Netflix Original Series You Should Be Watching

Few companies today have learned to adapt with the shifting popularity of the internet the way Netflix has.  Netflix began as a DVD distribution company and was one of the first companies to jump into the internet streaming space. Not resting on their laurels, they began producing their own feature content. Today, Netflix is responsible for around 37% of all internet traffic, and they have produced several shows that rival content created by the major networks.  I’m gonna recommend 5 of those shows.  Shows like House of Cards, Orange is the New Black and DareDevil are already pretty well known, this list is not for them. I’m hoping you see something new on this list and give it a shot.

Fear The Walking Dead Pilot Review

I don’t know at what point AMC decided they were going to make great television, but we should all thank them for it. For the better part of this decade AMC has been responsible for three of most critically praised shows of all time : Breaking Bad, Mad Men and The Walking Dead. Fear The Walking Dead is the network’s second attempt at making a major spin-off. What makes this spin-off so interesting is gap it intends to fill in The Walking Dead Lore.  This spin-off focuses on an entirely different cast of characters on the other side of the country from rural Georgia. Chronicling the downfall of Los Angeles in the midst of the initial zombie outbreak.   Spoiler free!

The Man Without Fear

In 2015, it’s almost hard to imagine a time when comic book super heroes were taboo in film. Marvel having not be satisfied with just film has been recently setting their sights on the TV space. Starting first with Agents of Shield, a show about a government agency which often works closely with Marvel’s current heroes.  Agents of Shield received a lukewarm reception at best.  That reception changed after its tie in with the movie Captain America: The Winter Solider.  Marvel has fully realized the value of its shared universe and continues to cultivate it in many meaningful ways. Marvel’s latest cultivation manifested itself in a partnership with Netflix to launch a darker, grittier and more adult-themed series: DareDevil.

DareDevil follows the story of a Hell’s Kitchen native named Matt Murdock. Murdock was involved in a chemical accident at a young age that resulted in his blindness. However, as a result of losing this one sense, his remaining senses all became superhuman. These enhanced senses allow him to perceive the world much sharper than a normal person with all 5 senses. Murdock’s connection to his neighborhood is intense, choosing to initially defend it by day as a lawyer and by night as a crime fighting vigilante.

All Hail The “Empire”

What is Hip Hop culture? If you asked 10 people this question, there is a good chance you will get 10 different answers. What most people fail to realize is, that’s kind of the point. As a means of expression, its strength lies in its diversity. Fox takes the idea of Hip Hop and uses it as a vibrant backdrop for its latest drama “Empire”. What happens when a family builds something on their definition of hip hop, and more importantly what happens in an effort to keep what was earned?

Empire follows the story of an immensely popular Hip Hop record label of the same name. As a testament to its success, Empire is on the verge of becoming a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. At the top of the company is Founder/CEO Luscious Lyon, played by the enigmatic Terrance Howard.  A role that will no doubt draw some comparisons to real life Hip Hop Moguls like Sean “P.Diddy” Combs and Sean “Jay-Z” Carter. Luscious practically has come from nothing and envisions Empire becoming public as the culmination of his entire legacy. A legacy that is threatened when he is diagnosed with ASL, and will died in the near future. If that wasn’t his only issue, he also has to deal with the release of his ex-wife from prison “Cookie” Lyon played by Taraji P. Henson.

The show of interest

I have to spend some time to talk about probably my personal favorite TV show at the moment. That is a lot to say considering TV has been on a role. With shows like Game of Thrones, Mad Men, The Walking Dead, Homeland and Broadwalk Empire just racking up awards. Person of Interest is one of those shows you could easily sweep under your rug.

Person of Interest is sort of a crime drama show. Like most network TV shows, it kind of deals with the “flavor of the week” formula. The show is about a nation-wide computer surveillance system, known as “The Machine”. This machine was created after the 9/11 terrorist attack on New York City. The machine is designed to output people soon to be involved in violent terrorist acts, the person of interest. They don’t know if the person will be a victim or a perpetrator. While dealing with this, the show has a bigger plot of the dealing with the ramifications of the Machine existing in the first place. Are the American people ready for an all-knowing machine watching their every move?

All cameras on The Newsroom

I’m excited to write about this one.  The newsroom is not a brand new series, it’s fairly young though.  It premiered in 2012 and has enjoyed two mostly successful seasons so far.  I’ve heard a lot about this show but never got the opportunity to watch it because I lacked HBO at the time.  I’ve been very familiar with what most consider it’s most potent scene.  A scene presented to the audience within the first 10 minutes of the pilot.  This tirade of a speech made my list of Top 8 TV monologues .

Heads up, the embedded link isn’t going to work on the page, every High Quality video of this scene I find doesn’t allow embedded to work.  Why they made this scene so un sharable is beyond me, but you should still take a moment to head over to Youtube and give it a view.

Go undercover with Gang Related

The summer hasn’t been kind for new TV shows.  To honest, I haven’t really liked anything that has premiered this summer. The only new show I have kept up with is Gang Related.  A Undercover detective drama.  Gang Related follows the Detective Lopez, portrayed by Ramon Rodriguez.  Ryan is a member of an elite Los Angeles gang task force, but Ryan has ties to one of the most notorious gangs.  Ryan’s parents died when he was young, and this gang raised him as one of these own.  To protect the family he was go undercover in the LAPD.  Ryan has to walk the fine line between doing his job and making sure his surrogate family stays out of harms way.

The premise isn’t new and the setting isn’t unique, but it did seem to have a chip on it’s shoulder.  Gang Related is still two episodes shy of completing it’s first season, don’t worry this outlook will be spoiler free.  Hit the jump to learn more.

Into the Valley

Into the valley

There is a show I really enjoy called Leverage. The shows resident computer hacker specialist has a favorite quote, “Age of the Geek, Baby”. Age of the geek is right, and Hollywood wants in on the action. With shows like The Big Bang Theory at the front of the “Geek” movement, everyone is trying to get in on the action. HBO takes a crack at the tech/start-up heavy headquarters of Silicon Valley. Following a young startup trying to make their mark amongst the tech titans of Palo Alto.  Mike Judge takes his previous work of Office Space and shifts it enough to get some real leverage on the anti-corporate but still corporate environment of Silicon Valley.

So how is HBO’s take at the computer programmer subculture? Being a programmer myself, I think they nailed it. I get much of the references, and I actually like the idea of giving people a glimpse of what my world looks like. The ship ain’t perfect, not even close, but it sails straight and true.

All Eyes On “Luther”

Luther

My first two post were about movies, so I thought id spend this next post to talk about some damn good TV. For my inaugural TV post, Im happy to share Luther with you. Luther is probably my favorite police/detective drama. It is helmed by an outstanding performance by Idris Elba as Detective Chief Inspector John Luther.

I feel lately, crime/detective dramas have become way more about gimmicks. Everyone has a special technology or unique skill set to give them insight to crimes. It was cool at very but now, its become kind of dull. Luther doesn’t have any of those gimmicks, he is just a dedicated police officer. He is almost dedicated to his own detriment. Luther is a detective for the Serious Crimes Unit, which only deal with the worst kind of criminals. These things motive and haunt him just the same, and for all the amazing work he can do. He can be a danger to himself and others when faced with the consequences of his fixations.