While I would love to spend all of my free time reading a good book, I am a very big movie and TV show person. Currently, and for the past few months I’ve been trying to get through One Tree Hill… slowly but surely I am finally on season three :)
While that series is taking me a bit longer to finish, I have compiled a list of some of my favorite shows; ones that I have completed with ease!
Gilmore Girls
Description: Gilmore Girls covers the lives of a young mother-daughter duo living in a small town filled with quick-witted conversation, heartbreak, and a relatable storyline.
Why You Should Watch It:
This is probably my all-time favorite show- I even wrote an article analyzing Rory’s boyfriends! (Check it out after this if you’ve already seen the show!) The humor, the love interests, the family drama, the small-town feel- I absolutely love it. Of course, like with any other show, there are characters you love, you hate, you grow to like, but overall, the storyline is always interesting, and you essentially get to grow up with the main character, Rory, as the seasons go on. You’ll find yourself in similar situations that the characters are in, or situations that you’re glad you’re not, but the close-knit small town of Stars Hollow always seems to bring comfort to any day.
Umbrella Academy
Description: Revolves around a dysfunctional family of adopted sibling superheroes who reunite to solve the mystery of their father’s death and the threat of an imminent apocalypse.
Why You Should Watch It:
I don’t typically watch superhero shows, but this one was recommended to me and I’m definitely glad I watched it. This two-season show, (soon to be three), isn’t the typical cliche superhero production; it’s a mix of action, sci-fi, and drama, (and of course, superhero elements) and always seems to remain interesting. The way the characters are written is incredible and you will definitely fall in love with some of them (omg Klaussss) as they evolve, find who they truly are, and grow closer together.
New Girl
Description: A modern look at friendship and romance, as a group of five friends, attempting to find their respective places in the world, while begrudgingly accepting the responsibilities of adulthood – with often hilarious results.
Why You Should Watch It:
This show!! I don’t even know how to describe it except for insanely funny, very wholesome, Nick Miller, cool guest stars, pick-me-up-type of show. Whenever I was feeling stressed, under the weather, or bored, I would put New Girl on and my mood would lighten up. Seven seasons of following random, funny, stupid, growing, people who fall in and out of love, make new friends, get new jobs, and just live. The dynamic between the characters is unmatched and while they are all very different people, they work together so so well to create an amazing show.
The Handmaid’s Tale
TW: This series shows scenes of r*pe, se*ual assault, violence, and nudity
Description: The story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was the United States. Gilead is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property of the state and is faced with environmental disasters and a plummeting birth rate.
Why You Should Watch It:
An incredibly directed and acted series that opens your mind up to a world unimaginable by most, but not too far off from the reality we may be headed to now. While it is definitely a more serious show, featuring topics that are sensitive for some people, it is amazing. You mainly follow the perspective of the main character Jane, but you get an insight into the lives and thoughts of many other characters too. The concept of the show- women being completely owned and essentially slaves meant to either bear children, work in environmentally unfit terrain, be a housekeeper/cook, or have the “privilege” of being the woman of the house where your husband has to try to impregnate women for you to have a child- is frightening to think about. The show itself, while fiction, is definitely something to make you think about how we are going about life and what we might have to do in order to keep our ownership of ourselves.
YOU
TW: This series shows scenes of violence, partial-nudity, and death
Description: A dangerously charming, intensely obsessive young man goes to extreme measures to insert himself into the lives of those he is transfixed by.
Why You Should Watch It:
The two-season show, also soon to be three, focuses on Joe Goldberg, a younger book store manager, who easily gets obsessed with people. This show keeps you on the edge of your seat, and confusingly enough, almost makes you root for Joe at times, although you probably shouldn’t. It is a psychological thriller that, to me at least, wasn’t portrayed as dark as it could have been- which isn’t a bad thing. (The third season is coming out in October and I am so excited.) While the storyline shifts throughout seasons, which is very interesting, the main focus remains the same: what will Joe Goldberg do next?
That 70’s Show
Description: Set in the mood ring and polyester era of the 1970s, the series is a retro-hip situation comedy about an eclectic group of friends on the verge of adulthood. The group lives in the suburbs of Wisconsin, where they yearn for independence amid the growing pains of becoming adults.
Why You Should Watch It:
Such a funny, good-time show with people you’re definitely familiar with. The fact that it is set in the 1970s makes for some great outfits, cool lingo and interesting predicaments. The characters consist of: the nerd, the feminist, the cynical stoner bad-boy, a “dim-witted, narcissistic, ladies-man,” a self-centered and wealthy popular girl, and the goofy fun-loving exchange student. They each bring something different to the smoke table (you’ll get it when you watch it) and it makes for a fun-loving and hilariously good time.