Sunday, February 7, 2016

Recommended Viewing

I'm a bit of a television junky. I admit it; I love my tv time. I rarely watch anything live anymore, though. Between my dvr for popular current shows and my multiple streaming services, I love that I can watch what I'm interested in, when I have the time, and without much (if any) commercial interruption.  My viewing habits certainly are not appropriate for children, and some people might be offended by my choices.  I've offered the location of where to find these shows and a note of what kind of  potentially 'offensive' content it may include. Here are my current viewing favorites for 2016 thus far:

Fargo (season 2 on Hulu) (violence and mild language)
I've never seen the movie, but I fully enjoyed season 1 of Fargo as I watched on Netflix last month. Now, I've moved on to season 2 and am liking it just as well. Season 2 is set in the late 70s, so one of the things I really like is their constant reference to cultural events/stereotypes of this time period. Plus, it's just really interesting the way the Cohen brothers have filmed and produced this. It's really not like any other television show I think I've seen. The fella and I are watching this series together, and it's fun to sort of predict and talk about what happened or didn't happen in each episode.

Nurse Jackie (season 1 on Netflix) (violence, language, drug use, sex)
Several years ago, I caught a few episodes of this show and liked it just okay. I didn't really stick with it and didn't watch it in order since I didn't have Showtime. One of my besties recommended it to me again last week, so I've started watching it again. Let me tell you - after four episodes the other night, I think I've fallen in love with this series. The main character, Jackie, is brash and sarcastic and flawed and tender-hearted; she's a mixture of the good and bad like real people are, and I just love that. I'm excited to see how the series develops, especially since it has 7 seasons!

Helix (season 2 on Netflix) (violence and mild language)
I can't help but love a good 'virus/plague potentially wipes out the planet' story, and Helix fits that description quite well. Season 1 was set in the Arctic which was pretty cool but seemed sort of far-fetched and unlikely. Season 2 is set on a 'virtually deserted' island off the coast of Washington state, where the climate is more realistic to me at least. The rest of it is frankly pretty unrealistic - immortals, cults, genetic experiments, cannibals, etc. Honestly, it grossed me out to the point the other day that I had to turn it off and watch something else. Let's just say that cannibals eating eyeballs went beyond the pale for me. But I'm not willing to give up on it just yet; there is a lot about the series that I do like, so I'm going to hang with it for the rest of this season at least.

The Colony (currently airing season 1 on USA) (violence)
The fella and I are watching this show together as well. We've only seen 2 episodes thus far, but I'm really enjoying it. Without giving too much away, this show is about the occupation of parts of California and the relationships between those who collude with the enemy and the insurgents who are fighting the occupation. This story is told through the eyes of what seems to be a very average family at first glance. I like that the heroes and villains seem mostly to be just regular people who were forced to make a very difficult choice, and I appreciate the larger, subtle questions the show is posing like "Who deserves your loyalty?", "What sacrifices are you willing to make for country or for family?" and "Who are the bad guys?"  I'll continue watching this season for sure.

Masters of Sex (season 1 on Showtime) (language and sex)
During a Showtime free weekend on Hulu a few weeks ago, I caught most of the first season of Masters of Sex, the story of the Masters and Johnson sex study that occurred in the 1960s. I knew a little bit about the report that was published and how much it rocked the medical world at the time, much less how much it would change our views about female sexuality in particular.  I did not know much about the people involved, and I've found this dramatic retelling of their lives very interesting. That said, I don't know how much of the character information has been dramatized or is purely fictitious. I do know that I like the characters and find their willingness to participate in something so risque of that time period fascinating.  I like rule-breakers. especially when their ultimate goal is to investigate a question no one else has investigated before or to understand and improve the lives of others. I don't have Showtime right now, so I'll either have to catch this on video from my local store or subscribe temporarily to Showtime streaming in order to finish it.

Are you watching anything great right now? I might need some suggestions for what to watch next.

9 comments:

  1. If you like The Colony, check out The Expanse on the SyFy channel. Also watch The Man in the High Castle series if you have Amazon Prime.

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    1. I don't know The Expanse, but I'll def check it out this weekend. Yes, I love The Man in the High Castle - it is so well done!

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  2. Fringe. We watched all 5 seasons in 3 months. It's Sci-Fi but it's not too out there. We REALLY liked it and miss that it is over. We also like Grimm but that is because we live near where it is filmed, it is kind of gross/gory (not my usual thing) but pretty good. It is still filming so there are five? seasons and counting.

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    1. I've watched all of the Fringe seasons too! It's a fab show. :)

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  3. I've been wanting to watch Colony. Will have to look for it. Have you watched Bloodline on Netflix. Really liked that. Am enjoying the new XFiles and am anxiously waiting for The Walking Dead to return next Sunday. And of course, Outlander is awesome. :-)

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    1. I haven't seen Bloodline, but I'll give it a go based on your recommendation. I caught the new XFiles the other night and have mixed feelings about it. I'll prob watch a few more of them though. Yes, I can't wait for The Walking Dead to return too - happy V-Day to all the walkers!

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  4. I'm guessing you, like the rest of the civilized world, have already watched most of Downton Abbey, but that's my current obsession. We just got Amazon Prime and started watching it this past week. :-)

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    1. I watched the first three seasons and then got just a bit bored with it. (I know, I know, don't stone me or anything.) I'll probably come back to it this summer when I'm traveling, but I needed a break for a while. :)

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  5. I've been watching Mad Men. (I know I'm probably the last person on earth to do so.) I'm midway through season 5 of 8 and really loving it. Fargo and Nurse Jackie are on my to watch list. Right now, I'm looking forward to the return of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal tomorrow night and the final episodes of The Good Wife.

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