A few TV series that have caught my eye

Watching TV series is one of my favourite things to do. I miss my undergrad summer days when all I did all day was exercise, sleep, chill with friends and have season marathons of my favourite shows. There was a point when I was keeping a track of about 30 different shows.

With time passing by, available time for binging on these shows reduced. When I was working, I was sitting in front of a computer for 8 plus hours coding. On returning home, the screen was the last thing I wanted to see. Here in Budapest, tasks like cooking, cleaning, laundry etc. in addition to work took up most of my time. This was due to the fact that I am quite inefficient in these tasks. I never had to do them in India because we had an amazing caretaker in our apartment. He took care of cooking, cleaning, laundry etc. for me and my flatmates. Hence, being a rookie, I took a bit more time in these things.

Despite all this, my love for TV shows has still stayed alive. I keep discovering new TV shows with potential from time to time even though I may fail to follow them. In the past, I discovered Suits, Homeland and 2 Broke Girls way before they became mainstream TV series. In this post I've decided to write about 4 promising TV series which you should consider having on your watch list.

The Man in the High Castle

Based in the 1960s, this show paints an imaginary picture of what the world would be if Germany and Japan would've won World War II. USA gets invaded from the Nazi forces from the East coast and the Japanese forces from the West. It has been divided into 3 parts: The Greater Nazi State, The Japanese Pacific states and a neutral zone between the two parts.

This is how the US is divided according to the story. Empty part in between: Neutral Zone. 

The story starts at a time when Hitler is sick and is expected to die in a few months time. This is leading to political instability within the Nazi reign. In addition, it is creating disturbances in the geo-political relationship between Japan and the Nazi reign in USA. What follows is what you will find once you watch it. This article is not meant to be a spoiler for the reader. 

It has completed one season and I think it is an amazing series. It has huge potential to be on the top charts in the future as well. The level of imagination required to bring such a story to life in highly commendable. The whole environment shown seems very realistic and scary. In addition, I also love the American women used to dress up in the 1960s. I just love their footwear and the way they made their hair back in the day. 

Code Black

I always make it a point to watch a variety of themes. Major themes that I select from are sitcoms, crime drama, legal drama and a med based drama series. Code Black is a drama series based in an LA hospital's ER (Emergency Room). When it comes to a med series, I typically don't pick conventional shows. Till now, I was watching Royal Pains but I think it is wise to make a switch now as that series has been waning off in my opinion. 

Exciting Characters: Melanie Chandra playing a lesbian Indian doctor. (far right)

Code Black is another promising series that I would recommend you to watch if you're looking for a med drama series. The only problem is that it is not for the weak hearted. Some scene are gross and gruesome. So if you want more drama and less reality, this is probably not for you. 

Code Black is a term used to denote a situation in the hospital when "the influx of patients is so great that there aren't enough resources to treat them." It shows how ER doctors deal with super critical situations in a high pressure environment. The show follows a group of doctors doing their residency in one of the busiest and most prestigious hospitals in LA. The rest is for you to find out. 

Fuller House

Cast of Full House. Most of it has been retained for Fuller House as well.

Do you remember Full House? The popular TV series that started in late 80's and carried on till mid '90s? You probably aren't a 90's kid if you have no idea about what I'm talking about. Anyway, Full House was a VERY popular sitcom series back in the day. It was about 3 brothers and their families living together. It was truly an amazing show. If you haven't seen it, go an watch that first. 

Fuller House is the present day version of the same family. It starts in end of February and I can't wait to watch it. Based on what I've heard and read about it, it's basically the same family situation, just fast forwarded to today. If you've seen Full House (or you decide to after reading this blog) you can't miss this show for sure. It starts airing on 26th February I think and it is definitely a show I'm looking forward to.

Personally, I do feel it might not be as great as Full House but I really hope it is. The problem with reviving a great series of the past is that the expectations of the viewers are extremely high. As a result, the show might end up disappointing even if it is pretty decent. That said, I have my fingers crossed and I would certainly suggest this series for the near future.

Quantico

I think it was pretty obvious that I would mention this show at some point of time. Even if the show would've been a lot worse than it actually is, I would've mentioned it in a positive light on my blog. That said, the show is pretty cool. It runs two different timelines in parallel. In one timeline, it shows a really interesting bunch of fresh recruits going through their FBI training with Alex Parrish (Priyanka Chopra) as the central character. This is the timeline of the past. In another, it shows the same bunch involved in the aftermath of a terrorist attack in which Alex Parrish has been falsely framed.

Fun Fact: Priyanka Chopra won the Miss World Pageant in 2000

The show has its fair share of FBI cliches and stereotype roles that you probably would've seen in your typical security intelligence related drama series or movies. Despite this, it stands out because of the various characters that are shown. Even though Priyanka Chopra may be at the centre of things, the other characters make the show equally interesting. 

I'm also surprised by the way Priyanka Chopra has acted in this role. If you watch Bollywood films, Priyanka Chopra probably wouldn't be your first pick for an action/intelligence agent role. At least not for me. Although, on second thought, I also realise that if it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't have any other Bollywood actress to pick either. There are about 3-4 extremely talented actresses in Bollywood at the moment and even amongst them, I guess Priyanka Chopra was the best fit for the role. 

Anyway, if you like shows like Homeland, Quantico will not disappoint you. Although, I should mention that you probably shouldn't expect something as amazing as Homeland as well. That said, do go ahead and watch it. Show some love to the Punjabi girl, Priyanka Chopra. She is amazing. 

Other TV Series worth mentioning

Sherlock Holmes

I don't think there is any reason for me to justify this. Their new season starts with the new year. I think it's the best New Year's present one could ask for (except for maybe a free trip to Seychelles). Anyway, "Sherlock: The Abominable Bride" airs on 1st January. It is just the show you need once your hangover from last night has faded away.

Orange is the new Black

Initially, I didn't hear much appreciation from my friends that were tracking it but I'm beginning to hear it now. It's already in its 3rd season. I recently watched its pilot episode from season 1. It is definitely a different show from the rest. I don't know whether they deliberately made it to appeal to female audience or not but I felt women are likely to enjoy it more than men. As for me, I'll probably continue to watch the first season before deciding to continue further or not. Look it up, see if you like it's theme and watch it if it interests you.

Mom

Okay. This is one show I really hated. I saw it's pilot and I found it so shit that I decided to stop watching it there and then. Apparently, it has started doing well as well. I don't think I'll be watching it though. If you decide to, let me know what you think about it.

Suits

Season 6 starts towards end of January. I wrote a blog around the time it's 5^th season started. It's an amazing law based drama series. I don't think I need to discuss Suits at all. Last season was amazing and I'm really looking forward to the next one.

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If you are a viewer of any of the shows I've mentioned or if you decide to watch any of them after reading this article, feel free to let me know your views in the comments section below. I'm always happy to get feedback from my readers. :)