Must Watch Dramas
Over the past few years, there have been some amazing and unique dramas on streaming services such as Apple TV plus, Disney plus, Paramount plus, Netflix and more. We don’t watch a great deal of TV (mainly because we get bored easily!) but the following recommendations have kept our attention and are well worth a watch.
Apple TV Plus
Long Way Up – Ewen McGregor and Charley Bowman’s epic journey on electric Harley Davidson’s from Ushuaia at the very bottom of Argentina all the way up through South and central America to finish in Los Angeles.
Silo – set in a post-apocalyptic future where the outside world is toxic, what remains of humanity survives in a huge underground silo where life is strictly governed and those who ask to ‘go outside to clean’ are never seen again.
Foundation – Not a series to watch if you are looking to switch off from it all as the storyline is quite complex, but this is one of the best science fiction series I have seen for a good while.
Shining Girls – Another quite complex storyline in which the main character frequently shifts between different realities following a brutal assault which is linked to series of murders through time.
SEE – Starring Jason Momoa, SEE is set in a dystopian future where being blind is the norm, and where those few that are born with sight are deemed to be witches that need to be hunted down and killed.
The Morning Show – Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon head up the cast as presenters on a popular US morning news programme dealing with and reporting on real-world events, while trying to protect their own private lives and shining a light on the inner workings of large corporations.
Pachinko – This is one of those unforgettable and truly brilliant dramas that are few and far between. Pachinko chronicles four generations of a Korean family from 1915 to 1989. With Korea under Japanese rule, the main character Sunja leaves her family to make the journey to Japan to start a new life, but once there, life is not easy and discrimination against Koreans immigrants is brought to the fore.
The Mosquito Coast – Mosquito coast follows the dangerous journey an American family takes through Mexico as they find themselves on the run from the US government.
Dickinson – Hailee Steinfeld portrays Emily Dickinson as a rebellious young poet in this comedy drama which explores the constraints of society, gender and family during the 19th century.
Disney Plus
Big Sky – Set in Montana, a former police officer now private investigator is brought in to find missing people and a series of crime rings are uncovered.
Alaska Daily – Hilary Swank plays a New York journalist who moves to Alaska for a fresh start to work at the state newspaper, and uncovers a series of crimes and injustices toward the indigenous population. Unfortunately, only one season of this show was made.
Paramount Plus
1883 – I only watched a few episodes of Yellowstone, but 1883 is the Yellowstone origin story where the Dutton family travel to Texas to undertake the arduous and dangerous journey across the country to Montana where they established what would become Yellowstone ranch.
Star Trek Discovery – Ok, so I admit, I am a trekie, not a star wars fan, and this is probably one of the most dynamic of all the various star trek series. If you have never watched a star trek series before, give this one a go.
Wolf Pack – As a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer back in the day (note the reference with my daughter’s name), Wolf pack starring Sarah Michelle Geller was always going to be on my watchlist, particularly with the featuring werewolf theme!
Netflix
Virgin River – A small town America drama set in the peaceful, ‘get away from it all’ town of Virgin River. While the pace of life may certainly be slower that the big cities and life issues that many have escaped from, this small town sees it’s fair share of drama.
Shadow and Bone – TV adaption of the popular Young Adult fantasy series by Leigh Bardugo, and one that is done surprising well, blending two of her much loved book series into one TV show, with characters from both the Shadow and Bone series and Six of Crows.
The Sandman – Not having been a comic book fan, I didn’t really know anything about this series going into it, but found this dark Neil Gaiman tale strangely compelling
Valhalla – Having watched the full series of Vikings starring Katheryn Winnick (also Big Sky above) and Travis Fimmel, I was intrigued to see how this follow-on series set 100 years after the original would match up. So far, so good.
Prime
Night Sky – Unfortunately, this show was cancelled after just one season, which is a real shame as it had lots of potential and was certainly that little bit different revolving around a retired couple who had a secret, buried chamber in their garden that was some sort of portal to a deserted planet.
The Peripheral – Another sci-fi series set in the near future where a connection is made to an alternate reality allowing the two realities to connect and interact.
The Expanse – A much loved book series by James S A Corey adapted into a series for TV. Set in a future where humanity has colonized parts of space, power and independence threaten a fragile peace that is also battling to deal with the discovery of new alien technology.
