With the weather not so favourable there’s a lot to be said for curling up on the sofa in front of the fire and indulging in a box set or two. Hey, if you do it for long enough before you know it it’ll be spring! So here‘s our guide to the must watch tv shows this new year.
Over the past few years the online box set has become more and more popular. People think nothing of spending a whole day binging on box sets of their favs, and lets face it with the way the weather has been we can’t blame them.
So, what is there to look forward to over the next few months to keep us occupied until we can brave going outside again? Let’s take a look at the new series starting, and the classic ones that have just become available…
Netflix
Stranger Things.
There’s a reason why everyone’s talking about it. This brilliantly jumpy horror/indie series follows four normal 1980s kids and one telekinetic super-girl as they attempt to deal with puberty, parents and inter-dimensional monsters. The soundtrack alone makes this worth watching. Season’s 1 & 2 are available now, with a third season currently in the works, and hopefully being released later this year.
Line of Duty.
Four series in, Line of Duty continues to deliver shocks and superb performances. It all began when a charismatic cop found himself under investigation by anti-corruption officers. It is the most popular drama series broadcast on BBC Two in the multichannel era and is a winner of the Royal Television Society Award for Best Drama Series. Each series features a new set of investigations with the third and fourth series expertly weaving them all together. The fourth series even had a star turn from Thandie Newton. If crime is your thing, this one’s unmissable. First screened on the BBC Netflix have picked up the four series, and with another two already being commissioned they’ll be sure to pick them up as well.
Easy.
With its second season airing just last month Easy is a Netflix original rom-com about a group of Chicagoans looking for love and struggling to hold on to it. Its first eight stories capture the awkwardness, tension and passion of relationships, from idealistic vegans who fall for bacon-eaters to jaded couples trying to spice up their love lives. With Orlando Bloom, Gugu-Mbatha Raw and Dave Franco.
13 Reasons Why.
The much-discussed teen drama, based on Jay Asher’s novel of the same name, tells the story of the suicide of 17-year-old Hannah Baker, after the fact. Its narrative is built on a series of tapes that she left to a former love interest Clay Jensen, detailing her reasons for doing it. The series has garnered controversy due to accusations that it glamorises suicide, but fans say it has been misunderstood. And if you are a fan of it then you’ll be pleased to know that a second season has been commissioned.
13 Reasons Why.
The much-discussed teen drama, based on Jay Asher’s novel of the same name, tells the story of the suicide of 17-year-old Hannah Baker, after the fact. Its narrative is built on a series of tapes that she left to a former love interest Clay Jensen, detailing her reasons for doing it. The series has garnered controversy due to accusations that it glamorises suicide, but fans say it has been misunderstood. And if you are a fan of it then you’ll be pleased to know that a second season has been commissioned.
Peaky Blinders.
If you missed the fourth series when it was aired on the BBC last month, then here’s your chance to watch all four series. Slick, smart and grotesquely violent, this Cillian Murphy-led drama about Birmingham gangs in the 1920s has become a cult favourite. Despite having lately achieved Hollywood heavyweight status the last series featured Tom Hardy returning as bootlegger Alfie Solomans while new additions to the cast included Oscar-winner Adrien Brody and Aiden Gillen, who played Littlefinger in Game Of Thrones.
SKY
Dexter.
He's smart, he's good looking, and he's got a great sense of humour. He's Dexter Morgan, everyone's favourite serial killer. As a Miami forensics expert, he spends his days solving crimes, and nights committing them. But Dexter lives by a strict code of honour that is both his saving grace and lifelong burden. Torn between his deadly compulsion and his desire for true happiness, Dexter is a man in profound conflict with the world and himself. There’s 96 episodes stretched over 8 seasons, so there’s plenty to keep you going.
Six Feet Under.
When tragedy strikes, the Fishers must come together to figure out next steps for the family business, and learn how to deal with the thing that's always surrounded them: death. Universally critically acclaimed it spawned 63 episodes over 5 seasons from 2001 till 2005.
Marvel’s Agents of Shield.
After Agent Coulson and the team escaped the Framework and awakened back in the real world, they battled L.M.D. (Life Model Decoy) AIDA who had become fully human – and given herself multiple Inhuman abilities. After defeating AIDA with the help of Ghost Rider, the team went to a diner to celebrate but woke up onboard a station… in space. Everything that Marvel touches just works, and this is no exception. So far it’s 95 not out after 5 series, although things are up in the air for a 6th.
Living the Dream.
Hugely advertised, and having just finished its first series, Mal and his wife Jen's dream life quickly starts to go down the pan after they up sticks from Yorkshire to run an RV park in Florida. This comedy drama stars Philip Glenister and Lesley Sharp, and for those of you who were wrestling fans of the 90’s/00’s the supporting cast also quite bizarrely includes Kevin ‘Diesel’ Nash.
Britannia.
With episode 1 just having been shown within the last week this is about as new as it gets. Set in 43AD, the captivating, anarchic drama follows the Roman army as they return to crush the Celtic heart of Britannia, a mysterious land led by warrior women and powerful Druids who claim to channel the powerful forces of the underworld. Stars David Morrissey, Kelly Reilly, Zoe Wanamaker, Ian McDiarmid and Mackenzie Crook.
Amazon Prime
Electric Dreams.
Just recently finished on Channel 4 to great reviews Electric Dreams is a sci-fi anthology series with stand-alone episodes based on the works of Phillip K. Dick. In a strangely archaic future, can war between Normals and telepathic Teeps be stopped?
Absentia.
The series released last September-October-November tells the story of FBI agent Emily Byrne who, while hunting one of Boston’s most notorious serial killers, disappears without a trace and is declared dead. Six years later, she is found in a cabin in the woods, barely alive and with no memory of the years she was missing. Returning home to learn that her husband has remarried and her son is being raised by another woman, she soon finds herself implicated in a new series of murders.
The Dangerous Book For Boys.
Another Amazon exclusive that follows Wyatt McKenna and his brothers as they come to terms with the death of their dad, Patrick, a wonderful, whimsical inventor who touched the lives of everyone who knew him. Patrick leaves the boys with a copy of The Dangerous Book for Boys, and the how-to book inspires fantasies for Wyatt. While in his fantasy world, he reconnects with his father and learns life skills that help him navigate real life.
Absentia.
The series released last September-October-November tells the story of FBI agent Emily Byrne who, while hunting one of Boston’s most notorious serial killers, disappears without a trace and is declared dead. Six years later, she is found in a cabin in the woods, barely alive and with no memory of the years she was missing. Returning home to learn that her husband has remarried and her son is being raised by another woman, she soon finds herself implicated in a new series of murders.
The Dangerous Book For Boys.
Another Amazon exclusive that follows Wyatt McKenna and his brothers as they come to terms with the death of their dad, Patrick, a wonderful, whimsical inventor who touched the lives of everyone who knew him. Patrick leaves the boys with a copy of The Dangerous Book for Boys, and the how-to book inspires fantasies for Wyatt. While in his fantasy world, he reconnects with his father and learns life skills that help him navigate real life.