Now that school is over for the summer, people have more time than ever to binge-watch hours of media from a number of platforms.
New summer blockbusters are coming out every week, and the number of new shows premiering is staggering. However, many people still have a problem with falling into a "show-hole." A "show-hole" is the hole that one feels in their life after a beloved show or Netflix binge finally comes to an end.
I have noticed a common trend with many of my peers that instead of opening their eyes to a new television or film experience, they will instead watch the same show over and over and over again until they can basically recite entire episodes. Although this is not a waste of time — as I will be the first to admit that it is nice to have that one show to fall back on when times are rough or you just want to shut your brain off for thirty minutes — but it is, instead, a wasted opportunity.
It's almost like having the same meal every day for the rest of your life. Yeah, it's a good meal, but branch out! Try something new and if you don't like it, move on. There are thousands of movies and television shows at our generation's fingertips, so try something new. Here are a few shows that you can check out that may help.
Atlanta – (Season 1 on Hulu, Season 2 On Demand)
If you're like me, you cannot get enough of Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino).
These days it seems like everything he touches turns to a more charismatic, more talented gold version of the original. With his new movie Solo: A Star Wars Story coming out next week and his incredible new song and music video "This is America" hitting the internet this past week, it has never been a better time to watch his hit television show Atlanta.
Atlanta is a dramedy focused on three central characters. The first season primarily focuses on Glover's Earnest Marks as he tries to manage his up-and-coming Atlanta rapper Alfred "Paper-Boi" Miles (played by Brian T. Henry). With Alfred's friend Darius, played by "Get Out's" Lakeith Stanfield, the three experience the struggles and benefits of being a rapper on the rise in Atlanta.
What makes this show great is its surrealism. The show seems as though it could exist in our everyday world until a totally bizarre situation unfolds that pays off a joke that has been building throughout the episode.
The characters and situations are very realistic otherwise, and most of the episodes make a statement about the struggles of modern-day society. Atlanta is funny, dramatic, and intense while also being very poignant. The second season just concluded, and each season consists of 10 thirty minute episodes, so it is quick watch to fill that show-hole.
The Terror – (Season 1 on AMC)
If you are more interested in something a little more intense than Atlanta, then look no further than AMC's The Terror. The Terror is a haunting show based on a novel that was a fictionalization of historical events. In 1845, the United Kingdom launched two ships, the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror, on an expedition on to the Arctic for a passageway to the Pacific. No one from these ships was ever seen or heard from again. The show is a fantastically fictionalizes supernatural events that follow when the ships arrive in the Arctic.
Ridley Scott is this show's executive producer, and his presence is felt throughout the show. The horror elements are very much derivative of one of Scott's most famous films, Alien. Throughout the season, the show slowly builds tension with every episode until the audience is about to leap from their seats with anticipation. The tone of the show is handled perfectly, and the ensemble cast does an incredible job portraying the struggles of surviving the Arctic–especially when supernatural forces do not want them there. The first season of The Terror just concluded, and all of the episodes are available here.
