jessica’s best friend and well-known
radio personality. Their interactions are startlingly, subtly
expressive in the way they evoke their barely healed pain and their
collective desire to live on, but the show becomes all the more
enveloping in its final stretch, when its revealed that their great
nemesis, Kilgrave, played by a superbly egomaniacal
David Tennant,
is also a survivor of sorts. This gives the series its final kick of
empathy that no one had expected yet adds an entire new dimension to
what could have been a simple, enjoyable entertainment, like
Age of Ultron or
The Winter Soldier.
The show’s tremendous triumph is seeing the roots and messy impulses of
pain that at once exemplify and push beyond that old saying: hurt
people hurt people.
— Chris Cabin
Dexter
Created by: James Manos, Jr.
Cast: Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer
Carpenter, Erik King, Lauren Valez, David Zayas, C.S. Lee, Desmond
Harrington, Geoff Pierson, Aimee Garcia, and James Remar
Okay, so maybe things turned disastrous in that final season, but for the most part,
Dexter is a really solid drama series. Serial killers remain a fascination in modern media, and this adaptation of the
Jeff Lindsay book series took viewers inside the mind of a killer,
Michael C. Hall’s titular Dexter, who struggles to lead his double life as a forensic technician with the Miami Police Department
and
a murderous psychopath on the nights and weekends. Hall brings a
tremendous complexity to the role, especially in the first few seasons
as he manages to make Dexter’s lack of empathy endearing. Season 4 is a
series highpoint with
John Lithgow’s chilling turn as the Trinity Killer, and all in all
Dexter is an engrossing and darkly comedic crime drama well worth your time. –
Adam Chitwood
Happy Valley
Created By: Sally Wainwright
Cast: Sarah Lancashire, Siobhan Finneran, George Costigan, Joe Armstrong, James Norton
Maybe no country does crime TV as well as the U.K., and
Happy Valley is another excellent entry into its vast collection of dark and twisted tales.
Sarah Lancashire’s
Catherine is a tough police sergeant, but she cares deeply about her
community (and her interactions with local low-lifes are some of the
series’ highlights). But she’s haunted by the actions of Tommy Lee Royce
(James Norton), who raped her daughter and produced a child, after
which her daughter committed suicide. Her family torn apart, when
Catherine sees him on a street corner after his release, she becomes
obsessed with finding him after he drops off the map. Meanwhile, a
second plot also involving Tommy and a kidnapping starts to unravel, and
questions of guilt, innocence, and more sweep viewers up in the show’s
complex and often harrowing portrayal. Norton and Lancashire are
exceptional in this character-driven drama, and it’s an
quick binge-watch with a huge reward.
Its fantastically engrossing second season is now
available, and it is in no way a sophomore slump. Instead, the series
not only finds new ways to weave together the stories of Cawoods and
Tommy Lee Royce, but it adds a few new swirling subplots that, as ever,
highlight the bleakness but close-knitted nature of life in the valleys
of West Yorkshire. — Allison Keene
Luke Cage
Created by: Cheo Hodari Coker
Cast: Mike Colter, Frankie Faison, Mahershala Ali, Alfre Woodard, Simone Missick
Taking place several months after
Jessica Jones,
Luke Cage
finds its titular hero (Colter) relocating himself to Harlem from
Hell’s Kitchen, and attempting to keep a low profile. He’s barely making
ends meet as he sweeps hair at a local barbershop (owned by Faison’s
Pops) and cleans dishes at a nightclub owned by the crime boss Cornell
“Cottonmouth” Stokes (Ali). But it doesn’t take very long for those
stories to connect, as young regulars at the barbershop see an
opportunity for quick cash that soon turns bloody. The fallout from this
is what pushes Cage to finally move forward with his life and embrace
his strengths for the protection of those who need it.
Luke Cage is a story that’s about more than being a vigilante,
as the series deals with difficult real-world issues that go beyond
metahumans and cartoon villains. Race also matters in
Luke Cage,
but most especially in the way that the show fully embraces its Harlem
location with style and substance. There’s an intimacy of place, and it
extends to all corners of the series in cultural specificity and
details. The idea of Luke Cage not just as a hero, but as a black
superhero, is important here.
Colter gives Cage a sense of reticence mixed with righteous defiance
that hits all the right notes for the reluctant hero, and does so in low
tones and with a casual confidence. Though he may struggle to define
his heroism and what it means for himself and Harlem, there are no
complications for viewers. He is the hero we’ve been waiting for.
— Allison Keene
The Inbetweeners
Created by: Damon Beesley, Iain Morris
Cast: Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, James Buckley, Blake Harrison
The Inbetweeners is a British anti-
Entourage.
This quartet is not cool, they aren’t slick, and the only fame they
enjoy is for things like accidentally projectile vomiting on a
schoolmate. The awkward suburban teenagers — snobby Will (Bird), cynical
Simon (Thomas), goofy Neil (Harrison), and sex-obsessed Jay (Buckley) —
navigate the perils and pitfalls of high school not quite belonging to
any group but their own reluctant band of misfits. The series turns on
that now-classically British conceit of cringe comedy, but in doing so
it fairly accurately represents the more horrific moments of school
life, or at least the way we often perceive them. The opposite sex isn’t
interested, or you mess it up immediately, and parents and teachers are
indifferent at best and aggressively mistrustful at worst. Everything
is boring or embarrassing, or both.
The Inbetweeners’ humor is
also exceptionally profane, but often in wonderful ways (you’ll soon
feel moved to call people “bus wankers!” like Jay does). The short
seasons make the show an easy binge-watch, if you can handle the cringe.
Also, it has a kickass
theme song.
— Allison Keene
Deep Space Nine
Created By: Rick Berman, Michael Piller
Cast: Avery Brooks, Rene Aberjonois, Terry Farrell,
Cirroc Lofton, Colm Meaney, Armin Shimerman, Alexander Siddig, Nana
Visitor, Michael Dorn, Nicole de Boer
Fair warning: You’re going to have to tough out two seasons of this
series as the show fought to find its own identity. Although it already
stands apart from other Star Trek series by
being based on a space station rather than exploring the cosmos, many of
the episodes from the first two seasons feel like leftover scripts from
Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation. It wasn’t until the show started interacting with the Dominion and moving towards war that Deep Space Nine created an absolutely captivating identity. Seasons 3 – 5 are great Star Trek,
and the final two seasons are great television, period. The show gets
surprisingly dark, but it’s always mature in its approach to warfare and
the sacrifices that must be made during wartime. — Matt Goldberg
Bloodline
Created By: Glenn Kessler, Todd A. Kessler, Daniel Zelman
Cast: Kyle Chandler, Ben Mendelsohn, Linda
Cardellini, Norbert Leo Butz, Jacinda Barrett, Jamie McShane, Enrique
Murciano, Sissy Spacek
As far as crime dramas go,
Bloodline rivals
Rectify
for the most engrossing mystery and engaging exploration of family
relationships on TV—at least in its first season. The crux of
Bloodline centers on
Ben Mendelsohn‘s
Danny Rayburn, the oldest son and Black Sheep of a prestigious Florida
Keys’ family. Danny brings a black cloud and plenty of intrigue with
him, and Mendelsohn’s layered performance is as good as any you’re
likely to encounter. That being said, the supporting cast is just as
talented at bringing their duplicitous and dynamic characters to life.
Everyone has a secret in
Bloodline, but only some are willing to kill to keep it that way. –
Dave Trumbore
iZombie
Created By: Rob Thomas and Dianne Ruggiero
Starring: Rose McIver, Malcolm Goodwin, Rahul Kohli, Robert Buckley, David Anders
Loosely based on the comic by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred, iZombie stars Rose McIver
as Liz, a medical resident with the perfect job, perfect fiancee, and
perfect life, who loses it all one night when she’s transformed into a
zombie. But this isn’t a Walking Dead
situation. Her hair may be chalk white, and her heart may only beat
twice a minute, but she can still walk, talk, act, think and feel like a
human – as long as she regularly feeds on human brains. The good news
is that Liz uses her medical degree to land a job at the local morgue
where she has a regular supply. Bad news is she temporarily inherits the
memories, personality, and skills of anybody she eats, which puts her
on the scent of a series of murders enacted by some less morally-sound
zombies. Working under the guise of a psychic, she uses her visions
to work with a local detective (Malcolm Goodwin) in order to solve the murders and give her new life a sense of purpose.
From Rob Thomas and Dianne Ruggiero, the minds that brought us Veronica Mars, iZombie is often oversimplified as “Veronica Mars
with zombies”, but that description does a disservice to the
originality of both series. To be clear, there is one and only one Veronica Mars,
and while there are similarities, Liz is another witty blonde sleuth,
for one, they’re largely different shows. Despite dealing in death, the
first season of iZombie is mostly lighter fare that leans in on
the procedural element. Fortunately, the cases of the week are
infinitely fun thanks to McIver’s consistently likable but wonderfully
variable performance as she adopts the personality traits of the
victims. –Haleigh Foutch
Arrested Development
Created by: Mitch Hurwitz
Cast: Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett,
Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor, and
Jessica Walter
Surely one of the best sitcoms ever made, Arrested Development
was far ahead of its time when it debuted in 2003. Its wit and wry
sense of humor now feels in lock step with the modern state of the
genre, but at the time it was incredibly different, which led
to an early cancellation. But Netflix revived the series in 2013 to
mixed results, with credit going to Hurwitz for at least trying
something different than before. Regardless of how you feel about the
latter Netflix seasons, the show’s previous episodes are undoubtedly
some of the silliest, smartest, and funniest TV comedy ever produced. – Adam Chitwood
Halt and Catch Fire
Created by: Christopher Cantwell, Christopher C. Rogers
Cast: Lee Pace, Scoot McNairy, Mackenzie Davis, Kerry Bishé, Toby Huss
It’s such a shame that more people didn’t watch Halt and Catch Fire.
It premiered on AMC back in the summer of 2014 and wound up running for
four seasons. Even though critical praise has been sky high—especially
for seasons two, three, and four—the ratings were not, so I must insist
that you take to Netflix to watch this underrated gem. The show begins
in Dallas in 1983, covering the dawn of the personal computer. If you
are at all intrigued by technology and how the machines we’ve become so
attached to came to be, the premise alone should be enough of a draw,
but then Cantwell and Rogers also populate the world with five extremely
driven and destructive main characters who are absolutely fascinating
to track. – Perri Nemiroff
Trailer Park Boys
Created By: Mike Clattenburg
Cast: John Paul Tremblay, Robb Wells, Mike Smith, John Dunsworth, Patrick Roach
Fair warning: You will either love
Trailer Park Boys or
you will hate it. Its minimalistic hand-held camera style and
improvisational dialogue is particularly halting and jerky in its early
seasons, but once it settles in, the show develops into a bizarrely meta
world that has spawned 10 seasons, 3 movies and a live tour.
Mike Clattenburg’s
series, which launched in 2001 and has been running off and on ever
since, follows the exploits of two dwellers of the Sunnyvale Trailer
Park in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia — Julian (
John Paul Tremblay) and his best friend Ricky (
Robb Wells)
— as they try and clean up their lives after a stint in prison. It
doesn’t work, and the two are constantly getting involved in crazy
schemes with their friend Bubbles (
Mike Smith, sporting
huge Coke-bottle lenses) and other colorful characters, while trying to
steer clear of the petty trailer park supervisor Jim Lahey (
John Dunsworth) and his perpetually shirtless assistant Randy (
Patrick Roach).
Make no mistake, these are Canada’s ultimate rednecks, and
there is a ton of booze, weed, gun fire, and idiocy that fuels all of
the show’s plots. Still, it’s hard not to get caught up in Julian and
Ricky’s stories, especially since the two actors have such a fantastic
rapport, and Ricky’s malapropisms never fail to delight. There are lots
of catch phrases to latch onto, and the show never ceases to escalate
its audacious humor, while never acknowledging it is anything other than
real. Trailer Park Boys is not for everyone, but for some, there are few things better than having out with these sh— birds. — Allison Keene
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Created by: Gene Roddenberry
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar
Burton, Denise Crosby, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden,
Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, and Whoopi Goldberg
You can’t argue against this series. One of the most iconic shows in
the history of television, this long-running award winner picked up
decades after the original series captained by William Shatner. Well Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) makes a strong case for best Enterprise captain in the franchise with his performance in Star Trek: The Next Generation. One of the few shows in history to run this long and never “jump the shark,” The Next Generation
followed the crew of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D as they explored
strange new worlds, sought out new life and civilizations, and boldly
went where no space crew had gone before.
For fans of cerebral, philosophical, and slow-burn type shows, TNG
is the gold standard. There’s plenty of action to be found, but it’s
not the first order of business to fire photon torpedoes as soon as the
Enterprise runs up against an obstacle. In fact, there are many
instances in which the Galaxy Class Starship is outmatched in terms of
weapons and defense, so it’s up to the crew’s cleverness and cooperative
abilities to keep them alive, and maybe earn a new ally along the way.
Modern TV has yet to see its equal, so it’s a good thing that all 178
episodes are available to assimilate online. – Dave Trumbore
Daredevil
Created By: Drew Goddard
Cast: Charlie Cox, Rosario Dawson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson
After conquering the world of Superhero cinema, Marvel Studios
branched into serialized storytelling (more serialized, anyway) with
their first Netflix collaboration,
Daredevil. Lovi
ngly crafted by mega-fan
Drew Goddard (before he departed to direct the defunct
Sinister Six), and carried to fruition by showrunner
Steven S. DeKnight in its first season, the series satisfies comic book fans and casual viewers alike.
Daredevil boasts some of the most
exceptional fight choreography ever seen on TV, and a fantastic performance from lead actor
Charlie Cox, who nails the dual roles of Matt Murdoch and his titular heroic counterpart.
Vincent D’Onofrio is
also on point as the villainous Wilson Fisk, and delivers a all-time
great monologue of reckoning. The series loses a little momentum toward
the middle of the first season, but when it’s good, it’s great.
— Haleigh Foutch
Rurouni Kenshin
Created By: Nobuhiro Watsuki (author), Kazuhiro Furuhashi (director)
Voice Cast: Mayo Suzukaze, Richard Cansino, Dean Wein
140 years ago (give or take a few years), the widespread stories of
expert swordsman Battousai the Man-Slayer and his disappearance from the
battlefield herald the coming of the Meiji era in Japan. In
Rurouni Kenshin, protagonist
Himura Kenshin, wielder of the reverse-blade sword, appears to be
anything but a legendary sword-fighter. Appearances can be deceiving in
this beloved anime series since viewers soon find out, along with
Kenshin’s allies, that the wandering samurai is much, much more than he
pretends to be.
It’s not the best gateway series for newcomers to anime as a lot of
the cultural differences will likely leave the uninitiated a little bit
lost, but it’s more than charming enough to win you over after a few
minutes. It’s got heroic action; a historical, period-specific
aesthetic; and plenty of laughs to lighten up the relationship drama.
Some things could easily be lost in translation, though Netflix users
have the option to watch the series in subtitled or dubbed format. (I
almost always recommend going native.) Unfortunately, Netflix only has
the first season available to watch, but Hulu has quite a few. — Dave Trumbore
House of Cards
Created by: Beau Willimon
Cast: Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Kate Mara, Corey
Stoll, Michael Kelly, Sakin Jaffrey, Constance Zimmer, Rachel Brosnahan,
and Mahershala Ali
As the show that first put Netflix on the map as a game-changer in the original series department, House of Cards
is a wickedly dark, sharp political thriller/satire with style to
spare. It’s tough to beat the show’s spectacular first season, which David Fincher
kicked off in terrific fashion by announcing the series as
director-driven, not necessarily writer-driven. But there’s plenty
to admire about subsequent seasons, particularly the show’s secret
weapon: Robin Wright. The actress truly shines in the “Lady Macbeth” role and, as the series progresses, turns in some career best work. – Adam Chitwood
BoJack Horseman
Created By: Raphael Bob-Waksberg
Cast: Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins, Aaron Paul
The washed-up celebrity, as a character,
has never felt quite so potently empathetic as it has in the animated
personage of BoJack Horseman, the erstwhile star of 1980s sitcom Horsin’ Around,
voiced with stinging desperation and cynicism by Will Arnett.
Horseman’s attempt at a comeback is the focus of the first two seasons
of one of Netflix’s most ambitious series, and creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg
makes the quite literal horse-man’s addiction to fame, attention, and
self-involvement into a melancholic vision of a depleted life. The
series also doubles as a scathing indictment of Hollywood and its
shallow machinations, but Bob-Waksberg, along with his writers and
animators, balances these blue, painful thematic concerns with a vibrant
animation style and varied sense of character design, to say nothing of
the bounty of dry witticisms. Visually and tonally, Bojack Horseman
toes a strange line, but even its oddest moments and creations hide an
endearing undercurrent of visceral feeling, evoking a landscape of
wounded egos, calcified obsessions, and a few artists trying frantically
to make something worth a damn. — Chris Cabin
Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp
Creator: David Wain and Michael Showalter
Cast: Paul Rudd, Michael Showalter, Marguerite
Moreau, Lake Bell, Christopher Meloni, Jon Hamm, Elizabeth Banks, John
Slattery, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Ken Marino
In the sprite spirit of dumb summer comedies, Wet Hot American Summer
became one of the greatest dumb comedies ever. Back in 2001 the cast
was already hilariously too old to play high school camp counselors and
in this series (filmed 14 years later) they hilariously play even
younger versions of themselves. It’s a boombox blast — sometimes
hilarious, sometimes cringe-inducing— and the new series is an easy
binge-watch thanks mostly to the intense wackiness of Christopher Meloni
as the camp chef who fought in Vietnam, is about to be married, and
briefly had a functional sexual relationship before becoming the
fridge-humper we now know and love. These are the origin stories
you never knew you needed. Camp Firewood 4ever. – Brian Formo
How to Get Away with Murder
Created By: Peter Nowalk
Starring: Viola Davis, Billy Brown, Alfred Enoch, Jack
Falahee, Katie Findlay, Aja Naomi King, Matt McGorry, Karla Souza,
Charlie Weber, and Liza Weil
Shonda Rhimes pretty much owned network television
for the last decade, and now she’s jumped ship over to Netflix. Whether
you’re a fan of her shows or not, her ability to spin a popular yarn and
sustain said yarn for years on end is undeniable. While Rhimes is
merely an executive producer on How to Get Away with Murder (Peter Nowalk is the showrunner), it has plenty of Rhimes-esque flourishes that make it absolutely delicious television. Viola Davis
is excellent as a morally ambiguous law professor who becomes entangled
in a very messy murder mystery that extends to some of her most prized
students. There are enough twists in this first season to last an entire
series, and they are so much fun. Seriously, put your smugness away and take the dive into this wonderfully ridiculous drama; you won’t regret it.—Adam Chitwood
Call the Midwife
Created by: Heidi Thomas, based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth
Cast: Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, Laura Main, Jenny Agutter, Pam Ferris, Judy Parfitt, Helen George
The most brutal TV series you aren’t watching. Sure, it looks like Call the Midwife
is just another British post-war period drama about nuns and nurses,
but then the child birth scenes start, and it’s all blood and screams.
The (otherwise) lovely series is based on true tales of midwives working
in London’s notoriously poor borough of East End in the 1950s (the
costuming and set dressings are exquisitely researched). There are many
babies born, as one would predict, but the stories of the parents and
home situations vary with each story (you can expect to cry about once
every three episodes). The conditions of the housing and lives of those
who live in the East End paint a colorful and poignant portrait of
post-war life, and the exceptional acting talent from both the main cast
and guest stars makes the series truly shine. The relationships among
the midwives and the sisters are heartwarming yet real (they love each
other, they bicker, they hide things, they reconcile), and their
missions of midwifery always engaging. If, that is, you can stomach the
blood and the screams. — Allison Keene
Making a Murderer
Created By: Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos
Cast: Steven Avery
With true-crime documentaries like the
Serial podcast and the HBO miniseries
The Jinx
capturing the attention of the public in new and innovative ways that
reach beyond the tabloids in the checkout aisle, Netflix got onboard
with this exploration of the various cases involving Steven Avery.
Guilty or not, the legally beleaguered Wisconsin man quickly became a
household name as couch-sitters consumed every facet of his life.
The ability to binge-watch the entire documentary led to some
interesting outcomes, namely concentrated rage released over social
media and through various petitions. Unlike
Serial and
The Jinx, which were released episodically in a more traditional format allowing frustrations to be metered out over time,
Making a Murderer
compounded the rage feels by the hour. While Avery’s case is anything
but open-and-shut, just as this documentary is anything but objective,
it’s worth a watch if only to stay up to date and engaged with the
current social consciousness. —
Dave Trumbore
The Returned / Les Revenants
Created By: Fabrice Gobert
Cast: Yara Pilartz, Jenna Thiam, Jean-Francois Sivadier, Clotilde Hesme, Pierre Perrier, Celine Sallette, Swann Nambotin.
The Returned is a supernatural
French zombie series where those who have returned from the dead have
not risen to eat us — they just want a sandwich. But the horror of his
moody, atmospheric series comes from its deep, slow plotting and uneasy
atmosphere, along with questions about why the deceased are back,
without decay. Some of them were good people in life, some were bad. But
who are they now, and what do they want?
There are plenty of twists and scares to The Returned,
but it’s not a bloody or gory series. It trades on mystery and the
emotional trauma of both those who are returning, and those who accept
them back (after the initial joy, things begin to get complicated).
Though it has spawned many imitators, including a U.S. series of the
same name, none can compare to the original (learn to love the
subtitles). The 8-episode first season is an easy binge-watch, and
boasts an outstanding soundtrack by Mogwai. — Allison Keene
Supernatural
Created By: Eric Kripe
Cast: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, Mark Sheppard
Supernatural is a mainstay of The CW’s
programming, having debuted in 2005 and still going strong on the
network. The fandom surrounding Sam and Dean Winchester’s battles
against otherworldly foes is strong, but rarely reaches out to grab
general audience members unless they happen to come across the show at a
convention, a random news story, or a Netflix suggestion. I managed to
get pulled into the whole thing by an unlikely combination of all three.
Supernatural has maintained a roughly procedural format
throughout its 11-season run but has always had an overlaying story arc
for each season. Horrific creatures, demons, and ghosts abound, and
there is more lore, mysticism, and mythology in each episode than you
can recall from the whole of your Sunday School classes. The characters –
main and supporting – run the moral spectrum from angels and gods to
witches and demons. (It doesn’t hurt that the cast is also very
attractive.) So if it’s a weekend’s worth of easy binge-watching you’re
looking for, turn your gaze on 10 seasons of Supernatural waiting for you right now. – Dave Trumbore
The Twilight Zone
Created By: Rod Serling
Cast: Rod Serling
It’s almost hard to conceive of The Twilight Zone as a TV show anymore, and not just because it spawned a (pretty great) anthology film that gave ample room for the likes of John Landis, Joe Dante, and Steven Spielberg
to let rip on their darker impulses. It’s because each episode seemed
to unravel like some great genre short, a showcase for major talent to
grapple with stories of monstrous creatures, global disasters, societal
horror, and the unyielding tyranny of time. In one episode, Burgess
Meredith famously plays an intellectual whose physical impairment
finally squanders his modest desires, while Dennis Hopper inhabited the role of the leader of the New Reich in another. The Twilight Zone
remains the most authentic recreation of the thrill of pulp novels that
the television medium ever created, letting Rod Serling’s wild talent
for imagination and invention rule over everything. Some of the great
pleasures of the 1990s, like The X-Files and Tales from the Crypt, have their roots in The Twilight Zone, as do the very best of modern genre filmmaking, from Attack the Block to Let the Right One In to The Host.
Decades after the series ended, each episode still has the intellectual
fascination and creative sense of playfulness that trumps nearly every
other procedural or anthology series that’s currently being produced. – Chris Cabin
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Created By: Tina Fey & Robert Carlock
Cast: Ellie Kemper, Jane Krakowski, Tituss Burgess, Lauren Adams, Sara Chase
Listen, we all miss 30 Rock. That
gloriously offbeat tone and pitch-perfect cast made for one of
television’s all-time greatest sitcoms, and it will never be replaced.
However, the Netflix original series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is the next best thing. 30 Rock showrunners Tina Fey and Robert Carlock turn their attention to a “fish out of water” story as Kimmy Schmidt follows
Ellie Kemper’s titular character, a woman who was held captive for
years in an underground bunker and is now trying to start her life anew
in New York City. Not only is the show genuinely hilarious, carrying
flourishes of the same snappy goofiness that made 30 Rock so
much fun, but the series simultaneously works perfectly as a sexual
assault survivor story, making it all the more bold and impactful. First
and foremost, though, it’s incredibly funny, with Tituss Burgess turning in a genuine breakout performance. And you’ll have the theme song stuck in your head forever. —Adam Chitwood
Arrow
Created by: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg
Cast: Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey,
Willa Holland, Colton Haynes, Emily Bett Rickards, Caity Lotz, Paul
Blackthorne, John Barrowman
The herald of a new generation of superhero television, The CW’s Arrow brought one of DC Comics’ most underused heroes to life thanks to the very capable Stephen Amell.
The show was constructed around Amell’s character, Oliver Queen, a
spoiled brat of a billionaire playboy whose wicked ways were tamed when a
violent shipwreck claimed the life of his father and left him stranded
on a primitive island. Upon returning to Starling City, Queen took a
vigilante approach to cleaning up his hometown, a tactic which put him
at odds with law enforcement, the city’s criminal underworld, and his
unsuspecting friends and family.
Arrow has seen its ups and downs over the years, and even
within its seasons, but it’s a solid action show full of fun stunt
sequences, characters you’ll fall in love with, and enough Easter eggs
to keep comic book fans satisfied. It’s a darker side of The CW’s DC
TV-verse and even acts as a decent stand-in for those of you looking for
a Batman live-action series who are disappointed by Fox’s Gotham. Get caught up with Arrow on Netflix now to see what the hype is all about! – Dave Trumbore
The Walking Dead
Developed By: Frank Darabont
Starring: Andrew
Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Jeffrey
DeMunn, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira,
Michael Rooker, Melissa McBride, Scott Wilson, Michael Cudlitz, Chad L.
Coleman, Lennie James, Sonequa Martin-Green
The strangest thing about
The Walking Dead isn’t
so much how it’s survived for so long with such a repetitive narrative,
but rather how the series has gotten incrementally better every season.
The show’s central tenet is faith, and how much you can have in the
post-apocalypse, a world where those you love could be and likely will
become a mid-day nosh for a cadre of rotting zombies. And, of course,
the walkers and biters are not nearly as dangerous as the people, the
survivors, those who no longer have society to curb their violent
behavior and darker impulses. At the center of it all, Rick Grimes (
Andrew Lincoln)
becomes a symbol of that corroding faith in others and in society,
having faced untold horror and loss from Herschel’s home to the prison
to his face-off with the Governor to the so-called Alexandria Safe-Zone.
And as such, Rick has become an increasingly brutal man, and the
emotional toll that takes on him and the few people he still trusts is
not lost on the show’s writers and creators.
The Walking Dead
is equal parts ingenious horror film, family melodrama, and Western,
replacing bandits, outlaws, and, well, Native Americans with the hungry
undead and people who have let the instinct to survive curdle into an
eerie comfort toward the torture and murder of others.
– Chris Cabin
Scandal
Created by: Shonda Rhimes
Cast: Kerry Washington, Darby Stanchfield, Guillermo DÃaz, Jeff Perry, Tony Goldwyn Bellamy Young, Joshua Malina, Scott Foley
Revolving around the Washington D.C. “fixer” Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington), Scandal
splits its time between political cases that Olivia and her team of
“gladiators” take on each week, and Olivia’s affair with the President
of the United States (Tony Goldwyn). It is just as
ridiculous as it sounds, and yet, the strength of the acting coupled
with the intrigue of the impossibly fast-moving plots and snappy
dialogue hold it all together.
All you really need to know about Scandal is that Olivia. Pope. Will. Handle. It. Like any soapy network drama worth its salt, Scandal
eventually loses its mind and goes completely off the rails in terms of
both its original premise and general logic. But before that, it’s a
delightfully engrossing series that is an exceptionally good
binge-watch, especially the first two seasons. – Allison Keene
The 100
Developed By: Jason Rothenberg, based on the novel by Kass Morgan).
Starring: Eliza Taylor, Paige Turco, Bob Morley, Marie Avgeropoulos
The CW’s post-apocalyptic sci-fi series takes a few episodes to find its footing, but once it does, The 100
ratchets up the stakes and tension to the maximum and never lets up
again. The series ostensibly follows a group of 100 juvenile
delinquents, sent down from a dying spaceship to the surface of a
post-nuclear earth to determine if the land has become habitable again.
But the show’s title quickly becomes a misnomer when a huge chunk of the
kids are quickly dispatched and the scope of the series expands
breathlessly, introducing a host of new settings and characters, each
bringing with them a different microcosmic world and culture. Indeed,
what makes The 100 one of the best genre series on TV is the way
it careens through sci-fi subgenres, pulling them together in a single
narrative that has infinite room to grow and explore.
The series also sets itself apart by
never giving its characters an easy out. As the stakes continue to
escalate, the young survivors are wrapped up in politics and warfare far
beyond their realm of knowledge and experience. They are consistently
presented with horrifying life or death choices, and they are made to
suffer the consequences of their actions. At the center of this is
Clarke, the purported hero of the show, who is one of the most ruthless,
strategically-minded characters on television, capable of handling
morally bleak survival scenarios with a self-assuredness that puts Jack
Bauer to shame. There is no other character like Clarke on television — a
pragmatic, unyielding, bisexual warrior woman who wields her power
unapologetically without becoming an unfeeling “tough chick.” That
unique quality expands to the show as a whole in its resolute
exploration of the moral contradictions of governing, warfare, and
survival. — Haleigh Foutch
The L Word
Created By: Ilene Chaiken, Michele Abbot, Kathy Greenberg
Starring: Jennifer Beals, Erin Daniels, Leisha Hailey, Laurel Holloman, Katherine Moennig, Pam Grier, Mia Kirshner
Ah, The L Word.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. A fraught icon of
queer culture, and often a mess of melodrama and absurdities (corrupt
lesbian poker ring, Tonya the cat killer, etc). And yet, there was
plenty to love in Ilene Chaiken’s unprecedented Showtime series about
the lives and loves of lesbian women. Sure, most of those women were
white, femme, and model hot, and yeah, straight men were all but reduced
to mustache-twirling villains, but that’s part of the reality
disconnect that made The L Word such an indulgent dramatic treat.
Since the show marked such a major step
forward in representation, it bore heavy criticism for homogenizing and
Hollywoodizing that representation — perhaps a bit harsh for a show that
was essentially Sex in the City, but gayer (“Same Sex, Different City,” read the tagline.) In that regard — as a soapy, sexy, glitzy girl power anthem for the wealthy and beautiful — The L Word
is a delight. Salty, sultry entertainment about designer-bedecked
Hollywood women who are too cool to handle (hairstylists, journalists,
curators, DJs, pro athletes, retired music legends, it goes on); locked
in a never ending series of wandering eyes and infidelity — every
bathroom trip an opportunity for a life-altering affair. And they’re
unbearably gorgeous, charming, and witty through all the scheming and
screwing. In the midst there are some genuine relationships and an often
fearless, if misguided, exploration of fluid gender and sexuality.
Sometimes great, often silly, usually sexy — The L Word is an iconic series well worth a binge watch. — Haleigh Foutch
The Office (UK)
Created by: Ricky Gervais, Steve Merchant
Cast: Ricky Gervais, Martin Freeman, Mackenzie Crook, Lucy Davis
The mockumentary comedy that started off what feels like a
never-ending wave of imitators is still one of TV’s greatest series.
Far bleaker than its younger American cousin, Gervais and Merchant’s The Office follows
the work lives of a group of people at a fictional paper company, and
is also a whip-smart character study and satire of cubicle life. Gervais
is excellent as the horribly cringe-worthy boss David Brent, but Martin Freeman’s likable Everyman, Tim, is the element that gives The Office
its heart through his crush on secretary Dawn (Davis) and his low-key
antagonistic relationship with team leader Gareth (Crook). Still, it’s
Brent’s buffoonery that provides the best quotes and memorable scenes,
and yet, he too gets his emotion moments and earned viewer empathy.
The Office broke the mold when it arrived in 2001,
but its universal themes of frustration, disappointment, hope, and
desire remain forever relevant. Running a mere 2 seasons (12 episodes
total), and 2 Christmas specials (as is the British way), this
outstanding, funny, dark, engrossing series is still the pinnacle of
mockumentary television. — Allison Keene
The IT Crowd
Created By: Graham Linehan
Cast: Chris O’Dowd, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson, Matt Berry, Christopher Norris, Noel Fielding
Have you tried turning it off and on again? The workplace comedy is nothing new, and in a lot of ways, The IT Crowd
is your standard workplace comedy – a spin on the banality of
day-to-day corporate culture and the absurdity of inter-office politics –
but the series sets itself apart by being willing to get real weird
with it. The IT Crowd centers on your “standard nerds”; the basement-dwelling, socially awkward tech support duo of Moss (Richard Ayoade) and Roy (Chris O’Dowd) and their computer illiterate boss Jen (Katherine Parkinson).
The result is a truly oddball trio who play off each other like
gangbusters. The series relies heavily on its small central cast, but
they’re insanely talented comedic actors and they carry the show with
ease, each with a killer sense of timing and a willingness to be
fearlessly ridiculous. Plenty of shows can make me ugly cry, but thanks
to Graham Linehan’s idiosyncratic sense of humor and the cast’s expert
delivery, The IT Crowd is one of the few that makes me ugly laugh. –Haleigh Foutch
Dragons: Race to the Edge
Created by: Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois
Cast: Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Christopher
Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, David Tennant, Julie Marcus, Andree
Vermeulen, Zack Pearlman, Chris Edgerly and Nolan North
If you’re a fan of the two How to Train Your Dragon
movies, then the fantastic series inspired by the feature films should
definitely be on your watch-list. The third and most-recent installment
of the
Dragons: Race to the Edge series is now
available on Netflix, along with the first two parts; they chronicle
the Dragon Riders of Berk and their quest to stop the Dragon Hunters
from harming innocent dragons and people alike.
Normally, when a movie inspires a TV series, the cast is wholly replaced and the quality takes a hit. That’s not the case with Dragons, which boasts much of the original cast, including Jay Baruchel,
America Ferrera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and T.J. Miller.
That goes a long way toward keeping a close connection between fans and
characters, especially since the heart and humor are just as strong in
the episodic tales are they are in the big-screen versions. It’s also a
family-friendly series that everyone can enjoy, just make sure you watch
Dragons before checking out the How to Train Your Dragon sequel film, since that’s the storytelling order they appear in. – Dave Trumbore
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