Pose
Set in the 1980s, Pose is a dance musical that explores the juxtaposition of several segments of life and society in New York: the ball culture world, the rise of the luxury Trump-era universe and the downtown social and literary scene.
Why I've recommended it:
The setting in Pose is so seldom depicted - not since the documentary "Paris is Burning" has this world been seen on-screen. The characters are compelling, although the subject matter, often dealing with the AIDS crisis, can be depressing.
The Handmaid's Tale
Widespread infertility has resulted in the conscription of young fertile women who are assigned to the homes of the elite, where they must have ritualized sex with the men in order to become pregnant and bear children for those men and their wives.
Why I've recommended it:
The storytelling and world-building in The Handmaid's Tale is top-notch. I come away from each episode anxiously anticipating the next. Unusually, I feel a connection with these characters, which is a testament to their portrayal.
Channel Zero
One man’s obsessive recollections of a mysterious children’s television program from the 1980s – and his ever-growing suspicions about the role it might have played in a series of nightmarish and deadly events from his childhood.
Why I've recommended it:
The only truly unsettling series on television. The horror is slow and creepy. It's not about cheap scare tactics; it's about psychological horror, and that is what makes it interesting.
Broad City
Broad City follows two women throughout their daily lives in New York City, making the smallest and mundane events hysterical and disturbing to watch all at the same time.
Why I've recommended it:
Incredibly funny. I was skeptical at first, but Broad City really grew on me. The absurdity of the situations these two get themselves into is beyond compare.
The 100
The survivors of a nuclear armageddon that destroyed life on Earth are living on a space ark of linked stations. Three generations later and desperately looking for a solution to the problem of the ark's dwindling resources, 100 juvenile prisoners are sent down to the planet to test its habitability.
Why I've recommended it:
If you can stomach the melodramatic teen-drama parts of the first season, "The 100" becomes a very refreshing take on the post-apocalypse. For what is undeniably a show aimed at teens, the adults in the cast get equal billing and avoid the "flawed parents" trope so many other teen shows exploit. "The 100" takes risks by pivoting the premise and setting frequently, which makes it unique.
The Good Place
Eleanor Shellstrop is an ordinary woman who, through an extraordinary string of events, enters the afterlife where she comes to realize that she hasn't been a very good person. With the help of her wise afterlife mentor, she's determined to shed her old way of living.
Why I've recommended it:
This quirky show from "The Office" and "Parks and Rec" creator Michael Schur has quite a challenging premise, but it's very charming and funny. Every time an episode ends, I find myself impatiently awaiting the next one.
Please Like Me
After breaking up with his girlfriend, Josh comes to the realization that he is homosexual. With the support of his now ex girlfriend Claire, and his best friend and house mate Tom, Josh must help his mother with her battle with depression and the rest of his family embrace his new found orientation.
Why I've recommended it:
The writing is very witty, I found myself giggling several times. It is really easy to identify with the characters; they feel so realistic.
The Expanse
Two hundred years in the future, in a fully colonized solar system, police detective Josephus Miller is given the assignment to find a missing young woman, Julie Mao. Joining his task is James Holden, former first officer of an ice freighter who is involved in an incident caused by the tense relationship between Earth, Mars and the Belt. Soon the two find out that the missing woman is connected to a vast conspiracy that threatens all humanity.
Why I've recommended it:
Space opera at its finest! I love The Expanse for its realistic and scientifically valid depiction of what living in space might look like. This isn't Star Trek!
The OA
Prairie Johnson, blind as a child, comes home to the community she grew up in with her sight restored. Some hail her a miracle, others a dangerous mystery, but Prairie won’t talk with the FBI or her parents about the seven years she went missing.
Why I've recommended it:
The sort of navel-gazing, contemplative sci-fi I expect from its creators Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, "The OA" left me thinking about death and wondering if the mysterious plotholes even matter to the bigger story being told.
Westworld
Westworld is a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin. Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, it explores a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged.
Why I've recommended it:
A great cast, inventive non-linear storytelling & non-exploitative plot twists kept me guessing, and it paid off. Don't binge this one, or your head will explode!
The Affair
The Affair explores the emotional effects of an extramarital relationship. Set in Montauk at the end of Long Island, the provocative drama unfolds separately from both the male and female perspectives, using the distinct memory biases of both to tell the story.
Why I've recommended it:
A study of bad relationships between horrible people, I'm intrigued by the unreliable narration and the colourful backdrops of Montauk and Brooklyn.
Search Party
Search Party is a dark comedy about four self-absorbed twenty-somethings who become entangled in an ominous mystery. When a former college acquaintance suddenly disappears, it's time to form a Search Party.
Why I've recommended it:
The way "Search Party" plays with tone is fantastic: I found myself laughing at the selfish millenials and yet I was invested in the mystery at the centre of the story.