Even though I've seriously been struggling to stay motivated when it comes to blogging and sharing on social media, I always have so much to say about what I've been watching. And this month is no different. So if you're looking for TV shows to watch (or several), you've come to the right place.
Here are six TV shows that I watched this month, that you should also be watching;
Never Have I Ever
Let me just start by saying, you simply HAVE to watch this! Created by Mindy Kaling, this is one of the best coming of age shows that I have seen. Devi is a first generation Indian American teenage girl going into her sophmore year of high school who just wants to be cool. Think you've heard this story before? But did it have John McEnroe (and Andy Samberg for one episode) narrating it, a teenage girl who's an overachiever, can let her temper get the best of her and struggling to cope with the death of her father or a diverse cast? Put on the first episode and see how easy it is to binge watch the whole season in one day.
Think Booksmart (see my review of that here) but even more endearing and emotional. I challenge you not to shed a tear at the season finale. I also want to know if you're team Paxton or team Ben. It is easily one of the best TV shows to watch this year.
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Ru Paul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race
If you're looking for TV shows to watch or love Ru Paul's Drag Race. But are looking for a fresh new spin on it; this is the show! The four part season sees celebrities be mentored by queens such as Alyssa Edwards, Bob the Drag Queen, Trixie Mattell and more. And it brilliant to see everything approached from the perspective of someone who's never done drag before.
In each episode, three of the celebrities come up with their drag alter egos and go head to head in a mini challenge, maxi challenge, runway and final lipsync for their charity. I'm talking the Snatch Game, a Ru Paul roast and rusicals. This is even though they've just stepped into wigs and high heels. I don't think that I've laughed or smiled as much in months. So if you are looking for some perfect escapism from the current circumstances, press play on Ru Paul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race now!
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Trial By Media
If you've read any of my previous What I've Been Watching blog posts, you know I love a good true crime series. And Trial By Media feels like an amalgamation of several. Instead of the series being dedicated to one crime or issue like The Innocence Files (see my review of that here), each episode revolves around one case where the press played a massive part in the trial, or what followed or led up to it. And these are some truly unbelievable and sensational cases.
Every time I watch one of these documentaries it makes me shudder to think about the American criminal justice system. For example, we see *trigger warning* the first ever rape trial to be broadcast live in America. Everything from the victim's name, the jurors and every private and uncomfortable detail shown to millions of viewers at home. You'll feel the usual sucker punch to the gut that I tend to feel when I watch documentaries like these. I did assume that there would be more of a critical take on whether the TV media in particular, as well as the rest of the press, should have been involved to the extent that they were. But that doesn't really happen. It is still well worth watching if you're a fan of true crime docs though.
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Making The Cut
For those who enjoyed Netflix's Next In Fashion (see my review here), Amazon have their own show to rival that. And it's fronted by none other than Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn. For me, Project Runway was never the same after they both exited. So I was really excited to see what they would do next when it came to the fashion design competition. I just wish I hadn't seen Next In Fashion First.
If you don't compare them, Making The Cut is a fun frolic into design that takes the designers (and us stuck at home) from New York to Paris, Tokyo and back again. And each week they've to make a runway and a more sellable look, with the winning designer's outfit immediately appearing on Amazon, ready to buy on the same day that each episode aired. Like Next In Fashion, this features established designers who haven't quite hit the big time yet. Unlike Next In Fashion, having Naomi Campbell as a judge on this was such a smart move. I absolutely loved how little f's she gave and how invested she became in some of the designers. It's definitely worth watching if you enjoy fashion design shows. Or if you're looking for something that doesn't require too much of your attention span to get stuck into.
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Normal People
I was thinking about dedicating a whole post to what I thought about the BBC adaptation of Sally Rooney's novel. But in the end, I thought including it here was a better idea. Like a whole lot of people, I binge watched this twelve episode series this month. However, I'm not entirely convinced. And this is as someone with the book sitting on my shelf ready to be read.
I don't know what it says about me but I just felt like so many things could have been avoided had the two characters actually spoke to either each other or other people, if you know what I mean. And as someone who's been single their entire life, I would always much rather be alone than with someone who is clearly a dick *cough Jamie* or someone doing me physical or psychological damage. I do get why Marianne is the way she is but I couldn't quite relate to her. I also felt like certain episodes were completely unnecessary. Like, the last episode could have been summed up in a few minutes. For that reason, it feels more drawn out than it needed to be. It is well made and I get why so many people liked it. But it wasn't a love for me. What did everyone else think?
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Freaks and Geeks
We started with a teen coming of age TV show and we're ending this months post with one of my favourites of all time; Freaks and Geeks. If you haven't already seen this incredible show set in the US in the 1980's, but released in 1999/2000, please do yourself a favour and give it a watch. Not only does it show some big stars such as James Franco, Jason Segel, Seth Rogen and Linda Cardellini right when they were starting out. But it's the perfect mix of comedy, drama and coming of age story.
This must be the third or fourth time that I've watched it again from the beginning and it doesn't lose any of its lustre. We see 'good girl' Lindsay start hanging out with 'the freaks' at school, as well as her younger brother Sam and 'the geeks'. Every single character is so well thought out and relatable to a whole host of different people/teens. And every time I watch it, I honestly wish I had seen this when I was in high school myself. Why was I watching The O.C. with all of its unrealistic expectations instead?! It also still kills me that it got cancelled after one season, back when shows didn't have the option of continuing on streaming sites. You can watch the whole season on All 4 for free.
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So those are some great TV shows to watch this year.
Have you seen any of the shows in today's What I've Been Watching post? If so, what did you think of them? And do you have any recommendations of TV shows to watch?
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