Binge Watch TV Favorites
Rainy long weekends are perfect for binge watching a TV series (or two) on Netflix. Here are my recommendations:
Alias: Black-ops kick-ass spy with an element of the supernatural.
Jennifer Garner in a La Femme Nikita-like role. It is great fun watching her go undercover in various costumes. Because it is a J.J. Abrams series, the story eventually takes a turn to the weird and supernatural. My mom and I used watch this together, so it holds special memories for me. I can watch the series over and over again.
Bloodline: Complicated family drama in a beautiful setting.
A beach-front, hotel-owning family with four grown kids deals with a big brother black sheep coming home after the patriarch’s death. It has a character you love hating and a mysterious death foreshadowed throughout the season. You will be on the edge of your seat watching this one.
The Bridge: A Texas/Mexico version of True Detective.
A dark cop drama starring Diane Kruger in her most unglamorous role. The series is set in a Texas border town, with half of the time spent in Mexico trying to solve serial crimes occurring on both sides of the border. Kruger’s character has a dark and disturbing past that is revealed across the two-season series. Much like the True Detective series, you have to pay close attention to the details of the story to understand all the nuance.
The Fall: Irish serial killer being chased by a lady cop in high heels.
A serial killer that is way too good-looking to be a serial killer eludes a police investigator played by Gillian Anderson. This series is set in Northern Ireland, is dark and gloomy throughout, and will have you cringing but wanting more.
Fringe: Crime-solving mystery adventure with an element of the supernatural.
I missed this show when it originally aired. When my husband introduced it to me a few months ago, I was skeptical. But I am fan of all things J.J. Abrams is involved in producing, so I gave it a fair chance. And I loved it from the first episode. Every spare minute I had was spent watching Fringe until I made my way through all five seasons.
Luther: Sherlock Holmes-like cop in London.
Three seasons was not enough of this show for me. The character of Luther, played by Idris Elba, is highly intelligent with bad habits. Luther is a British cop show in which the title character is a detective that forms an unlikely friendship with a female serial killer. It is strange, gripping and smart.
The West Wing: Behind-the-scenes drama at the White House.
Oh, how I love this show. The President, played by Martin Sheen, is a good man making hard decisions. His motley crew advisors and staff come across as real people that everyone can identify with as they work in a high-pressure environment. The show is full of history, references to current events of its time and intelligent banter. This is another series that I can watch over and over again, never tiring of the stories.To keep it cozy (even in July), here are a few of my favorite things.