Recommending a few of my favourite K-Dramas inspired me to then go forth and create a blog post entirely dedicated to my top favourite, most engaging and most mind-bending television shows; some of which I cannot live without.
Unlike my K-Dramas, I'm very much more diverse in my tastes in television where the only prerequisite is that the show must be able to engage me upon first viewing. So without further ado, let's delve into the shows I binge watch when I'm in the mood for bingeing!
! WARNING !
Once you start watching these shows, it'll be hard to stop. So please, don't start an episode of anything until you're free of exams, work, volunteering work, whatever. Also, I must apologise for rating everything so highly; there's no point in me recommending a show I've rated below 8/10 or a trashy show that I watch only when I'm in the trashy show mood *coughKUWTKcough*.
Status: Ongoing
Season Count: 4
Genre/s: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Synopsis: Annalise Keating (Viola Davis). A name which instantly sends shivers down your spine, for her brilliance comes at the expense of secrets, lies and deception as well as a twisted plot that will forever change the lives of a group of law students whom she has taken under her wing.
Rating: 9.5/10
Mini Review: This, along with Grey's and Scandal is my version of the 'Holy Trinity'. So whenever 'TGIT' is on, I'm always left feeling so overwhelmed by the high levels of excitement which runs through my body. Anyway, HTGAWM will undoubtedly leave you on the edge of your seat, hence why I couldn't stop watching it as soon as I started. Seriously, get to it.
Status: Ongoing
Season Count: 14
Genre/s: Medical, Drama, Romance
Synopsis: Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) is a doctor with problems; dark and twisty problems. But those problems are overshadowed by the extraordinary events which occur every single day at Seattle Grace Hospital, constantly reminding her and each one of her colleagues, why they took the Hippocratic Oath in the first place.
Rating: 9.5/10
Mini Review: Now, this is one of the few shows I can put on in the background whilst I study and that's only because I've literally watched Grey's (up to season 9, of course) four/five times over. I know, it's insane but there's something about Grey's that just strikes a chord in me; perhaps it's the medicine (well, Shonda's version of medicine) or just the relationships developed between the OG interns you find yourself enthralled by. Whatever it is, Grey's is my go-to comfort show.
Status: Ongoing
Season Count: 7 (final season!!!)
Genre/s: Drama, Romance
Synopsis: Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) is someone you don't want to mess with. She's sharp, she's intelligent and she'll call you out on your bullshit; she's a gladiator in a suit. When you're in trouble, you know that Olivia Pope and Associates is the place to go. However, despite the armour she may have on as a professional fixer, cracks begin to show as salacious secrets and dirty manipulation come to a surface.
Rating: 9.8/10
Mini Review: One of my friends raved about this show in Year 12 and I honestly can't thank her enough for introducing me to Scandal, even though I decided to (stupidly) start watching it during a very critical time in my academic career i.e. days before my final chem exam, but in my defence, the first episode was just AMAZING to the point where I couldn't stop pressing "next episode" and before I knew it, I was sitting in my chem exam semi-aware of what was happening in front of me. But hey, at least I knew what the actual heck was happening between Liv and Fitz, so I'd say I did pretty good...
Status: Completed
Season Count: 7
Genre/s: Drama, Comedy
Synopsis: Single mother, Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham), and her teenage daughter, Lorelai 'Rory' Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) only have each other when it comes to facing the ups and downs of life in Stars Hollow.
Rating: 9/10
Mini Review: Another comfort show, but this time, filled with incredible one-liners I wish I'd thought of myself and a witty dialogue that'll almost always leave you in awe. I love all the literary references made in this series and I simply adore the relationship between Lorelai and Rory, especially the humour. Again, this show is good to just have on in the background if you're not in the mood to pay full attention to your screen.
Status: Ongoing
Season Count: 2
Genre/s: Sci-Fi, Mystery, Drama
Synopsis: Westworld. A place of guilt-free indulgence and ruinous imagination; it's every rich man's dream. Set in an amusement park with Stetson wearing humanoids, known as 'hosts', guests are able engage in story lines of their choosing. But what happens when the 'hosts' slowly become self-aware?
Rating: 9.5/10
Mini Review: This. Show. Is. Incredible. Honestly, I have no words. It's the show to watch whenever you're in a rut after the season finale of GoT or simply just the show to watch whenever you're in the mood for, well, watching something. It's immersive, it's intense but most of all, it's bloody addicting.
Status: Completed
Season Count: 5
Genre/s: Sci-Fi, Mystery, Drama
Synopsis: Sarah Manning (Tatiana Maslany) has the street smarts to survive almost any situation that she might find herself in. However, nothing can prepare her for the conspiracy that she's pulled herself in after witnessing the suicide of a girl who looks exactly like her.
Rating: 9.3/10
Mini Review: Tatiana is freakin' incredible. I will never be able to understand her tremendous talent in being able to embody such diverse characters that were once simply pen on paper, it's just so mind-boggling to me. Anyway, this show always keeps you wanting more as it provides the perfect mixture of suspense, humour and action. Oh, and let's not forget the complete mastery of Tatiana to act as Cosima who is acting as Allison, that is seriously Oscar-worthy.
Status: Completed
Season Count: 8
Genre/s: Medical, Drama, Mystery
Synopsis: Dr Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) hates people. Which is ironic considering his job description. In spite of his cynicism and general disgust for the world, his skill in diagnostic medicine is unparalleled; doing whatever it takes to solve a case, no matter how frustratingly difficult it may be.
Rating: 9.6/10
Mini Review: Kinda not proud to admit that I managed to binge this in under a month, but hey, I did it for a reason...right? RIGHT. Well, House was just engaging from the start, what with its witty dialogue and dark (often crossing the line, I'd think) humour. Also, it's not everyday you hear a doctor yell "clean up on aisle three!" when one of his patients just collapsed in the hospital so yes, that's fun!
Status: Ongoing
Season Count: 1 (Season 2 will be released on Netflix in December this year)
Genre/s: Historical, Drama
Synopsis: The doors of Buckingham Palace have opened to reveal the early life of Queen Elizabeth II (Claire Foy) and her reign. Behind her daring frankness and public facade, lies a young woman who has taken the throne in an era of political turmoil and disarray.
Rating: 9.7/10
Mini Review: I cannot find a single flaw within this show, seriously. I don't know much about the history of Queen Elizabeth's reign, but what I am certain of is the magnificent cast and incredible dialogue (not to mention the amazing cinematography). The opulence, the exquisiteness, the grandeur of it all; I love it. Oh, and Princess Margaret's affair with Captain Peter Townsend...;)
Status: Completed
Season Count: 3
Genre/s: Historical, Drama, Adventure
Synopsis: Follows the treacherous journey of a young Leonardo da Vinci (Tom Riley) who tries to understand, as well as navigate, the complexities of the world around him.
Rating: 9.6/10
Mini Review: Firstly, this show is responsible for a lot of my annoying habits i.e. my proclivity to tap my index finger against the tip of my thumb in very quick succession each time I'm thinking or simply when I'm bored. There's definitely more annoying habits that I've seemed to unconsciously imitate but I'm not going to bother about that right now as my duty is to convince you, the reader, into watching this masterpiece of a show. Tom Riley does an incredibly insane job at capturing a version of Leonardo da Vinci I've yet to see, let alone even conceive as a possibility in my head. The editing...oh my goodness, I love it so much. Sadly, this show only lasted for three seasons but I suppose that makes it easier to binge watch?
Status: Ongoing
Season Count: 7 (returns in 2018)
Genre/s: Fantasy, Drama, Adventure
Synopsis: Set in the mythical land of Westeros, nine noble families vie for a seat on the Iron Throne; not without first deceiving, fighting or killing each other, of course.
Rating: 9.7/10
Mini Review: Literally everyone and their mother's parole officer has either watched or heard about this, and for good reason, too. Despite all the, often unnecessary, nudity, the gripping story line(s) will always leave you on edge, wanting to rip out your own hair and/or get yourself in a state of complete despair. I'm always left stunned at the end of each episode and it helps that this is a fantasy so GRRM can do whatever the actual hell he wants; including killing off your favourite character.
Status: Ongoing
Season Count: 1 (I believe there's going to be a second season?)
Genre/s: Sci-Fi, Drama
Synopsis: Set in a dystopian future that's under the rule of a totalitarian dictatorship, women are yet again relegated to the domestic sphere where they are seen as nothing but birthing machines for the household of which they are prisoner to.
Rating: 9.5/10
Mini Review: I believe this adaptation does Margaret Atwood's incredible novel justice, with its own little twist. There's definitely a "I don't give a f*ck" vibe at times whenever Offred isn't, you know, forced to have sex with the man who "owns" her, but other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this and I can't wait until season 2 comes out.
Status: Ongoing
Season Count: 4 (season 5 will air next year!!!!!)
Genre/s: Historical, Crime, Drama, Action
Synopsis: Hearing the words "Peaky Blinders", so named as they have razors sewn to their peaked caps, is enough to elicit fear within those who know of the fierce gangster family. Led by none other than Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy), the only goal of the Peaky Blinders is to survive; a feat proved to be difficult considering the illegal dealings and black market sales of which the gang operates in 1919 era Birmingham.
Rating: 9.8/10
Mini Review: For months did I try to imitate the Birmingham accent by continuously saying to myself "the Peaky f*cking Blinders" over and over again. Clearly not the best indication for how much I enjoyed this show, but please, if a show is able to make me think that Cillian's haircut in this show is attractive, then it's a bloody good show, I tell you.
Status: Completed
Season Count: 3
Genre/s: Crime, Drama, Horror
Synopsis: Haunted by his ability to empathise with serial killers, Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), forms a relationship with renowned psychiatrist, Dr Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen), who also just happens to enjoy his dinner with a side of salad; the Homo sapien kind.
Rating: 9/10
Mini Review: Yet another masterpiece which ended far too soon. I think this show is completely underrated because I don't hear people talking about it enough (aside from Tumblr, but lol let's not talk about Tumblr). Gosh, where to even begin? The imagery, for one, is simply stunning (you only need to look at the above picture to see why) and the acting is phenomenal. It's been years since I watched this, but I will definitely watch it again (that ending, though...)
Status: Completed
Season Count: 6
Genre/s: Historical, Drama, Romance
Synopsis: Set in the early 20th century, Downton Abbey follows the lives of an English aristocratic family, the Crawley's, and their servants.
Rating: 9.5/10
Mini Review: A show with a stellar cast each of whom give a magnificent performance, incredible sets, marvellous costumes and a genius script; it's perfect, right? Almost. You just need to forget about the fact that this will make you cry (well in my case, slowly tear up), and you're good to go!
Status: Ongoing
Season Count: 5
Genre/s: Drama, Political
Synopsis: Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), a manipulative Congressman, and his equally as conniving wife, Claire Underwood (Robin Wright), are out to exact revenge on those who have betrayed them.
Rating: 9.6/10
Mini Review: To be honest, this took me a couple of tries before I was able to get into it and I was a politics and law student studying the U.S. system of government at the time as well! But as soon as I got into this show, I couldn't stop and before you know it, you're team #FU'16.
~ H O N O U R A B L E M E N T I O N S ~
Status: Ongoing
Season Count: 4
Genre/s: Animation, Comedy, Drama
Synopsis: A former star, given his lead role in the hit 90's show, 'Horsin' Around', BoJack Horseman (voiced by Will Arnett) is now a washed up 'has been' living in a mansion overlooking Hollywoo(d). But hey, at least he has colourful sweaters, right?
Rating: 9/10
Mini Review: No, this is not a kid's show. Instead, it's a rather dark comedy that's depressing at times (sort of hits home on the self-deprecating jokes department) where there's been plenty of times where I've just sworn under my breath saying, "that's deep, man". Anyway, when I finally got 'round to starting this, I just couldn't stop. However, I do question the biology of having human/animal (bestiality) relationships, but hey, the point of watching TV shows is that you suspend your disbelief so I highly recommend that you do the same.
Status: Ongoing
Season Count: 4
Genre/s: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Synopsis: Follow the zany adventures of the universe's most intelligent man, Rick Sanchez (voiced by Justin Roiland) and his not-so-bright grandson, Morty Smith (also voiced by Justin Roiland).
Rating: 9.4/10
Mini Review: Yes, you definitely need to suspend your disbelief during the course of watching Rick and Morty as well. The dialogue is hilarious and I'm in complete awe at basically everything that the writers have thrown in each and every episode from Pickle Rick to Mr Meeseeks, to the point where I believe the creators are having too much fun.
Status: Ongoing
Season Count: 5
Genre/s: Comedy, Crime
Synopsis: Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg), is a talented NYPD detective who faces life with a rather immature lens.
Rating: 9/10
Mini Review: The theme song gets stuck in your head so easily but anyway, this is a show that I go to whenever I'm in the mood for some light humour (a rarity). It's just a good show in general to again, just have in the background whenever you're in the mood for something light. And besides, this one's also easy to binge-watch as each episode only goes for twenty minutes or so. Jackpot.
Status: Completed
Season Count: 6
Genre/s: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Synopsis: Oceanic Flight 815 en route from Sydney suddenly tears a part mid-air, leaving the survivors to their own devices in order to stay alive on a seemingly deserted island.
Rating: 8.6/10
Mini Review: 4 8 15 16 23 42. That is all.
Status: Ongoing
Season Count: 5
Genre/s: Science, Education, Medicine
Synopsis: Hosted by twins, Dr Chris and Dr Xand, watch as they navigate the intricacies of the human body by telling interesting facts as guided by science.
Rating: 9.5/10
Mini Review: Yes, I did binge-watch a show that's technically geared towards kids and yes, I loved every second of it.
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And there we have it, my list of TV shows that I have binge-watched and will continue to binge-watch for as long as I live. I'm aware that I've missed out on plenty of amazing shows, such as Bob's Burgers and Reign, but I run a blog, not a database so I can't possibly document all the shows I've watched and enjoyed over the years. However, I will most likely compile another "What to Binge-Watch When You're Bingeing" list next year and hopefully by then I've been able to watch some new shows because I'm also well aware of the fact that the shows I've listed aren't all that recent but hey, my blog, my rules.
Anyway, desperately wanting to binge-watch something but is unable to do so due to study,
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