9 TV Shows You Need To Watch Like Now

It was 1995 and I was sitting on the uncomfortably small blue couch in the spare room of my family home. Tucked up under a blanket I was utterly fixated on the scene playing out on the TV.

Monique and Adam were getting married and Grayson, in a jealous rage, hired an assassin to kill one of them (I can’t remember which one) at the altar. There was a scuffle involving the three of them, the gun went off and the show ended.

20 points to Gryffindor if you guessed that I was watching Models Inc, which was just about the best/worst TV show to have come out of the 90s. It was a terrible spin-off of Melrose Place that only lasted one season and ended in this epic cliffhanger.

I let out the breath I’d been holding for the last ten minutes and wondered how the hell I was going to wait for the next season to find out who died. As previously mentioned it was 1995 and I had no way of knowing the show had been cancelled. Back in those days you only found out shows were cancelled when ten years passed and they never showed up on TV again. Which is precisely what happened.

I watched a lot of bad TV growing up because I didn’t have a choice. I had to watch whatever was on and back then there were only five channels and they showed whatever the highest ranking shows in the US were, regardless of whether or not they were actually any good.

I’m thrilled with the rise of subscription TV networks because I never have to watch anything crap ever again. Sometimes I choose to watch crap (Rupaul’s Drag Race, Dance Moms) but at least it’s my choice when I do. Having said that, I bloody love a good TV show and I tend to stumble upon them quite frequently. The following TV shows are definitely NOT crap and should be watched by everyone as soon as humanly possible…

1. The Good Place

The creator of this show is Michael Schur and he has also worked on Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn 99 which is why you need to watch everything this guy does. He’s been slowly but surely carving out this wonderful warm style of comedy TV show that I’m absolutely loving. The 90s were full of comedy shows of people being really sarcastic and quite awful (like Seinfeld) and he’s paving this path of sweeter, more endearing but no less hilarious comedy. Kristen Bell plays the lead character and the storyline is based on the afterlife and what happens after you die. Ted Danson is also in it and he’s hilarious. It’s currently on Netflix and it’s a lovely, joyful, funny TV show to immerse yourself in.

2. Ill Behaviour 

This is written by one of my favourite writers Sam Bain who also wrote Fresh Meat and Peepshow. It’s really dark, so only watch this if you’re into fairly twisted humour. It’s about two people who have a friend who’s trying to self-cure cancer with herbal remedies and refuses to have chemo, so they kidnap him and force him to have chemo. It’s very funny but also bleak and some parts of it are kind of horrific. I found it extremely engaging and we binged on the whole first series in 2 days. It’s currently available on iView.

3. Long Shot 

If you’re a fan of Curb Your Enthusiasm you may have heard rumours that footage from one of the episodes was used in a murder trial, because the perpetrator was supposedly in the background of this footage. It’s a super short, incredibly engaging documentary that’s so unbelievable the whole thing almost seems made up. It’s on Netflix and it’s perfect for true crime/Larry David fans.

4. Star Trek: Discovery 

Full confession: I’m not a trekkie at all but Mr Smaggle is a fan of the franchise and I dip in and out depending on what he’s watching. I loved all the recent movies with Christopher Pine playing James Kirk and I was just about to start watching Enterprise (which is a HUGE undertaking) when Discovery started so I figured I’d just start there. It’s bloody good fun. It’s on Netflix and a new episode comes out every Monday. It’s a hoot. Get on it.

5. The Orville 

This is a piss-take space exploration series written, produced and starring Seth Macfarlane and it’s hilarious. It’s clearly got a very decent budget as the effects and set are fantastic but it’s also a laugh a minute. If you’re a fan of Seth Macfarlane or space mission style shows, this is a must watch.

6. Fresh Meat 

This is an oldie but a goodie. It’s about six housemates going to university in Manchester. It’s just sweet, funny, gross and very easy to watch. It’s one of those shows where you fall in love with every character, even the annoying ones and you get sad when the series ends because you just love them so much and don’t want to stop hanging out with them. It’s available on Netflix and I’ve watched the whole series at least three times. It’s a perfect ‘potter’ show. I’ll pop it on the background and just potter around and do things.

7. Fleabag 

This is without a doubt the best show I’ve seen in the last ten years. It has a Rotten Tomatoes rating 100% which is almost unheard of. It’s written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and she also plays the main character. It’s fucking hilarious and heartbreaking all at the same time. It just started airing on ABC so it should be available on iView. Do yourself a favour and watch it and tell everyone else to watch it, because women comedy writers are rarely celebrated as much as they should be and Waller-Bridge is so incredibly brilliant, I want to see so much more from her for years to come.

8. Westworld 

I don’t know what it is but I have a real mental block when it comes to Western-style films and shows. If someone suggests one to me, I go into an immediate eye-roll and I have no idea why because I’ve loved every single one I’ve watched. Although technically this isn’t really a Western, although it kind of is. It’s just a cool, sci-fi, romp that really sucks you in. Plus I just love Rachel Evan-Woods, I could watch her all day. She’s fab. It’s also got Ed Harris and Thandie Newton, so you’re obviously on to a winner there.

9. Please Like Me 

I’ve definitely recommended this before but it’s such a great series, I have to re-recommend it. Australian TV at it’s best, it just hits the mark from every angle. It’s funny, sweet, heartbreaking… I don’t have anything bad to say about this series. I know a lot of people weren’t too keen that it ended (because it’s so great!) but I’m glad because it did what it needed to do, it was fabulous and it was time to wrap it up.

Here are some other TV recommendations I’ve made if you’re keen…

7 TV Shows To Watch That Will Blow Your Mind

How To Watch TV Without Feeling Guilty

5 Things You Need To Watch Right Now 

5 Ways Television Lied To You 

What TV shows have you watched recently that you loved? I’m keen to start something new!

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