With everything going on in the world today, if you're anything like me, you have a lot of extra time on your hands and you're in need of a new series to watch. Here are a couple of my favorites.
#1 Sweet Magnolias [Netflix]
Sweet Magnolias is a series about three best friends living in Serenity, SC. It's the perfect, wholesome, feel good show we all need during a time like this; it will make you fall in love with love and wish you had friends like Maddie, Helen, and Dana Sue. (Plus, it's filmed in one of my favorite cities (Covington, GA) and you can actually go to a bunch of places they filmed!)
#2 Roswell New Mexico [Netflix]
Carina MacKenzie's show is an adaptation of the '90s WB series called Roswell, which follows three aliens as they try to live normal lives in Roswell, NM. I love this show because Carina is able to seamlessly weave the supernatural world with the modern world of romance and politics, so you feel like you're living in a different, supernatural world while still shedding light on many of the issues we're facing in the world today.
#3 Bones [Hulu]
Bones is the perfect mix of crime solving and witty romance. You'll fall in love with Booth, laugh along with Brennan, wish you were Angela, side with Hodgins, and find yourself saying words like cherie, squints, and KING OF THE LAB like never before. It's also really great because it's a show that represents women in stem and truly gives them the spotlight as they run their crime solving lab. Plus, it's 12 seasons, so you'll have plenty to keep you occupied, and by the end, you'll feel like you know how to solve crimes just as well as Brennan.
#4 Dawson's Creek [Hulu]
Dawson's Creek is a nostalgic coming of age series that follows Dawson Leery as he navigates a budding love life and a passion for filmmaking. This has been one of my favorite shows since high school – no matter how many times I watch, I still get so invested in the characters and feel like it perfectly captures what it's like to be going through high school and figuring out who you are as you get lost in the middle of crushes and plans for the future. This show is completely underrated and I would so recommend it.
#5 Normal People [Hulu]
Normal People is a limited series adaptation of a novel by Sally Rooney. It traces the lives of two best friends, Connell and Marianne, and how they handle being wrapped up in an on again, off again relationship. It's captivating and shows the reality of what it's like to be in high school when all you care about is what people think of you, and how your past can follow you into college, even if you don't want it to. There are parts of it that get heavy and dark, but it's a careful examination of the human psyche wrapped into a compelling and captivating story.
#6 Love, Victor [Hulu]
This show is the sequel to the movie Love, Simon and it's such a cute and important show. It will send you on a rollercoaster of emotions – you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be rooting for Victor, and you'll probably be so hooked you finish the series in one sitting. This is SUCH an important show and needs more people talking about it. (Also, the music in it was amazing).
#7 How I Met Your Mother [Hulu]
I had to throw a sitcom on this list, and there were so many good ones to choose from, but How I Met Your Mother takes the cake. This is the show I turn on whenever I'm sad and it always instantly brings a smile to my face. There's not a single episode of this show that won't make you die laughing (my roommate can tell you, I'm never not laughing when I watch this show); it's the perfect remedy when you need a quick pick me up. You'll laugh with Barney, feel for Ted, and most of all, you'll just want to know once and for all, who is the mother?!
#8 The Vampire Diaries [Netflix]
Lastly, we have The Vampire Diaries. I wasn't going to include this one, but for any of you who know me, you know that for better or for worse, this show has completely taken over my life and I feel like I wouldn't be me if I didn't include it. It's the perfect mix of romance, the supernatural, and comedy and it's the perfect embodiment of the importance of family. (No one I've recommended this show to has disliked it, so I can ~almost~ guarantee you'll love it!)
BONUS: Tell Me A Story [CBS All Access] – I'm definitely biased as a creative writing major, but this is one of the most well written, creative shows that I've ever watched (and I've watched way more tv than I'd like to admit). There was never a moment when I could predict what was going happen, and I kid you not, I was on the edge of my seat the entire watch. This mini-series is a modern take on fairy tales, so it brings stories like Little Red Riding Hood onto New York City streets and Beauty and the Beast to Nashville, TN and plays with the ways that a modern backdrop can still be home to the fairytales we all know and love.
