Francesca’s TV Recommendations

This week’s article title looks a little different. I’m trying to compile more films to recommend to all of you, but in the meantime, I thought I’d share some of the shows I’ve been watching and rewatching.

The Goldbergs

I started this show in March or April and completely caught up with it in a little over a month. It’s now one of my favorite sitcoms. I got my parents into it, and we are constantly laughing. The show revolves around the real-life Goldberg family. It is narrated by adult Adam Goldberg (Patton Oswalt) as he retells stories about his family throughout the 1980s. The show stars Sean Giambrone as young Adam Goldberg, Jeff Garlin as Murray Goldberg, and Wendie McLendon-Covie as Beverly Goldberg.

Bates Motel

The perfect show if you love mystery, thrill, and the original Psycho movie. I started this show on a day where I didn’t feel like watching TV. I had work to do and I put it on as background noise. Three weeks later, I had finished the entire series. I like to be scared and intrigued without actually being scared if that makes sense. This show gave me all of that. I love watching prequels, especially for a character like Norman Bates. Being able to watch his character develop over four seasons was really cool for me. What heightened that a little bit more was having the knowledge of how the story ends. Freddie Highmore stars as Norman Bates and Vera Farmiga stars as Norma bates.

Dead To Me

Season 2 released on Netflix in May and I had that finished in maybe three days. Of course, this season ended on a cliffhanger. Not only is this show full of mystery and murder, but it’s so witty. Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini are a dynamic duo like no other.

Snowpiercer

If you haven’t started this show, you’re not that far behind. There is only one season out, and it consists of 10 episodes. It is based on the 2013 film with the same name. A tailie, Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs), is called up to the first-class cars to solve a murder. With his new position, he can infiltrate the ‘government’ and start a revolution. Jennifer Connelly also stars.

Central Park

This show is Bob’s Burgers meets musical theater. It was created by Josh Gad who also stars as Birdie, the show’s narrator. Central Park centers around Owen Tillerman (Leslie Odom Jr.), the caretaker of the park, and his family (Kathryn Hahn, Tituss Burgess & Kristen Bell). Owen strives to keep the park in pristine condition while at odds with an elderly woman (Stanley Tucci) and her assistant (Daveed Diggs). I promise you’ll laugh and the songs are too catchy!

Graceland

This is a show that I decided to rewatch during quarantine/lockdown/whatever this is now. I hadn’t watched it since it was on tv and I fell down an Aaron Tveit rabbit hole. (That last part isn’t important.) Graceland is about a group of undercover cops who live in a house called Graceland. An FBI rookie (Aaron Tveit) gets sent to Graceland to investigate fellow agent Paul Briggs (Daniel Sunjata). Secrets get exposed, and the lives of these agents begin to unravel. The show is based on real-life events.

Good Girls

I am not caught up on this show, but I am hooked. Seasons 1 and 2 are available on Netflix, sadly season 3 isn’t yet. Three mothers (Christina Hendricks, Mae Whitman & Retta), who are each desperate for money, find themselves robbing a grocery store. They end up with more money than they bargained for and realize they’re caught up with a gang leader (Manny Montana). The more they try to untangle themselves from him, the more they’re pulled into his life.

The Politician

When season 2 dropped I finished in a single day, and then I went back to rewatch it from season 1. I needed to see the outfits again! Payton and his friends are all off to college. He starts having a rough time and decides to do the next best thing. He decides to run for the state senate. Season 2 follows his campaign and the hiccups he and his team endure along the way.