TV Rennaisance

So we love to write movie posts on this blog (and believe me I have one in mind for the new Godzilla movie this summer), but we haven't jumped on the TV bandwagon yet. That changes today.

I'm not sure I understand why, but there has literally been an explosion of great shows on TV in the past 5 years, and almost all of that is on cable. The premises have become more interesting, cable allows more freedom to use language (and a little skin), and elite Hollywood movie stars are flocking to these shows. Shows that need a little room to grow are allowed to do so on cable, and often become great, rather than get cancelled on a network after 2 or 3 episodes.

The perfect example is Breaking Bad. Look, I'll admit I didn't watch this show. However, as the series came to its finale last year, the constant buzz piqued my interest. So I downloaded the series and worked my way through. Amazing! If this had been pitched to NBC, it would have never even gone to pilot. Another example right now is the HBO series True Detective. When's the last time the star of a currently airing TV show was also the frontrunner for best actor at the Oscars at the same time? Matthew McConaughey is in this.

More recently, top-flight shows are being produced by streaming services like Netflix and Amazon and released for streaming only, often an entire season at once. How in the world did Netflix make a TV series starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, and how is House of Cards not on regular TV???

So I'll admit, I have not been a big TV watcher. Career, family and kids kind of get in the way of sitting in front of the TV for a scheduled show. However, streaming video and DVRs have made it a lot easier to watch shows. You can record and watch when you have time. Furthermore, how many shows have you skipped because you missed a few episodes or heard about them in season 3 or so? Now, you can download past episodes and seasons - often for free. So I was able to catch up with Breaking Bad and didn't miss out on the phenomenon. I did the same with The Walking Dead.

So am I alone here? Do you all find yourselves watching more of these top notch TV/streaming shows? Here are a few that I watch and can strongly recommend. I am or have watched all of these. It might seem like a lot, but the beauty is you don't have to spend every minute watching them. You can focus on one series on your own time, while the others record or are saved. Then you move on. I know there are so many more, so I'd love to hear any new recommendations.

Network

• The Blacklist: James Spader; best show on network TV
• The Following: Kevin Bacon; very dark
• Almost Human: Karl Urban; comedy/sci-fi/cop blend that works because of Urban

Cable

• The Walking Dead: The top rated show on all TV, including networks
• Breaking Bad: Over now, but you HAVE to watch it. Even Ali totally addicted.
• Game of Thrones: The biggest spectacle on TV
• True Detective: Woody Harrelson amd McConaughey; cops after serial killer

 Streaming

• House of Cards: great political drama; Spacey was born for this role