03 December 2020

Seasoned binge-watcher Barbara Calosso, from Media Relations Italy, is back with more advice on what to watch

2:00 Min

Are you running out of series to watch again? Don’t worry, I have a few updates for you.

Over the last few months I’ve been binge-watching new series and since some of us may be facing a new lockdown I want to give you my small contribution so that you can be prepared.

Here’s a brand new selection. Don’t worry, it’s all spoiler free!

1) “Working Moms” — Comedy

It may be because being pregnant inspired me, but the title of this series caught my attention and I decided to watch it. I discovered with pleasure that, when talking about the problems related to parenthood through the story of four couples, this series is really funny, anti-discriminatory and intelligent.

Moreover, its creator (as well as protagonist, producer and screenwriter), Catherine Reitman, does not make any gender privilege in the narration of the characters… to whom it is impossible not to get attached. There are four seasons, which is always a plus as I said in my previous article.

Despite what the title might suggest, this series is not dedicated to a female audience. I watched it with my husband and he loved it too! The story is set in Toronto and we promised ourselves we would go there as soon as we could travel freely again!

2) “Fleabag” — Drama

The thing I immediately loved about this series is that the protagonist – a “sarcastic London girl, angry and torn by grief” – often addresses you (the viewer) as if you were there with her ready to listen to a revelation about another character or a secret, or simply giving you an accomplice look.

It’s a series that delves deep into the soul of the protagonist, exploring her suffering without ever ceasing to amuse. The humour is amazing but it’s very black! I would like to tell you more but I can’t. Two seasons only, unfortunately, but one more beautiful than the other!

3) “Upload” — sci-fi

It’s new dystopian series released this year with an intriguing plot. I couldn’t help but watch as it’s created by Greg Daniels, the creator of The Office, which is my favourite series!

The story is set in a not too distant future – 2033 – in which human beings can have their consciousness charged into a digital afterlife (provided they can afford it!)  where they can spend their lives after death. Science fiction, comedy, romance, social satire and mystery, Upload has it all, and since the show has been renewed for a second season, you can rest assured that the cliffhanger finale will see a solution.

4) “This is us” — dramedy

All right, this is definitely a more mainstream show…but then why haven’t I seen it before? I can tell you I’ m glad I found it!

It may be considered the typical American TV series based on the vicissitudes of a family, the story is so well packaged – including flashbacks, journeys into the future and pieces of the present – that it keeps you glued to the screen waiting for the next wave of warmth. And in my opinion, these difficult times require precisely this sort of comfort television: a headlong dive into a warm and safe space.

What can I say, four seasons and a fifth in progress, it’s the classic series where one episode ends and you have to move on to the next. If I was still 20 years old (and there wasn’t the tacit rule that if you start watching a series with your partner you can’t go on without him) I’d probably stay glued to the screen all night long.

5) “The Boys” — Science Fiction… Follow up!

If you followed the advice I gave you in my previous article then you may have seen The Boys. In that case, I would like to give you a little update, because the second season has been released. The problem with a series that has a blowing start is that expectations on the following chapters are very high, so I was afraid that the second season wouldn’t be as exciting as the first one.

But no! The second season is perhaps even more beautiful than the first. And although it’s about superheroes, it’s not hard to find the story – which deals with issues such as terrorism, gender, populism, consumerism, conspiracy and use of social media – incredibly plausible. The second season is a continuous escalation with an explosive finale. I can’t tell you much about the plot but I can tell you that the series deserves to be seen even just to see the impeccable psychological evolution of the tormented head of the seven Superheroes, Homelander. The acting is also to be applauded!