Maybe you’re like me and you’ve just finished New Girl so you no longer know what to do without Cece and Schmidt in your life, or maybe you’re looking for something to watch for the six days a week in between Riverdale episodes. No matter your reasoning, I’ve got five TV show recommendations you may or may not have browsed over in your search for what to watch next after you finished 13 Reasons Why.
1. Downton Abbey
I am starting off strong with this recommendation. We’re talking six seasons, (typically) one hour long episodes, British accents and So. Much. Drama. Originally forced upon me by my mother years ago when there was only one season, I became hooked on Downton Abbey, and then proceeded to force my best friends to watch it as well. Maybe historical period dramas seem boring and stuffy to you, but this is no ordinary history lesson. You get murder, crime, secret homosexual relationships, a war, and children born out of wedlock, to list only a few. There’s a reason the first season alone won four Primetime Emmys and a Golden Globe for Best Miniseries – Television or Film.
2. Call The Midwife
Yes I am going with another period drama because it is also fantastic, but I promise you I’ll move past the BBC after this. There are five seasons of Call the Midwife on Netflix, with season six currently airing on PBS and season seven just beginning to air in Britain, so you’ve got a lot to look forward to. Set in 1957 in London’s East End, the show is all about (you guessed it) midwives, some of whom are young women beginning their careers, others who are seasoned professionals (and plot twist, they’re also nuns) there to guide the younger generation. This show is raw and based on true events that happened to the main character Jenny Lee, showing the realities of childbirth in the 1950s, and it does so through lovable, funny, relatable characters that you want to watch and see grow. You won’t be disappointed.
3. Disjointed
Ruth Whitefeather Feldman, played by the lovely Kathy Bates, opens us to the world of Ruth’s Alternative Caring, a marijuana dispensary in Los Angeles. Filled with psychedelic cartoons and characters like Dank & Dabby who are indescribable tokers, this show is great for a laugh and perfect to put on if you’re looking for something mindless. I once accidentally pulled my headphones out while watching this in the library and the girl beside me was concerned so I wouldn’t recommend this show to my parents but it’s certainly entertaining. When you watch it you’ll understand what I mean when I say everyone knows someone like Dank & Dabby, maybe that guy you went to high school with who still posts videos of himself blowing smoke rings on Snapchat?
4. Schitt’s Creek
Created by and starring Eugene and Daniel Levy, Schitt’s Creek is a true success for CBC. It’s a riches to rags story of the Rose family, who are suddenly left out in the cold as they go from wealthy to broke in about 0.2 seconds. Once again forced upon me by my mother (clearly I should listen to her more often), this show is honestly laugh out loud funny and I’m sure you’ll be as obsessed with Eugene Levy (and his eyebrows) as I am. I then took a page from my mother’s book and forced my best friend to watch it as well – he managed to go through the three seasons on Netflix in approximately two days. This is definitely a show you want to watch if you’re looking for a new comedy.
5. ManHunt: Unabomber
Starring Sam Worthington and Paul Bettany, with appearances by Carrie Bradshaw’s own Mr. Big, Chris Noth, ManHunt is a fictional depiction of the story of the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, who is currently serving a life sentence in a supermax prison in Colorado for a series of bombings that spanned over nearly two decades. This year I’m taking a course on cults, terrorists and terrorist groups in America, and the Unabomber is one of the individuals we studied so when this show premiered in December I knew I had to watch it. Did I also convince myself it counted as research for my class? Absolutely. If you’re at all interested in crime dramas, this should be on your list.
Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any of the binge-watching sessions or drop in productivity that may occur as a result of watching these wonderful shows.
Related articles:
- How “Riverdale” Perpetuates Toxic Masculinity
- Why There Shouldn’t Be A Third Season of Stranger Things
- 5 Reasons To Watch The Fourth Season of Jane The Virgin
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