Nice work! You found the first easter egg 🥚
This is a Movies and Wine list so there is no place for TV shows… Except for here. I have included a few lesser known quality shows and then at the bottom I have my favorites in no particular order. Good luck finding the others.
Boss
This show only lasted two seasons but I think of it as the spiritual prequel to House of Cards. Kelsey Grammar really puts it all out there in his performance and the supporting cast of beautiful people are great as well. This show follows a Chicago mayor who is every bit as manipulative, power-hungry, and fun to watch as Frank Underwood. This show takes it up a notch when the main character receives a diagnosis leaving us unsure of whether what we see and hear is really there... Some good Chicago footage too!
Rotten Tomatoes (80%)
Pairs well with something brown in a rocks glass
Lie To Me
This is a little bit of a cheeseball show and requires some suspension of disbelief but is thoroughly entertaining. For fans of formulaic crime dramas like Law and Order this one is a little better written and has a more interesting angle than most. Basically the lead, Tim Roth, uses some questionable pseudopsychology to play a modern day Sherlock Holmes using body language. I wish it didn’t get cancelled too wtf!
Rotten Tomatoes (79%)
Pairs well with a gin martini
Skins
Definitely a guilty pleasure teenage drama show with drugs and debauchery with a british twist. It’s also fun seeing people like Dev Patel from Lion, Nicholas Hoult from Mad Max and X-Men, and Hannah Murray as Gilly from GOT get their start.
Rotten Tomatoes (83-100%)
Pairs well with WKD Vodka
Bonus: The End of the F***cking World - New Netflix show that’s a fun, f***cked up, romantic odyssey starring two weirdos who’s decisions keep taking them farther from home but closer to each other (and sanity?). Grab a significant other, schedule a Robe Day, and binge this whole thing in a day. It’s worth it. Rotten Tomatoes (98%)
Halt and Catch Fire
Now I am breaking one of my rules putting this on the list. I started watching this show with my roommate when we started a business years ago and can’t quite get myself to watch the new episodes… But I can guarantee you the first few seasons are electric, the characters are magnetic, and the thrill of watching the ‘next big thing’ are cultish in their appeal. Also great if your into the beginning of the PC era and Steve Jobs like figures. Great acting and killer Don Draper-like monologues!
Rotten Tomatoes (90%)
Cowboy Bebop
One of my buddies got me into this after pushing for a while. at first, I was turned off by the Anime stuff, but the cool jazz, and even cooler main character finally roped me in. This show oozes style and is best when it’s not taking itself too seriously. Its kind of like an animated firefly if Jamie Foxx was the pilot. Also, I think they’re going to come out with a live-action but it will definitely be terrible.
Rotten Tomatoes (100%)
Pairs well with
Embarrassing Bonus: Avatar: the Last Airbender - I first binge-watched this after a nasty concussion playing indoor soccer in college… Yes I’m trying to make excuses. Unfortunately, for those who haven’t seen the first Avatar it is undeniably good, and I will probably rewatch it eventually even when I am of sound mind. So, watch it in secret; Don’t tell anybody, but don’t deny yourself this little gem of a show. Also, Fuck You M. Knight Shamaland. Rotten Tomatoes (100%)
Ozark
Great show featuring Jason Bateman and incredible performances from his family members and the rough-around-the-edges locals from Ozark, MO. This show is basically Breaking Bad if instead of chemistry skills Walt was an accountant with a gift for laundering money.
Rotten Tomatoes (70%)
Pairs well with bud on a boat in a cooler
Atlanta
Incredible new show thats like nothing else on TV. Gives you a glimpse inside the mind of Donald Glover and the rap scene in Atlanta. LaKeith Stanfield’s character might be my favorite on TV right now.
“Ayo, homeboy hooked you up…He made you the lemon pepper joints, but these got the sauce on em…”
“Ohhh snap.. Lemon Pepper WET!?!”
Rotten Tomatoes (98%)
Pairs well with 40 Acres and a Moscow Mule
Boondocks
ONLY THE FIRST 3 SEASONS. This show is brilliant and produces moments of hilarious but deeply insightful satire. This show comes to mind after so many cultural events: After the R. Kelly documentary came out, how Trump and uncle ruckus would be great pen pals, but for some reason when situations are really tense I always think of what would happen if someone threw a chair.
Rotten Tomatoes (48%) maybe the most insulting RT score on this entire website…
Pairs well with Gin and Juice
List of Favorites - things to try
The Wire - Try Homicide (91%). I could only find it on Amazon but its David Simons first work.
West Wing - Try the Newsroom (59%). Great if you like Aaron Sorkin’s snappy dialogue, otherwise not so much
Game of Thrones - Try Westworld (86%) or American Gods (75%). Both do great world-building and have incredible visuals but start suffering from plot issues in the later seasons… just like GOT. Maybe stick with season 1 for both.
Sopranos - Try Deadwood (95%) or Breaking Bad (96%). Deadwood has one character who almost matches James Gandolfini’s presence and makes the show. Breaking bad everyone knows but watch it.
30 Rock - Parks and Recreation - the Office - all tied, all equally bingeable. Try Community (88%) and Brooklyn Nine-nine (97%) but give them at least 4 episodes before passing judgement.
True Detective Season 1 - Try season 3 of True Detective and let us never speak about season 2 ever again.
Simpsons Seasons 2-6 - Helped influence a decade of TV and American culture. Try Bojack Horseman (92%) and Bob’s Burgers (90%). Bojack has some of the cleverest writing on TV and Bob’s Burgers is a goofy good time.
Black Mirror - Try Maniac (83%) and Legion (90%). Both are a trippy good time with insane visuals and a wild plot.
