Hey Creatives!!!
Story Time!
It was my best friends 17th birthday last week and so to celebrate we all went out and then slept over at hers. All night we played games and started watching Riverdale. About half way through the second episode we started to have a debate about our favourite TV shows and why, which provoked much thought. I started to think about all the shows I have watched recently (in the past year) and decided to list them all and then pick my favourites from the pile.
So here are my top 10 favourite shows at the moment. I love them all so much and so I haven’t ranked them from my top favourite, but instead I have ordered them from lightest in terms of themes to darkest. I hope you can all agree on my picks, and if you haven’t watched them already, provoke you to go do so.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Jake Peralta and a group of detectives at the 99th Precinct together to overcome crime in New York City. Full of humour, whit and whacky gags, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a brilliant TV Show that I would recommend to anyone. Rich with all sorts of characters, you will slowly fall in love with all of them at one point or another.
This is a show that I could watch over and over again, without it losing the quality of its jokes. This is a light show to watch and I would recommend when you want to kick your feet back and relax to a highly entertaining and funny show.
Misfits
Misfits is a superhero show with a difference. A UK production, following a group of young offenders as they fulfill their community service requirements. After a storm they discover that they have developed superpowers and they must learn how to handle their new abilities. This show incorporates superheros, crime, supernatural themes, dark British humour all in one.
I absolutely adore this show, and I am actually on my second round watching it. It is cheeky and humorous whilst still addressing serious tones and themes. For anyone who is looking for a new crude comedy to watch, this is for you!
Empire
Following the famous Lion family as they try and run their large-scale music and entertainment company without conflict. Empire is a modern soap, full of crime, drama, music and performance, filled with everything that could possibly entertain you. Exploring the themes of family, showing the dysfunctional yet love driven relationships Cookie and Luscious have with no only each other, but their three entertaining and business driven sons.
I really love Empire, as it is so grand and outrageous. Following very much a TV Soap format, they have managed to incorporate themes of violence, crime and entertainment all in one in a beautiful mixture. The characters are deep and complex and combined with the brilliant musical performances by the main characters and starring guests, you can never get bored.
Lucifer
Exploring the Devil in a modern-day Los Angeles is just how it sounds, hilarious. When Lucifer Morningstar abandons Hell for Earth, he finds that he feels just as at home as he did down below. Owning his own nightclub, Lucifer joins forces with Detective Chloe Decker as a consultant to the LAPD, helping to solve crimes and close unsolved murder cases.
Although this plot sounds a bit outrageous, this show it nothing but brilliant. Although it sits within the drama and crime genres, it is full of humour and whit, allowing you to not only be entertained by the plot, but getting you to fall in love with the characters as they go through their crazy journeys.
Dollhouse
Following a wake, eat, sleep, repeat structure, Dollhouse follows a secret organisation that programs and controls “Actives” or in other words “Dolls”. They are programmed to follow instruction and acquire personalities for their ‘jobs’, which once fulfilled are whipped clean of memory and revert to a childlike state whilst waiting for their next program. Unaware of their routine, the show follows three Dolls and the minds of the organisation behind them.
This show is beautifully complex, powerful and filled with underlying messages about society. I absolutely adore this show as not only is it brilliantly constructed, but as a huge fan of director by Joss Whedon, the show has actors from his other shows and films such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Cabin in the Woods and Agents of Shield. The show as a whole is absolutely brilliant and I would recommend any day, and if you are a Joss Whedon fan girl, then you will definitely adore this show.
Dexter
Blood-spatter analyst by day, serial killer by night; Dexter Morgan lives a double life as he uses his thirst for blood in a ‘positive’ way by targeting other murderers. Although full of violent and gory themes, Dexter is a lovable character that you actually route for.
Dexter is such a brilliant show that plays with a lovable villain who is deep and interesting. It pushes the viewer and shows his motives as somewhat reasonable in a serial killer way. Please please please if you haven’t already, go and binge this show! You won’t regret it!
Power
Power follows St. Patrick “Ghost”, a wealthy and successful nightclub owner in New York City who not only caters for the city’s elite, but also lives a double life as a kingpin in the drug world. Full of violence, crime, drama and romance, Power shows both the loving family side along with the darker crime side in perfect unity.
I honestly love this show, it has kept me hooked from the first episode and the twists and turns it takes are not obviously predictable and always keeps me on my toes. If you are into a more serious show to sink into, Power is the perfect match!
Vikings
Norse heroes, Viking gods and good old-fashioned wars, Vikings follows Ragnar Lothbrok as he rises to fame as a successful warrior and Scandinavian king. Through his successes and losses, family issues and foreign foes the show follows his journey as he discovers new land.
Words cannot describe how brilliant this show is! The narrative, the characters, the costumes and hair/makeup, everything is perfectly done, and it will make you wish you were a part of the Viking world. If you love wonderfully complicated characters, incredibly visual scenes and a splash of history this show is perfect for you!
Hannibal
Following the brilliant film Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal serves as a prequel exploring the early stages of Hannibal Lecter’s story as a psychiatrist and his relationship with Will Graham a special consultant with the FBI.
Hannibal is spine shivering in the best possible way. It is memorising and so hard to put down once you start watching, definitely a show worth binging. It only gets better and better and explores themes that although creepy and morbid, are incredibly fascinating. It’s a must watch, so put it on your list of shows to binge!
Bates Motel
Bates Motel is a prequel to Hitchcock’s Psycho which follows Norman Bates as a teenager and his unusual relationship with his mother Norma Bates. It’s a dark and twisted backstory exploring his journey to the Norman Bates everyone knows from Psycho.
If you could only ever watch one show I would recommend it be this one! I have never loved a show so much and I recommend it to everyone I meet! Incredibly fascinating, breathtaking and horrific all in one. As the show is at a completion, it is perfect to binge, and I have say there was no bad season. Each season was perfectly done, with no flaws, I even cried once I finished the series purely because I was so sad that is was actually over.
I hope you enjoyed my summaries and my ranting on how much I love each and every show! But honestly, they are all wonderful in very different ways and are all worth a watch!
Have a wonderful week guys!
Alana M xx
