August 2020 Watchlist

This month my watchlist is dominated by non-English language content with Danish, Korean and German dramas at the forefront but the Jordan Peele produced Lovecraft Country looks to be one of this year’s best shows. What TV Shows will you be watching this month?

The Rain - Netflix - All 3 seasons

I only just started watching this Danish post-apocalypse series recently and after the first episode, I was hooked. It takes place after a mysterious virus that is brought with the rain kills off most of Scandinavia (and perhaps the rest of the world). There’s family, end of the world brutality and an interesting moral sci-fi dilemma. Great pandemic viewing.

Stranger Season 2 (비밀의 숲 2) - Netflix & TvN - August 15th/16th

I am so glad that this Korean Crime drama is back for another season, normally it’s one-season and done with Korean TV shows but sometimes and it’s happening more and more now, we get a continuation of a story. Stranger follows Prosecutor Hwang Shi-Mok (Cho Seung-woo) as he investigates corruption alongside Police Officer Han Yeo-Jin (the always amazing Bae Doo-na). I’m not too sure what this seasons story will be as there has been no trailer with English subtitles released yet!

Lovecraft Country - HBO & Now TV - August 16th & 17th

Jordan Peele is one of the executive producers for this show that is based on the book of the same name. The premise of both mediums and their namesakes comes from a mingling of H.P. Lovecrafts iconic bizarre horror and 1950’s Jim Crow America. I’m getting a little bit of an Indiana Jones vibe mixed with a whole lot of darkness! I think this could be one of the best TV shows of the year!

Biohackers - Netflix - August 20th

I am so interested in the idea of biohacking, I watched this documentary when I was younger about cloning and genetic modifications (goats that produce spider silk instead of milk, that kind of thing) and I have kinda been a little obsessed by the idea of self-perpetuated evolution, be that through cybernetics or biohacking. So, this German language TV looks like it will be right up my alley and kind of feels like it might fill the void left by Orphan Black.

June 2020 TV Watchlist

Summer is here and Netflix is the king of content with quite the line-up of TV Shows that have caught my attention this month. We Have the final chapter of Netflix’s mind blowing German time travel series Dark. Every Korean Drama fan is probably counting down the days until Kim Soo-Hyun's new drama comes out. Queer Eye is back as the world celebrates Pride Month, and Michaela Coel’s new tv series I May Destroy You explores a post #MeToo era story from the point of view of a Black Woman.

Devs - BBC iPlayer - Full series, aired back in April! (way to go Cate)

I don’t know how I missed this show completely for like 2 months as I love Alex Garland’s films (Ex Machina and Annihilation) and I really like Sonoya Mizuno’s work (several being Garland’s projects). I am so annoyed at myself for just being totally oblivious to this shows airing as I found out about it ages ago when it was first announced! Nevermind.

Devs is a sci-fi infused mystery that follows Mizuno’s Lily Chan who is trying to find out why her boyfriend suddenly disappears after being put on a top-secret project at the tech firm they both work at. From the trailer, it looks like the show will explore ideas of fate, free will and determinism.

Queer Eye Season 5 - Netflix - June 5th

I love love love Queer Eye, it may just be the most wholesome and positive reality tv show I have ever watched. The Fab Five (Antoni, Bobby, Jonathan, Karamo and Tan) help a person each episode to transform into the best version of themselves and it’s just so damn inspiring to see people regain confidence and love for themselves.

I May Destroy You - HBO/BBC iPlayer - June 7th/June 8th

Written by and starring Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You is quite frankly essential viewing. This series tackles the issue of sexual consent and exploitation in a post #MeToo world and explores these subjects through the eyes of a black woman in London. From the trailer, it looks like this will be a comedy-drama, offsetting the dark subject matter with humour as a palatable way to engage in a meaningful conversation about a serious issue.

Curon - Netflix - June 10th

Netflix just keeps rolling out exciting international content! Curon looks like a cool supernatural thriller that has taken cues from shows like Stranger Things and Dark, by setting it in a small community full of mystery and intrigue.

It's Okay to Not Be Okay (사이코지만 괜찮아) - TvN & Netflix - June 20th

Interestingly the titles of this tv show do not match up, when you translate 사이코지만 괜찮아 to English it's ‘Psycho but it’s OK’ - which I feel is a riff on Park Chan Wook’s film I’m a Cyborg, But it’s OK (in my opinion anyway). What will this mean for the show? No clue but there could be some fantasy elements or ‘delusions’ in a similar vein to Park’s quirky comedy. That’s enough speculation…

The official synopsis is that its a romance between two people, Go Moon Young (Seo Ye-Ji) an antisocial children's book author and Moon Kang-Tae (Kim Soo Hyun) a Selfless man who works on a psychiatric ward who heal each other. Also, this series is Kim Soo-Hyun’s first drama since being discharged from the army so obviously I am super hyped.

Dark - Netflix - June 27th

This may be bold of me to say but Dark is probably not only the best show on Netflix but one the best tv shows ever created. I have been obsessed since the first episode and have rewatched it periodically trying to get my mind around all the stuff that happens. It’s a mind f***k and a half and that’s what makes it so compelling. In Season 1 the question was not where but when, then at the end of Season 2 another massive curveball was thrown at us ‘What world?’! Ahh Alternate realities exist too!

Winter 2019 TV Watchlist

The Witcher - Netflix - Dec 20th

A new fantasy series to fill that very large Game of Thrones sized void, staring the always delectable Henry Cavill as a monster slayer…Sign me up! I have not read the books or played the highly popular video game adaptation but I am intrigued by this world that we have glimpsed at through the trailers and it looks promising.

The Expanse Season 4 - Amazon Prime - 13th Dec

The Expanse may just be the best show on TV about space right now and I am so thrilled that Amazon Prime saved this gem and by the looks of it boosted the budget quite profusely. I am quite a new fan of the show as I only started watching it last December after my sister’s boyfriend recommended it, I binged the show in like 2 weeks.

Avenue 5 - HBO & Now TV - January

And now something else set in space but dealing with a wholly different subject material…Space Tourism. This looks to be one of the funniest shows hitting our screens this season as creator Armando Iannucci the man behind Thick of It and Death of Stalin is writing and directing and Hugh Laurie is leading the show.

The Valhalla Murders - Netflix & RÚV - End of Dec

Ooh, serial murder in Iceland! In the grand tradition of the Nordic crime thriller, The Valhalla Murders looks to be just the chilling serial killer drama we all want this winter.

You Season 2 - Netflix - Dec 26th

Joe will be back and creepier than ever but there isn’t a trailer yet!!! I found You to be utterly creepy and extremely addictive viewing so here’s hoping to an equally disturbing season 2.

초콜릿 (Chocolate) - Netflix & JTBC - Already Airing!

Two episodes have already aired and I am in love with the vibe of this drama, it’s nostalgic, emotional and sweet. It’s also just like eating chocolate or having a cup of cocoa on a cold Winters night, it’s heartwarming and like a little slice of happiness to get through this cold season. The story focuses on a Neurosurgeon and a Chef who met by chance when they were kids and by chance, they encounter each other again.

사랑의 불시착 (Crash Landing on You) - Netflix & tvN - Dec 14th

Hyun Bin (Memories of the Alhambra) and Son Ye-jin (Something in the Rain) in a romantic comedy together, yes, please. Ever since this drama was announced, I have been counting down till December. Both actors have been in some of my favourite dramas this past couple of years so it’s awesome to see them in something together, and judging by the trailers it is going to be romantic and hilarious!

That’s all the TV shows I’ll be watching this Winter, no doubt the list will grow as more TV shows get released but I think this uncanny mix of Sci-fi & fantasy, Crime and Romance will get me through this dark and dreary season.

Let me know in the comments section what TV Shows you’ll be watching this season too.

Autumn 2019 TV Watchlist

These are all the shows I am either already watching or will be watching this autumn.

His Dark Materials - BBC & HBO

To say this adaptation of Philip Pullman’s wildly popular book series is highly anticipated wouldn’t quite cut it. Ever since the divisive end to Game of THrones this year everyone has turned there attention to His Dark Materials as it promises to fill the fantasy, family and intrigue gap that that the end of Thrones has left.

나의 나라 (My Country: The New Age) - Netflix & JTBC

Yang Se-jong and Woo Do-hwan in a period drama together, what else could a girl need? A friendship turned into rivalry, epic fight scenes, beautiful cinematography and a blossoming love triangle!

Besides swoon worthy leads and epic imagery I always like watching Period dramas or 사극 (Sageuk) as they are called in Korea as even though they are highly fictionalised, watching them gives you a glimpse into the countries history. My County: The New Age is set at the end of the Goryeo dynasty and the dawning of the Joseon dynasty which is a rather fascinating time.

This is the Korean drama that everyone is talking about right now and it’s easy to see why. And luckily we get it the same day it’s released so there’s no worries of spoilers or having to wait eons for English subs to come along.

Watchmen - HBO & Sky Atlantic/Now TV

Set in a alternate present, Watchmen follows Det. Angela Abar as she navigates a world where masked vigilantes have been outlawed. As a fan of the Zack Snyder movie I have had this series on my radar since it was announced so I’m thrilled it’s finally nearly here!

배가본드 (Vagabond) - Netflix & SBS TV

A plane crash kills over 200 people including stuntman Cha Dal-gun’s young nephew, with the help of rookie NIS agent Go Hae-ri he will stop at nothing to expose the truth. From the get go this series is heart wrenching, but the pace and execution of the stunts and fight scenes will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Giri/Haji - BBC 2 & BBC iPlayer

Giri/Haji which translates to Duty/Shame follows Kenzo Mori a Detective from Tokyo who travels to London to track down his missing but presumed dead brother who may or may not have killed the relative of a Yakuza member. This drama will be in both Japanese and English in a similar vein to last year’s’ Strangers a thriller set in Hong Kong.

Catherine The Great - Now TV

Helen Mirren is Catherine The Great in this lavish period drama which follows the later life of the Russian Empress as she navigates court life and a multitude of lovers.

Plan Cœur Saison 2 (The Hook Up Plan Season 2) - Netflix

Plan Cœur aka The Hook Up Plan is a French Rom-Com series that focuses on a trio of friends and their adventures and misadventures in love. Season 1 was brilliant and now season picks up 4 months after the events of last season. Julio has given up his job as a male escort but how long will that last and can Elsa really trust him?? Seasons 1 & 2 are streaming on Netflix now so check it out if you haven’t already!

That’s my Autumn 2019 TV Watchlist, what are you planning to watch as the evenings get darker and colder?