MAD MEN
Ah. The good old days. Grab yourself a Vodka Gimlet and immerse yourself in the simpler days of prestigious advertising and swoon over Jon Hamm's mysterious yet intoxicating Don Draper. Fantasize yourself reinventing your wardrobe to match Peggy's or Megan's and make a mental notes to get yourself a pair of specs like Harry's. Hate on the multiple d-bags at Sterling Cooper and pray that you will get hotter as you age like John Slattery has. This five-time Golden Globe winning show has so many iconic characters and moments and the evolving costumes throughout the series are exquisite. Like Don, try to occupy yourself as best you can in order to protect your past and the negative aspects of your life, like your final grades.
SCRUBS
For those of you who are tired of your friends who harp on you every time you open your computer to be studious for your unwillingness to binge on Grey's Anatomy. No, Felicia, I know that McDreamy dies. And no, Felicia, I can't quickly burn through 292 episodes that are each 41 minutes long. Anyway, Scrubs is a shorter and comedic alternative to the bleak Grey world that takes place in the Sacred Heart Hospital and is headlined by Zach Braff. The last two seasons, plagued by NBC's cancelation of the show and ABC's subsequent adoption, are for the most part no bueno. But the meat of it is fabulous, the cast has great chemistry, and J.D.'s undying love for unicorns never gets old.
PEAKY BLINDERS
Honestly, I'm surprised it took me this long to mention British TV. As a person who firmly believes she was born on the wrong continent, I absolutely adore everything from the continent I should hail from, especially the majority of their entertainment. My sister's friend's ex-boyfriend's dad told me I should check it out two years ago and within a few hours I had already binged season 1. The title itself shows how badass it is; our protagonists, the dangerous Shelby clan, sew blades into the peaks of their caps. This gangster drama is set in Birmingham (not the one I'm in, of course) in 1919, yet it is also juxtaposed with modern rock 'n roll like Bad Seeds and White Stripes that give it a hardcore feeling, which makes Cillian Murphy beating the crap out of someone seem even more badass. Plus, the British accents. And the costumes. That should be enough of a reason to watch.
~~plus~~
Tom Hardy joins in Season 2. You'll definitely want to stay for that.
STRANGER THINGS
Okay, yes, you probably already watched this. But for the procrastinators/people who have responsibilities who have not yet watched it, follow the words of Shia LaBeouf and do it. And even if you already have watched it, curl up with your frozen waffles and watch it again! Honestly, what's a better way to escape your loving yet belligerent family than by immersing yourself in paranormal child abduction, complete with the soundtrack of Winona Ryder screaming, "WILL" 538293 times? And since America is heading into its own version of the Upside Down, you might as well go ahead with it now.
PORTLANDIA
Three things I love: variety sketches, Portland, and Fred Armisen. Thrown together, they are glorious. The entire show is comprised of random sketches starring Armsen and Carrie Brownstein as dozens of citizens of Portland. The cult show has several recurring character duos, such as Toni and Candace, the ultra indie feminist clerks who work at Women and Women First Bookstore, Bryce and Lisa, aka Etsy in human form, and Daniel and Meg, who so lovingly prepare a home cooked meal for their friends out of their findings from their most recent dumpster dive. It's so bizarre and so random, but it's also so hilarious and genius. Plus, as Candace, Armisen makes such a beautiful woman. I mean, come on. Look at those tresses.
