So far, I’ve done myself proud with how many new shows I’ve been watching. Usually, it takes me an age to decide what to watch, but recently I’ve decided to go with the watch what looks good approach. It helps that there were a lot of new releases that I’d been anticipating as well. Here’s a summary of what I’ve been watching.

Russian Doll

Going into this show I had no expectations. The trailer showed a lot of promise, but never did I imagine it to be this good. The concept follows Nadia, a young woman that repeatedly dies and relives the same night. Now, a TV show that repeats the same event at every episode may not sound appealing to some, but within this concept, we explore deeper themes to contrast the hilarity of the situation. It offers some brilliant character exploration and its unpredictability makes it an easy binge-watching experience.

The Umbrella Academy

Before we proceed, I have to say that I am only on episode 7 and have no idea how things conclude, so please NO SPOILERS. What I do know about this show it’s that it’s a brilliant take on the superhero genre. Yes, we have an end of the world crisis, but the beauty of this show lies in this dysfunctional family. After being adopted and trained as superheroes, these 7 kids could not be farther apart. There is no love lost between them, but the death of their adoptive father forces them together again, reigniting lingering tension and forcing them to confront their past. The emphasis of this show is on the family. They’re eccentric, they’re always one step away from clawing each other’s throats out, they’ve all got issues, but time and time again we see how they are at their strongest when they’re together. The cast is phenomenal, and play off each other so well. In particular, Robert Sheehan thrives in his role as Number Four, Klaus, and he really gets to showcase his range as an actor. If I wasn’t working, I would have finished the show by now, but I can only imagine the chaos that’s to come with the last 4 episodes.

The Dark Night Trilogy

After finishing Titans, I had a strong urge to take a trip to Gotham. It’s been years since I’d watched the films and the best part about this re-watch was how it exposed the subtle moments that gave substance to these characters. The Dark Knight is undoubtedly the best installment in this trilogy as Heath Ledger gave life to the sinister and disturbing villain, The Joker. The true brilliance of this trilogy lies in Nolan’s decision to take the iconic Batman character and placing him in a setting that is grounded in reality.

Death in Paradise (Series 8)

As far as crime shows go, this series is the one that doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously. The cast of characters are eccentric and are not your conventional detectives. Admittedly, it’s hard to see past Ardal O’Hanlon legendary Father Ted character, but his quirky character fits right in on this show. Albeit, the crime drama itself is incredibly tame, but it’s the kind of light-hearted crime drama that can be enjoyed on a lazy evening.

Justice League / Justice League Unlimited

I watched this for nostalgic reasons. This is one of the shows I grew up with and as soon as I saw that it was available on Prime Video I just had to watch it. What I love about this show is the character growth. Justice League focuses on the founding members of the league, and every story is drawn out over 2 or 3 episodes, giving the plot enough breathing space to really explore the dynamic between the league members. The series finale, Starcrossed is still one of the best Justice League episodes I’ve ever seen as the league is faced with a shocking betrayal from one of their own. The personal stakes in those episodes were effectively executed, and the consequence of those events lingered in Justice League Unlimited. Here, we witness the development of the Justice League as its own superhero establishment. Justice League Unlimited introduces us to a wide cast of characters, and some of the best episodes, Double Date, feature side characters like The Question, who is undoubtedly the show’s best-underrated hero, the Huntress, Green Arrow, and Black Canary. While some may find it tiresome to have episodes focus on such a vast collection of characters, it does a great job at giving the spotlight to those lesser-known superheroes.

Have you seen any of these shows?
What have you been watching?