Day 19: Binge
The 3 best shows I (re)watched beginning-to-end this year
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I love to binge shows. I love to really settle in to a storyline and immerse myself in a wold. What I donât love is how quickly you move through seasons when theyâre made up of only 8-10 episodes, especially when youâve been waiting for a year to find out what happens.
But I have a trick.
Leading up to the release of a new season, Chase and I will rewatch all the previous seasons of that show. This stretches the experience and increases your enjoyment, especially if your memory is like mine and you forget pretty much everything that happened within a week or two of watching.
Sometimes, if the seasons arenât so far apart, or weâre going into the 5th or 6th season, we wonât do a 5th or 6th rewatch of Season 1. But, then again, depending on the show, sometimes we will.
For these three shows, which are not only my three favorite shows of this year, but three of my all-time favorite shows ever (all of which ended this year, but I donât want to talk about it), we went all the way back to the beginning. We rode every arc, we overcame every obstacle, we mourned every loss, and celebrated every victory. And we fell in love with every character all over again.
If you havenât watched these yet, Iâm so jealous of and excited for you. If you have, letâs talk about it!
MY 3 FAVORITE SHOWS OF 2023
As with all stories Iâm drawn to, they have a few things in common:
An exploration of the experiences that make us and shape us. Discovering who we are outside of who we thought we should be. How we become who we become and who we meet along the way.
Casts of rich, multi-dimensional characters who are as beloved, if not more so, than the hero. (As Chase always says: The sign of a well written show is that no character is wasted!)
A brightness and a bigness to the visual storytelling that lends a slightly magical quality, even as the stories are deeply rooted in an often all-to-real reality.
A big-hearted humanness balanced with cheekiness, cleverness, and charm with a thruline (and this wonât surprise you one bit) of stubborn optimism.
By now, youâve probably heard about this caricature-turned-character who was introduced mid-pandemic and brought the world some much needed lightness. But donât underestimate the simplicity of this show or its overly cheerful exterior. It tackles some of our hardest, most human parts with a big heart. It shines a bright flashlight toward the dark doors weâd prefer to keep closed, stubbornly reminding us, no matter which side weâre on, what it means to work together and what it looks like, against all odds, to believe.
This show is set outside of time, somewhere quaint and colorful in the UK, and Iâd like very much to live there. Or at least rent Otisâs house for a short to long-term stay. It explores identity and becoming and sexuality and relationships and friendships and growing up and being grown up with skill and curiosity and care and humor and cringe and playfulness and an honesty that is somehow like therapy and entertainment all at once. You will fall in love with every character. They will simultaneously break and heal your heart. You will try to pick your favorite, but itâs an impossible ask. Itâs Amy. No, itâs Eric. Wait, no itâs definitely Maeve. Oh, but RubyâŠand AdamâŠand JeanâŠ
Do not let the girly-pink palette or the distinct time-period-font-ness of this show fool you into thinking itâs ânot your thing.â This show is brilliant, layered, smart, funny and surprising. Sharp dialogue, witty banter, and a fantastical, stylistic quality only Amy Sherman-Palladino can pull off. This show is a work of art, stretching the bounds of what a television show can be. Oh, and the season finale is perfect. (P.S. If you enjoyed this yearâs Camp AweGust, you will love Season 2)
P.S.
Did you watch any of these shows? What did you think? Tell me everythingâŠ
What were your favorite shows this year? (I donât know if you heard, but all my favorite shows have ended and I need some suggestions!)
Do you binge or prefer a week-to-week viewing experience?
Do you notice recurring themes or qualities in the types of shows you love?
2. I'm late to the party, but two I loved discovering and binging this year are POSE and Queen Sugar (still working my way through the latter).
4. I fell for This Is Us for similar reasons. I'm drawn to dramas with complex, diverse, memorable characters; layered family stories that don't shy away from grappling with the hard, real, messy parts of life yet are redemptive and grounded in genuine connection; emotional authenticity in the acting and evidence that the writers have done some deep soul work of their own.
movies that I loved and can't stop thinking about:
Where'd You Go Bernadette?, Faraway, Fisherman's Friend