Kimber's Top Ten TV Shows Streaming Now!

Who is ready for the next blog post of my favorite things? I know I’m ready! This one is a fun one, but also one I had to think long and hard about.
If you know me, then you know I’m crazy about good TV shows, documentaries, and movies. This week I’ll be tackling the tough job of discussing my top ten favorite shows that are streaming now. Why is this tough? Well, it’s hard because I’m such a fan of so many shows! I could list 100 must-watch TV shows, probably. I know you think I’m exaggerating, but I’m not! TV is my jam. Movies are my peanut butter. So, without further ado or more silly food metaphors, let’s talk turkey. Or shall I say, let’s talk jam.

These are in no particular order. This is mainly because although I have a lot of opinions, I’m also extremely indecisive. They’re all good. Watch them in any order. Or not. Whatever. (See, I told you I was indecisive!).

1. Goliath. This show is on Amazon Prime and will be streaming the second season this week. I’ve watched the first season several times now in preparation for season two. Here’s what I like about it: the music intro is really good. Like really good. You know how some shows have you just dying to bypass the into? Not this one. I also think this is one of Billy Bob Thornton’s best roles. He’s really amazing as the lovable and dysfunctional lawyer who somehow lost his own firm out from under him, doesn’t know how old his own daughter is, and seems to have quite the way with the ladies. He knows his way around a bar, drinks way too much, and is way too smart. It’s a great combo. William Hurt plays a super creepy burn victim who clicks a clicker to get his employees to listen. Weird. But enthralling.

2. Sneaky Pete. This one is also on Amazon Prime, and this is just a great, fun show. Quirky. Great plot. Super awesome acting by the greatest character actors around. The plot is this: a criminal (Marius, played by Giovanni Ribisi), shares a cell with a blabbering, nostalgic, annoying cell mate, who can’t stop talking about his memories of his life when he was a kid, telling tales of all his glorious family members, including grandma and grandpa, who work in bonds. Marius is getting released and in a non-spoiler alert twist, he cannot go home, so he decides he’s now Pete, the cell mate who isn’t getting out anytime soon and hasn’t been home in more than a decade. Ribisi is charming, sweet, smart, and conniving. You love him and root for him and all his (well, Pete’s) family members. I never thought it would be a premise that lasted, but it does and its is seamless. Season two was just as good as the first. Just writing this is making me think I need to watch it again. And someone needs to name their kid Marius for me, because that is the coolest name I’ve ever heard. Additionally, you will love Margo Martindale, as the sneaky grandma with a few of her own secrets. 

3. Handmaid’s Tale. This one is on Hulu, which is my LEAST FAVORITE streaming platform. Hulu is just not intuitive or cool. I don’t like it. But I LOVE this show. So, I suffer through the miserable site. Elizabeth Moss stars in this show, but there are so many stars. The acting is superb. It’s the kind of show that could be extremely cheesy if the acting isn’t on point. Luckily the acting is pretty flawless. Moss stars as Offred (June in another lifetime), a former editor turned baby making slave, of sorts. When you first see the graphics for the show, you think, hmmm, this must be in the past during colonial times. Then you think, oh it’s in the future. Then you wonder, wait is that happening right now? I can’t explain it but it seems both far fetched and completely realistic at the same time. It’s weird because it feels completely relevant. This show is not for the feint of heart. It’s brutal. Bruuuuuutallll. So much of it is hard to watch. But you also cannot look away. And that’s the sign of a good show. It’s gut-wrenching. And it makes me wish Hulu didn’t make me wait a week between episodes, although it’s probably good they do, for my own mental health.

4. Absentia (the mini series). This is on Amazon Prime and stars Stana Katic. This show is one of those that you’ll either love or hate. It’s pretty far fetched but super suspenseful and intriguing. An FBI agent (Katic) goes missing while searching for a serial killer. She’s presumed dead and her husband moves on, caring for their son and remarrying. In the middle of the night he’s awoken by a call. Get to this location in 30 minutes and you’ll be able to save your (ex, dead, not really dead) wife. It’s hard to say much more without giving too much away, but it’s a freaky show that is worth a watch. Again, it’s pretty intense. Really intense. If you can handle intense, then you’ll like this. I shared this show with a few friends and all of them were hooked and binge watched it in a day or two. I’m not sure if there will be another season, but it ended like it could happen. Or not. You’ll have to watch to see what I mean.

5. Wild, Wild Country. This is a Netflix mini-series documentary. I almost didn’t watch this because of the title. I don’t like westerns. Pass. But then I heard more about the basics of the story and couldn’t resist. It’s not a western after all! It combines a cult, bio terrorism, free love, immigration fraud, voter tampering, bigoted townsfolk, attempted murder, seedy characters, and so much more. It’s one of those tales where you really wonder how in the world these things happen. And why hasn’t there been a major motion picture about this already? If I told you all the plot points, you would tell me it sounds like too crazy for people to believe. But it all happened! And you hear it straight from the people it happened to, along with archival footage. It’s brilliantly produced, with just the right amount of old footage and interviews.

6. Mindhunter. This is also on Netflix and based off the book by the same name. I’ve read it and it’s good, too. The show was renewed for a second season and I cannot wait. It is based on true events of the FBI, back in the 70s, when they first decided that using psychology could help them in solving crimes. The main characters are two vastly different FBI agents who team up to bring profiling to the agency, mostly through research that involves interviewing serial killers. In fact, the term serial killer did not even exist until these two created it! The acting, again, is doggone amazing and really makes the show. It would be easy for this to seem too frivolous if the acting wasn’t as good as it is. My favorite character is Edmund Kemper’s. It’s uncanny how much Cameron Britton acts, looks, and sound like Edmund Kemper. He’s crazy good in this show. Next season (or some other future season) will bring the BTK into focus. It’s a very good show and even though some characters are fictionalizations, there is so much to be learned in a show like this.

7. The Good Place. This is streaming on Netflix now and scheduled for more seasons on live TV. If you’ve been thinking that I only like dramas, then you’re mostly right. However, this is my kind of comedy. Kristen Bell dies and goes to heaven, mistakenly. Or is it a mistake? She’s an awful person while alive and equally as awful dead. Ted Danson stars as Michael, the bumbling architect of the good place, which has its own frozen yoghurt shop on every corner and where you’re teamed up with your soulmate to live for eternity. There’s even a Siri-like robot to answer your every need. If you haven’t seen it, I really don’t want to say more because it’ll spoil the fun. Try it. And be good to people. You want to end up in the good place, don’t you? Or do you?

8. Breaking Bad. It’s currently on Netflix.Since this is my favorite show of all time, it bears a mention. I know it’s older and no longer new, but it’s so good. It’s really perfect in every way. A story that builds, acting that is believable, characters that you love to hate. It’s brilliant. The best.

9. Better Call Saul. Also on Netflix and a prequel to Breaking Bad, it follows the origin story of Saul Goodman, the lawyer that Walt and Jesse and Mike all rely on in Breaking Bad. It’s funny, but it’s also dramatic and far more dramatic than I thought it would be, given that Saul was the comedic relief in Breaking Bad. It’s slower and yet very satisfying. I appreciate the characterization and the slow build, the colors and the cinematography, the banter and most of all, getting to know Mike better. He’s my favorite Breaking Bad character and I love him in this show. Ahhhh. Jonathan Banks is the greatest actor. I cannot wait for season four to start in August!

10. Alias Grace. This is also on Netflix and is one season only. I had a hard time deciding whether to include this one or The Killing, but I figured fewer people knew about this one. (That being said, check out The Killing anyway). This is the true story of a girl who was is accused of murder in Canada in the 19th century. She’s possibly insane. Possibly super manipulative. And possibly getting off for being criminally insane. It’s wild and another one of those stories that is crazy, but true. It’s not as compelling as some of the other shows I’ve mentioned, but is certainly worth a gander.

Welp, that about does it for now. I hope some of these shows tickle your fancy, are your jam, or your peanut butter, or whatever food metaphor you desire. Let me know what you think in the comments! And tell me your favorites. I’m always up for new jam.

Join me next week for my favorite podcasts! What else might you like to read about? Let me know and I’ll be sure to cover it!