Have you binge-watched any good TV shows lately? Over the past several months I've been on a streak of watching some fantastic series on Netflix. It all began with Friday Night Lights. I had known this was a cult favorite but never had a strong interest in watching it until I went on a trip to Austin last Spring. Friday Night Lights was shot on location there and I was curious to see if the show's would match my impressions of the city. Turns out that it didn't match up at all, but after just a couple of episodes I was hooked on the amazing characters, writing, and acting and quickly worked my way through all 5 seasons.
After Friday Night Lights I started watching another show starring Kyle Chandler, the Netflix original series Bloodline. This series centers around the Rayburns, a prominent, successful extended family in the Florida Keys, and follows what happens to them when the black sheep of their family comes back into their lives. The dark and shady dealings that ensue aren't anything unique in and of themselves, but the way in which they are revealed the the viewer is. Each episode flashes forward from the present action to show one of the final scenes of the season. It's fascinating to watch how the family descends from point A to point B when, at first, the two places appear to be worlds apart. The beautiful yet slightly foreboding Floridian setting adds a great sense of place to the show, too.
Finally, I watched another series full of secrets and lies (aren't they all these days?), The Honourable Woman. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays the part of Nessa Stein, an Israeli-British woman who uses her family's business to try to work toward peace in the Middle East. On the eve of the launch of a big project for the company, the kidnapping of someone close to her sets off a chain of events that sheds light on a traumatic episode from Nessa's past and the machinations of various government agencies. Beaing an eight part miniseries means that The Honorable Woman requires less of a time commitment to watch, which is probably a good thing because the show was actually quite stressful at times. The great acting performances made it well worth watching, though.
What series should I check out next? I just watched the first episode of Aziz Ansari's new show Master of None and it looks promising, and Walking Dead has been saved in my Netflix queue for quite a while now.
Finally, I watched another series full of secrets and lies (aren't they all these days?), The Honourable Woman. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays the part of Nessa Stein, an Israeli-British woman who uses her family's business to try to work toward peace in the Middle East. On the eve of the launch of a big project for the company, the kidnapping of someone close to her sets off a chain of events that sheds light on a traumatic episode from Nessa's past and the machinations of various government agencies. Beaing an eight part miniseries means that The Honorable Woman requires less of a time commitment to watch, which is probably a good thing because the show was actually quite stressful at times. The great acting performances made it well worth watching, though.
What series should I check out next? I just watched the first episode of Aziz Ansari's new show Master of None and it looks promising, and Walking Dead has been saved in my Netflix queue for quite a while now.
I still need to see Friday Night Lights to the end. I watched the first season and a half back when it was broadcast and really enjoyed it, though some plot developments in the second season made it a little grim, which might be why I stopped watching it at the time.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a recent show, but it's on Netflix still, I think: have you see Better Off Ted? It's a very fun sitcom set in a shady R&D firm - only a couple of seasons were made before it was canceled.