Hey my Gays. Do you all realize how lucky we are to have so many great quality shows to watch? It honestly feels like the new normal is feeling like you have so many choices of what to watch and not enough time to watch ’em all.
It doesn’t seem like that long ago that we all watched the same TV shows because we didn’t have a lot of options. We spent hours watching mediocre television just because it was on one of the channels we had. I’m gonna make some enemies here, but I’m talking to you, Seinfeld and Everybody Loves Raymond.
Baywatch, Glee and the CSI’s, all had a few good episodes or seasons before petering out and becoming meh. Smallville and Supernatural were two of my favorites, but they both just ran for far too long. And, as a fanboy, I would watch every single episode out of loyalty then hate myself for wasting my time on such poorly written and repetitive bullshit.
Don’t get me started on The Walking Dead and its spinoffs! We would be here for weeks, and my blood pressure would kill me.
That brings me to why I think we are living in the best time of television. (I say television but y’all know I mean cable, streaming or wherever you watch your shows.)
I love that we are getting so many great shows that are one-and-done. I prefer a show to have a clear beginning, a middle and a great ending. Let that show come to the ending the writer or creator wanted instead of keeping it going for years because it was making a shit ton of money — which inevitably leads to the quality of the storytelling being watered down and forced.
Some of my favorite one-and-done series are Baby Reindeer, Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House, Queen’s Gambit, Chernobyl, The Act, Under the Banner of Heaven, Rachet, The Horror of Dolores Roach, American Primeval and Years and Years. Yes, it would have been cool to see more of some of these characters and their stories, but I’d rather they leave me wanting more than hanging around until I’m sick of them.
Then there are the series that I am pissed we didn’t get more of — series that had so much more to give, but the asshole powers-that-be felt the show wasn’t enough of a cash cow to keep milking, so they cancelled it after one great season.
Lovecraft Country deserved better. The show was amazing. One episode felt part “Indiana Jones meets The Goonies”; one episode was a hardcore haunted house story; some episodes felt like a historical documentary that made me want to learn more about our country’s horrible history that we were not taught in school. It had ghosts, monsters, time travel and alternate dimensions.
If you haven’t watched Lovecraft Country, do it and thank me later.
The HBO series Watchmen was another one I wanted more from, but at least it had a proper ending that wrapped up the season in a fairly satisfying way.
The fact that the last two series I mentioned that I wanted more of, that the world wanted more of, had a majority black lead cast is not lost on me. HBO should be ashamed.
Furious on Hulu is great and has been picked up for a second season. Welcome to Derry! — You know I had to mention that one. So fucking good. The Pitt, Pluribus, House of the Dragon, Alien: Earth and Widow’s Bay — I cannot wait for those to return. Ted Lasso, Ted Lasso, Ted Lasso! I will always recommend Ted Lasso. It’s the only show where I actually feel better about life in general after I watch an episode.
My husband and I always have a series we rewatch when we don’t have much time or mental capacity to invest. It’s for when we are eating, or sleepy or just have about 21 minutes to kill.
In the past year or so we have rewatched all of The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, My Name is Earl and Raising Hope. All of these are fun and consistently funny in my opinion.
We just finished all six seasons of Cougar Town. This is a funny-as-fuck show that I don’t feel like enough people talk about. It stars Courtney Cox — whom I love — and is just a fun, light-hearted show that is consistently funny. The entire cast is great. I’m probably gonna make a few more enemies by saying this, but Cougar Town is better than Friends. There, I said it.
What are some shows you feel like everyone slept on and you think we should give a try?
What’s your favorited limited, one-and-done, series? What upcoming shows are you excited for? Me? I fucking can’t wait for the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. I am as excited for DCC as I was for True Blood. Gay Gasp!
Remember to always love more, bitch less and be fabulous! XOXO, Cassie Nova
