Spoilers follow...
1) Mad Men (AMC)
With the newest season right around the corner, Mad Men is about a group of advertising executives and their turbulent lives in the 1960's. As an advertising student it is my dream to one day live the life of Don Draper, however I do understand that I would be fired instantly if I pulled even some of his most tame antics. Thankfully, that doesn't make watching him pull off those antics any less fun. I watched the first four seasons on Netflix a couple of years ago in the span of a month. This show is unique for me in the sense that it took me about the entire first season before I really started getting into it. Many people may find the show to be dry or boring, but it's the characters that you invest in that make it worthwhile. A lot of it has to do with the development of these characters. In the pilot episode none of the characters were particularly good people, with the exception of one (Peggy, I'm looking at you). No, not every character needs to be good but I think they need to be redeemable. Every episode reveals a little bit more about each character that I can hardly wait to see where they go next in their journeys. Not to mention, the time period is the glamourous 60's and the evolution of that time. I have loved seeing the stylistic changes in hair, clothing, and music that that era provided the world. Mad Men is one of the most consistent shows on television with great writing and acting. It'll be a sad day when this one ends.
2) Shameless (Showtime) (U.S.)
I put this U.S. in brackets because Shameless is an American remake of a popular British television program of the same name. This show allows us to enter the homes of the aptly shameless Gallagher family. The Gallagher's put the fun in dysfunctional. Whenever I try to describe this show to people I always say it's like the movie Cheaper by the Dozen, but with an alcoholic father and a house on the other side of the tracks. Gallagher patriarch, Frank is shameless in every sense of the word. He leaves five of his children to be primarily looked after by his eldest daughter (only in her early twenties). He has had sex with his girlfriend's daughter. He has given a baby Vicodin to fall asleep. I could keep going, but it would ruin your experience if you were to ever watch it. His children are no saints either, but what they do is mainly out of necessity for survival than pure selfishness. You might be wondering why I find this show so good, because what I've described sounds all kinds of screwed up. This is true, but this is also a comedy...sometimes dramady. This is one show that balances dramatic and comedic elements perfectly. There is almost never a dull moment, and my jaw is typically dropped by the end of every episode. This is the kind of family that you peek in on and suddenly feel a lot better about how yours is.
3) Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
If you love gangster movies, then I would imagine you would love Boardwalk Empire. Starring Steve Buscemi as the fictional Enoch Thompson, this program is about bootlegging alcohol in 1920's Atlantic City. Like Mad Men this is another period piece that is so well acted and presented. In addition to seeing Enoch's descent into becoming a full fledged gangster, we are also witness to the rise of real life gangsters such as Al Capone and Lucky Luciano. Again, some people may find this program to be "boring". There is a lot of talking in this show, there's no doubt about that, but it's absolutely necessary to set up the very intricate story lines. Don't be alarmed though, because there are also some very entertaining shootouts. They don't happen every episode, but when they do you'll wince in the realism and decadence of the scene. Like many of the shows I watch, this wont be everyone's cup of tea, but if you like the crime genre and aren't afraid of the gratuitous sex and violence that all HBO programming offers, then you should really give Boardwalk Empire a shot.
Part 2 will consist of three more television favourites of mine.
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netflix.ca
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