Recent TV Show Binges #3

1. Good Omens

(available on Amazon Prime)

It kind of feels like the whole of the internet has binged this series, and then consequently fallen in love with a demon and an angel. And I being unoriginal, have done the same. I unfortunately haven't read 'Good Omens' yet but I hope to now I've seen the TV show because oh my god this was great.

The show centres on a demon, Crawley, and an angel, Aziraphale, names which you may recognise if you're a Christian, or if you're obsessed with Supernatural - kinda weird to be addressing you together like this. The two of them both fight for different sides, Heaven and Hell, and try to ensure either good or bad is the main influence on the human race. Throughout their centuries on Earth however, they have struck up a wonderful friendship and have been committed companions. When they hear Armageddon is coming, the two work together to try and put a stop to it and save their home, Earth.

 This series somehow perfectly managed to encapsulate a great story, world-building and characters all in six episodes without feeling like anything was sacrificed or underdeveloped - if you struggle with that in your writing watch this! The show is riveting despite the number of characters and subplots taking place all at once, but all are fleshed out and there is no scene that has you reaching for the remote to skip. It's a great show and super easy to watch and follow.

2. Brooklyn Nine-Nine

(available on UK Netflix, and re-runs on E4)

My god how did I ever survive without this? This show is a masterclass in future comedy, it manages to be heart-warming and relevant and tell some great stories without sacrificing any comedy with stereotypes.

The show centres around the 99th precinct in, you guessed it, Brooklyn. It follows a great cast of characters that work that work in the precinct, including detectives, captains and others. The show mainly focuses on these characters interactions with each other and their relationships with all their widly differing personalities, but also on their cases and the situations they find themselves in because of their jobs. It's a crappy summary and synopsis but I swear it's amazing.

There are so many characters in this that could have been written as funny because they're gay, or a minority in some way, but they're not funny because of that but because of who they are - and that's so refreshing. All the characters in this are lovable and fully-fledged, and all have their own flaws the writer don't shy away, and their own character arcs that you can get easily invested in. It's a wonderful show, and as a Brit, I can't believe I'm recommending a American sitcom but this one, almost unbelievably, is not shit? And who can forget the great lines this show has given us?

3. Avatar: The Last Airbender

(Avaliable on Amazon Prime)

No one better come at me for liking this show. Because of my god this is a masterclass for anyone involved in writing for a TV show. I can't believe this was a kid's show, because whilst sometimes the kid humour falls a little flat, the rest of this is incredible. It's almost wasted on kids to be honest, because let me tell you 8 year old me did not appreciate this enough.

The story follows young Aang, the most recent incarnation of a human called The Avatar. The Avatar's destiny in all their lives is to be the only person to learn how to bend all four elements (water, fire, earth and air) and keep balance and peace within the world. Aang has been missing for 100 years, and in that time a war has fallen across the lands, and resulted in the Fire Nation colonising nearly all of The Earth Kingdom and committing genocide with the Earth Nomads. The show focuses on Aang's return to the world, and his journey and adventures with a great group of friends to bring peace back to the world.

That as premises go, is a pretty strong one; and luckily enough for us the writers knew what to do with it. The show is full of great characters and stories that are no only entertaining but are sad and memorable - they really stay with you. No character arc is sacrificed for the story or comedy, and they are lovable despite the fact their flaws are explored. Not only that, the world in this show is fascinating and is built upon so well.

4. The Good Place 

(Available on Netflix)

Holy forking shirtballs, The Good Place. Other than Brooklyn Nine-Nine, this is clearly the best sitcom on American TV right now; which is sad because it's last season is airing this September unfortunately. Whilst this show has three seasons available right now, and the last - a fourth on it's way, I still highly recommend this show.

The show centres around four characters and what happens after they die, and go to what's called 'The Good Place'. However Eleanor, our protagonist, wasn't such a great person in her life back on Earth and so the series centres on her navigating through the afterlife in secret, and in fear of being found out as not belonging there.

It sounds like such a silly idea, but it's funny, brilliant and honestly deep; it shows a lot of compassion and heart. It somehow manages to deal with so many problems with our modern day world whilst still being light and fun, with great characters and plots. It strikes a great balance in a sitcom, it fully explores the situation of the characters and how they got there without sacrificing any comedy. It's just a great and beautiful mix of so many different components, and you can tell the show creators really planned this and they know what they're doing.