Bodyguard (BEST)
Seasons: 1 season, 6 episodes. Starring: Richard Madden, Keeley Hawes, Gina McKee, Sophie Rundle, and Paul Ready Description: The central character, David Budd, is a veteran of the British Army who returns to work for the Metropolitan Police. His personal life is falling to pieces, and his whole world is turned upside down when he keeps a passenger from going through with a suicide bomb mission on a train. Following this incident, he is promoted as a special protection officer for the Home Secretary, Julia Montague, who is a divisive character that people believe is plotting a leadership take-over. When passions ignite between David and Julia, David is stuck in a difficult position, protecting a woman whose beliefs and policies he is against, but whom he has developed romantic feelings for. The tense plot builds up to a dramatic ending with a surprising twist.
Why it’s a keeper: Bodyguard is a highly intense thriller, which will not only have you on the edge of your seat but also make you question every noise in your house. It is not only thrilling but thoroughly enticing, with weaving plot lines that pull you in and leave you thinking about your own life and those around you. It picks up on current affairs and is said to be based on Theresa May, who was once Home Secretary and former Prime Minister.
Ozark (BEST)
Seasons: 4 seasons, 44 episodes. Starring: Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Sofia Hublitz, Julia Garner, Jordana Spiro, and Skylar Gaertner. Description: Jason Bateman plays a financial advisor who gets caught up in some bad business. As a result, he is forced to move his family from Chicago, where they were in imminent danger, to the Ozarks in Missouri, where he is required to launder $500 million over the course of five years to appease a dealer whom he has fallen out of favor with.
Why it’s a keeper: Ozark is well-written and full of plot twists, which makes it incredibly easy to binge-watch. It’s a thrilling drama that is not only well written but well-acted. It may be a stressful watch, but viewers won’t be able to resist playing the next episode to see what happens and who makes it out alive for one more season.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (BEST)
Seasons: 2 seasons, 36 episodes. Starring: Kiernan Shipka, Ross Lynch, Lucy Davis, Mirando Otto, Chance Perdomo, Michelle Gomez, Jaz Sinclair, Tati Gabrielle, Adeline Rudolph, and Richard Coyle Description: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a remake of the children's series, Sabrina the teenage witch, which was released in the late 1990s and told the story of Sabrina Spellman. The series is co-written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who was the creator of Riverdale, and is set in the fictional town of Greendale. At the age of 16, Sabrina is forced to choose between her family and their world of witchery or her friends, who live in the human world. As the story unfolds, she finds herself dealing with all sorts of crazy adventures.
Why it’s a keeper: While at first, it may appear to be a simplistic teen drama, viewers should not be fooled that this is, in fact, a complicated narrative that deals with some of the most significant issues of our time, including feminism and power dynamics in our society. There are themes of prejudice, faith, and gender identity, all wrapped up in a dark and sometimes twisted storyline that brings the viewer into a world that constantly switches between the normal and the paranormal.
Making a Murderer (BEST)
Seasons: 2 seasons, 20 episodes Starring: The Avery family, Kathleen Zellner, Dean Strang, Jerome Buting, Robert Henak, Stephen Glynn, and Len Kachinsky Description: This documentary series focuses on a man called Steven Avery, who was wrongly accused of serious crime and assault, and was eventually exonerated after new DNA evidence was presented. This was after he had already served 18 years of a 20-year sentence. Once released, he set out to sue Manitowoc County in Wisconsin but was later convicted for ending the life of Teresa Halbach in a completely unrelated case. His nephew was also found guilty of the same charges, but this was later overturned on the grounds that they believed he had been coerced by Avery to confess. The trial in 2007 gained the attention of some Columbia University graduates who decided to investigate the story further.
Why it’s a keeper: We all know there is a lot of red tape and bureaucracy when it comes to these kinds of cases, but this is what causes us to become frustrated with the system and therefore, fascinated with this story. Like with some of the best dramas, there are plenty of twists along the way, accompanied by intrigue and suspense. As they say, you can’t make this stuff up!
Queer Eye (BEST)
Seasons: 6 seasons, 58 episodes. Starring: Antoni Porowski (food & wine expert), Tan France (fashion expert), Karamo Brown (culture expert), Bobby Berk (interior design expert), and Jonathan Van Ness (grooming expert). Description: This is a remake of the original “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”, which first aired on Bravo in 2003, and lasted until 2007. The basic premise is the same: a squad of gay men, known as the fab five, who make over a nominated, usually straight, male participant each week. However, the original series took place in New York City, whereas the new version is based in the state of Georgia, which gave it more of a ‘hometown’ fee. It was announced that the new season would be filmed in the state of Kentucky.
Why it’s a keeper: This was good back then, but it’s even better now. The fab five each bring their own personalities to the table and are overall more endearing and engaging. The viewer feels like they want to be their friends. The show focuses on a number of themes, usually based around each of the fab five’s areas of expertise, but others include self-esteem, relationships, and love, which give an overall good feel to the show. It’s binge-worthy and easy to view, with a soul.