Must-see Masterpieces
As you know, I love a good story.
Books, films, TV shows - if you have a plot, I will give you the chance to win me over. So I consume a slightly-more than healthy amount of TV to relax and unwind, and inevitably, some of the characters work their way into my sketchbook.
Wednesday in my digital sketchbook
So, this was going to be 5 reasons why you should watch Wednesday on Netflix, but I realised almost all the reasons would be: because it’s so brilliant and the visual style is stunning, which maybe wouldn’t be as helpful or insightful as I was hoping.
So instead, I thought I would give you my top 5 must watch tv shows and just dot a few Wednesday illos in completely irrelevant places.
Almost the same illustration, but in my watercolour sketchbook!
Ginny & Georgia, Netflix
Amusingly, it turns out Wednesday isn’t my number one recommendation!
If I were to summarise Ginny & Georgia in one sentence, it would be: single mum family moves to idyllic American town… except that doesn’t even come close to describing it. This show is the perfect mix of comedy, drama, and romance, but at the centre of it all is the unusual mother/daughter relationship between Ginny (teenage daughter) and Georgia (complicated single mum with a mysterious past).Wednesday, Netflix
It’s so good! Spooky, not kooky, budding crime novelist Wednesday Adams ends up embroiled in her own murder mystery after transferring to the School for Spooky People (not its official name). There’s nothing better than a teenage sleuth with a few monsters, a few romantic suitors and a bit of humour thrown in. And who knew you could find yourself emotionally invested in the fate of an animated severed hand?
The White Lotus, Sky
Murder mystery, but make it a five star resort. And actually, make it more about a scathing observation of dysfunctional family dynamics. Both seasons are brilliant at showing the less shiny side of these perceived glamorous lives, and I love that season 1 starts by showing you that the one you’d really like to be the victim is, in fact, the only guaranteed survivor.
Only Murders in the Building, Disney+
Hilarious. Can intergenerational true crime podcast fans solve a true crime in their building and make their own podcast as they go? Sure. Can they do it whilst bringing tears of laughter and an actually quite sweet and vulnerable story for each of the protagonists? Definitely. Can you resist the thought of a little bit of amateur and questionable detective work mixed with some silly laughs? I hope not!
Ted Lasso, Apple TV
Sweet, funny, entertaining and so far, no murders! I thought this was just going to be a ‘haha isn’t it funny that Americans don’t get football’ light hearted comedy, but really, it’s a touching and earnest story about friendship and community. I love that one of the main relationships is a drama-free, supportive and genuine friendship between two women - not often seen on TV!
Another lovely friendship, but not exactly drama-free…
Honourable mention: Bluey, BBC and Disney+
This is the most watched programme in our house, and I’m not mad about it. I love Bluey and, unlike Bandit, I am very happy to take parenting tips from a cartoon dog. It’s funny, it’s sweet and it entertains both the parents and toddler! Perfect family time watching, so much so, that we have to have a 3 episode limit so as not to get through the series too quickly. From octopus impressions, to magic wands and dance mode, its references have snuck their way into our everyday lives.
Fictional me, having a break from TV to enjoy some written stories
So, whether you’re an impulsive binge-watcher or you like to stretch programmes out for as long as possible, these are my top recommendations.
And once you’ve enjoyed these, I have an additional 19 (yep, nineteen!) more that made it on to my shortlist, so I think perhaps this calls for another post later in the year!
I’d love to hear your thoughts and recommendations.
From the story-addict,
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