TV Shows to Binge During Self-Quarantine: Part I (and two book reviews)

Since we're self-quarantining and there are no live sports happening, I thought I'd put together a list of TV shows that I enjoy that you can add to your list to watch.

My OCD/librarian-self thought it would be a good idea to do a list by the letters. So, here goes the first ten eleven:

A

Avengers: The Avengers was a TV series that originally aired from 1961-1969. It's a British spy drama that features John Steed as detective with his trusty ingenue- there were three throughout the series, but best known is Emma Peel. 

I love the repartee between Steed & Peel and the background of Britain in the 60's.

You can watch it for free on Tubi (yes, I said "Tubi.") I discovered it as an app on our TV while bored.

B

Babylon Berlin: The series takes place in Berlin during the Weimar Republic, starting in 1929. It follows Gereon Rath, a police inspector on assignment from Cologne who is on a secret mission to dismantle an extortion ring, and Charlotte Ritter, police clerk by day, flapper by night, who is aspiring to become a police inspector.

Admittedly, we're only two episodes in and it can be a bit slow, I am really enjoying the costumes and portrayal of Germany in the 20's. It's dubbed, so that's a bit odd and takes getting used to. When someone speaks in a language other than German (Russian), there are subtitles, which are flashed super fast and we've had to rewind a few times to re-watch. I'll keep you updated as we get further in.

You can watch this on Netflix.

C

Call the Midwife: This BBC series follows nurse midwives that serve the East End of London in the 1950's and 60's.

The show is currently in its ninth season, so if you're just starting, you'll have some catching up to do (but plenty of time to do it!). This show is a tearjerker, no doubt. However, it's amazing to watch the midwives and all they endure to safely care for and deliver babies at home and in less than ideal conditions. The series stays fresh with new characters every few seasons. (And, there's a young man with Down syndrome in the later seasons and he's awesome!)

You can watch this on Netflix.

D

Downton Abbey: This is another British show- a period piece set in the early 20th century. Originally aired on PBS in the US, it's now available on Amazon Prime. It centers around the Crawley family and their estate and those who keep it running. There are six series and a feature-length film was recently made. 

I LOVE the costumes. I LOVE the characters. Maggie Smith is ah-mazing. I highly recommend it. The subtle British wit will have you smiling.

E

Everybody Loves Raymond: If you have not seen this, you are missing out. MISSING OUT. 

It's a sitcom focusing on the Barone family- Ray & his wife Debra and their kids. His brother Robert (the lesser favorite in their parents' eyes) and the parents- Frank & Marie Barone. 

You can watch it on YouTube TV (with a subscription) and for a fee with Amazon Prime. (Reruns are also on network TV quite frequently.)

F

Flame Trees of Thika: This is one you've probably not heard of- the sleeper of my list. It is a British television mini-series from the early 80's. It's adapted from Elspeth Huxley's book by the same name and is set in and around the town of Thika in Kenya. The story focuses on the lives of British settlers, specifically the Grant family, in this part of East Africa in 1913, when the country was a British Colony, up to the start of World War I.

This has a special place in my heart, as I watched this on Masterpiece Theatre when it was released. Each Sunday night I'd settle in with my parents to see the new episode. I was around the same age (9) as Elspeth Grant, the little girl who moves to Kenya with her parents.

Unfortunately, I don't find that this is available for streaming, but you can get used DVDs from eBay/Amazon (or, when libraries open back up, you can see if available.)

G

Gilmore Girls: What TV show binge watch list wouldn't be complete without this? (Does that sentence make sense?) Anywho, this show is ah-mazing. Rory and Lorelai are the main characters, but it's the supporting cast that brings it all together- Paris, Dean, Emily & Richard, Luke, Lane, Kirk, and more. They all co-exist in Stars Hollow (quintessential New England town) and the witty banter is enough to make me swoon. 

You can watch The Girls (as my friend Andrea calls the show) on Netflix.

H

The Honourable Woman: This is another British miniseries (are you starting to see a pattern here?) It focuses on Nessa Stein, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, a businesswoman who is devoted to the Middle East peace process. However, family circumstances and a mysterious death unearth many secrets and questions. This is excellent.

You can watch it on Amazon Prime for a fee.

I

In Living Color: Looking for something totally silly and early 90's? Have I got a show for you! This 30 minute show featured comedy sketches with the Wayans brothers, a very young Jim Carrey, and a dance troupe called the Fly Girls. Sounds ridiculous but you are guaranteed to laugh!

You can watch this on Philo with a subscription.

J

Judging Amy: Here's another one where I am throwing it WAY back. This was a late 90's/early 2000's legal drama focused on a judge (Amy) who presides over family court and has her own trials and tribulations (see what I did there?) as a divorced mom. The legendary Tyne Daly plays Amy's mom, a social worker.

This is another one that I don't see that you can stream (well, what good is that?), but I bet you could find bootleg episodes on YouTube or order used DVDs. (And check with your library once they open back up!)

K

The Kominsky Method: We'll finish this portion of the list off with a new show. This show is GREAT. This is a Netflix comedy series with Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin (he's hilarious). An aging actor and his aging agent deal with prostate problems, troubled children, death of a spouse, and just life, in general.

You can (and should) watch this on Netflix.



Book #11 of 2020: Blind Side by Penny Warner

Summary: Buford the bullfrog is dead! Connor Westphal, the feisty deaf publisher of the weekly EUREKA! Jumps into the annual Jumping Frog Jubilee festivities when her sidekick and main squeeze, Dan Smith, is retained by Buford's jockey to find the "murderer. " With the help of Sheriff Elvis Mercer and the eccentric denizens of Flat Skunk, Connor and Dan think it'll be a snap, until the sheriff's son Jeremiah comes under suspicion-- and a human body surfaces in Critter's Creek, along with a lot more dead frogs. Connor knows Jeremiah is innocent, and with the aid of a new blind friend, sets about finding out who is killing the frogs--and people-- at Calaveras County. This is the fifth book in the award winning Connor Westphal series.

Rating: C+. The earlier ones in this series were better. The whole frog jumping thing was a bit too hokey for me.

Book #12 of 2020: A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier

Summary: A Single Thread focuses on 38-year-old Violet Speedwell, who's piecing together a life for herself after her fiancé and her beloved brother both died in World War I. She's part of a generation in which a woman's worth is defined by her role as a wife, widow or mother — and by 1932, Violet knows she's not going to be any of those things. She's a surplus woman, alone in the world, with no chance to marry as a result of the Great War's devastation of the male population. Thankfully, early in the story, Violet shows some mettle when she encounters the Winchester Cathedral Broderers, a group of women volunteers who make the gorgeously embroidered kneeling cushions for the Cathedral. 

Rating: A. I cannot say enough good things about this book. I've not read anything by Chevalier, but her writing style is easy to read/pleasing. The storyline with the Broderers was fascinating. Parallel to that is a storyline about bell ringing in the Cathedral and that is also fascinating. I learned a lot and did not want it to end!