If there’s one bright spot in this Coronavirus pandemic, it’s that there is a ton of compelling TV shows from all over the world to provide that much-needed escape. With interesting multidimensional characters, great storylines, and fresh new faces, the small screen is delivering big during the lockdown.
For example, it’s been months since I saw Normal People, an Irish TV series, but I still remember the main characters, Marianne and Connell.
Like I said, there are a plethora of very good shows on TV right now and these are some of my favorites.
Upload
Streaming service: Amazon
Number of seasons: 1
Starring: Robbie Amell, Andy Allo, Allegra Edward, Zainab Johnson, and Kevin Bigley
Why It’s Must-Watch TV: In the future when you die (and if you have the funds to swing it), you can choose between a permanent goodbye or having your consciousness uploaded into a virtual world. That’s the premise that the main characters, Nathan, and his guardian angel/handler, Nora who is still alive and in the real world finds themselves. Eventually, these two get close and give new meaning to the term long-distance relationship. Spoiler alert, a secondary storyline begins to develop toward the end of season one when we learn there was something fishy about the way Nathan died, and just who might be involved. Part love story, part mystery, Upload is more than virtually entertaining.
I May Destroy You
Network: HBO
Number of seasons: 1
Starring: Michael Coel, Weruche Opia, Paapa Essiedu, Marouane Zotti, Stephen Wight, and Adam James
Why it’s must-watch TV: After the success of Chewing Gum, Michaela Coel returns for yet another innovative TV gem. I May Destroy You takes a look at modern-day dating culture and the ways in which women are exploited. The series masterfully tells the story of one woman’s journey of liberation and self-discovery in a twisted world. It’s a really special series, especially in the way it confronts trauma. Michaela Coel’s latest creation is an audacious, visually ambitious TV production and HBO is the perfect home for it.
Little Fires Everywhere
Streaming service: Hulu
Number of seasons: 1
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Rosemarie DeWitt, Joshua Jackson, Jesse Williams, Britt Robertson, AnnaSophia Robb, and Matthew Barnes
Why it’s must-watch TV: Little Fires Everywhere follows two women who become intertwined in a formidable mystery. Kerry Washington plays Mia Warren, a single mother with a devious past who comes to suburbia to give her daughter some stability and take a break from their grab-and-go existence. Reese Witherspoon plays Elena Richardson, a too-tightly wound housewife who becomes Mia’s landlord and maybe a friend. But Elena is noisy, and some of the mystery of what lies beneath these two starts to unfold. This one is a deftly crafted emotional mystery where you the audience, don’t always know where it’s taking you.
Rita
Streaming service: Netflix
Number of seasons: 5
Starring: Lise Baastrup, Mille Dinesen, Nikolaj Groth, and more actors you probably never heard of
Why it’s must-watch TV: Denmark’s naughtiest TV teacher returned for a fifth season in August. The series follows the life of a very outspoken and rebellious woman, Rita, a school teacher who is competent in the classroom but seems to need a teacher of her own, when it comes to her personal life.
Shadow
Streaming service: Netflix
Number of seasons: 1
Starring: Pallance Dladla, Khathu Ramabulana
Why it’s must-watch TV: In Johannesburg, a tough ex-cop Shadow has a personal score to settle. In the meantime, he’s a vigilante for hire for the poor folks in his hood who are powerless to protect themselves. But maybe the best reason to watch is Dladla. The man has the charms and a six-pack that leave you wanting to know if another season of Shadow is coming. The answer, btw, is yes!
Normal People
Streaming service: Hulu
Number of seasons: 1
Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Paul Mescal, Eliot Salt, Desmond Eastwood, India Mullen
Why it’s must-watch TV: Set in Ireland between 2011 and 2015, Normal People tells the love story of Marianne and Connell. The two meet at Trinity College in Dublin and quickly fall into a relationship that is filled with passion, miscommunication, and a painful falling out. Just like the acclaimed book, the Hulu adaptation feels both small and monumental at the same time. The emotional highs will take you to new heights, while the show’s mastery of intimacy feels too real. The series gives you a portrait of modern love that touches on the lasting impact of trauma and the ever-powerful limits of communication. Marianne and Connell might have that relationship that stays with you for a while.
Blood and Water
Streaming service: Netflix
Number of seasons: 1
Starring: Ama Qamata, Khosi Ngema, Gail Mabalane
Why it’s must-watch TV: Another South African Netflix original, Blood and Water is set in high school. After crossing paths at a party, a Cape Town teen, Puleng, transfers to an elite school to find out whether the popular star student is her sister who was abducted at birth. There is a lot of family drama playing out in the background. A mother who for 13 years still celebrated her abducted daughter’s birthday, and we get the feeling, emotionally neglects the daughter who is at home. Their relationship is rocky, to say the least. Stirring up some mystery is there’s a chance that the Dad sold her big sister.
Gangs of London
Streaming service: AMC+
Number of seasons: 1
Starring: Ray Panthaki, Joe Cole, Lucian Msamati, Paapa Essiedu, Sope Dirisu, Michelle Fairley
Why it’s must-watch TV: Within three minutes of Gangs Of London’s first episode, a man has been hung by his foot off a skyscraper and set on fire. The show has a LOT of violence. What makes it utterly watchable is that it’s stylish and channels all the best aspects of the gangster genre. You get a lot of Godfather-esque vibes and brilliant storytelling.
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