Top Five Friday- Summer Series
00:57I don't know about you guys, but for me summertime represents that perfect time to get back to the basics and focus on what's important.... Your shows. You see during the fall and winter TV season, midst essays, group projects, exams and all things yuck (ie. School related) I realistically and extremely objectively (this is a science people) only have enough 'tv-time' to watch the absolute necessities. Which means that only the top of my top tier shows (ie. The Good Wife, Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey and Scandal to name a few) get shown the kind of attention they deserve as they are deigned good enough to watch on a crippling and struggle-laden week to week basis. And yes whilst I may be naughty enough to sneak in a little binge session or two of a lesser quality show (here's looking at you The Tomorrow People and Star Crossed), when all is said and done, so many of my lesser darlings are neglected, because there just aren't enough waking hours in the day!
But do not despair! This is where summer comes in to fill the gap, catch us up and restore balance to the TV watching universe. Before I continue I feel compelled to add this disclaimer. As TV is kinda my thing, this will probably be ridiculously and unnecessarily long. Also as I alluded to above, my summer series aren't necessarily shows that come on during the summer tv season, but instead shows that I use my summer to catch up with. Got it? Good. In addition to that I'll add that if one of my summer series is one of your must-sees then we probably were meant to only be friends in a more limited capacity and we should both accept it from now. With that said, let's crack on!
5. Mad Men aka. The Slow Cooker
Ahh Mad Men, the critically acclaimed darling of my list. From its first season this show was pegged as 'the next great american classic' with its well tailored and irresistibly chic throw back to the 1960s styling, its historical authenticity and' too cool for anyone of school Age' attitude. And based on all the hype from its earlier seasons, newcomers like me circa 2012, thought just from hearsay alone that this show was pure, unadulterated class. It turns how however that 'class' has never been so debaucherous, and debauchery as never been so slow paced. In Mad Men, like when preparing the ultimate pot roast, the characters and plot lines require a lower temperature than most other popular shows, as the main ingredient in this cultural phenomenon is the simmer. Things are never boiling over at you, every line, every scenario is a simmer that you expect to explode but never quite does. And while this may aggravate you for the first two seasons, you come to appreciate this hazy, almost haunting dream-like postmodern series just for this quality.
Being led by actor Jon Hamm as the perpetually unhappy, and perpetually broken adult Holden Caulfied-esque Don Draper with a propensity for Ad pitches, adultery and day drinking, the cast is quite beautifully acted with star performances by Elizabeth Moss as the wide eyed and bushy tailed idea-queen Peggy, Christina Hendricks as Joan the sassy and savvy human equivalent of Jessica Rabbit, John Slattery as the likable yet lost Roger, and Vincent Kartheiser as the eager and punch-able Pete. Also special mention has to be given to the best mother-daughter casting since The Gilmore Girls themselves, January Jones and Kiernan Shipka as Betty and Sally Draper whose chemistry is as electric as their faces are similar!
In the end the real draw of Mad Men is that it represents, quite aesthetically I may add, all our worst fears. Women can connect with Peggy who though better than most, if not all, her male counterparts may never get the same respect even though she works twice as hard. Many can relate to Pete who may never get the true respect he deserves for the work he puts in as his eagerness will always keep him a step behind. Joan will always first and foremost be seen as a sexual object for her buxom figure, and not for her leadership qualities, and we can all in unison lament as Don represents our worst fear: the possibility that even when given a chance at a new 'ideal' life that we may still very well be unhappy, causing us to think that the 'problem' of our lives may truly be us and not our lives itself. So with serious critical backing and a reputation to boot, I say that Mad Men is definitely worth a summer viewing because in the puff-puff-pass world of television, Mad Men is more of a long, slow, savoury drag, and summer is the perfect time to truly sit back, and take it all in.
4. Arrow aka. The Marathon
Arrow to me represents the quintessential summer series. It is fast paced, action packed, not too psychologically demanding and above all Entertaining. Also it gets bonus points (like every other CW show) for having pretty much eye candy for every viewer, no matter what you're into or which way you swing! Arrow is pretty much the CW's TV equivalent of a summer blockbuster and hey it even has a super hero as its protagonist! Go figure. One of the better attempts to bring the D.C world of Comics to life, Arrow tells the tale of billionaire turned billionaire-vigilante Oliver Queen, who had a very LOST-esque experience and got stranded on an island for a while and became incredibly ripped and had to outgrow his self-centered ways. During his time on this island he found out dangerous family secrets (as we all do whilst stranded) and got rid of his vanity and he now spends his time fighting crime and wearing a horrendously simple green coat hood while he does it. Unlike Mad Men,Arrow is the kind of show with big BAM moments that make you go WHOA even if it's just for half a second but it's def. worth it.
The most fun thing about Arrow however is the sociability of it, it's really a great show to watch with friends as you can converse and speculate about cliffhangers together but most importantly you can make a drinking game out of every time some guy takes off his shirt or every time a pretty, thin girl with long hair looks distressed. With Arrow you don't need to think too much, and I promise you'll have a great time, it's very a laid back viewing experience with a fun, easy to follow story-line, action sequences, little pockets of good humour and hijinx and the not so subtle Windows 8 product placement may actually convince you to go out and buy a windows phone so it's kind of a win-win for everyone. At first I was tempted to brand Arrow as my 'Guilty-pleasure' watch, but who am I kidding, Arrow is the kind of show that you wait til the end of the season to marathon the whole thing because watching week to week just seems incomplete, and since it'll only take a day and half to be done with a season, you really won't have that much time to feel too guilty.
3. Catfish aka. The Random Pick
Okay, before you judge me let me just say that no one can judge me for this pick more than I judge myself every time I watch this show. I don't know what's wrong with me but it's SOOO watchable. While I generally have a rule of NOT watching reality tv shows online, last summer I made an exception for Catfish and I have not looked back. When I have finished all my other summer shows, Catfish is always my go to! I have no clue what day it actually airs, but I always seem to have an episode or two just waiting on me with open arms and that my friends is what you call true love! Catfish tells the tale of real life idiots who have online relationships with people they have never seen or skype with. But to make it even better, within the first five minutes of every episode our hosts, the adorbs Nev and Max, skype with our young romantics to show that they have very functioning video equipment and thus their misfortune is completely their own doing. At the end of each 40 minute episode, to drive home this point Nev and Max then skype with both parties to once again emphasize their working equipment.
I don't know if it's because I'm a former Catfish myself, cause hey, creating fake profiles on Hi 5 (does anyone remember hi5???) back in 7th grade was like all the rage, or the fact that in this guarded world there are actually people so open and gullible to lay their hearts out to a wee bit too accepting strangers with convenient excuses for not meeting up, but I keep coming back for more. What I do know however is that Nev with his sweet nature and boyish good looks and Max with his standing bitch face and cranky demeanor make the absolute BEST team on TV right now. Plus their banter is both hilarious and adorable, and thus makes what could be a very painful 40 mins without commercial breaks, actually quite enjoyable. And while I would NEVER ever EVER make time for Catfish during an actual hectic week, it is without doubt the perfect summer random watch. So ease your mind and join me in spending the time to not so secretly 'ship' Nev and Max.
2. Sex and the City aka. The Blast from the Past
Yes I am a guy (with a penis and everything) and yes I'm incredibly late to the SATC lovefest but that doesn't matter! What matters is I've seen the light and drank the kool-aid cosmos and now Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha are my GIRLS. I adore each one in a very special and cosmic kind of way. Until earlier this summer I was a totes SATC virg! Never watched an epi and to be honest I never planned to, but after much prodding by a fab. Friend who is unapologetically the show's number 1 fan, I decided to give it a go and I’m so glad I did! Living in a patriarchal world there’s something so refreshing in watching 90 plus episodes in which a rotating cast of men act as practically sex toys to our leading ladies. What’s even better is that the men that rotate less (Big, Steve, the good looking blond guy who changed his name and cut his hair, and was naked an alarming amount of the time) are never given main star billing and are pretty much only shown in capacity of our girls; proving that this is in fact our girls show, and the men are jut living in it., and trust me it works!
What’s even more thrilling is the universality of emotion. As a 21 yr old male I never thought I'd relate to 4 old broads yet here I am, connecting with each of my boo-thangs as if we've been bosom buddies for years! I’m quite easily able to identify with Carrie’s openness and perpetual state of questioning (bonus points for her being a writer), Charlotte’s traditional expectations of love and her dream of a storybook life, Samantha raw sexual energy (and can only hope to one day attain a fraction of her strong sense of self) and Miranda's snark and need to remain in control of her life and relationships, as these are things we all, at any age, at some point go through. Irreverently hilarious, undeniably charming. SATC is the kind of show that doesn’t always come around, but when it does you take notice; whether from its premiere or years after in syndication. The tales are timeless, though the fashion may be dated but this only adds to the charm of watching, and taking an actual stroll done memory lane.
Since I'm pretty sure everyone and their mom already watched every episode ten times, I urge you to give it an eleventh viewing, as it is most definitely worth it. I must add though I'm pretty happy I only just now got to know my girls as I feel like if I watched the series as an impressionable teenager I’d feel incomplete without moving to New York and having a close knit group of 4 friends, (me as the writer being the Carrie of the group of course) That being said, I’m free for brunch on Sunday, so which 3 friendless yet flawlessly dressed and uncontrollably sassy people want to join me?
1. Teen Wolf aka. The Guilty Pleasure
Of all the shows on my list, I feel like Teen Wolf is the one that needs no explanation as it is the most culturally relevant at the moment and honestly it is simply just REALLY FREAKING GOOD. The only show on this list that I'm actually willing to watch on a per week basis, Teen Wolf is the leader in the new breed of MTV shows that don't feel like MTV shows cause they're actually alarmingly good. I love Catfish (see number 3) but that is textbook MTV, TW on the other hand feels new and fresh and more CW than MTV, but it works and I want more.
Following the lives of Scott McCall (the titular 'Teen Wolf') and his friends in Beacon Hill, a Californian town crawling with super natural beings and really hot, fit, good-bodied teenagers, we are taken episode by episode on an exciting, dimly lit, slightly homo-erotic at times journey, complete with action, possibly fake but still pretty cool mythology, Stiles hilarity, awesome bromancing and at least one Lydia 'mad-gyal'* stare. The obvious stars of the shows are Stiles (who once again is hilarious and delightful in every way) and Lydia (who has the mad gyal look down pat) as acting wise they are leaps and bounds ahead of their co-stars but the whole cast is a pleasure to watch and pretty hot (and get progressively hotter season after season), so it's a fun time all around. While the first few episodes got by simply on the fact that the show was A LOT better than we all thought it was going to be, as the series progressed it has become good (dare I say SOOOO good) in its own right and so anyone who is a bit skeptical to give it a shot, really should just bite the bullet and give it a chance. I promise you won't be disappointed!
Also I'm sure no one else but me cares about this but in Teen Wolf unlike many other 'teen' centered shows you actually see the kids in a classroom and at school from time to time and not just at school dances *cough Vampire Diaries cough* or having group meetings in the bathroom *cough Pretty Little Liars cough* so I appreciate the authenticity. So all in all, Teen Wolf is the ultimate summer series, to watch alone or with a friend, and a guilty pleasure worth indulging, so get excited come Monday Nights this summer and tweet at me! We'll watch as a family!!!
So here is my list of top five summer series. What are you watching? Let me know in the comments!
And til next time, remember to : Live well. Chase dreams. And always howl at the moon.
-WerepupJeremy
*Mad gyal -(Noun)- Jamaican colloquialism for a girl who looks/acts crazy
0 comments