Friends, I’m sure you know that I love to go on and on about some new book, show, or movie and insist that you go check it out, preferably right this second. This year, thanks to the loads of free time I am enjoying now that the wedding is done, I’ve been introduced to quite a few amazing ways to be entertained. Here are the best:
Archer
This animated series is a hilarious send up of Sixties-era espionage. Totally inappropriate and raunchy, as are many of my suggestions in this list. However, it’s totally clever and entertaining; I have seen lots of pop culture references to it. Archer is a Bond-like character, with a similar love for the ladies. Seasons 1-3 can be found on Netflix; Season 4 has aired, but we’re waiting for it to come to Netflix.
Veronica Mars
Originally aired 2004-2007, this gem of a show gathered a devoted following before cancelation after the third season. Like Firefly and Family Guy, the show is believed to have been canceled before its time. This theory was given credence in an historic Kickstarter campaign in 2013 to fund a Veronica Mars movie. From Wikipedia,
On March 13, 2013, Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell launched a Kickstarter fundraiser in an attempt to get the film made, with the help of fans to reach the goal of $2 million. … The goal was met within 10 hours of the start of the campaign. The project broke several Kickstarter records, including being the largest successful film project on Kickstarter. The Kickstarter campaign ended on April 13, with 91,585 donors raising $5,702,153.
We were proud funders of the project, which will be released March 2014. So what is the show about? Veronica is a teenager who has fallen out of the popular crowd, while investigating the death of her best friend. It is clever and full of twists. It’s only available on Netflix DVD service, and you will find yourself watching 5 episodes in a row. It’s sometimes dark and has adult themes, but not raunchy.
Here’s my challenge – if you sign up for Netflix DVD and watch the first episode and find that you don’t like it and don’t watch the next episode, I will pay for that month’s Netflix fee. I am that sure you will like it. (Offer only applies to people I know in real life.) And hey, if you start now, you can watch all three seasons before the movie comes out!
Bo Burnham
Why is a skinny, nerdy, self-conscious 23 year old comedian who found fame through YouTube home videos on this list? His show “what.” was funny, thought-provoking, fresh, unexpected, profane, and entertaining. I spent an hour watching it while waiting for a plane, and immediately wanted to tell my friends. You can stream it from Netflix, though it might not be for everyone (masturbation is a frequent topic.) Here’s an example of his style, a poem from his book of poetry, Egghead:
Aim High
Hmm, yet another high school based drama…is there a theme here? This one is pretty unknown, but we’ve really loved it. It stars Jackson Rathbone, an adorable actor from Texas, playing a teenage assassin. This low-budget web series is very well done, and each of its two seasons can be watched in under an hour. Lots of fight scenes, witty banter, and teen angst. You may remember Jackson from his role as Jasper in Twilight – he looks much more normal here! Find Season 1 by searching YouTube – I believe there are 8 short episodes. Season 2 is on Crackle, a free content-streaming app.
Do you have any suggestions? I’d love to hear what others are watching and streaming!
Courtney Hoyt 