These shows top the viewing list since start of pandemic
I sat down to make a list of television shows I’ve watched since the pandemic began and realized I had forgotten many. Clearly they deserve no place on my list of Best TV Shows I Can Remember Watching Since March, then.
Viewing recommendations have taken on new importance during this socially distanced time, so consider this my contribution to the cause.
Keep in mind, though, that I dislike shows featuring sword fights, time travel or superheroes, so that greatly limits the field. Also, some of these shows are old because I’m always lagging behind popular culture.
Here is my list of favorites and where to find them, though some are available on other streaming platforms as well:
“Schitt’s Creek”: It reminds me of classic situation comedies of my youth — “I Love Lucy,” “The Andy Griffith Show” — in that it has four main characters and if you removed any one of them, it wouldn’t be nearly as good. (Netflix)
Bonus pick: “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” in which Larry David finds a way to always say the wrong thing. (HBO)
“Alone”: I thought I hated reality television until I stumbled onto the current season of this competition in which 10 people try to outlast each other in the Arctic. They film their own ordeals (breaking a leg, accidentally setting their shelters on fire), which eliminates the contradiction of a camera crew recording what is supposed to be solitary peril. (Netflix)
Bonus pick: “The Great British Baking Show,” although I can’t fathom how the judges eat all that cake. (PBS)
“American Factory”: A Chinese company takes over an Ohio windshield factory near Dayton, with a documentary crew filming every dispute, misunderstanding and culture clash. The filmmakers made the most of their astounding access. (Netflix)
Bonus pick: “Three Identical Strangers,” a documentary on reunited triplets. (Amazon Prime)
“The Crown:” This drama series shows how the current British royal family is itself ruled by encrusted tradition. (Netflix)
Bonus pick: “Wolf Hall,” a drama about the English statesman Thomas Cromwell and an earlier crew of flawed royals, led by Henry VIII. (PBS)
“Unforgotten”: No gunfire, no chase scenes and no showy rule-breaking by the lead character. What kind of detective drama is that? A really good British one that takes you inside the lives of suspects and the cops pursuing them. (PBS)
Bonus pick: “Bosch,” a detective series set in Los Angeles with a lot more gun smoke than “Unforgotten.” (Amazon Prime)
“Chernobyl”: This fictional depiction of the 1986 nuclear disaster in the Soviet Union shows how official incompetence, denial and ignorance make a bad situation worse. Sound familiar? (HBO)
Bonus pick: “The Man in the High Castle,” a what-if historical drama in which the Nazis win World War II. (Amazon Prime)
I didn’t realize the plot of this bonus pick included time travel until I was too absorbed in it to quit. Maybe I should give sword-fighting and superheroes a second look, too.
Joe Blundo is a columnist for The Dispatch.joe.blundo@gmail.com
@joeblundo