Top 7- Best TV Binges of the Summer
It's nearly August so we're currently in the midst of Summer and if you're a complete loser like me, you're probably looking for things to fill your time with. TV is what many turn to although even with that decided, there are problems. There's too much good TV and so while I haven't seen every single show that's out right now, I have some recommendations for you. Some are perennial favourites of mine, some have new seasons coming up or are related to new shows and some are just important water cooler shows that you need to remain in the loop with. Whichever they are, all of them are highly worth your time.
7. Hannibal
One of the most popular shows of the year so far has been American Gods but not only is it likely that you've already seen that, I haven't seen it and can't recommend it yet. What I can do is recommend a show by American Gods show runner Bryan Fuller, that show being the devilishly wonderful Hannibal. Cancelled too soon, it's honestly a miracle a show this gory lasted so long on the American equivalent of ITV. Even if you're not a fan of horror (like me for example) you will find plenty to love here. The gore is never excessive and is sometimes disturbingly beautiful. There's more than visuals though as Hannibal and Will Graham take part in a sort of cat and mouse chase, each trying to avoid the capture of the other. Even with that, there is a further complexity to their relationship and I could gush all day but won't. Please check out the wonderful three seasons we were given if for no other reason than more support means a fourth season could happen.
6. Preacher
I would love to put this show higher up the list but as I'm saving the second season until it's all out for a summer binge of my own, I can only currently recommend the first season. That said, there is a lot to recommend as it starts out strong and shows no signs of slowing. The story is that of Jesse, a preacher who ends up with a mystical power inside of him that allows him to command anyone to do anything. This makes a lot of enemies of course but also causes a problem in heaven. It's cynical, oddly smart and frequently hilarious and has one of the most daring season finales I have ever seen that set a path for what I do hear is an excellent second season, still ongoing.
5. Atlanta
Community is and will probably always be my favourite show of all time but it's been over for two years now and I've begrudgingly had to accept that. The work of creator Dan Harmon has helped but also great is Atlanta, a show written by, sometimes directed by and starring Troy himself, Donald Glover. Glover has described it as Twin Peaks about rappers which is good because while I want to recommend Twin Peaks, it has gotten incredibly Lynchian and isn't as easy a recommendation as it once was. Atlanta then technically fills that void but what is clear is that it is a show all of its own style. No other show would have Justin Bieber in an episode just be black, no other show would have an invisible car joke that results in an actual invisible car and no other show would have a whole episode based around a public access channel. It's original, ground breaking but most importantly it's consistently hilarious.
4. The Trip
Of all the shows on the list, this is probably the most niche. At the basest level, it's a show about the exaggerated versions of Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon travelling around the countrysides of various countries while going to nice restaurants and doing impressions at each other. It is this foundational simplicity which gives the show its charm as if you're even remotely interested in either comedian, there is plenty of laughter to be found from their banter towards each other which, no matter how exaggerated the personalities get, always feels real. As a show about two men whose best days are behind them though, it is also a show full of melancholy, of looking back scared and looking forward with even greater terror. The third series recently came out on Sky and if you're interested in gently grazing around the Lake District, Italy and Spain, you can do much worse than doing it with Brydon and Coogan. Plus, the show is very easy to digest in large groups, which makes sense considering it was released as a movie in America. You haven't heard of it but you should have.
3. BoJack Horseman
I was an early supporter of BoJack Horseman, a show that I originally started because I just had nothing better to do over the summer. What started as a decent time waster soon evolved dramatically and halfway through the first season became unmissable TV. Sure, it was funny and often funnier than just about any other show on TV but it was also deeply tragic. The story is one of a washed up actor who used to be in a sitcom in the nineties but tries to invigorate his career somehow. He's cynical and sarcastic and the show sticks with that tone too although it also isn't afraid to look deep into his psyche and examine what happens when a celebrity becomes not so famous anymore. The last season was all about BoJack trying for Oscar glory and after an emotional finale, I am interested to see where the show heads to next. Fortunately, the fourth season is coming out at the start of September so if you want to cry as hard as you laugh, I can't recommend a show much more than BoJack Horseman.
2. 13 Reasons Why
I know it's been out a while but 13 Reasons Why remains one of the biggest talking points of entertainment all year due to both the subject matter and whether the show portrays it appropriately. Essentially, the story is of a teenage girl, Hannah, who kills herself but leaves tapes detailing the reasons she killed herself and who "led" to her death. We see the story through the eyes of Clay, a boy close to Hannah who has only received these tapes after all the other people with their tapes. The show is worth watching for the large amounts of memes it's already got (a great benchmark for any show of course) but it also raises a very interesting discussion about the portrayal of suicide and mental health on television. The show is technically excellent and while some think the show went too far, I thought it dealt with the issues sensitively and showed the damage that taking your own life can lead to. That's part of the reason I recommend the show though as it is a debate that is worth getting involved in. Regardless, the show is a gripping journey from start to finish and you'll want to join people theorising on what the second season will bring.
1. Rick and Morty
There's a high chance you've already seen Rick and Morty but if you haven't, now is the time to jump on. The first season was great, proving that Dan Harmon had a strong TV future after Community and bringing interesting sci-fi concepts to the screen in a way that is guaranteed to keep you laughing. After that though, the second season took it up a notch and was even funnier with even more interesting sci-fi concepts explored throughout. Like BoJack, it can dip into tragedy and dip in very effectively indeed. Your friend who watches too much TV has probably recommended this show to you before and said "how haven't you seen it?" many a time but it isn't for everyone due to the heavy sci-fi elements and the occasionally pitch black comedy. If that does sound like your cup of tea though, it's all on Netflix right now, with the third season coming out next week. It's a cliche to say how great this show is because of the mass of fans it has established (myself certainly among them) but there's a good reason they're all following this show.
7. Hannibal
One of the most popular shows of the year so far has been American Gods but not only is it likely that you've already seen that, I haven't seen it and can't recommend it yet. What I can do is recommend a show by American Gods show runner Bryan Fuller, that show being the devilishly wonderful Hannibal. Cancelled too soon, it's honestly a miracle a show this gory lasted so long on the American equivalent of ITV. Even if you're not a fan of horror (like me for example) you will find plenty to love here. The gore is never excessive and is sometimes disturbingly beautiful. There's more than visuals though as Hannibal and Will Graham take part in a sort of cat and mouse chase, each trying to avoid the capture of the other. Even with that, there is a further complexity to their relationship and I could gush all day but won't. Please check out the wonderful three seasons we were given if for no other reason than more support means a fourth season could happen.
6. Preacher
I would love to put this show higher up the list but as I'm saving the second season until it's all out for a summer binge of my own, I can only currently recommend the first season. That said, there is a lot to recommend as it starts out strong and shows no signs of slowing. The story is that of Jesse, a preacher who ends up with a mystical power inside of him that allows him to command anyone to do anything. This makes a lot of enemies of course but also causes a problem in heaven. It's cynical, oddly smart and frequently hilarious and has one of the most daring season finales I have ever seen that set a path for what I do hear is an excellent second season, still ongoing.
5. Atlanta
Community is and will probably always be my favourite show of all time but it's been over for two years now and I've begrudgingly had to accept that. The work of creator Dan Harmon has helped but also great is Atlanta, a show written by, sometimes directed by and starring Troy himself, Donald Glover. Glover has described it as Twin Peaks about rappers which is good because while I want to recommend Twin Peaks, it has gotten incredibly Lynchian and isn't as easy a recommendation as it once was. Atlanta then technically fills that void but what is clear is that it is a show all of its own style. No other show would have Justin Bieber in an episode just be black, no other show would have an invisible car joke that results in an actual invisible car and no other show would have a whole episode based around a public access channel. It's original, ground breaking but most importantly it's consistently hilarious.
4. The Trip
Of all the shows on the list, this is probably the most niche. At the basest level, it's a show about the exaggerated versions of Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon travelling around the countrysides of various countries while going to nice restaurants and doing impressions at each other. It is this foundational simplicity which gives the show its charm as if you're even remotely interested in either comedian, there is plenty of laughter to be found from their banter towards each other which, no matter how exaggerated the personalities get, always feels real. As a show about two men whose best days are behind them though, it is also a show full of melancholy, of looking back scared and looking forward with even greater terror. The third series recently came out on Sky and if you're interested in gently grazing around the Lake District, Italy and Spain, you can do much worse than doing it with Brydon and Coogan. Plus, the show is very easy to digest in large groups, which makes sense considering it was released as a movie in America. You haven't heard of it but you should have.
3. BoJack Horseman
I was an early supporter of BoJack Horseman, a show that I originally started because I just had nothing better to do over the summer. What started as a decent time waster soon evolved dramatically and halfway through the first season became unmissable TV. Sure, it was funny and often funnier than just about any other show on TV but it was also deeply tragic. The story is one of a washed up actor who used to be in a sitcom in the nineties but tries to invigorate his career somehow. He's cynical and sarcastic and the show sticks with that tone too although it also isn't afraid to look deep into his psyche and examine what happens when a celebrity becomes not so famous anymore. The last season was all about BoJack trying for Oscar glory and after an emotional finale, I am interested to see where the show heads to next. Fortunately, the fourth season is coming out at the start of September so if you want to cry as hard as you laugh, I can't recommend a show much more than BoJack Horseman.
2. 13 Reasons Why
I know it's been out a while but 13 Reasons Why remains one of the biggest talking points of entertainment all year due to both the subject matter and whether the show portrays it appropriately. Essentially, the story is of a teenage girl, Hannah, who kills herself but leaves tapes detailing the reasons she killed herself and who "led" to her death. We see the story through the eyes of Clay, a boy close to Hannah who has only received these tapes after all the other people with their tapes. The show is worth watching for the large amounts of memes it's already got (a great benchmark for any show of course) but it also raises a very interesting discussion about the portrayal of suicide and mental health on television. The show is technically excellent and while some think the show went too far, I thought it dealt with the issues sensitively and showed the damage that taking your own life can lead to. That's part of the reason I recommend the show though as it is a debate that is worth getting involved in. Regardless, the show is a gripping journey from start to finish and you'll want to join people theorising on what the second season will bring.
1. Rick and Morty
There's a high chance you've already seen Rick and Morty but if you haven't, now is the time to jump on. The first season was great, proving that Dan Harmon had a strong TV future after Community and bringing interesting sci-fi concepts to the screen in a way that is guaranteed to keep you laughing. After that though, the second season took it up a notch and was even funnier with even more interesting sci-fi concepts explored throughout. Like BoJack, it can dip into tragedy and dip in very effectively indeed. Your friend who watches too much TV has probably recommended this show to you before and said "how haven't you seen it?" many a time but it isn't for everyone due to the heavy sci-fi elements and the occasionally pitch black comedy. If that does sound like your cup of tea though, it's all on Netflix right now, with the third season coming out next week. It's a cliche to say how great this show is because of the mass of fans it has established (myself certainly among them) but there's a good reason they're all following this show.
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