And…we’re back, in the second half of the term. Good news, you’re halfway through. Bad news, you’re halfway through.
Not to worry. When a much-needed break beckons during these times in late February/early March, there are exciting TV series returning after their winter hiatus. Here we take a look at four emerging TV series, apart from the well-known top tiers like Game of Thrones and House of Cards.
Created by Nic Pizzalatto, True Detective (2014-present), is a crime/thriller series centered on the lives of two detectives, Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson), inter-cutting between the years 1995 and 2012, as they become involved in the investigation of a serial killer in Louisiana. The series is another anthology series, much like American Horror Story (2011-present), meaning the current mystery will be resolved by the end of each season, and a new mystery will be introduced the following season. The series premiered on January 12, and is still going strong. Acclaimed by critics and viewers alike, the show can potentially be the new Breaking Bad (2008-2013). Each episode is directed by Cary Fukunaga, the talented filmmaker of Jane Eyre (2011), which promises, and delivers, stunning camerawork, including an impressive, six-minute long single-take at the end of episode four. The series also boasts nuanced characters, running on a suspenseful, intriguing plot. True Detective is one dark, intense journey you might lose yourself in.
While we’re on the subject of serial killers, your charming cannibal of a doctor, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, returns for Hannibal‘s (2013-present) second season on February 28. Fans of creator Bryan Fuller’s unfortunately short-lived previous works, Wonderfalls (2004) and Pushing Daisies (2007-2009) associate him with beautifully crafted scenes and well-written characters and plot, and with Hannibal, you won’t be disappointed. This show puts the visuals to the phrase “murder as art.” Fuller adapts the classic Thomas Harris novels into the series, currently reinventing on screen the early days between Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and the young Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), an FBI criminal profiler with a talent in empathizing with serial killers. Late in season one, the series added X-Files’ (1993- 2002) Gillian Anderson as Hannibal’s chilling psychiatrist, Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier. Mixing in classical music with Emmy worthy performances, Hannibal is both entertaining and, at times, unnerving to watch. From where season one has left off, season two holds the fate of Will Graham at Hannibal’s hands. Don’t forget! Come the end of February, you have an appointment with Dr. Lecter.
You might as well drop in to see your Suits (2011-present) lawyers, when they return on March 6, for the series’ season four. Creator Aaron Korsh based the series on his experiences while working as an investment banker on Wall Street. Suits is the story of Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), a college-dropout with eidetic memory, who becomes the first-year associate to Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), a senior partner at a New York law firm, Pearson Hardman. In Suits’ world, backstabbing, ironies, expected and unexpected humor, power struggles, suave gestures, relationship problems, tension, workplace scheming, and secrets reign. The series features fast-paced, witty dialogues and negotiations in terms of conversations, from actors who never fail to impress, and who make you crave one episode after another. Suits is that underrated, addicting series you may have heard your friend talk about. Go ahead and watch an episode, it’s that good.
From the other side of the pond, as they say in the UK, we have My Mad Fat Diary (2013- present) returning for a second season on February 17. Written by Tom Bidwell, the series is based on real-life diaries of 16-year-old, 231-pounds Rachel ‘Rae’ Earl (Sharon Rooney, a breakout star), a music-obsessed teenager living in 90’s Stamford, Lincolnshire. Discharged from a psychiatric hospital, Rae is still dealing with her mental health and body image issues as she reunites with her best friend, popular, pretty Chloe (Jodie Comer), and her gang of friends: the ditsy Izzy (Ciara Baxendale), the jokester Chops (Jordan Murphy), the adorable Archie (Dan Cohen), and the reclusive, moody Finn (Nico Mirallegro). I don’t know why, but British shows (see: Skins, back in 2007) somehow always manage to slip in and subtly steal my heart, and My Mad Fat Diary is no exception. With freeze frames covered up in doodles from Rae’s diaries, hilarious voice-overs from Rae that sometimes hit close to home, and Rae’s fantasies and dream-sequences, the series views Rae’s social network—her friends, her flighty mother, her psychiatrist—from her perspective. My Mad Fat Diary manages to seamlessly blend in the humor with the drama, and does it with glorious 90’s music playing in the background. Sharon Rooney’s performance as Rae is natural, raw, and honest. Take a chance. Join Rae and her gang on their (mis)adventures, and you might take another look at those rounded, Liam Gallagher-esque sunglasses and listen once more to a certain Babylon Zoo song.
And there you have it, a run-down of recommended TV series, your satisfaction guaranteed. Happy Watching! (And let me know what you think of them!)
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