What To Watch On TV

            Over the past few years, we’ve focused a lot of attention on previewing and reviewing movies. Well, this week we wanted to a periodic feature where we’ll try to recommend some television viewing options. After all, most of the time we don’t want to leave our houses, buy tickets to a movie, and then spend time sitting in total darkness with a bunch of strangers. Why do that when you can stay home and binge something on Netflix or Hulu and never have to change out of PJs? We’re going to limit ourselves to shows that are still on the air. 

Comedy

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt:  This Netflix show, ordered and then abandoned by NBC, is a finely tuned joke delivery system. The show revolves around the life of Kimmy, who after being trapped in a bunker for 15 years, is rescued and moves to New York City. Somehow the creative team behind Unbreakable (Tina Fey and Robert Carlock of 30 Rock fame) have mined this dark backstory for three seasons of hilarity.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Airing on Fox, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is the story of a group of detectives in a Brooklyn precinct. The 9-9 features a hilarious turn by Andre Braugher as the precinct’s notoriously literal captain. Braugher, who cut his teeth playing Detective Frank Pembleton on Homicide in the 90s, shows that he’s just as capable at comedy as he is at drama. His line-deliveries are a wonder to behold.

The Good Place: This show, from Michael Schur (co-creator of Parks and Recreation), takes a rather high concept premise and runs with it. Kristin Bell plays a woman who is accidently sent to the “Good Place” after she dies. Only she’s not supposed to be there. Ted Danson, as a mid-level afterlife manager, reminds us why he might be the best sitcom actor ever.

Drama 

The Crown: Normally we wouldn’t recommend a period drama about British royalty. After all Downton Abbey was insufferable, asking its audience to pine for the rigid class structures of early 20^th century England. The Crown avoids these pitfalls by revealing the people behind the facades of England’s royal family. The young Queen Elizabeth’s problems are relatable. Her husband is unhappy (and a jerk), her father died too soon, and at work she has to deal with lots of men trying to mansplain everything to her.

The Americans: The best family drama on television is also TV’s best spy show. The Americans follows the story of two deep-cover Soviet agents in Reagan’s America. They navigate multiple operations and identities while raising two American born children who are ignorant of their parents’ true occupations. The Americans focuses as much on its characters as its premise. There are fights about marital responsibilities and one child’s turn towards religion. Throw in some kickass 80s music and you’ve got a show worth watching. 

Fargo: Somehow writer Noah Hawley captured the atmosphere and the mood of the Coen Brothers movie Fargo and translated it into a TV show. Now in its third season, Fargo changes settings and characters every year, but manages to portray the under-appreciated everyman cops, inept criminals, and pathetically banal dreams that inhabit the Coen Brothers universe in new and interesting ways.

Reality 

Top Chef: Even though it just came off a disappointing 14^th season that turned into a weaker version of All-Stars, Top Chef remains the premier reality competition cooking show on TV. The contestant crop is generally strong, consisting of up and coming chefs. We here at DGA have had the chance to eat at the restaurants contestants like Bryan Voltaggio, Isaac Toups, and Sarah Grueneberg who have appeared over the years and they’re not kidding around.

RuPaul’s Drag Race: Every reality competition show has the same format. People in some field of work (cooking, fashion, tattoos, art design, whatever) compete in a serious of challenges until someone wins. Oftentimes these shows struggle in providing drama or compelling characters. After all, how interesting is it to watch someone sew clothes? RuPaul’s Drag Race doesn’t suffer from any of these problems. The contestants are drag queens and the challenges involve them performing in drag. There’s no need to manufacture drama, all you have to do is turn the camera on. It’s the rest of us who benefit.