Top 3 TV Shows
1. Friends
This is a massive comfort show that I can't get enough of - I have watched this show more than I can count. I think I enjoy it so much because it just shows the journey of life, all the ups and downs which is also what my page is all about. As I grow up it is becoming more relatable with advice that I can also use in my life to learn. A thing that I love about the show is the friend group. It shows that everyone is different and that is what makes every friend group unique. The characters all had different traits that just blended together to make a funny, supportive friend group. For a few examples, there was Ross's dating life being plagued by bad luck, Rachel's obsession with clothes, Monica's paranoia, Chandler's sarcastic remarks, Joey's loveable immaturity and Phoebe's quirkiness and classical songs. I find it one of the best shows I've watched.
One thing I realised after watching the show a couple of times is that none of the main female cast in the show had kids in a conventional way. Phoebe had kids for her brother aka surrogacy, Rachel had an accidental pregnancy and Monica adopted. I feel that this was important because each path was made to spread awareness to the audience and people who might be going through similar times. Another aspect of the show that makes it even better is that nowadays you have so much pressure in your 20s to know what you are doing, think about marriage and kids but Friends were completely different. Chandler had a career change at roughly age 30 from statistical analysis to advertising which is completely different and Monica didn't have kids until around age 33. These 2 examples show that it is okay not to follow the pressures around you just do everything that makes you happy.
2. Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul
I've put these 2 together because the storylines connect between the shows. One thing that makes Breaking Bad so good is the writing. The writing for this show is immaculate and the writers meticulously build up storylines so that the audience don't ever lose sight. It also doesn’t do the whole shocker moments, instead the show has long and deceptive series of events building up to a plot-twisting surprise that has the audience on edge the entire time.
Another reason why it is an amazing show is the character development, for example the main character Walter White goes from a chemistry teacher to a drug overlord ‘Heisenberg’. You can see this happen in the storyline but also in the smaller details in the earlier seasons where he is seen wearing bright coloured shirts. Then, in later seasons he is seen wearing darker clothes representing the evil person he has become.
Furthermore, there was a prequal show filmed after Breaking Bad giving more of a backstory of Jimmy McGill - AKA Saul Goodman – exploring how he became a dirty ruthless cartel lawyer. This was also a great show because it provides a backstory for a lot of other major characters and explains how they became who they are once they entered Breaking Bad. I was always curious about how Mike went from a dirty ex-cop to a parking attendant to the right-hand man to a drug boss.
However, I was also curious about Gus but he never really changed from the intimidating mysterious leader, but it does give more context to why he is like that. Secondly, Better Call Saul doesn’t forget what happened in Breaking Bad making sure everything connects. At the start of each season of Better Call Saul it opens with a black and white scene showing what’s happened to Saul’s life because the consequences of his actions across both shows. The amazing writing remains between both shows which is why they are both so amazing. I think they also made a good choice for the casting of every role, I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing these characters.
3. Mad Men
When I first started watching Mad Men, I knew I would be hooked because it is about an advertising business and I find everything about businesses interesting. I also enjoy that it was set in the 60s because it dealt with the issues around that time - you saw the husbands going to work to bring home the money and the wives taking care of the kids and doing housework. However, you do see powerful women in the show at the same office of the main male characters taking charge. Peggy is one of my favourite female characters, she had goals and did everything to achieve them while making sure men didn’t overstep. She started the show as Don’s assistant and by the end became the head of the agency's creative staff. Another thing that makes this show one of my favourites is the writing. The way every single character is written is so memorable even the side characters like Bert Cooper, known for his witty one liners full of wisdom and being a peaceful man.
The writers wrote everything with meaning, it was the little details as well as the storyline that mattered. Each episode felt like a short tale that all connected together in the end. Some episodes focused on secondary characters, and others simply focused on the main group. One of the best characters written in the show is Don Draper, he is an unpredictable and mysterious man. After getting to know and love the character it is shown that he isn’t who he said he was. His real name was Dick and he created the character/persona so he could live the life he aspired to. Overall, I love this show because I find competitive business interesting and also the in-depth characters are written amazingly, so the audience fall in love with them and get caught up in all the small details.
This list is always changing, there are so many other amazing shows like sopranos, queer eye, Ozark the list could go on. A show that will definitely make my top 5 is Suits, I’ve only watched 4 seasons so far but I think it’s an amazing show with great characters that have their own story but every character lines up.
