by Josh Sewell
As a movie guy, I rarely write about television. But – as you know – these are desperate times. Most people are blowing through streaming services’ offerings like crazy, so the pickings are getting slim. For some people, it’s not enough to get invested in compelling worlds and characters, only to say goodbye a couple of hours later. Those viewers want more.
That’s one of the big selling points television has over film. Unless we’re talking about a mega-franchise like the Star Wars saga, the Fast and Furious flicks or the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the best television experiences provide an opportunity for viewers to take their time and get to know characters in a deeper way. It also allows us to invest in big emotional stakes that can feel exhilarating or devastating.
Since many of us still have a lot of time on our hands (some businesses in Georgia reopen on Friday, but I’m sure not going anywhere), here are some of my favorite binge-able TV series you can find online. There are a variety shows to make you laugh, cry, scream, etc. – sometimes all at once. (Note: yes, I know there are plenty of beloved titles I left off the list. I don’t have much space, so the key phrase here is “favorite.”)
Fleabag (Available on Amazon Prime)
The word “masterpiece” gets overused, but it’s the only way to describe this brilliant, profane, hilarious, and profoundly moving British series created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Based on her one-woman stage show, this two-season/twelve-episode story focuses on an unnamed heroine (Waller-Bridge) who breaks the fourth wall to invite viewers into her deeply screwed up life. The first season is “only” excellent, so it pales in comparison to the second season, which is literally perfect. That’s when our heroine meets an equally flawed, charming, and unnamed priest (Andrew Scott), striking up a complicated relationship that changes both of their lives. What could’ve been a cliched premise instead becomes a beautiful story about the power of love and forgiveness. It’s a transcendent work of art that I’ve been raving about for months.
Breaking Bad (Available on Netflix)
Arguably one of the greatest shows in television history, creator Vince Gilligan took a simple pitch – “we’re going to take Mr. Chips and turn him into Scarface” – and created a modern western that slowly builds an intricate world over the first two seasons. After that, better hang on. The tension explodes with a shocking death and the resulting momentum doesn’t let you breathe until the satisfying series finale.
Bryan Cranston plays Walter White, a brilliant chemistry teacher whose terminal lung cancer diagnosis prompts him to manufacture crystal meth to provide for his family after he's gone. He blackmails low-level “chef” and former student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) into helping him, but they’re in over their heads. White catches on fast, however, and he rises through the ranks of Albuquerque’s drug world, taking out his competitors as he goes. The show begins as a dark comedy and evolves into a tragedy. When you’re done, be sure to follow it up with El Camino (also available on Netflix), an epilogue film that proves Paul is just as phenomenal as Cranston, although he never got the same level of acclaim.
Better Call Saul (Available on Netflix)
After Breaking Bad ended, Vince Gilligan teamed up with Peter Gould to create this prequel series that reveals how goodhearted screw-up Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) somehow became Saul Goodman, Walter White’s monstrous lawyer. If you’d told me in the first couple of seasons that it would eventually be even better than its predecessor, I would have laughed in your face. However, the fifth season (which ended earlier this week with a shocking development setting up the final season) proves it.
The drama is a slower burn than the original series, and some scenes feel like wheel-spinning or fan service, but it’s downright magical when everything clicks into place. Odenkirk takes a character who was mostly comic relief on Breaking Bad and transforms him into a complex, tragic figure. Plus, he’s surrounded by equally talented performers including Jonathan Banks (also playing a character from the original series), Michael McKean and the astounding Rhea Seehorn, who I’d argue (especially after the most recent season) is the best actress on television right now.
Schitt’s Creek (Available on Netflix)
This Canadian sitcom (created by Eugene Levy and his son, Dan) about a spoiled, rich family (the Levys, along with Catherine O’Hara and Annie Murphy) forced to move into a crummy motel after their accountant steals all their money, was initially a cult favorite, but its popularity exploded after it hit Netflix. It was standard “rich people are out of touch” fare for the first few episodes, but glimpses of something better (and weirder) begin to shine through pretty quickly. The series really hits its stride in the third season, and you might be surprised to find yourself wiping away tears more than you’d expect for a goofy comedy. The first five seasons are currently available, so you should be finished long before Netflix adds the sixth and final season in a few months.
The Good Place (Available on Netflix)
The brilliantly Mike Schur (who was also created Parks and Recreation and worked on the American version of The Office, both available on Netflix) took on an even bigger challenge with this comedy set in the afterlife. That might sound like a snooze, but the incredible cast and razor-sharp writing made this ambitious series one of the funniest, smartest, and (best of all) kindest in recent memory.
Kristen Bell plays Eleanor Shellstrop, a woman who dies and finds herself welcomed into “the good place” by Michael (Ted Danson), the angelic architect who designed it. The only problem? She a terrible person who got in because of a computer error. With nowhere else to turn, she reveals the truth to her assigned soulmate, a former ethics professor named Chidi Anagonye (William Jackson Harper), and they must figure out how to make her good enough to keep from going to “the bad place.” Bell and Danson are the most famous faces, but Harper and fellow co-stars Jameela Jamil, Manny Jacinto and D’Arcy Carden (who plays a heavenly version of Siri) are equally terrific, juggling comedy, drama, and – especially in the final season, which should hit Netflix soon – poignant moments with aplomb. It boasts one of the greatest series finales in the history of television.
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| Courtesy of Amazon Prime |
As a movie guy, I rarely write about television. But – as you know – these are desperate times. Most people are blowing through streaming services’ offerings like crazy, so the pickings are getting slim. For some people, it’s not enough to get invested in compelling worlds and characters, only to say goodbye a couple of hours later. Those viewers want more.
That’s one of the big selling points television has over film. Unless we’re talking about a mega-franchise like the Star Wars saga, the Fast and Furious flicks or the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the best television experiences provide an opportunity for viewers to take their time and get to know characters in a deeper way. It also allows us to invest in big emotional stakes that can feel exhilarating or devastating.
Since many of us still have a lot of time on our hands (some businesses in Georgia reopen on Friday, but I’m sure not going anywhere), here are some of my favorite binge-able TV series you can find online. There are a variety shows to make you laugh, cry, scream, etc. – sometimes all at once. (Note: yes, I know there are plenty of beloved titles I left off the list. I don’t have much space, so the key phrase here is “favorite.”)
Fleabag (Available on Amazon Prime)
The word “masterpiece” gets overused, but it’s the only way to describe this brilliant, profane, hilarious, and profoundly moving British series created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Based on her one-woman stage show, this two-season/twelve-episode story focuses on an unnamed heroine (Waller-Bridge) who breaks the fourth wall to invite viewers into her deeply screwed up life. The first season is “only” excellent, so it pales in comparison to the second season, which is literally perfect. That’s when our heroine meets an equally flawed, charming, and unnamed priest (Andrew Scott), striking up a complicated relationship that changes both of their lives. What could’ve been a cliched premise instead becomes a beautiful story about the power of love and forgiveness. It’s a transcendent work of art that I’ve been raving about for months.
Breaking Bad (Available on Netflix)
Arguably one of the greatest shows in television history, creator Vince Gilligan took a simple pitch – “we’re going to take Mr. Chips and turn him into Scarface” – and created a modern western that slowly builds an intricate world over the first two seasons. After that, better hang on. The tension explodes with a shocking death and the resulting momentum doesn’t let you breathe until the satisfying series finale.
Bryan Cranston plays Walter White, a brilliant chemistry teacher whose terminal lung cancer diagnosis prompts him to manufacture crystal meth to provide for his family after he's gone. He blackmails low-level “chef” and former student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) into helping him, but they’re in over their heads. White catches on fast, however, and he rises through the ranks of Albuquerque’s drug world, taking out his competitors as he goes. The show begins as a dark comedy and evolves into a tragedy. When you’re done, be sure to follow it up with El Camino (also available on Netflix), an epilogue film that proves Paul is just as phenomenal as Cranston, although he never got the same level of acclaim.
Better Call Saul (Available on Netflix)
After Breaking Bad ended, Vince Gilligan teamed up with Peter Gould to create this prequel series that reveals how goodhearted screw-up Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) somehow became Saul Goodman, Walter White’s monstrous lawyer. If you’d told me in the first couple of seasons that it would eventually be even better than its predecessor, I would have laughed in your face. However, the fifth season (which ended earlier this week with a shocking development setting up the final season) proves it.
The drama is a slower burn than the original series, and some scenes feel like wheel-spinning or fan service, but it’s downright magical when everything clicks into place. Odenkirk takes a character who was mostly comic relief on Breaking Bad and transforms him into a complex, tragic figure. Plus, he’s surrounded by equally talented performers including Jonathan Banks (also playing a character from the original series), Michael McKean and the astounding Rhea Seehorn, who I’d argue (especially after the most recent season) is the best actress on television right now.
Schitt’s Creek (Available on Netflix)
This Canadian sitcom (created by Eugene Levy and his son, Dan) about a spoiled, rich family (the Levys, along with Catherine O’Hara and Annie Murphy) forced to move into a crummy motel after their accountant steals all their money, was initially a cult favorite, but its popularity exploded after it hit Netflix. It was standard “rich people are out of touch” fare for the first few episodes, but glimpses of something better (and weirder) begin to shine through pretty quickly. The series really hits its stride in the third season, and you might be surprised to find yourself wiping away tears more than you’d expect for a goofy comedy. The first five seasons are currently available, so you should be finished long before Netflix adds the sixth and final season in a few months.
The Good Place (Available on Netflix)
The brilliantly Mike Schur (who was also created Parks and Recreation and worked on the American version of The Office, both available on Netflix) took on an even bigger challenge with this comedy set in the afterlife. That might sound like a snooze, but the incredible cast and razor-sharp writing made this ambitious series one of the funniest, smartest, and (best of all) kindest in recent memory.
Kristen Bell plays Eleanor Shellstrop, a woman who dies and finds herself welcomed into “the good place” by Michael (Ted Danson), the angelic architect who designed it. The only problem? She a terrible person who got in because of a computer error. With nowhere else to turn, she reveals the truth to her assigned soulmate, a former ethics professor named Chidi Anagonye (William Jackson Harper), and they must figure out how to make her good enough to keep from going to “the bad place.” Bell and Danson are the most famous faces, but Harper and fellow co-stars Jameela Jamil, Manny Jacinto and D’Arcy Carden (who plays a heavenly version of Siri) are equally terrific, juggling comedy, drama, and – especially in the final season, which should hit Netflix soon – poignant moments with aplomb. It boasts one of the greatest series finales in the history of television.
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