Binge Worthy

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I know Karen has a separate section on the blog for her Binge worthy shows. I thought I would do the same, as I enjoy a good binge now and then. I read hers and there are a good 2-3 we share thoughts on. The rest? Well, I guess we all have different tastes. Take a glance at my list of “required viewing”. Laugh, cry, comment. It’s Saturday. No show today and no Sunday Surgery, so that makes it a good binge day indeed!

CLAWS and ANIMAL KINGDOM

I cant pick which show is better or more brilliant right now. It has been a very long time (Lost, Sons of Anarchy, Dynasty) since I sat on the edge of my couch and counted the days until the next episode of a show was on. CLAWS is just fun. Most of it is unforeseen craziness that you dont see coming, but that you sit with a “WTH?” look on your face following by a “you go girl”. All the cast is spot-on in their roles. I only knew Neicy Nash from Reno911 and knew her for her comedy, but she nails (pun intended) this character so fiercely. As for ANIMAL KINGDOM. Well, this is great drama. How Ellen Barkin has not been nominated for an Emmy for this role is beyond me. What an oversight from an inspired performance. Week by week I follow the storyline, waiting for the next shoe to drop. There is always a cliffhanger making you want more. Both shows have such great acting, which always carries a show. I cant believe I have to wait until 2019 for their return.

Now, in absolutely no order:

WRECKED

I remember seeing the previews. It looked stupid. I’m being honest. It looked like a LOST ripoff and that it would be silly and cancelled within weeks. I was wrong. It is cute. I know, that isnt a word to describe a show, but it is. The writing isnt dumb at all. Maybe I can call this a “fluff” show without being too offensive?  I normally watch this on a Saturday when I am laying on the couch hungover, (I live in Vegas, remember) or when I am cleaning the house and need something entertaining in the background I can listen to and catch with one eye open. This is that show. Mindless fun, but fun nonetheless.

THE RANCH

There are so many shows on Cable that I never heard of before. This is one that I am glad I stumbled across. Really good writing on this show, like a classic sitcom without the slapstick or laughtrack. Plus, the actors. Sam Elliott and Debra Winger are Gold. I love when shows bring back actors from previous shows who havent been on TV for awhile. Wendy Mallick? I worship her. I could watch her read a phone book. She needs her own show. She is brilliant in everything. Kathy Baker and Sharon Lawrence also had guest spots. Another 2 actresses who are TV gold. And Ashton Kutcher has had guest stars from both Two and and Half Men and The 70s Show appear. Overall well done and well acted.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

Ok, I admit I didnt have high hopes. The whole reboot and remake craze is getting out of hand. (although Murphy Brown and Facts of Life have both caught my eye. And Designing Women will if it is done the right way) I cringed when I heard about this because I grew up loving the original. It turns out, the only thing the same was the set design and the premise. The writing is spot-on and the new cast is perfect. (Just give Rita Moreno another Emmy already. What a legend). In the first season finale, Elena couldnt get everyone’s attention so Rita yells “Hey. You. Guys”. Just like she did on the Electric Company. What a great reference and nostalgia for the older viewers. Oh, and in season 2 there was a quick reference to West Side Story. I love stuff like that. Nostalgia. Easter Eggs. I want more. Norman Lear still has the midas touch and picked good writers and actors for this one.

SHAMELESS

Sheer brilliance. There is a reason why William Macy keeps getting nominated for awards. This is the perfect example of a bingeworthy show. Once you start you cant stop. Episode to episode, season to season, you just keep hitting the play button and watching it go. And you are along for the ride and have to see what happens without turning off the tv. It just goes and goes and gets better with every episode. Very gritty and "real" it doesnt shy away from any topic. And the heroes dont always win.

SCHITT'S CREEK

Catherine O'Hara. Enough said.

THE ROYALS

Elizabeth Hurley was born to play the Queen of England. This show has all the family drama like Dallas and Dynasty did in their prime. Very good storylines. It shows what "could" go on behind the scenes at the palace. It is not all pomp and circumstance and tea and crumpets. A lot of drama, well written and definitely well acted. Elizabeth is fantastic as the Queen and William Moseley (who was in Narnia) does an exceptional job at the prince.

AMERICAN VANDAL

I couldnt tell if this was a parody or not when I first heard about it. It is shot like a mockumentary, but it seems a little more like there is a seriousness involved. The premise? Someone at a high school is drawing penises on cars in the parking lot with paint. I know, right? WTH? Anyway, this goes through the suspicions of who done it, to the arrest, to the doubts if he really did it, etc. Amateur teen sleuths use their computer skills to find the answer. There are twists along the way. Interviewing everyone with the phone camera. Its a sendup of the crime shows out there, but done in a really entertaining way with twists and turns. It really does make you want to keep watching until the end to see who really did it. This was a surprise find.