For my first post here since October 3rd (Sorry!!), I've decided to do something with this perverted sickness I suffer---binge-watching TV shows on Netflix!
For a year or so (though some date from earlier), I've watched a total of 34 TV shows---all dating from this century!
Sixteen of those either lasted just 1 season, or that's all I chose to watch!
The number of seasons a show lasted (or that I watched) made rating ALL 34 shows problematic!
I thought it unfair to pit a one-season-wonder against a show that lasted several seasons!
Then there's the number of episodes per season.
Some had as few as 10, while some averaged 20 or more per season!
Also, some shows had episodes lasting 30 minutes or so, while others went 45 to 60 minutes each episode!
The following lists are mine, and mine alone!
These are MY opinions!
Yours may---and probably will--be entirely different!
For example, I didn't watch even ONE episode of Breaking Bad or The Sopranos, two iconic shows EVERYONE watched---except me!
I made THREE lists!
One for those ONE season shows.
Another for shows that lasted TWO or THREE years.
Then the last for shows that went on from FOUR to SEVEN years!!
I'll present each list in inverse order!
Hope you enjoy this---and maybe you'll decide to watch some of these, inspired by this post!
ONE Season (16 shows)
16. Slasher (Kind of easy to rate a show "last" when you can't even remember anything about it! Must have been OK, though, since I watched the whole season!
15. American Housewife (Did NOT watch a whole season--just 4 episodes! The "housewife' was so whiny & bitchy, I couldn't watch anymore!
14. Better Things (I LOVED Pamela Adlon in Californication!! But, while her 3 daughters were adorable, and 1 or 2 cameos were interesting, a show can't depend on one actress's strengths, no matter how endearing!)
13. Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic (This is essentially a tie with the next show listed! Ms Silverman is an acquired taste--and I chose to NOT acquire future years of her show! While some might label her the "female Lenny Bruce", I found it difficult to sit through all the racist and sexist "jokes". Sad to say, however, that I actually LAUGHED at most of them!!)
12. The Sarah Silverman Program: First Season (See above!)
11. This Is Us (This show had REAL possibilities!! But after its pilot episode, confusion set in! The back-and-forth between the present and the past became too much for me to keep track of. I loved the character of the dying father! And the relationship of the obese couple! But joined together, they became lost in the plot lines!)
10. Aquarius (I saw this AFTER watching the brilliant Californication--all 7 years of it!! So I'd become a fan of David Duchovny as slovenly sex-crazed foul-mouthed Hank Moody! The whole Charles Manson thing was fascinating--as I'm a person who still remembers the 60's with fondness--but even that couldn't overcome the alterations in Duchovny's appearance, demeanor, and everything else! Besides, I HATE Manson. Why make a show showing any form of "humanity" in him?)
9. Life's a Tripp (I was, and to some degree, remain a fan of Sarah Palin! Shoot me! But I'm able to separate her politics from HER! Seen as a PERSON, Sarah is a fascinating character! So is her family--3 daughters, 2 sons, a few grandkids, Mom & Pop! Two of them--Bristol and Willow--are featured in this show, with cameos from Sarah, Todd, and some others! Take this show as a look at the lives of a celebrity's kids! You can exchange them for ANY set of a famous person's children! But maybe you just GOTTA like the Mother!!)
8. Search Party (This is another show that I've pretty much forgotten the plot, characters, and the show itself! But I DO recall being embraced by the suspense, the drama, the realism factor, and maybe the attractiveness of the lead actress!! Give it a shot! I think I will---again!!)
7. Easy (This--and the show following--was about SEX! And how sex makes--or breaks--a relationship! I remember it as funny, dramatic, and with scripts you could believe! Of course, nudity helped!)
6. Love (This and the above show can be laced together, even though they're NOT at all connected! Again, sex, and its role in relationships based on and formed from love, plays a large role! Cast nudity as a frequent guest star!!)
5. Scandal (I LOVED this show's first few episodes! Such a STRONG---and even PERFECT---lead woman character!! Then I saw this same "perfection" (beauty, smarts, always a winner) as "breath-taking". As in--literally--breath TAKING!! No woman---or person--is THAT perfect! It took too long for me to find the flaws in her! I enjoyed the character of the President! One more thing--the woman introduced in the pilot got lost in the shuffle--until it got so late in the game, I didn't really care about her anymore! Too bad--I liked her!!)
4. Tell Me You Love Me (I admit it! I found this show by googling "TV shows with REAL sex"!! Of course, there's still a question as to whether REAL sex REALLY happened here! I for one doubt it! Whatever the case, this had good scripts about 3 couples and their interactions with a female shrink--played exquisitely by Jane Alexander, one of my favorite actresses!! Too bad it went just 1 season!)
3. Sarah Palin's Alaska (See my comments about the other Palin show--Life's a Tripp. But this one isn't whiny in any teenage-ish way--like "Tripp". Taped in 2010--when Sarah still held some gravitas as a recent VP candidate and Governor--this follows Sarah and family around her beloved state! While some episodes--the log-sawing on Kodiak, and the hike up Mt McKinley--were a bit too "staged", I enjoyed the series as a whole---and NOT solely because of Sarah! Her youngest daughter--Piper, then 9--is featured quite a bit--and she's adorable! But maybe the best feature of this show was ALASKA!! What a gorgeous state!!)
2. Pitch (PLEASE, let the 2nd season begin!! The first female in Major League Baseball--the female Jackie Robinson--in a way! It scored from the very first shot in the pilot episode! And found the middle of the strike zone with every "pitch"!! The baseball scenes were as realistic as could be--filmed inside the San Diego Padres home stadium!! But the locker room scenes--but, awwww, no nude shower scenes!!--were just as good, and maybe realistic too!! An excellent show, in all aspects!)
1. Commander-In-Chief (Made for the 2005-2006 season, this was supposedly based on Hillary Clinton! I saw this "live"--in its original showing on TV---then later in DVD form! When I first saw it, I didn't know about Sarah Palin! But when I saw the DVD, it was post-Palin as VP candidate---and potential President! So I watched it THEN with Sarah, NOT Hillary, in mind! So, impressed as I was by "Mac's" strength, decisiveness, genuine humaneness, and overall Presidential demeanor, I saw this as being supportive of Sarah Palin being our President! But whether you apply a known woman to Geena Davis's brilliant performance, or see "Mac" as a prototype for a generic First Female President, doesn't really matter. It's a well-done show that SHOULD have been given a 2nd season!!)
TWO or THREE Seasons (13 shows)
13. Starting from....NOW! (Sorry, but can't recall what this was about! Although I believe it was one of those series that went out on You Tube, not on TV! I think it had to do with lesbian life, as that subject holds my interest! I may check it out again!)
ADDED NOTE (Feb 23rd) I watched this entire series again yesterday--after posting this! It IS about lesbians, and IS on You Tube! But it went for 6 seasons, not 2 or 3! However, because each season's episode count was SIX, and each episode lasted less than 10 minutes, I watched ALL of them in one day! It's good, with good acting, and in a future rating like this, will probably move UP a couple of places! It's from Australia!
12. Blue (Ditto here! It was a You Tube series that went 3 seasons, and I watched all of it! They were brief episodes--maybe 8-12 minutes each--as I recall! Also about lesbians!)
ADDED NOTE (Feb 23rd) I did NOT watch this one again, but I DID research it, and now I remember what it was about! NOT about lesbians, but about a single mom of a 12 year old son, who sides as a high-end call girl to help pay bills--as she has another job! It's a drama. I would probably leave it right here in a future rating!
11. Orange is the New Black (Why isn't this iconic show rated higher? Just too "crazy" for me---and my using that word also references one of the leading character's names--as in "Crazy Eyes". Some scenes were good, but as a whole, too much crazy!!)
10. Satisfaction (Basically the British version of "The L Word", the 3 seasons were good, with the requisite sex scenes, and the interlocking of relationships. But after seeing "The L Word", I've lowered my estimation of this show! It's not bad--just not up to the other's standards! Also, it's NOT available on DVD's that work in the United States! That's a big flaw, IMO!)
9. Bliss (This was the earliest 21st century series I remember watching! Filmed in Canada--thus being more liberal with its nudity and sex scenes--though NOT as much as would happen later on other shows!!--this one had different characters and plots on each episode! No thread running through them. Not bad for its time!)
8. Lip Service (Here's yet another series---about lesbians?!--that I've lost touch with! Maybe too like "The L Word", but in a much less controversial way! Another series I may give one more shot!)
7. Wentworth--or Wentworth Prison (An Australian OITNB, but critics all say is far better, and much more realistic! Extremely tough, gritty, no-holds-barred attack on your senses, this features Bea Smith, a smart-ass lesbo who confronts, and defeats the prison's "Boss Lady" in the first season, then becomes her over the next two seasons! There's also the :Governor"--read Warden!--who gives Bea a run for her money! Death, sex, drugs, babies, rape--it's all here! You've been warned!!)
6. Cedar Cove (A genteel Lifetime Movie sensibility smothers this fine show--to its advantage!! Starring the adorably sexy Andie MacDowell as the Judge, this has all the tools for a sunshiny, all's well, touchy-feely series! There IS a villain, of course! But he gets what he deserves in the end! I just wish he'd been sent packing much earlier!! HATED the asshole!! The grizzled restaurant owner was GREAT!! A show MADE for Valentine's Day!!)
5. Grace and Frankie (My rating is based on its first two seasons! I LOVED Jane Fonda as a hippie mother in the movie "Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding"! So it was a bit much seeing her transform into Grace, a posh, snobby, elderly matron in "G & F". But after that initial shock, I loved her character! Frankie's immersion in all things mystical wasn't as pretty! Loved seeing Old Farts Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston KISSING and playing gays to the hilt!! The "kids" all were good, and added much to the show! Scripts maybe TOO scripted, still a great show!!)
4. Rita (Another show NOT available on US DVD's!! A Swedish show, it featured "Rita", a teacher of grades 4 & 9 in a fairly small school. She's having an affair with the Principal, while juggling a single mom home life and her immense popularity with her students! Why aren't great "foreign: shows made more easily available to US audiences?? Luckily, I found all 3 seasons on Netflix!! There's another series that features one of the characters from "Rita", which I don't care for! "Rita" was too in your face to enjoy someone else in the same school!)
3. Madam Secretary (The first season covered the story of the death of the former-Secretary of State--whom Tea Leone's "Elizabeth McCord" replaced! Leone's only flaw is that she hasn't aged!! Still as sexy as she was in "The Family Man" and other movies, it was hard to see her in as important a role as Secretary of State!! I hope that doesn't sound sexist, because I don't think a person's attractiveness should determine their political status! Think Abraham Lincoln!! Also, I wish they'd featured daughter "Stevie" more! And I liked the relationship between the speechwriter and Press Secretary in the first season! Still, I'm hooked!!)
2. Life Unexpected (Why was this show cancelled after just 2 seasons? Beautifully scripted, plotted, and acted, I truly LOVED this show! Showing life inside a radio station is novel. I live near Seattle, where they have a morning male-female duo! This show takes place in Portland, so its sensibilities are pretty similar to what I'd imagine the show being based in Seattle would be!! Follows the thread of a teen girl searching for--and finding--her birth parents, after many years in various foster homes! I sought out this show AFTER having seen my Number One-rated show--which is next!)
1. The Fosters (I'm now watching its 4th--and final--season! But this rating is based solely on its first 3 seasons! "Callie" is released from "Juvie"--or Juvenile Detention--into the care of lesbian foster parents Stef and Lena--a police officer and school vice-principal! They already foster care for latino twins--a boy and girl--and their own child, the prodigal pianist Brandon! Callie brings in her younger brother--a kid just itching to "out" himself as the gay he seems to be! The ONLY flaw is with the seriousness the kids take and see life! Don't they ever soften their "edge" just a little?? Jeez!! But that notwithstanding, I absolutely LOVE this show!! I've seen the first few episodes of its final season. Hint: they are DYNAMITE!!!)
FOUR to SEVEN Seasons (5 shows)
5. Girls (Let me tell you, all five of these shows could get top-rating--all deservedly! But since this is MY rating, Girls falls to the "bottom" of this list!! While Lena Dunham as Lena Dunham might be truly lovable, I don't see her character as such! It's not her weight, or her tattoos, or her being so obnoxious! In fact, I don't know what it is--but she just GRINDS on me!! My fave character is that of the British world traveler! Never a huge fan of Adam Driver either! But I'm willing to see Season Five, which has already begun!)
4. Masters of Sex (Based on the true story of Virginia Johnson and Bill Masters, sex gurus of the 50's and 60's, this goes off on tangential--and inherently false--incidents in their lives, historically documented in various books! But as a "show", it works! The acting is brilliant! There's drama, love, humor, nudity, and of course, SEX!! In every sub-strata imaginable!! In and of every human orifice and fetish! Also, and this is important, they deal with historic moments in a memorable and realistic manner! Just sit back and enjoy the ride!!)
3. Switched at Birth (If they'd stopped after the first 2 episodes, I might have rated this higher! As with The Fosters, the kids here take life way too seriously!! I was a teenager once--long ago and far away!--and I don't recall all this angst and drama! If you get past that, this show about two sets of parents---one rich, one not---who accidentally take home each other's babies from the hospital--is excellent!! "Daphne" has been deaf from age 3, while "Bay" is a hip artist-rebel! The fact that they each wind up being "promiscuous" is a bit problematic for me! Daphne seemed too GOOD for that! Her transformation becomes less believable because of that! Loved the signing!! Has REAL deaf actors!! Now in its 4th season--and still excellent!)
2. The L Word (This was my latest "binge-watch"!! I sat still for all it's 6 seasons of hour-long episodes--not wanting it to end!! I held off seeing this show because I had the---wrong!!--image of its being like "Sex and the City"--i.e. pretentious, elitist, Danielle Steel novels brought to life! How far OFF was this show!! Locked in from its pilot episode on, I was enthralled--and made horny!!--watching these ladies fuck each other senseless--in bare-all scenes--in EVERY episode!! A blogger counted 97 such sex scenes in its 6 year run!! You can even forget they're lesbians! Their stories are universally HUMAN!! Love, death, compassion, sex, desire, loss! The ULTIMATE lesbian show!! Only possible BETTER show would have to include ALL the ingredients that made this the BEST---PLUS include porn-style sex scenes!! Is anyone brave enough?? And talented enough??)
1. Californication (What a PERFECT title! This show's 7 seasons had a central theme--the love affair of Hank Moody and Karen. They were lovers in NYC, then moved with 12 year old daughter Becca to Venice CA! Hank's a writer with a BFF-agent, while Karen still loves Hank, but can't BE with him!! Karen's set to marry Dull Bill, whose 16 year old HOTTIE daughter Mia, Hank soon takes to bed!! Oh my!! From there, the shows evolves through all the ups and downs, ins and outs of Hank and Karen's relationship!! Becca, however, becomes MY favorite character!! About the same time when I first watched this show, I got turned on to Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett! Compare their faces--and hair styles! Don't they seem almost TWINS?? Not to mention that Becca's also a singer-songwriter!! Hank's agent and his wife--played by Pamela Adlon!--are GREAT, and add much to my liking the show! There's TONS of nudity and sex scenes, plus 1000's of STRONG cuss words--so beware!! Spoiler alert!! This one has a HAPPY ending!!)
Apologies for the length!
Hope you enjoyed reading it, and wish you'll try some of these shows yourself!!
Let me know what YOU think!!
