We’ve all been stuck at home for a long time. With social distancing in place, our main form of entertainment has become watching television. It feels like the next best thing to being with people and seeing friends. Here’s a look at everything we’ve watched while stuck at home. And reader beware: Here be spoilers.
1. Downton Abbey
Genre: Historical drama
Where: Amazon Prime
How Far: Finished
Favorite Characters: Why do I care about every single one of these people SO MUCH!?
Feelings: I can’t believe it took me so long to watch this. This show is so warm and fuzzy and exactly what I needed during social distancing! I love every single character, I love the way they all find a way to get along even through serious disagreements; they all genuinely try to understand one another’s viewpoints and still love each other. There were lots of moments that made me cry, but even more that made me smile, sometimes even through tears–exactly what I love in a show. And there are intriguing plots around the real historical events of the day. I’m so impressed how well the writers were able to keep every character’s arc so compelling in such a large cast! A great show to watch with the family.
2. Shameless (US)
Genre: Comedy-drama
Where: Netflix
How Far: Season 9
Favorite Characters: Fiona, Frank
Feelings: For when you feel like slumming it. (Also, not a great show to watch with the family!) I was really into this and all the characters at first, but after several seasons, I was mainly still only watching for Fiona and Frank. Oh, and Veronica and Kevin, of course. I was kind of over everyone else. And I loved all of Fiona’s character growth in Season 7! I was so proud of her. But now that she’s gone, I’m out. Can’t wait to see what my celeb doppelganger gets up to next!
3. Sharp Objects
Genre: Thriller/mystery/drama/Southern Gothic
Where: HBO
How Far: Finished
Favorite Characters: Camille (There’s really no one else who’s likable.)
Feelings: OOOMG. I immediately grabbed the book (which I didn’t know existed when I started watching) after finishing this one! I’m usually fairly decent at predicting this kind of stuff, but I did not see this ending coming. (I did think things were…weird. But I didn’t guess how weird.) It’s a very tight plot and will give you major chills! And I relate heavily to the whole “least favorite child” trope, so this one struck some serious chords with me.
Much of the plot is given away in silent flashbacks that are on the screen for maybe a second at a time, rather than dialogue in the here and now. Each flashback is revealing, but literally if you blink you might miss a chunk of story. Definitely not the sort of show to put on in the background while multitasking!
4. Big Little Lies
Genre: Mystery/drama
Where: HBO
How Far: Finished for now, but I think there’s another season coming…?
Favorite Characters: All of them.
Feelings: I had to immediately watch this upon finishing Sharp Objects. I had much the same reactions to a completely different story, told by the same director! It’s so addictive! And once again, the ending blew me away. It was such a clever idea to write a murder mystery where you don’t know who the victim was until the end. The acting was amazing all around, the writing kept me riveted, and I loved all the gossipers making me feel like I was a part of it.
5. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Genre: Historical drama/comedy
Where: Amazon Prime
How Far: Season 2
Favorite Characters: Midge
Feelings: I mostly adore Midge and completely adore the vintage fashion. The show got a lot of laughs and smiles out of me. But every now and then it suffers just a hair from those awful, two-dimensional Sherman-Palladino characters who are sort of funny at one thing and then they’re just obnoxious because of how unrealistic and stupid they are. (Garry Marshall characters are like this, too. It’s a thing I really despise.)
Fortunately, those moments are few and far between and not popping onto the screen every few seconds and talking a mile a minute like in Gilmore Girls (which I also have a love-hate relationship with). Most of the characters are really interesting, and of course the dialogue is good, and thankfully spoken at a normal pace.
I enjoyed Season 2 a lot less than Season 1, though. Not sure I’ll keep watching if they continue the show. I disliked the whole Paris side plot. The mom character completely turned into the sort of character I described above, and the whole situation was a Sherman-Palladino Situation, in that it was intended to be funny but instead was obnoxiously unbelievable.
6. Harlan Coben’s The Stranger
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Where: Netflix
How Far: Finished
Favorite Characters: Adam
Feelings: I had never heard of Harlan Coben before starting this show. Now I’ve watched 1.5 more of his shows and need to read absolutely all of his books. This was so good! I started watching initially simply because hello, Richard Armitage. I did not expect to get so hooked on the mystery so quickly. I did find the character of the Stranger to be incredibly obnoxious, but I think I was supposed to feel that way.
I watched all 8 (I think?) episodes in 2 sittings. It also didn’t seem anything like what I expected from watching the preview for it. (The preview looked like one of those small-town, teenage Satanic cult deals.) But it was still completely fascinating. Came for the Armitage; stayed for the plot.
7. The Walking Dead
Genre: Horror/drama
Where: Netflix
How Far: Season 9
Favorite Characters: Rick, Michonne, Carol, King-I-Forget-His-Name
Feelings: I’ve been watching since the show began. So I’m attached, but have been losing interest somewhat over the last couple of seasons. It isn’t that the storylines are bad, because they aren’t. It just feels like the heart of the show has died somewhat. I think Lucille beat the heart out of it. That was around the time, I think, that whatever I loved about the show began to wither up.
Loving the new opening credits! I loved the old ones, too, but these are a good, fresh take.
From all I’ve heard, this is Rick’s last season. So this is going to be my last season. I know Daryl is what many others love most about this show. But for me, it’s always been Rick. The whole series is about Rick’s journey to create the New World. If he leaves, it won’t have any focus, so that’s it for me. Not to mention, I’ve had a hard time lately with keeping up with anyone’s names.
Hope. That was the thing that mostly withered up with Negan, I just realized. I’m just not interested in watching a show about an apocalypse if there’s no shred of hope left. Hope for anyone, really, but particularly for the main character, whose journey I have been invested in this whole time. Hope is what makes apocalypse interesting for me. Without it, I’d rather watch something else–like the new Rick movies that are coming.
8. Harlan Coben’s The Five
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Where: Netflix
How Far: Finished
Favorite Characters: The Five
Feelings: Very similar to how I felt about The Stranger. Same author, same director, same genre, but completely different story! Instantly gripping. I can’t decide which show I liked better! I really liked most of the characters in this one, and I loved how it ended.
9. The Good Place
Genre: Fantasy/comedy
Where: Netflix
How Far: Finished
Favorite Characters: Tahani, Eleanor, Michael
Feelings: This was another wonderful warm and fuzzy show that also happened to be hilarious. I think it started to drag slightly towards the end, but overall kept me hooked. Tahani had major “least favorite child” vibes and I thought of her as my spirit animal. On the other hand, Jason (a fairly accurate representation of the town I’m currently stuck in) was too stupid for words. I feel like the show would have been 100% better with all of his parts cut out. Overall, though, a fantastic show that I think anyone would enjoy.
10. Tiger King
Genre: Documentary/true crime
Where: Netflix
How Far: Somewhere near the end.
Favorite Characters: I hated everyone.
Feelings: Why did I do this to myself?
Basically, I sat through almost an entire show about horrible people, knowing I would probably hate it, just to understand the memes! In that sense, it was largely worth it. But I couldn’t force myself through to the end. At 4 episodes in, I’d already decided enough was enough. I understood the jokes, I knew who had almost certainly killed whom…. It was enough time, I decided, devoted to that bunch of freaking weirdos.
All the talk of how unbelievable it all was seduced me into watching this. But it was depressing subjecting myself to this particular cast of characters, and the “plot” was not at all worth the payoff.
Though I haven’t really accepted the murder theory. Part of me suspects Carole’s husband successfully pulled off the slickest move of his life (or whatever he called it) and escaped to Costa Rica.
11. The Handmaid’s Tale
Genre: Speculative/dystopian fiction
Where: Hulu
How Far: On the edge of my seat waiting for the new season!
Favorite Characters: Offred, Ofglen, Ofwarren, Moira, Luke, Commander Lawrence
Feelings: Talk about depressing! There were times I actually felt the urge to vomit while watching this. It was just that bleak, terrifying, traumatic, hopeless, heartbreaking…yet I couldn’t look away. I had to know what was going to happen next! I lived for every glimpse of Canada and hope. I was going to bed after several-hour-long binges feeling shaken and lost somewhere within myself, then waking up the next day unsure why I felt so sad. Still holding out hope that Canada conquers them in the next season!
12. Revenge
Genre: Soap opera/mystery/thriller
Where: Hulu
How Far: Somewhere in Season 3
Favorite Characters: Emily, Nolan
Feelings: I literally never watch soap operas. But I was all about this Count of Monte Cristo setup and waited to watch it for years after Netflix took it away until I had access to Hulu! And then I got about halfway through and just…stopped.
It was exactly what I wanted at first. I lived for how Emily was taking down all of her enemies left and right. Each episode was another glorious win.
Then it just got away from itself. The plot started to meander and get more and more ludicrous until I didn’t really care anymore. In other words, it kind of just did what I’ve always suspected soap operas do. I gave up on it. I hope Emily gets to have her ultimate revenge at the end, but I won’t be watching.
So what shows have you watched while social distancing? Got any recommendations for me now that you know my taste?
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