As promised, all my articles in the lead up and during finals week have been 'fun' ones. We'll get to some opinion, conversational and news pieces in the future but for now, let's end fall semester 2015 with a small list of shows to binge on over winter break. In keeping with my (non) style, some of these shows are obscure and if you've heard of them, you probably have spent too much of your life on the internet (as I have).
1. Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister
Ah yes indeed! This classic comedy from the '80s is considered by many as the height of British comedy, combining wit with intelligent themes and irony being the most popular kind of comedy. The show follows Rt. Hon. Jim Hacker MP as he rises to ministership and then prime ministership.
Jim is an idealist politician, former-editor of a big newspaper, looking to bring actual change. He is thwarted (in the most comical sense) by his Permanent Secretary and later, Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby (who makes a run for my favorite TV character of all time). Usually comedy is nonstop and happens with the two of them and Bernard, the minister's principal private secretary. Anyone with a cynical view of the civil service will understand and may find themselves wondering if things are as the show portrays.
Yes Minister is so deeply entrenched in British modern culture that a few weeks ago when the principal private secretary at 10 Downing St. died, David Cameron paid tribute to him in the House of Commons saying "He was my Bernard". You can buy a copy of the show on Amazon now.
2. Blackadder
If Yes, Minister was the height of British Comedy, the Blackadder is the full width of it. Stretching humor (with a 'u' hah!) over all kinds of nasty things and over different periods of history. All history enthusiasts will naturally be drawn by Blackadder. Of the 4 seasons, the first is set during the time of King Richard II, the second is set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the third ends with Oliver Cromwell barging in (very well showing that it was set during the Civil War period) and the fourth is set in the trenches of the First World War.
If that isn't enough to make you watch the show, I have more. This show stars so many of our favorites including Hugh Laurie (Dr. House, MD), Stephen Fry (Mycroft Holmes, Cheshire the Cat) and most prominently, Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson - hah! see what I did there?)
P.S. The beautiful thing about British TV is that while they may run for years and decades, they put out very few episodes and when they, they have good closure (still looking at your How I Met Your Mother).3. Community
This isn't the most obscure TV show ever, but it is unpopular and imagine my dismay as an outsider coming into the US and finding out that my favorite show is unknown to many people. Community follows a group of diverse misfits ("A jew, two black, an old white man, a young white man, a Scandinavian white girl, an Asian and an Arab") each coming into Greendale Community after disasters in their personal lives. The show runs 6 seasons (we made that happen btw, #sixseasonsandamovie) and goes through periods of utter non-sense (*cough season 4 cough*) but in the end, it's worth watching.
If you've watched The Soup, you will recognize Joel McHale ("our handsome leading man"); if you're a hip hop fan, you might recognize The Childish Gambino; if you're a news buff or a good person in general, you will recognize John Oliver from Last Week Tonight. For those of you who have watched Friends like 20 times over, you might remember the scene of "left phalange" involving Phoebe and a bald guy who looks like Moby. Jim Rash is that guy! We have him.
In all seriousness, watch Community for what it feels like to have friends who treat each other like family, people so close that the only word is Community.
4. Monty Python's flying circus
Well, this is only obscure for some of you. If you've somehow managed to evade Monty Python's grasp, you are a 'twit' and need to go asap and watch them. Monty Python came before items 1 and 2 on this list and deserve due credit, not only did they bring British humor to the forefront of the world, they also made it acceptable to laugh at really dark humor; for this, they deserve a spot here and in your schedule for winter break.
5. Malgudi Days
R.K. Narayan is considered one of the greatest Indian writers of all time and has been compared to William Faulkner for his works on Malgudi. Imagine therefore, a town that stands for reality where a 10 year old kid runs around worried about facing life. This show has received great critical reviews from all around just had to be on the list. I have as yet watched less than 30 (of the 54) episodes but will finish over winter break.
Let me serious for a minute here. The semester has been so long, hard and dark that the last thing any of us should be doing over break is being caught up on TV; the title of this article and much of the content was designed to get you to read it, but this is the main message, that I hope you have fun over break.
