I don’t watch much TV. In fact, the only reason I even own a TV is to see weather reports during tornado season and traffic reports in the winter. I have turned into my college English professor (he didn’t own a TV, which at the time we thought was crazy). I prefer to use the time to read, research or write.

Needless to say, I don’t have cable. The few shows I do watch are through Amazon Prime on my Kindle Fire.

Orphan Black (BBC America)
I wasn’t sure what this show was about for the longest time, so I avoided it, but one of my co-workers finally convinced me to watch it and I was immediately hooked. I won’t say what the main plot point is in case you haven’t seen it yet, but I can confidently say, there is nothing else like it on TV. I mean, the lead actress (Tatiana Maslany) literally plays 14 characters and she is so good that you forget that they aren’t actually different people. I binged the first two seasons over a single weekend. Starting with season three, I had to watch week to week just like everyone else. Unfortunately, the upcoming season is its last. Should be a good one because they have so many questions left to answer and loose ends to tie up. But they better not kill off Cosima. If they do, the fans will revolt. Or at least I will.

Mozart in the Jungle (Amazon Original)
I love this show because not only is the writing fabulous, the acting is great and the music is amazing. An intelligent show that promotes the arts! FINALLY! And who would have thought the symphony could be so scandalous? The show is based on a book, which was based on real-life. If I ever get the chance, I want to read it. I need to add it to Goodreads.

I watched the whole first season in one weekend. The second was pretty much the same. I was worried when the third season started in December that it might be getting a little old, but the writers are doing better than ever. I will watch as many seasons as they can keep witty and fresh. Any show with Bernadette Peters is worth watching in my book, and Gael García Bernal (Rodrigo) and Lola Kirke (Haley) have become two of my new favorites. Saffron Burrows fascinates me for some reason, and even Malcom McDowell grew on me. This one is a must watch for any classical music or theatre lover!

Good Girls Revolt (Amazon Original)
This show follows a group of women working at the fake publication News of the Week in the late 1960s. They decide to secretly band together to file a gender discrimination suit against the magazine because they aren’t allowed to become reporters. Only men can be reporters; women are stuck as their researchers and don’t get bylines even if they rewrite the articles and/or do most of the work. The general plot is based on real events at Newsweek that changed women’s roles in the workplace across the country. But the producers admit to taking lots of liberties (probably the sex and drugs) with the characters. It’s a really great period show and I’m glad it introduced me to actress Genevieve Angelson (who plays Patti), whom I now adore. Amazon shocked fans of this show by cancelling it, even though it is one of their highest rated originals ever. I will never understand that decision. But I also can’t say I HAD to have another season. I enjoyed this one – watched it in 2 or 3 days – but toward the end it was getting a little much.

Murder in the First (TNT)
I started watching this police procedural because Kathleen Robertson is in it and she’s my inspiration for Mia in Been Searching for You. I was also interested because Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter) was in the first season and I hadn’t seen him in any other role at the time. Man, can he ACT! One of the unique things about this show is that each season follows a different major murder case from start to finish. The first was about a tech billionaire (Felton), the second about a school shooter (with a subplot about a drug dealer) and the third was about a drinking and driving hit and run involving the DA. And just as I was writing this, I found out there won’t be a fourth season. Excuse me while I go sit in the corner and cry. This was one of the best shows on TV! Please go back and watch it, especially the first season. That is some fabulous, edge-of-your-seating writing and wonderful acting.

I also really want to see Blindspot. I saw one episode on my flight back home from Oxford and was hooked. I just haven’t wanted to spend the money on it yet.

And I will watch any Property Brothers’ show when I’m at my parent’s house, but I haven’t gotten myself to buy any seasons yet.

These aren’t out yet, but I will be binge-ing them as soon as they start, just based on the pilot episode. All are Amazon Originals.

The Last Tycoon
Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s final book, this show “follows Monroe Stahr, Hollywood’s Golden Boy as he battles father figure and boss Pat Brady for the soul of their studio. In a world darkened by the Depression and the growing influence of Hitler’s Germany, The Last Tycoon illuminates the passions, violence and towering ambition of 1930s Hollywood.” I loved it because the sets, costumes and cinematography are top-notch and the storyline is utterly enthralling. I also have a thing for 1930s Hollywood/New York lately. Something about the glitz and glamour reels me in. The acting is great too, although I really want to introduce Lily Collins’ eyebrows to a pair of tweezers. My new fascination is Jessica De Gouw, who plays Minna, the late wife of the lead character. She’s going to be the inspiration for one of my characters someday; I can tell.

Z: The Beginning of Everything
This show is based on the novel Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler, which tells the life story of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald. While I liked the book, I LOVED the pilot of the show. I think it gives the story the drama and fun the book sometimes lacked. Oddly enough, I don’t normally like Christina Ricci, who is in the title role, but she is PERFECT for this role. Can’t wait to see more!

The Collection
I haven’t even seen a pilot for this, but the trailer looks amazing. Here’s Amazon’s summary: “A gripping family drama and entrepreneurial fable, set in a post-war Paris fashion house. It exposes the grit behind the glamour of a rising business, spearheaded by two clashing brothers. The atelier staff survived one war, but others loom; rivalries and romances pitting family against family, protégés against mentors, the past against the future.” I love shows  about the fashion world (yes, I loved Project Runway when I had cable) even though I’m not particularly concerned with fashion in my own life. I’m hoping this is going to be a great period piece chock full of drama.

Highston
Just when you thought I was all about serious or period shows, I throw this one at you. It’s about a boy named Highston (God, do I hate that name) who not only hears voices in his head, he sees them as celebrities and imagines them as his friends. In the pilot, it was Flea from The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. And OMG is this show hilarious. It’s also way too relatable for writers.

As I was gathering images for this post I also came upon Flesh and Bone, about ballet dancers, and Maison Close, about brothels and prostitutes in late 19th century France. May have to give those a binge as well.

What are your binge-worthy shows? What else do I need to see?