Ten TV Shows to Binge-Watch this Summer - Part 1

The one line description that piqued my interest in True Detective was 'Homicide Detectives Show with Lovecraftian themes', and with that, how could I not tune in.

The description however underplays how truly brilliant this new show is, and how amazing McConaughey and Harrelson are as they carry the complex, time hopping, story and draw you into their chaotic lives

Running parallel to this is the story set in 2012, where the two detectives are being interviewed about the crime we are following in the past part of the story. Rust is looking dishevelled, with long grey hair, and a rapid consumption of alcohol and cigarettes, while Marty is still looking like the straight man of the pair. 

As the series unravels we are introduced to more weaves and turns, as well as exposure to the darker side of humanity, and to the Yellow King.

The story itself is fantastic, and as you watch these parallel stories unfold you will continually feel enthralled and disorientated in equal measures. The show is built around you investing emotionally and intellectually into the show. The writing and performances from the entire cast make you care about these flawed human beings, and the cinematography leaves you constantly trying to spot the clues that are layered with foreshadowing.

On the topic of cinematography, True Detective may have some of the best shots I have ever seen on TV. The director is well known within the indie film circles, Cary Fukunaga directed both Jane Eyre and Sin Nombre. Sin Nombre won a huge amount of awards, including Best Direction at Sundance. The kid has talent, and he takes all his talent in to making True Detective one of the most visually stunning shows to ever exist. 

 Six minutes of an unbroken tracking shot that follows Rust through an intensely chaotic and tense scene. The fact that you are never allowed to look away pushes your heart rate up, and begins to pump you full of adrenaline. When the whole shot is finally complete you can physically feel the relief, as your fight or flight response starts to calm down. 

True Detective is a show that rewards attentive and invested viewers with an experience unlike anything we have seen for a long time. It explores themes of religion and spirituality, the nature of cult and mass hysteria, as well as the dynamics of families. Each episode feels like a full feature movie, and takes quite a bit out of you emotionally. The second season is in development, and with its anthology style of storytelling, the next season is going to be taking us away from the swamps of Louisiana to sunny California, and introducing us to a new cast and crew. The hype and excitement for the second season will begin in the next few months, so now is the ideal time to catch-up, and discover what everyone is so excited for.

Kevin Spacey re-imagining a British political thriller with the backing of Netflix may not sound like the greatest idea, but the result is a phenomenal tour-de-force of deception, manipulation, and political maneuvering. 

But the legislation is merely a vehicle that carries the story of Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), a power hungry and manipulative Southern Democrat, as he goes about his day to day life as a force of persuasion within the Senate.

Connected to this we have sprawling stories about the election campaign, mental illness and addiction, and an analysis of new and established media (something very close to Netflix's heart). There are a few pieces of art that media fanatics, and historians, look to as being a reflection of the time in which they were created, and House of Cards is one of these shining jewels. 

The stories and themes of the show feel like they are pulled directly from the disaster zone that is the United State Government, and it is this realism that allows you to feel so invested and connected to the show. House of Cards doesn't treat you like an idiot, and expects a certain level of knowledge about the political system and discussions we are having today.

All of these characters play out in connected, but independent stories. To even begin explaining any intricacies of the plot would begin to spoil the twists and turns that are protagonists face. 

The show excels at dragging you kicking and screaming into the underhanded world of Frank Underwood, and then using this to force you to consider the wider social ramifications of the American political system. Discussions on gender, race, sexual orientation, war, and money in politics are naturally and openly discussed throughout the show all while feeling authentic and organic. None of the many complex stories feel shoehorned into the story to satisfy a quota.

House of Cards was one of the first Netflix Originals, and reflected the Netflix culture by releasing the entire season at once, allowing the fans to binge watch the entire series (and most of us did). The show is a rewarding and exciting whirlwind tour through the lives of those in and around Washington, and has you cheering despicable and immoral actions that you are left trying to rationalise. Bathe yourself in the moral ambiguity, and emerge feeling far dirtier, but far happier.

The Wire appeared on our televisions in 2002, and tore apart what was expected of police procedurals. While most shows within this genre follow the crime of the week approach, The Wire introduced multiseason arcs to the many crimes and investigations that the Baltimore Police Department are dealing with. 

Rather than focusing on a few hero police officers bravely fighting hollow criminals with minimal motives, The Wire makes Baltimore the major character. Throughout the show we follow the homicide detectives, the narcotics division, various levels of the drug dealing operation (including the logistics, the gaining of territory, and the low level pushing), human smugglers, dock workers, school children and teachers, politicians, and journalists. Each story is a self contained narrative, but each story influences each other. 

The Wire's approach to storytelling is to carry on a continuous narrative across the five seasons, but with each season focusing on a specific theme or aspect of life in Baltimore. The first season introduces us to 'the wire' (a phone tap) as we see the battle between a secretive narcotics operation and a highly intelligent drug empire ran by Stringer Bell (Idris Elba), and focuses on the effects of the illicit drug trade in Baltimore. The effects ranging from the turf battles that emerge from warring groups, to the personal life of an addict hooked on heroin and always in need of a fix.

The second moves the focus to the seaport workers of Baltimore, who are implicated in a heinous crime. The investigation and story take us through the position of Worker's Unions in American culture, and the evolution of the economy away from blue collar jobs that have been passed down family lines.

And the fifth and final season wraps everything together while exposing us to the journalistic cycle that focuses more on exciting front page stories than on serious and important news. The show runner David Simon worked in newspapers before going into television and his cynical vitriol for the area oozes throughout the show.

In the second part we'll be focusing on some of the best historical dramas on TV. Going back to before England was a unified kingdom, all the way to the Cold War.

What are your thoughts on the shows mentioned above, and which shows would you put in a list of Top 10 TV Shows? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.