Stylebook Recommends: Binge TV
We dished about the summer blockbusters we’ve loved. Next up, the small screen — and there is a reason this is known as the Golden Age of Television. From some old faves worth getting into if you missed them the first time around (Texas forever) to some newer obsession-worthy dramas (Winter is HERE! Sunday!), here’s what to binge now.
Susie, Coco Blanca
Big Little Lies has a great cast, including Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shaileen Woodly, and Laura Dern. They are close, yet flawed, friends. They live in beautiful Monterey, Calif., where their children go to the same school. All seems perfect until a single mom is befriended by the group, but brings her rocky past with her, forcing the women to look at their lives through a new prism. As their past mistakes are revealed, dark turns arise, shaking their privileged status with shattering consequences….
The Young Pope also has a great cast, including Jude Law as the new pope, Pius XIII. Diane Keaton is Sister Mary, an American nun who raised the pope in an orphanage, ultimately becoming the pope’s personal secretary. Silvio Orlando is Cardinal Voiella, Cardinal Secretary of State, and master of palace intrigue. The new pope wastes no time in overturning the previous pope’s liberal church philosophy, replacing it with his ultra conservative religious views. Shock waves then rock global Catholicism, such that plots for his removal were made….
Christen, The Hive + The Shoe Hive
How in the world did it take me so long to discover The Great British Baking Show? For years friends have told me I should check it out, and I refused; the last thing I needed was another show to watch. But I did! I did need another show to watch! I needed THIS show to watch! I started just a few weeks ago and am already through the first two seasons. So much more interesting than the Food Network formula to which we’ve all grown accustomed, the British Baking Show follows a group of diverse, real people who love to bake as they compete for the title of British Baking Champion. Believable camaraderie, beautiful baked creations, and loads of awesome British accents — I can’t get enough!
Amy, Red Barn Mercantile
My daughter, Kate, and I have started binge watching The Great British Baking Show. They are doing marvelous things and they do it so politely. That’s just what we need.
Elizabeth, Bellacara
I’ll admit I’m not a big movie-watcher, but I usually have some mindless television on in the background while I’m getting ready in the mornings, so I feel pretty comfortable recommending binge-worthy TV. One that never gets old and always leaves the watcher feeling uplifted is Parks and Recreation. However, at several clients’ urging, Brandon and I have been working our way through Dr. Who…and I can tell you I don’t know what took us so long to get into it! While we still rest firmly in the David Tenant-is-the-best-Doctor camp, we’re currently in the Matt Smith episodes, and he may be catching up!
Elizabeth, The Hive + The Shoe Hive
Friday Night Lights has long been my favorite television show. I mean Coach Taylor and Tim Riggins make it hard to compete. A few months ago, however, I got a new number one: Schitt’s Creek. It is written by Eugene Levy and he is also one of the main characters. He loses his fortune and is forced to move to a town he purchased years prior as a joke, Schitt’s Creek. They move in to a motel while they try to sell the town and get back on their feet. Broke but always well dressed, this show will have you laughing out loud. I am counting down the days to season four.
Sarah, TSALT
Bloodline. Set in the Florida Keys, this twisted plot makes you realize, your family isn’t the craziest around! The rocky road of lies, murder, and family secrets keeps you hooked, season after season. The third season was just released on Netflix, so get bingeing!!
Also, Orange is the New Black. While nudity and vulgarity are a major component of this show, it is about a fairly normal girl that gets sent to prison for a mistake in her life. It follows her learning to navigate the waters of prison gangs, racial profiling, and her sexuality. Season five is out now!
Melissa, The Patterson Group
Anything Housewives…guilty pleasure!
Alex, Ivy Lane Living
I am a late to the program as it’s on it’s sixth season but now that I have tuned in I love Veep! Julia Louis-Dreyfus is hilarious and plays the role perfectly. With the drama and comedy we are witnessing firsthand in the reality of our politics now, this show brings humor to an otherwise terrifying new world order.
Susie, The Patterson Group
I need to catch up on Big Little Lies and am counting down the days til the Game of Thrones season premiere!
Celeste, Kiskadee
If you have not watched Games of Thrones, DO! The series will have you at the edge of your seat. Be forewarned, you need to watch it without any distractions in order to keep track of the characters names and their different locations. It is so good you will not want any episodes to end! Besides…winter is coming…
Joanne, The Patterson Group
The new season of House of Cards.
Madelyn, Stylebook Editor
The Wire! Yes, it’s dark, depressing, and sometimes brutal, but it is still my number one, all-time favorite show. It’s a fascinating look at the intersection of gang life, law enforcement, municipal bureaucracy, journalism, and politics, and although the first season takes place in a time when cell phones weren’t yet prevalent (thus the police’s ability to use a “wire” to track gang activity), the atmosphere presented on the streets of Baltimore is as relevant — and chilling — today as when the show first aired.
Other oldies but goodies: Gilmore Girls is charming and poignant; Friday Night Lights, and no, you don’y have to like football to fall in love with these characters; Breaking Bad, but yeah, it’s really harsh.
Newer fare: I loved Big Little Lies. The miniseries took some liberties from the book I wasn’t totally wild about but it was still stellar with a killer soundtrack. I second Schitt’s Creek. It’s awkward at first but after a few eps you are smitten with the fish-out-of-water characters. And I would literally love to own any outfit that David wears. And of course, Game of Thrones. Dragons? Drama? Yes, please. Seriously, it is worth the hype. Cannot wait until Sunday!
Haven’t watched yet, but want to: GLOW — 80s glam will always have a place in my heart — and The Crown. Who doesn’t love royal gossip? And now, based on yesterday’s Emmy noms, and since I hate being left out of any pop culture conversation, I’m adding Westworld.
Gayla, Coco Blanca
Fargo!
