Before falling down the rabbit hole that is the Nintendo Switch, this girl found her time being occupied by a slew of addictive TV shows. These shows could not be further apart on the spectrum, but each one of them provides hours of entertainment that will have you hooked from start to finish.

911 Lone Star

Taking a spot on the binge-worthy box sets list, 911 Lone Star spotlights the first responders of Austin, Texas. This charming show will brighten anyone’s day while simultaneously tug on the heartstrings as we follow the daily struggles our characters face. The team themselves are a diverse bunch and through them, the show respectfully explores several conflicts encountered both on the job and in their personal lives. Despite this, Lone Star never veers into the melodrama, instead choosing to explore these incidents through communication, emotion, and humour, making the characters all the more relatable. Despite the severity of the situations they face, 911 Lone Star is a feel-good show, one that makes you appreciate the dangers our first responders place themselves in to ensure the safety of others, something we can all appreciate at this time.

The Trouble With Maggie Cole

ITV’s latest comedy-drama puts us in the heart of a gossip fuelled community. Dawn French’s Maggie Cole finds herself on the town’s most hated list after a drunken interview sees the town’s rumoured dirty laundry being aired to the entire nation. The fallout of this interview sees Cole isolated from the community while forcing the affected community members to face their own troubles. For a comedy, The Trouble With Maggie Cole takes a surprisingly dark turn as individual secrets are on the verge of exposure, and desperation leads to some drastic actions. While we’re only 4 episodes into the show, Maggie Cole is a message about gossip control and the damage such rumours can inflict on individuals by a community that thrives on gossip. It’s a show that should make you think about the consequences of indulging in trivial gossip that you have no business to be privy to.

Kingdom

This South Korean drama is a thrilling blend of history, politics, and the supernatural. Set in Korea’s Joseon period, Kingdom throws us into the heart of political turmoil within a zombie apocalypse. It’s a combination that shouldn’t work as effectively as it does, but this show provides a new take on the zombie landscape as the zombies themselves are utilised as a way of gaining political advantage. Led by a compelling cast of characters we are treated to an array of fascinating character dynamics as Ju Ji-hoon’s Prince Lee Chang forced to prove himself as a capable leader amidst this plague. Through him, we are treated to a range of emotions as he faces the crushing betrayal from his closest and oldest allies whiles the odds stack against him. There are plenty of twists and turns throughout the two seasons, and with season one focused more on the origins and spread of this zombie plague, the second season shone with its character-driven story culminating in a breathtaking showdown within the palace walls. It’s a surprisingly fresh take on the zombie apocalypse, but there is room for improvement as the mechanisms behind the infestation could use some further clarity and some characters could benefit from a deeper exploration of their history and motives. Nevertheless, Kingdom is an addictive tale of survival, politics, and zombies.

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