Current Favorite TV Shows 

Here are some recent steaming and cable TV shows I am enjoying.

The Get Down (Netflix) – This is a drama, borderline musical, set in 1977 in South Bronx.  It is about the birth of hip-hop told through the eyes of teenage dreamers. It is a bit corny, but I have a soft spot for this because I was the same age as these kids in 1977. I recall the fashion, the headlines and the music (disco not hip-hop – I was too clueless to be aware of rap/hip-hop at the time – I did not become enlightened for another five years).  It is visually ambitious and I think it accurately shows the primordial soup that hatched hip-hop. There are eleven approximately one-hour episodes that create a complete story arc.  Rumored to be one of Netflix most expensive originals – it has been a flop so it is doubtful there will be more episodes.

Better Call Saul (AMC and back seasons on Netflix) – I binge watched Breaking Bad and it frankly got tedious.  What never got tedious was Saul Goodman – Walter White’s attorney.  Comic Bob Odenkirk created a brilliant character, and is now Bob Odenkirk the dramatic actor.  He was so good, AMC decided to make a spin-off show.  The gimmick is: the back story on how Saul became Saul. Saul is such a lovable con man he can’t be resisted. Now in its third season.  I have raved about this before.

Big Little Lies (HBO) – This is what we used to call a miniseries (I guess that is still a term). It is a seven one-hour episode adaptation of the bet selling book of the same name.  It is part mystery and part farce/comedy.  Imagine The Real Wives of Monterey do murder.  It has some of the best use of soundtrack music I can remember. It has been such a success that there are serious discussions of making this a regular series.

Longmire (Netflix) – This is a contemporary western set in fictional Absaroka County Wyoming.  The focus is on the local sheriff Walt Longmire.  In one sense, it is just another cop show.  It has wonderfully engaging characters and is set in modern rural America.  Longmire’s jurisdiction intersects with a reservation creating modern cowboy and Indian tensions.  The show was originally on A&E, but was cancelled. It became popular on Netflix and so they have kept it alive and made new episodes – there are now five seasons on the books.

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The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu) – The series is based on the mid-80s Margaret Atwood bestselling novel.  It takes place in dystopian future where women are subservient to men.  Women in the society of The Handmaid’s Tale fall into four major categories:

• Wives – who are infertile
• Marthas – who are household servants
• Handmaids – who are breeding stock
• Jezebels – who are exactly who you would expect

This fantasy is too close for comfort. It is not far off from some realties of our time. It is a thought-provoking show. My only beef is its poor use of a music in its soundtrack.