I thought I'd do a blog post on the television shows I've watched on the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime. We've watched ALOT of television during lockdown. Oddly enough, we haven't been watching actual TV which some might find strange. None of this is in any particular order. I will update this regularly with new TV shows we've watched or finished.
WARNING INCLUDES MANY SPOILERS
1) Once Upon a Time
Available on: Netflix (certain countries) and Disney+
My friend Alison had recommended Once upon a time to me and even let me borrow her DVD of season 1. I got stuck into watching it in 2016 when I was signed off work for two weeks sick. I had more time to binge watch it when I quit that job and was unemployed for a few weeks. I quickly became addicted to Once. I managed to get myself caught up before the next season dropped. I loved the characters and storylines. It was right up my street. However, I wasn't the biggest fan of season 7, especially Rapunzel's storyline. She's my favourite Disney princess and Tangled is my favourite Disney movie. In my opinion, they ruined her storyline. Where was Flynn Ryder? I was lucky enough to attend two Once comic cons. Storybrooke3 in Blackpool and Enchanted1 in Birmingham where I got meet a lot of the cast. Sadly, I didn't get to attend any others due to lack of money. I've rewatched it a few times since. I tend to rewatching the musical episode from season 6 a lot as I adore the songs in it, especially Hook's song.
2) Lost
Available on: Amazon Prime and Star/Disney+
I remember watching an episode of Lost with my Dad, many moons ago when it was first aired. I think it gave me nightmares for some reason. I always remember Hugo. Simon has the box set of Lost so we got stuck into watching it together. It was a very interesting concept, although it was very confusing at times. I did find it hard to follow at times. I did feel that there were far too many un-necessary deaths and people were a bit too trigger happy for my liking. I did notice a lot of the ONCE cast popping up but then again the writers of Once, worked on Lost. Would I watch it again? Probably at some stage.
Lana Parilla and Rebecca Mader both appeared in Lost and Once. (Greta and Charlotte)
3) How I met Your Mother?
Available on: Netflix and Star/Disney+
How I met your mother was our light hearted program of choice when we were watching Lost but couldn't manage an episode of it. With Lost you can't even blink without missing something important. HIMYM, was easier to watch with shorter episodes. At first, I enjoyed it but as the seasons went on, I found it got quite boring. The storylines appeared to drag on. I didn't like the fact they killed Ted's wife and his children's actual mother off to put Ted and Robyn together. I don't think I could watch it again but at the time it was good when we were too tired to watch Lost.
4) Stranger Things
Available on: Netflix
Stranger Things would not be something I would choose to watch myself but Simon suggested we give it a go. I had seen a lot on social media about it so thought I'd try it. I don't like shows that are scary or gory. I definitely had to watch from behind a cushion a few times. I didn't like the demidogs or the gory parts to it. It's not really my cup of tea and I wouldn't watch it again. I think the young cast are very talented though. I did think season 4 was very good.
5) Grey's Anatomy
Available on: Amazon Prime and Star/Disney+ (Seasons 1-19)
Grey's Anatomy is probably my second favourite program after ONCE. I used to watch Casualty and Holby City when I was young, so I was used to hospital dramas. Grey's was/is sexier if that makes sense. I really enjoythe storylines, the love stories and the drama. One of the episodes that will forever stick in my mind, is the shooting episode at the finale of season 6 where the husband of a dead patient, goes on a shooting spree of the hospital looking for revenge. He ends up killing Reed and Charles Percy and injuring many others. The musical episode with Callie's car crash sticks in my head too, as does the plane crash episodes where Mark and Lexi die. I recently introduced Grey's to my sister Vera and I think I've got her hooked. I love that new episodes are added on Disney+ weekly. I have started rewatching again since being on maternity leave. Think Isaac is a fan too lol.
6) The Witcher
Available on: Netflix
I'm going to be completely honest here, I was not a fan of The Witcher. It had that Game of Thrones vibe about it, not that I've watched Game of Thrones. I don't really like medieval type shows. The Witcher was gory with a lot of sword fighting and killing, a bit too much for my liking. There was wars and a lot of death and magic. Although I wasn't a fan at the beginning, I did enjoy season 3. Season 4 is out end of June which should be interesting. I will miss Henry as the Witcher tho as he won't be back for season 5.
7) Atypical
Available on: Netflix
Atypical was a different sort of show for us. It was about a teenage lad with Autism. I thought it was quite good, though the show went off his story at times and focused on his cheating Mum. His Mother was rather annoying. His younger sister was quite an interesting Character. I did find it quite bland at times but we did finally finish the series. It was easy to watch.
8) You
Available on: Netflix
You season one was interesting, if not creepy AF. Who wouldn't be creeped out about a stalker? Joe is one creepy mother fecker. I haven't had the guts to watch the rest of the series and I don't think I want to watch it after what I've heard about it.
9) Orphan Black
Available on: Netflix
Orphan Black had a really cool concept of clones. I thought Tatiana's acting as all the clones was fantastic. I kind of forgot it was the same person playing them all. There were a lot of deaths though but then again I like stories with happy endings. Simon stopped watching so I watched the last season on my own. I did enjoy it but I did find parts of it a bit repetitive at times. I think they ended the series on a high rather than dragging it on for many more seasons.
10) This Is Us
Available on: Amazon Prime
Simon and I started watching This is Us and were enjoying it and the stories. Mandy Moore voiced Rapunzel and I like her as Rebecca in the flash backs but in present day, not so much. Some episodes dragged on a little bit which is probably why we stopped watching it for a while. We started watching it again at the end of December and were hooked on it and found some of the episodes really hard hitting. At the time of writing this, we've finally finished it. I liked how they fitted covid into the storylines as they filmed during the pandemic. They also brought black lives matter into the stories too. I did find the jumping back and forth timelines annoying.
11) Station 19
Available on: Amazon Prime/ Disney+
Station 19 is the sister program of Grey's Anatomy which features around the fire station in Seattle. Ben Warren, Miranda Bailey's husband, is one of the fire fighters in the show. It was recently added to Disney+, with episodes added weekly. They often do huge crossover events with Grey's. LIke GREY'S, it covered covid19 and how it affected all first responders/front line workers. I used to watch a program called London's Burning when I was little despite fire being one of my biggest fears. I like that Station19 isn't hardcore and brutal but still hits the spot with action and story. I love it's fierce female characters too.
12) Modern Family
Available on: Netflix, Star/Disney+ and Amazon Prime
Modern Family was kind of like our new version of How I Met Your mother but much easier to watch. The episodes are only short and easy to watch. I love that it revolves around the 3 households but they are all family. Cameron does annoy me at times though with his over reacting to everything and him getting easily offended. I do find him really petty at times. I loved when they went to Disneyland in one of the episodes. We finally finished the series but I did find some of the episodes boring and had it on as background noise. I began to find some of the characters annoying.
13) Brooklyn 99
Available on: Netflix
Brooklyn 99 is another of our light hearted programs we'd watch after a long day or if we're too tired to get invested in something more serious. I really enjoyed watching it and the banter amongst the characters. I also loved the fact the Captain Raymond Holt was black and gay. Season 6 seemed to touch on some more serious issues. I always remember the episode where Terry had gone outside to look for his child's toy and got arrested by police just because he was black. The last season has finally dropped on Netflix and we've watched a few episodes. I like how they've incorporated Black lives matter and covid into the show without making it too serious.
14) Lucifer
Available on: Amazon Prime and Netflix
We only started watching Lucifer recently after Simon's Mum recommended it to us. I loved the first episode so we got stuck into watching the rest. Lucifer had been cancelled after a few seasons before Netflix picked it up and took it over. Tom Ellis is fantastic as Lucifer (fact: he appeared as Robin Hood in one episode of ONCE). I love his cocky, charming personality but the fact he's kind of tortured too. I love his relationship with the detective too. I'm a bit sceptical of the musical episode as it could turn out cringe which it was. I wasn't a fan of the last season. I adore Ella too. I can imagine being best pals with her.
15) Sex Education
Available On: Netflix
Sex Education is a very random show. I don't really get the 60s kind of costumes and décor when the characters have laptops and modern mobile phones. I did enjoy it though and it's quirks. There were some serious storylines too with people dealing with their sexuality, religion, sex and even sexual assault. I thought season 3 was very good. If it comes back for another season it'll be interesting as some of the main cast have left.
16) After Life
Available On: Netflix
Honestly, I found this show very bland and that is coming from someone who lost both their Mum and brother within the space of two years. I get that it's a man's story about loosing his wife but the other characters are annoying and don't make the show easy to watch. The psychiatrist is one of the most annoying and vulgar characters on TV. I found him absolutely vile. The other characters aren't very funny and their humour seems forced and is often cringe-worthy.
17) TaskMaster
Available On: More 4
Taskmaster was actually pretty good. I didn't know half the contestants though who appeared on it. I found the tasks very amusing and the humour was pretty good. When a new series comes out, I'm worried about not enjoying it or liking the celebs on it but I usually warm to them after a few episodes.
18) Sherlock
Available on: Netflix
Sherlock was a bit overrated in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, Benedict is awesome but he confused the heck out of me at times. The TV show was much better than the movies though. I'm glad it only lasted three seasons so they didn't drag everything out.
19) Community
Available on: Netflix
Community started out as good and fun but it got a bit repetitive after a while. I found there wasn't the biggest amount of character development. I found the characters to get a bit annoying after a while, especially after Troy left. I think it ended at the right time. I sort of lost interest near the end. Will there be a movie?
20) 13 Reasons Why
Available on: Netflix
We decided to watch 13 Reasons Why after I saw everyone on social media going on about it. The first season was brilliant and I liked that it was Hannah's story and what led to her death. Season 2 was the fallout of that, where her Mother took the school to court and hearing the other character's accounts of what happened to Hannah. Teenagers can be absolutely horrible to each other in school. Season 3 was a bit of a failure in my opinion. Bryce had it coming to it though but it just didn't pull me in like the first 2 seasons did. Season 4, however pulled me right back in again. This time it was all about Clay and his mental breakdown and the death of much loved Justin. I like it ended with everyone graduating and hoping to move on.
21) Battlestar Galactical
Available on: DVD boxset
Simon started me watching it when we moved into our new house in October 2020. I wasn't sure what I'd think about it, though I have watched Star Wars and Star Trek before. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed it. At first I didn't like Starbuck but now I think she's a total badass. Also, Tricia Helfer aka a cylon is pretty hot. Though she does get hotter in Lucifer. The finale of Season 1 (I think) where Adama gets shot and the cylons attack Battlestar was really hard to watch as it was just dead bodies everywhere. I enjoyed this far more than I thought we would and I was completely hooked on it. In the episodes were Tom and Felix start fighting against Adama was so hard to watch and I was shouting swear words at the television. I definitely cried at the end when Laura died and they found their new home. It was very intense at times. I was gutted when it came to an end but I felt the scene with Caprica and Balter in New York was unnecessary. I really hope they don't do a reboot.
22) Band of Brothers
I am not a fan of war themed shows and films. I think Shindler's List put me off war programs for life. Simon suggested Band of Brothers as he had the DVD box set of it. I decided to give it a chance as long as there wasn't a lot of gore involved. It honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be and I liked that it was based on a true story. Yes, it was hard to watch at times due to severity of the war and seeing characters getting killed off so brutally. It was good to see so many familiar faces in the cast like Eion Bailey who played August in Once.
23) The Office (USA version)
Available on: Netflix
Simon and I started watching the American version of The Office but I really didn't like season one. Simon kept telling me it would get better in season 2 but I hadn't high hopes for it. I just didn't find it funny. If anything, I found it annoying. The UK version was terrible too as I don't like Ricky Gervais at all. He's very annoying. Season 2 of The Office was much easier to watch. When we got a new TV in our bedroom, we'd get into bed and watch several episodes of it. Simon and I finished watching it and I'm kind of gutted. I did enjoy it and loved seeing Pam and Jim get together. I was always rooting for them. Michael really annoyed me at times but I was gutted when he left. The last episode was lovely though and good to see Michael back again.
24) 9-1-1
Available On: Star on Disney+
9-1-1 was recommended to me by my friend Michelle. 911 is mainly about a Fire station in LA but is mainly based on first responders being called to a wide range of accidents, some of which are a bit crazy. I really enjoy it and getting to know the characters. Some episodes really pulled me in but sometimes I felt it lacked the big drama that I got with Grey's until the Tsunami episodes. I adore all of the cast and main characters. Fox has just recently cancelled it (April 2023) but thankfully ABC has picked it up for season 7.
25) Sense8
Available on: Netflix
Sense8 is a Netflix original series that features Sayid from Lost (Naveen Andrews) and Freema Agyeman from Dr Who and New Amsterdam. It's a very strange concept of 8 people living in different parts of the world who are connected and can help each other out. It's quite dark with a lot of fighting and killing. The babies being born scenes were a bit too much for my liking (think one born every minute). I love that the characters are from different backgrounds and countries. The movie was very good and gripping. I enjoyed it but wouldn't watch it again.
26) New Amsterdam
Available on: Amazon Prime
Another medical drama. We started this after Simon gave up on Greys and at first I found it hard to get into. It felt very different to Grey's. We stopped watching after three episodes then started again the summer of 2020 when we moved into Dad's and we were hooked. I like that it's different than Grey's. I had high hopes for the episode where they cover Covid and the montage was well done but they went back to *normal* too quick. They were supposed to do a pandemic episode at the end of season 2 covering Influenza but scrapped that once covid struck. We have stopped watching again as it got a bit repetitive with Max having to fix something all the time. There's no big dramas. It has been cancelled but we still have some left to watch.
27) 24
Available on Disney+
24 is a show that came out in 2005 I believe. It's set around the CTU (counter terriost unit) in LA who try to take down the bad guys. Sometimes I found myself hooked and other times, I hated it. Too many deaths for my liking. Jack is a good main character who always tries to do the right thing, regardless of the personal loss. We had started the season where the CTU has gone but stopped once Isaac was born.
28) 9-1-1 Lonestar
Available on Disney+
9-1-1 Lonestar is the sister show to 9-1-1 and is just finished season 4. It's set around a firehouse in Texas which gets rebuilt by Owen Straid with a bunch of colourful characters. Just like 9-1-1 the team respond to a wide range of various accidents as well as dealing with personal problems. I binge watched it recently while on maternity leave. Tarlos (TK and Carlos) are firm fan favourites.
29) The Rookie
Available on Now TV
Simon had heard about The Rookie after seeing a video of Daddy cop on YouTube about Nathan Fillions character, John Nolan. We decided to give it a go though there was a risk we wouldn't get piece with our tiny human. I loved it and it was nice to have something new to watch. It has the good mix of comedy and seriousness with a strong bunch of likable characters. At the time of writing this, Simon and I have just finished season 4 so have 1 season left. However I've been naughty and found out all about Chenford (Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford) I'm a sucker for a good love story and fell far down the Chenford rabbit hole. I'm so excited to watch their relationship in season 5 and to see what happens when season 6 finally starts filming (the writers are currently on strike). With all that has been happening in America with white cops, it's refreshing to have likable, good guys like John Nolan and Tim Bradford.
I probably will find more programs to watch but I always find it strange starting something new and trying to get stuck into a new story.
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