Bonus Update: Things to do While Social Distancing: TV Shows! (Patreon)

A few years ago, when I was younger, I used to write reviews/synopsis/analysis on TV Shows, or to be more precise, shows that are worth binge watching. It's where I cut my teeth on writing before I moved to reviewing and analyzing board games. So for this part of Social Distancing stuff, I'm going to run through a few shows I believe are worth watching, with a paragraph or three on each. I'm going to try and cover a number of different genres and also aim at some older shows, for the reason that they (sometimes) get recommended less often over the newer stuff.  

Because I have limited time in between painting and the two posts a week, I'll stick at around 3-5 shows per genre and some honorable mentions, the honorable mentions are still amazing and worth watching also. I just can't be writing about everything in full here.

Before we start, here is the obligatory watch Tiger King on Netflix comment. That was a heck of a ride and has a lot to discuss, analyse and consider - plus an engaging cast that are almost entirely differing degrees of charismatic assholes.

Crime & Drama

Homicide: Life on the Street (7 seasons and a movie)

Television Cop procedurals can trace their ancestory back to one of two different 1990s shows, NYPD Blue; which took a (somewhat) more glamorous, slick and glitzy style - from which we get the endless CSI and things like Criminal Minds. Then there was Homicide: Life on the Street, based on an excellent book by the esteemed David Simon, this is the show that sat alongside Law & Order and birthed Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad, Dexter and the two shows that will follow this one on the recommendations. Shows which either moved into the gritty realism of police life, or followed darker, more unpleasant characters. 

Homicide is an ensemble cast show following the members of a fictionalised version of Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit. It is the place where the ubiquitous John Munch first came into being (a character who has spanned 20 years, 23 seasons and appeared as the same character in a huge range of different shows). It is an absolutely seminal piece of work and even holds up today on the rewatch despite the dated procedures and technology involved. Many members of this show go on to influence and appear in a huge amount of seminal programs later on.

The Wire - 5 Seasons

I could probably do a 'watch David Simon's stuff' piece all on its own, between the afformentioned Homicide, Generation Kill, The Corner (heartwrenching), The Deuce, Treme and most recently The Plot Against America (all of these are strong recommendations) he is a seminal and groundbreaking part of the way that television evolved from serialized storytelling to the more continuous version that is so popular today.

The Wire is that show which people tell you to watch and you have immense trouble getting into, an old friend of mine nicknamed 'Bunny' (also the nickname of a character on the show) pushed hard to make me watch this show and I struggled. I struggled to connect with this show, abandoning watching it several times before I decided to really give it the shot it deserved. Scenes in the middle and late part of the first season made it clear to me just how special this show actually was and I have become a lifelong admirer of the story this tells. 

It is a complex, nuanced, hard hitting and uncompromising look at how the "War on Drugs" fails and how the system holds everyone, from the young dealers in the street all the way to the police officers busting them and even the working class, teachers and politicians in place. It is 5 seasons of highs and lows that all come together, and for the record, I love season 2.

The Shield - 7 Seasons and the two best final episodes in existence ever

Also birthed from Homicide; The Shield went in the opposite direction from the Wire, instead of taking a long, thoughtful look at real life corruption, The Shield took the Rampart scandal from Los Angeles and ramped it up to 11.

This show follows a fictional precinct in LA; dealing with the bureaucracy and politics surrounding police work, while also following shorter, serialised 'case of the week' style plots laced into its episodes; however the main thrust follows the members of an elite Strike Team who supplement their income via illegal activities, justifying their choice to do so as 'the lesser of two evils', the show runs a continuous story over its 7 seasons and everything set up in the first episode, the first season, everything from one moment to the next, all pays off in two of the greatest final episodes to have ever been aired. This one is worth the ride, watch the pilot episode and if that hooks you, just know it gets better and better. 

Honorable Mentions in this Genre: The Sopranos (another fantastic final episode), anything by David Simon, The Outsider (HBO miniseries adaptation of a Steven King novel).

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

The Expanse - (Ongoing  - 5th Season in Production)

Oh The Expanse, one of the reasons why GRR Martin still hasn't finished writing Game of Thrones.

The Expanse is a space opera set in the nearer future than most, mankind has managed to populate the solar system and over the generations three distinct types of human have emerged, differentiated in part by their physical appearance (caused by the gravity variation) and also by their political identity. You are either from Earth, Mars or you are a 'Belter' (Belters are essentially everyone who grew up on space stations). 

The show is a slow burn, it takes its time in setting up the world and the people through two twin leads; a more straight foward action adventure mystery that follows the crew of the Canterbury as they stumble from one problem to the next and a noir mystery that follows Detective Joe Miller, a belter cop who is placed on a 'kidnap job' (where one is paid to find someone and return them back to their family) only to discover a deeper conspiracy.

The show follows multiple viewpoint characters, and ranges from straight action adventure all the way up to high politics, it can be a little tricky to get into, it is notoriously a slow burn and relishes taking its time before delivering a staggering amount of action and punches, but it is absolutely the best show I have watched.

Available on Amazon Prime

Firefly (1 season and a movie)

If you haven't seen Firefly yet, now is your chance. It's a wonderful show that deserves a lot of the praise it receives, at its heart it is Joss Whedon at his most Whedony - which means lots of snappy dialog and sharp characters. If you enjoy that, or you like the idea of blending Westerns with Sci-Fi (because of the many, many similar themes those two genres have) then this one is always a high recommendation.

Cancelled too soon, but given a great send off in the movie Serenity.

Jessica Jones - 3 seasons

For myself the Marvel Defenders series was a bit of an up and down in quality, Daredevil was too much procrastination and dwelling on angst, spiced up with some great fight sequences, and Iron Fist was pretty much "skip", but Jessica Jones was nothing short of phenomenal in its villains, treatment of the lead character and ability to talk about very difficult subjects. 

It absolutely proved that super hero stories can be weighty and thoughtful without becoming boring or preachy and it holds up well above the other portions of the Defenders series (but they are all still exceptional shows in their own right, except for Iron Fist).

Love, Death & Robots (1 Season - Ongoing)

A whole bunch of animated short stories that cover a wide range of different sci-fi concepts. This one is a visual treat while also giving you interesting stories that would likely not hold up in a longer form. Sometimes less is more and LD&R understands that. When a story resonates with you, you're left wanting more, when it's not as engaging, the time investment was not too bad.

There's something for everyone who loves Sci-Fi in this collection, I particularly enjoyed  Sonnie's Edge and Suits.

Available on Netflix

I've written too much here but I also want to highly recommend "I Am Not Okay With This" on Netflix before moving on, a super hero comic book adaptation that exceeds the original.

Honorable Mentions: Battlestar Galactica (when its good, it's great, but when it's like the boxing match episode, it sucks more than anything out there), Lost in Space, Stranger Things (which I'm sure you've all watched by now), The 4400, The Dead Zone (two amazing shows both cancelled just as they were about to enter their end game, so be warned). Killjoys and Red Dwarf.

Comedy

Arrested Development (Ongoing)

Arrested Development is a masterpiece in comedy at its greatest height, the first three seasons (pre-initial cancellation) are in particular some of the most skillful and clever pieces of comedy, layed with multiple jokes, some of which are set up in the first season and pay off in the third. Rewatching this show almost always results in the discovery of more hidden jokes, signaling of events to come and ridiculously clever puns/gags. 

If you have not seen this one, now is the time. 

Community (6 Seasons, but still no movie!)

A show that really boils down to finding the humanity in people, smooth talking schmutz Jeff Winger spent years conning people as a Lawyer with a made up degree, now caught out he has to attend the very un-prestigious Greendale Community College. He decides to try and con his way into the pants of an attractive student and his plan to offer "private" tuition via a study group backfires when a chain of disparate individuals are invited  to join.

Funny, clever, touching and able to transcend genres, this show is great at treating its characters with both comedic comeuppances and respect. It is a show with an amazing amount of heart and contains one of the two most respectable representations of high functioning autism in media (along with Boston Legal's portrayal of Jerry Espenson). Bless you Abed!

Available on Netflix and Amazon

Brooklyn 99 - Ongoing (7 seasons)

In some way, Brooklyn 99 would never have come to being without the existence of Homicide; while 99 is tonally completely different from Homicide shares some similar DNA, not just with the involvement of the superb Andre Braugher in both shows. But 99 instead takes a lighter view on the whole police procedural experience. I'm sure you've watched by now, if you haven't, well Andy Samberg and Terry Crews are both in this and they're not the best part!

Obligatory link to the best Lonely Island song.

Available on Netflix

Sex Education - Ongoing (2 seasons)

This British comedy/drama is over on Netflix and I cannot recommend it enough, it mixes the classic school drama/coming of age story with a more adult orientation, dealing with the trials, tribulations and difficulties of reaching puberty when your mother is a sex therapist. 

Filled with complex characters (even the bully is not one dimensional), and a thoughtful approach to a tricky subject, Sex Education manages to be lighthearted, deep, crass and classy all at the same time.

Available on Netflix

Honorable Mentions: Scrubs (skip the final season),  30 Rock , The Good Place, Spaced, Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights, Fleabag, Russian Doll, Reno  911, Boston Legal and Red Dwarf.

Cartoons

Futurama - 7 Seasons

Ah the Simpsons that never dropped in quality, Futurama is simultaneously a love song to sci-fi, geek culture, science and more. Filled with more visual gags than it has any right to be, this show almost never has a poor episode - in fact, good luck watching episodes like Jurassic Bark or The Luck of the Fryish without choking up at the end.

Futurama is everything a good cartoon show should be, with jokes ranging from the crass and lowbrow up to some truly nerdy mathematical jokes. It is also willing to touch on difficult subjects such as cloning, human/robot relationships and conservation. It's a timeless classic from the world of tomorrow.

Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law (4 seasons)

Gary Cole, Stephen Colbert, John Michael Higgins and Maurice LaMarche. If these names are not enough to bring your attention to this superbly weird and short show I don't know what is.

This fast paced, jammed to the gills Adult Swim cartoon follows the life of Birdman after he retired from the superhero business and became a lawyer for other Hanna Barbara characters. Expect to see appearances from Scooby Doo, the Jetsons, Johnny Quest (speaking of which Venture Bros rocks, go team Venture) and more besides. Each episode tends to be under 10 minutes long, but the story is so fast and the dialog so snappy you'll often be amazed how much occurs in each one. 

Witty, sharp, clever and ultimately very, very weird. Classic Adult Swim.

JoJo's Bizzare Adventure - (5 seasons, ongoing)

I am not much of an Anime watcher, but as you may have noticed, I've referenced JoJo quite a few times here in posts. This is because JoJo has had more influence on the world than you could possibly imagine. 

This story starts with Jonathan Joestar in the late 19th century and tells the tale of a rivalry between two boys Jonathan and Dio. At this point the show is fixed around the undead made by a stone mask and the use of the sunlight/breathing ability 'hammond' to fight them. The second season follows Joseph Joestar, Jonathan's Grandson and his battle with the creators of the aforementioned stone mask - the Pillar Men.

The JoJo that everyone knows in the popular media however comes to light in the third season with the introduction of Stands and the one of the series' most beloved characters Jotaro Kujo (Joseph's Grandson) and his stand Star Platinum. Stardust Crusaders suffers from a lot of 'villain of the week'; but when it is good it is absolutely endearing and the adventures of Jotaro,  Polnareff, Joseph,  Kakyoin and Avdol build to a climax that is both epic and completely memeworthy - filled with two of the most powerful characters in the show pulling absurd nonsense out of their ass one after another.

The fourth season takes a tonal shift into a slice of life style. Taking place in a single town and following another one of Joseph's grandsons, this time Josuke Higashikata, it has the single best episode in the entire series and builds into an epic conclusion that is as enjoyable as Stardust Crusaders.

But for me, it is the fifth and most recent series - Golden Wind, which surpassed everything else. While most of Hirohiko Araki work is a love song homage to his adoration of Western culture, Golden Wind brings home how much he adores Italy with its following of Giorno Giovanna, son of Dio and Jonathan (yeah, that's right, but it will make sense). It has some of the greatest characters, the most heart wrenching moments and it just constantly builds with consistent themes and stunning music. 

Best of all, it's entirely available for free on Crunchy Roll (you can even do a trial to avoid the adverts). Have at it! I'd recommend watching the Re-Edited versions to start with, they'll give you a good idea about the style and if its your thing, but be aware of that style shift in the third season.

Honorable Mentions: Venture Bros, Final Space, Disenchanted, Rick & Morty (as long as you just avoid the fanatisism in the online community), Frisky Dingo (the predecessor to Archer), Archer, Batman the Animated Adventures and One Punch Man (1st season)

Documentaries

I am just going to rattle off a few here in bullet point. I HIGHLY recommend the first two entries for feel good and an experience of the world before the change, they were phenomenal and James May remains a great British Treasure.

• Grand Tour - Seamen
• James May: Our Man in Japan
• Blue Planet
• Don't F with Cats (hard watch at times)

Hit up the comments with your own show recommendations!

Until tomorrow, stay safe!