Bingeable TV shows

There is nothing I love more than turning my brain off and lie on the couch, in front of my TV, for hours of binge watching. I’ve been doing that since I was a kid and it still remains my favorite activity to this day. A few weeks ago, I made a list of reading recommendations but if TV shows are more your cup of tea, you’re not alone! I’m currently out of new stuff to watch so I decided to revisit some personal favorites and binge watch them. If you’re also looking for something to watch, here is a list. Hopefully there’s something you haven’t seen yet, or something you forgot about and would like to watch again. At the moment, I am way more into comedies than drama, so my list is a bit lopsided!

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Sitcoms

Community

By far one of the most brilliant, creative and unique sitcoms ever, Community recently made a return to Netflix (all 6 seasons!). I don’t know how many times I’ve binge-watched this show but I never get tired of it. It has gained a cult following but remains pretty much unknown to the mainstream, which is unfortunate. Their paintball episodes are my personal favorites. They were so good that season 2’s paintball episodes directly led to its directors, the Russo brothers, being hired to take the helm of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Season 1’s paintball episode was directed by Justin Lin, known for the Fast&Furious movies as well as Star Trek Beyond. I’ve lately started researching about the show (its cast and creators) and I sincerely hope that a documentary or a book be made about Community’s behind-the-scene action. The show itself is smart, hilarious and perfect for all pop-culture fans, but what happened behind the curtain also deserves to be documented. Except for season 4 (when Dan Harmon, the show’s creator was fired) and the final season (when half the main cast had left) seasons 1 to 3 and 5 are nearly perfect. I truly hope the movie gets made, with all of the original cast!

The Golden Girls

A classic! On the air between 1985 and 1992, The Golden Girls is a pioneering show on so many levels! This sitcom dealt with deep, edgy and oftentimes serious concepts like sexuality, dating, death, and so much more, while managing to be extremely funny. It’s Sex and the City before it was even a thing! The humor, the banter between the characters and the quality of the writing make the Golden Girls a must for everyone. We watched it again not so long ago, and though the clothes and decor are outdated, the humor wasn’t. It made me laugh out loud then and it still does. Not that many sitcoms have managed to be timeless!

Silicon Valley

After 6 seasons, Silicon Valley’s series finale aired on December 8, 2019. This is one of the best, funniest and most accurate TV shows about tech culture and it has managed to be great from beginning to end. Watching the characters and their pet project, Pied Piper, progress while at the same time slowly implode was a true pleasure!

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

With 14 seasons, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is now tied with The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet as television's longest-running live-action comedy. It’s just been renewed for a 15th season, which will officially make it the longest running sitcom on the air! This show is not for everyone. It’s irreverent, its characters are horrible human beings with no moral compass who have done despicable things to each other and to other people, but it is also one of the funniest and smartest shows on the air right now. Definitely worth a watch. It’s very hard to find a clip that best represents the show so I included here a scene from one of my favorite episodes.

Life in pieces

I loved that show I cannot understand why CBS would cancel it when its programming was so lacking. That’s a real shame because Life in Pieces, which is way better than Modern Family by the way, had a stellar cast and was really funny. All four seasons are now available on Netflix.

Archer

I’m not a fan of animated series but Archer is one (out of 2) exception. With 10 seasons available, Archer is an incredible series rife with great humor, pop-culture references and Easter eggs. It’s The Office meets James Bond. Yes, we sometimes see Duchess (Archer’s code name, named after his mother’s dog) out on a mission, but most of the action takes place in their headquarters where the spies have to file expense reports and deal with HR. The last few seasons are a bit weirder because they take place in comatose Archer’s mind, but they remain nonetheless very entertaining. The series was supposed to return for an 11th season on May 10th but the release date was pushed back because of the pandemic.

People of Earth

Another great show, funny and original, that was cancelled too soon. After only 2 seasons, TBS decided to pull the plug for some reason. Half The X-Files and half The Office, People of Earth takes place at 2 different places : on Earth, in Beacon, New York, where a group of abductees (they prefer to be called Experiencers) meet up in a church basement to discuss their alien abductions, and in a spaceship, where 3 aliens of different species work together, abducting humans. Smart, different and insightful, it’s a shame that this show was not given more rope.

Fleabag

This show has been a revelation! It’s brilliant, emotionally charged and hilarious. There are only 2 seasons, the second being the best one, but what awesome seasons they are! No more can be said about this show.

Dead like me

Another cancelled too soon show. Dead like me was a truly original and different dramedy about a young girl, George, who was killed by space debris and became a grim reaper, collecting people’s souls before they die. Since grim reapers don’t get paid, she must also hold down a job in order to pay for rent, food and anything else. And, as it turns out, there is as much bureaucracy and paperwork in death as in life. In a Vulture article, Margaret Lyons perfectly explained why Dead Like Me resonated as much to its audience : “Dead Like Me isn’t about George finding herself through the gentleness and thrill of romance – it’s about her finding herself through the cruelty and randomness of grief.” Shit happens but we must find a way to power through anyways. Or else, what’s the point? Funny, witty, real, Dead like me deserved much better. Only 2 seasons aired before the show was cancelled. There was also a movie but it’s so horrible, no one should watch it.


Drama

The Americans

I still can’t believe a show as amazing as The Americans did not get the recognition it deserved. A lot of people still haven’t seen this series yet, and they are missing out on what I consider among the top 10 best TV shows ever. The series ended in 2018, after 6 seasons, with a series finale that will probably go down history as one of the best. Based on actual events, where KGB agents infiltrated the US government while pretending to be American citizens, The Americans follows two such agents, Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, during the cold war. The show is not entirely about espionage. It’s also about one’s sense of identity, morality and loyalty.

Star Trek - The original series

Don’t mind the over acting and pay attention to the themes. Then, you’ll realize that this series from the 1960’s is far superior and more forward-thinking than most current sci-fi shows and that without it, most programs would not have existed in the first place.

Hannibal

This TV show based on the characters from Thomas Harris’s books, Hannibal mainly focuses on the relationship between the iconic cannibal psychiatrist and Will Graham, a gifted profiler with some dark issues of his own. Hannibal is mainly a police procedural where some very disturbing murders are being investigated. It is visually captivating and unsettling at the same time. The discomfort stems from the brutality of the murders but also from the fact that cannibalism kind of makes us hungry. We are aware that human flesh is the main ingredient in Hannibal Lecter’s meals but they are all so beautifully plated and look so exquisitely appetizing that a part of you sort of want to taste…

Succession

I watched the first season with a detached interest but was captivated during the second season. There is something about watching the filthy rich make terrible decisions and self-destruct that is incredible mesmerizing. This saga about siblings and their father fighting over the control of the family’s media conglomerate, willing to do the worst to each other and to other people, becomes an addictive watch. It is over the top and it is soapy, but it’s also extremely well written and acted.

Dark

This German mind-bending show about time-travel is fascinating. Watch as many episodes as you can in one sitting so you don’t get too lost in the story line. It is confusing at times, but it’s also definitely worth it. A bit slow at the beginning, but once the pace picks up, it doesn’t stop! A third season was recently released, where they’ll tackle time-travel as well as inter-dimension travel!

one day binge

If you don’t want to spend more than a day watching TV shows, there are a bunch of great 1 season series that you could watch.

  • Lodge 49 : there are technically 2 seasons of Lodge 49 before it was cancelled by AMC, but you could only watch season 1. That first season was magical; they expertly managed to walk the fine line between tragedy, comedy and the fantastic but for some reason, they failed to recreate that particular mood, the quirkiness and eccentricities, for the second season, and for that reason, it fell flat and felt a tad over the top. That being said, even though season 2 was a bit disappointing, I still believe that Lodge 49 was cancelled too soon.

  • Good Omens : this adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s classic has a lot of flaws but we’re willing to see past them because there is also a lot of positive, starting with the incredible chemistry between the two main actors, Micheal Sheen and David Tennant.

  • Russian doll : this special take on the Groundhog Day concept is a lot of fun to watch. I thought I’d quickly get tired of the repetitiveness (every time she dies, she wakes up again, in her friend’s apartment, during her birthday party) but they’ve managed to make it interesting.

  • Mythic Quest : Raven’s Banquet : Despite the fact that it was created by Rob McElhenney, co-creator of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, one of my favorite shows, I still was so reluctant to give this show a chance because it looked so ridiculously over the top. It turned out to be a whole lot better than expected! I’ll even go as far as saying that it’s very good! Their quarantine episode was pure genius.

  • You, me and the Apocalypse : This is a British/ American mini series about a group of people who struggle with the inevitable apocalypse after it is discovered that a comet is on a collision course with Earth. The series as a whole is a bit uneven but there are some pretty funny moments that make it worth while!

  • Police squad : before there was the Naked Gun franchise, there was a TV show called Police Squad, also starring Leslie Nielsen. Unfortunately, no one understood the Zucker brothers’ sense of humor then and the project was quickly thrown away. It’s hard to believe what made the Naked Gun so legendary is also the reason why Police squad was cancelled.

That’s about it for the moment. There are, of course, a ton of other watch-worthy TV shows, but these are the ones I liked best.

Have fun!

Best new TV shows of 2018

TV-wise, the year 2018 hasn’t been particularly exceptional. There were a lot of shows like The Terror or Succession that showed great promise but did not live up to expectations. It’s also becoming harder and harder to find great series, now. Not because they are not being made anymore but because they are aired on so many different networks or streaming services and I cannot afford to pay for a membership to all of them. That being said, among the new shows I’ve seen this year, there were a few gems here and there that really stood out. Since the year is almost over, I decided to make a list of what I consider to be 2018’s best new TV series. Here they are, and again, in no special order.

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SMILF

SMILF is a dramatic semi-autobiographical comedy created, written and directed by Frankie Shaw, who also plays the starring role. The show takes place in a part of Boston known as Southie, and follows the daily struggles of Bridgette Bird, a young failing actress and single mother who’s trying to make ends meet.

SMILF pretty much flew under the radar and really deserves to be watched. Without being too obvious, it tackles a lot of themes like mental illness, body image, mother-daughter relationships, failed hopes and dreams, friendships or dating with a refreshing but depressing honesty that is rarely seen on TV. Most shows would rather go for cliches that we’ve all seen time and time again, but SMILF stuck to realism. And it’s sometimes painful to watch.

Though Frankie Shaw is great as the main character, Rosie O’Donnell really steals the show as Bridgette’s mother Tutu, who suffers from severe depression. She is amazing in her role, not shying away from anything. Tutu was mesmerizing to watch!

The first season only has 8 half-hour episodes and thankfully, it’s been renewed for a second season!



Cobra Kai

Growing up, I hated the Karate Kid movies with a passion. I despised Mr. Miyagi’s character because he was so stereotypical and I was tired of all my classmates asking me if I could catch flies with chopsticks, I found Daniel LaRusso to be incredibly annoying and the guy won a tournament with an illegal kick, and everybody was fine with it? It made no sense. So, I was less than enthusiastic when I heard that YouTube made a sequel to the movies in the form of a small series called Cobra Kai. But, to my surprise, the show was very good! I still hate the movies, though.

Cobra Kai takes place 34 years after the fateful tournament, and the 2 main characters, Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, are now grown men. The story, this time around, allows us see things from Johnny’s perspective and as it turns out, he’s not the evil, entitled jerk that we all thought he was while watching the movie. Johnny’s life is far from great: he has a serious drinking problem, was fired from his job, is divorced with a seriously strained relationship with his son. Daniel, on the other hand, became a very successful car salesman who still capitalizes on the fact that he won the karate tournament (his tacky ads where he karate kicks the competitions’ prices or offers a bonsai tree for every purchase are everywhere from giant billboards to TV).

Johnny decided to turn his life around and re-open the Cobra Kai dojo after having helped Miguel Diaz, a young teenager who lives in his neighborhood, overcome his bullies at school. His dojo became a sort of haven for bullied kids who, at first find self-confidence only to push it a bit too far, as his tutelage needs some fine tuning. The reopening of the dojo also reignites the rivalry between Johnny and Daniel, who is ready to do anything to shut Johnny’s business down.

Shot with a good mix of drama and humor, Cobra Kai is, to my amazement, an extremely entertaining show. The story line can be, at times, pretty soapy but the characters are all very complex and well written, which is not the case for the movies!

The End of the F***ing World

The End of the F***ing World is a dark British comedy/drama adapted from a comic book of the same title, by Charles Forsmann.

James is a 17 year old student who believes he’s a psychopath. As the series began, he decided it was time for him to stop killing small animals to evolve into killing humans. One day he meets Alyssa, an impulsive fellow student with deep-rooted issues of her own, and made the decision to kill her. She will be his first human kill. Alyssa hates her life and has a difficult relationship with her mother and controlling step-father, so she decided to run away towards a more carefree life filled with adventures and invites James to come along. He, in turn, accepts, with the idea that he will at some point find the proper time to satisfy his need to kill her. Together they embark on what turned out to be a very strange road trip across England.

The show only has 8 episodes but what is great about it is that there a no cliches. The characters, despite their disturbing flaws, are endearing and we want to root for them.

Kidding

Kidding is a dramatic comedy starring Jim Carrey as Jeff Pickles, a Mister Roger-esque kids show host, whose life and sanity are falling apart after having recently lost his son in a car accident. As his universe spirals out of control, Mister Pickles struggles with existential questions about mortality, honesty, loss, and forgiveness.

Created by Dave Holstein, directed and produced by Michel Gondry, this show is so many things at the same time: heartbreaking, reassuring, funny, grim, disturbing and visually stunning.

I am not going to dwell too much about the show because one must watch it to feel it, and then understand it. I will say this, however: the cast (Catherine Keener as Jeff's sister, Frank Langella as his father and boss, Judy Greer as his estranged wife and Cole Allen as both his twin sons) is absolutely stellar. Michel Gondry’s distinctive style gives the show this extra edge that makes it really stand out above the other series. The opening credits (a new one every week) alone deserve to be watched, acknowledged and praised.

Mindhunter

If you’re like me and have a fascination for psychopaths and serial killers, then Mindhunter is the show for you.

Based on real-life events and on the true crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit, written by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker, the show takes place in the 1970s, at a time when the term “serial killer” doesn’t exist yet. Two FBI agents and a psychologist set out to interrogate the worst killers currently incarcerated in US prisons in order to understand how the mind of the criminally insane functions, with the hope that their study will help them prevent further massacres. The serial killers that the characters interact with were modeled on actual convicted criminals and their prison scene dialogues were taken verbatim from real interviews. Chilling.

Though very slow at times, Mindhunter is, simply put, just fascinating.

Lodge 49

I must admit that although Lodge 49 is probably my favorite new show of the year, I find it a bit difficult to explain what it is about because it’s probably the weirdest show currently on television. Roughly, the story takes place in California, and is about a surfer named Sean "Dud" Dudley who joins a fraternal lodge, hoping to find some meaning or purpose to his life after his father’s mysterious death. That is only the base line. To that, add conspiracy theories, alchemy, a housing crisis, and bunch of other weird stuff and characters.

It is extremely hard to categorize Lodge 49. At its roots, the show is dramatic : all the characters are struggling to deal with a very painful personal drama but, at the same time, the situations are pretty light and played out comically. But all in all, what the show is about doesn’t matter all that much, the adventure is what counts!

Seriously, Lodge 49. Check it out!


Ok. I know I kinda suck at summarizing, but these shows are really good and deserve to seen. I have witnessed too many good shows being cancelled because not enough people notice them or give them a chance, and I really hope that it will not be the case for the 6 above. Check them out and see for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

In an upcoming post, I might tackle a specific topic: shows of 2018 that started out amazing but ended up being utter disappointments. We’ll see.