Nowadays we spend the majority of our evenings stretched out on our beds with Netflix, All 4, or BBC iPlayer blaring out of the TV, as we relax and separate ourselves from our daily struggles. But it's crazy how many times I see someone tweet: 'Anyone know any good TV shows?'.
Consequently, I felt it necessary to compile a well-rounded list of the best TV shows you've probably never even heard of. From the comedic to the dystopian, I'll delve into 5 masterpieces, which I feel could provide you with stunning and perhaps vaguely addictive entertainment.
Consider this piece Ethan Ferrao's personal donation to all those people out there, who are currently browsing the internet in search of their next series to 'binge'. But without me digressing, let's begin:
Fresh Meat (2011-2013)
From the channel which brought you The Inbetweeners, this 3-season comedy series, starring Joe Thomas (or you may know him as Simon Cooper), was rather more hidden away. The only reason you may have heard of it is perhaps from Channel 4 adverts back in 2013.
In fact, I distinctly remember seeing a short clip advertising the final episode and thinking 'I didn't know that show even existed'. Nevertheless, this Channel 4 series is about university students who are all thrown together to live in one house.
They range from the intelligent Oregon (Charlotte Richie), to tough-girl Vod (Zawe Ashton), alongside the posh, big-headed JP (Jack Whitehall). Not forgetting the couldn't-be-more-average-if-he-tried guy Kingsley (Joe Thomas), good-girl Josie (Kimberly Nixon), and social freak Howard (Greg McHugh).
As the 6 main characters living in the house get to know each other, we see characteristics emerge which could be likened to The Inbetweeners, such as a bunch of awkward sexual encounters, potential but problematic relationships, drinking, sex and drugs.
Yet all these very real problems come with an outstanding humorous aspect. If you want to know how to NOT act when you go to university, Fresh Meat is just the show you should watch. One of the greatest features of Fresh Meat is it's consideration of the entire social spectrum.
When you take characters who you would never expect to mingle if they had a choice, and make them live with each other, you know it will be an entertaining crash of personalities, resulting in comedic and embarrassing consequences which never fail to cause laughter. If you don't laugh at this British comedy masterpiece, I fear for your sense of humour.
Utopia (2013-2014)
On the surface, this show looks like it's about a few comic book nerds who want to find a really special comic(!).
No, no... don't dismiss this show just yet. It's far, far deeper, and shockingly darker than that (seriously the death count per episode must surpass a few records...).
This show takes you on a rollercoaster, venturing into all kind of ethical questions, including genocide, government corruption, and the very real problem of over-population. It really does make you think. But don't get the wrong impression, this isn't philosophical.
In fact some of the actions permitted in this show are some of the most brutal thinkable to human imagination. Now, I will admit the first few episodes are more bloopers than bangers, but from then on it really hots up.
You are immersed in a group of people who are outcast from society, constantly on the run from a vicious network of some of the most powerful people in Britain.
To summarise, the show is about a group of anonymous Brits who meet one day to discuss a graphic novel on an online internet forum, thinking the novel is just a collectible. But the organisation known as The Network think differently, and they'll murder whoever it takes to find the novel - whether the victims are children, women, the elderly... basically they'll put a bullet through the head of anyone who can't tell them where Jessica Hyde (Fiona O'Shaughnessy) is.
Essentially, the novel contains information which could, in the wrong hands, dictate the future of humanity. It's dark, brutal, terrifying, and so much more...
Take a look at the following video, it'll give you further insight into this truly magnificent 2-season show, which becomes increasingly spine-chilling as it progresses.
No, no... don't dismiss this show just yet. It's far, far deeper, and shockingly darker than that (seriously the death count per episode must surpass a few records...).
This show takes you on a rollercoaster, venturing into all kind of ethical questions, including genocide, government corruption, and the very real problem of over-population. It really does make you think. But don't get the wrong impression, this isn't philosophical.
In fact some of the actions permitted in this show are some of the most brutal thinkable to human imagination. Now, I will admit the first few episodes are more bloopers than bangers, but from then on it really hots up.
You are immersed in a group of people who are outcast from society, constantly on the run from a vicious network of some of the most powerful people in Britain.
To summarise, the show is about a group of anonymous Brits who meet one day to discuss a graphic novel on an online internet forum, thinking the novel is just a collectible. But the organisation known as The Network think differently, and they'll murder whoever it takes to find the novel - whether the victims are children, women, the elderly... basically they'll put a bullet through the head of anyone who can't tell them where Jessica Hyde (Fiona O'Shaughnessy) is.
Essentially, the novel contains information which could, in the wrong hands, dictate the future of humanity. It's dark, brutal, terrifying, and so much more...
Take a look at the following video, it'll give you further insight into this truly magnificent 2-season show, which becomes increasingly spine-chilling as it progresses.
The IT Crowd (2006-2010)
So in my list of 5 TV shows, I find myself pointing towards Channel 4 for a third time. When I come to think of it, they really do produce some outstanding TV in all departments, whether it be comedy, drama or documentaries.
The IT Crowd falls into the category of comedy, and yet another genius Channel 4 series. We are immersed in the lives of Roy (Chris O'Dowd), Maurice (Richard Ayoade) and Jen (Katherine Parkinson), 3 workers of a huge corporation who spend their time in the basement, performing the menial tasks of IT.
Outsiders to the real world, and socially inadequate, the two men are true IT 'nerds'. They are the manifestation of all stereotypes linked with computer geeks; they hate sport, are desperate for women and know possibly everything there is to know about the inside of your PC. Of course, when they're faced with social interactions, things are bound to go wrong.
Their hysterics when it comes to football, dating and crime result in some of the funniest, most embarrassing outcomes you could possibly imagine. Don't believe me, take a look at the following clip (apologies for the quality):
The IT Crowd falls into the category of comedy, and yet another genius Channel 4 series. We are immersed in the lives of Roy (Chris O'Dowd), Maurice (Richard Ayoade) and Jen (Katherine Parkinson), 3 workers of a huge corporation who spend their time in the basement, performing the menial tasks of IT.
Outsiders to the real world, and socially inadequate, the two men are true IT 'nerds'. They are the manifestation of all stereotypes linked with computer geeks; they hate sport, are desperate for women and know possibly everything there is to know about the inside of your PC. Of course, when they're faced with social interactions, things are bound to go wrong.
Their hysterics when it comes to football, dating and crime result in some of the funniest, most embarrassing outcomes you could possibly imagine. Don't believe me, take a look at the following clip (apologies for the quality):
Prison Break (2005-2009)
Okay look, I know I said earlier that these shows wouldn't be well known, but this simply had to go in my list. It's truly thrilling.
Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) walks into a bank, fires a gun, and gets himself arrested. Why? Because he believes that his brother has falsely been sentenced to death, and is willing to go to prison himself in order to break him out.
Main directors Bobby Roth and Kevin Hooks take us on a rollercoaster, in his 4-season crime drama, with twists at every turn. The cliffhangers leave you drooling for more. It's so hard to write about, because the story thickens every episode, and there are a countless number of spoilers which I want to reveal and discuss, but quite simply I can't deprive you of the excitement.
The show is all about scheming, intelligence and observance, because if you look away for just half a second, you're bound to miss something key. Scofield's plans, and the director's craft will have you thinking about what happened in every single episode, because the events all seem to connect. It will make you think 'How did that happen?', and then flash back to a previous episode, from which you start to make sense of the situation.
Inspired, imaginative and innovative, it would be criminal not to watch this show.
The Pacific (2010)
'The Pacific' is an action, adventure and drama series about World War Two, following three intertwined stories about American marines as they battle through the horrors of the war in the Pacific. Action-lovers will fall helplessly for this show, as the quick-paced, energetic and life-threatening toils of war are put into perspective by director Jeremy Podeswa.
However, this show isn't about the bullets soaring through the air, and countless explosions... Instead it's designed to give you a glimpse of the life of a marine. You no longer see just the raw statistics of the war, which have little to no meaning but rather you get personal plots, ups and downs, horrific conditions, the deaths of friends and more.
This thrill-ride takes you from the ecstatic feeling of winning a battle, to times when the weight of war is simply too much and characters become psychologically distorted. This show really does make you think about every single life lost and the impact it has: their relationships, their family and friends and how all these factors play on soldiers' minds.
Emotive, powerful and provocative, with genius filmography, this show may seem less watchable than the others I have listed but trust me: watching this series isn't something you'll regret.
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