5 Shows You Should Go Watch, Right Now
Greetings! I’m T. L. Bainter, and in today’s post, I’ll be listing out the top five shows I have watched recently so that you can stop scrolling endlessly through your litany of streaming platforms searching for something good to watch. You’ve probably heard of many of these and had people tell you to watch them, but if you haven’t gotten around to them yet, I’m here to tell you to bump them up on your watchlist.
Arcane (Netflix)
I’m going to kick things off by telling you to try the show that just about every other person in your life has probably told you to watch: Arcane, the League of Legends animation series that found a home on Netflix. This one’s been out for a while, so if it’s still on your watchlist at this point and you haven’t watched it, odds are you’re not actually planning to watch it. I’m here to remind you that it’s there and that by not watching it, you’re wasting your Netflix subscription. Whatever you’re in the middle of right now, stop it and put this show on.
I went into Arcane with pretty low expectations. I mean, it’s a League of Legends show. I thought I was going to get some sort of typical, cringe-inducing video game adaptation. What I got instead, though, was something unimaginably awesome. Everything about Arcane is incredible. The last work of animation I remember loving as much as I love Arcane is Titan A.E., which came out way back in the year 2000!
Arcane has emotional punches, excellent character development, gorgeous art, and is all around just a spectacle to behold. I’ve told everyone I know to watch it, and with this post, that’s including you! Arcane is also a show that I recommend to anybody, with no caveats. I think anyone will find something to love in this show, so go check it out! Bump it up on your watchlist right now.
The Boys (Amazon)
You’ve probably had your ads and social media platforms blown up in recent days by talk of The Boys given that the third season has just launched. This is the gritty series based on a comic series written by Garth Ennis. It’s been around since 2019, and we’re on the third season now; it was actually just renewed for a fourth season (to no one’s surprise at all)!
If you’re like me, then you’re pretty exhausted by the superhero genre in general, at this point. It’s all become pretty stale and it feels exactly the same. The themes and plots are consistent, the characters blur together, and so many new superhero films are coming out that it’s tough to keep up. Enter The Boys to breathe fresh life into the genre! It’s a bit like Watchmen in its tone, though I’d say it’s darker than that.
Surprisingly, there are also more butts.
The Boys is not for the faint of heart. This is a gritty, in-your-face show that does not hold back. If you’re squeamish, I don’t think that this is the right one for you. However, if you like darker tones and you’re exhausted by standard superhero nonsense but still want to find something cool in the genre, this is absolutely a show that I’ll recommend to you.
A.P. Bio (Multiple Options)
All right, now let’s switch things up with a pure comedy recommendation. A.P. Bio is a now-canceled show, having ended with its fourth season. It stars Glenn Howerton, Patton Oswalt, and Paula Pell among many other excellent actors. The best thing I can think to compare the show to is Jack Black’s School of Rock, but it’s really something quite unique! The satirical, bizarre comedy style is right up my alley, and it may well be up yours, too!
If you’re a fan of irreverent, strange, and unusual shows, then this is absolutely the comedy for you. It tries all sorts of interesting ideas and the show just gets weirder with each season (which, in my opinion, means every season is better than the last). It’s a shame it was canceled because I’d have loved to see the result of a further tier of escalation in the fifth season. Still, the first four seasons are a delight and I feel like it had a pretty excellent conclusion.
You can watch this on Peacock, but why would you? That’s probably the most unbearable streaming platform I have ever tried to use. Instead, you can do what I did and buy each season on Prime Video. There are plenty of other buying options, though, including on YouTube!
Barry (HBO Max)
Nothing says dark comedy like HBO’s Barry. This show was created by Alec Berg and Bill Hader, the latter of whom is the star alongside familiar faces like Stephen Root and Henry Winkler. In all honesty, I genuinely cannot think of a dark comedy that could rival this one in tone. It’s grim, it’s depressing, it’s unsettling, and it still manages to be absolutely hysterical throughout all of that. There are just as many laugh-out-loud moments as there are shocking ones.
Now the premise… the premise is really something else. When I tell you what it is, you’ll either be fascinated or turned away by its absurdity. I hope you’re fascinated because this show is excellent! Barry is about the titular character trying to give up his life as an assassin to become an actor. Yeah, that’s it. That’s what it’s about. Of course, his past keeps catching up with him and he’s haunted by the things he’s experienced in his past. Getting out of the business of being a hired gun isn’t an easy feat, but neither is being an actor.
This show is absolutely hysterical, grim, and one of those few shows that I would describe as being perfect for me and my tastes. I’m not saying it’s my favorite show in the world, but I am saying that it’s a show that feels catered to me as a viewer. My only complaint is that there isn’t enough of it, but it was just renewed for a fourth season, so I expect to get more Barry soon!
Our Flag Means Death (HBO Max)
Now, let’s get to the fifth and final show I’m going to tell you that you need to watch. If you follow me on Twitter (social links are in the description if you want them), then you’ve probably already seen me shout from the rooftops that this show needs your attention. Our Flag Means Death is weird, hilarious, cute, and all around just a great time. I had so much fun watching this show—I’ve got my family watching it, I’ve got my friends watching it, and I’m here trying to convince you to sit down and watch it. Our Flag Means Death is simply magical.
Our Flag Means Death is based on a real-world pirate who was, in fact, referred to as the Gentleman Pirate back in the day. He also really did abandon his fortune and family to take up the adventurous life of a pirate and he really did become friends with Blackbeard! Seriously, these are all facts. There are plenty of other facts out there about the real Stede Bonnet, but I won’t regale you with all of them here.
This show is purely a comedy, but there are elements of heart in it too, especially as the show draws to the end of its first season. So while you should mainly pull this show up looking for laughs, be prepared to feel some things as well! I’ve watched Our Flag Means Death a couple of times with folks and it is still amusing even after subsequent viewings. If you haven’t already pulled the trigger on checking out this show, you should absolutely do so!
Conclusion
Telling my friends and family to watch these shows just wasn’t enough for me—I need to get as many people as possible introduced to them! So if you haven’t heard about one or more of the shows I just recommended to you, consider giving them a shot! I’d love to hear your thoughts after you view them, or you could just tell me what you think about them if you’ve already seen them and just wanted to stop by here to make sure I have good taste in television.