A summer for binging-up

A list of summer picks from my past recommendations

Mrs. Maisel enjoying her summer (Amazon)

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”
― John Lubbock, The Use Of Life

Hello!

I'll likely be traveling on my summer vacation when you receive this email.

I won't leave you hanging, though.

Here are some of the series I have recommended so far. From the 20 weekly recommendations up until now, I chose six enjoyable TV shows for your summer afternoons.

They don't shy away from difficult topics, but they are not drenched in violence as most shows currently are. They are mostly as light and delightful as laying on the grass on a summer day.

Anne with E

A brother and sister adopt an orphan girl in the touching television program Anne with an E. It's a charming and lovely show about growing up and being unique. Loosely based on Lucy Maud Montgomery's 1908 classic work of children's literature, Anne of Green Gables.

The series is filled with Anne's dreamlike and innocent view of the world.

When season three of the show was set to be released on Netflix, it was canceled. The streaming service then promoted it as the "last" season. Numerous petitions to keep it going were started in response to it, but nothing has changed as of yet.

You can watch it on Netflix.

Sex Education

One of the best Netflix originals is, without a doubt, Sex Education. It is intelligent, witty, and heartfelt.

Otis (Asa Butterfield), a shy and introverted youngster who struggles with intimacy, partners up with Maeve (Emma Mackey), a bright but cynical girl who learns that Otis is a natural at providing sexual advice to people.

Gillian Anderson plays Otis's mother, Jean, a sex therapist who leads a bohemian existence yet feels the urge to snoop into her son's private life. Otis and Maeve launch a sex-education advice service together at their high school. While helping students go through all kinds of sex and relationship problems, they develop an unexpected friendship and learn about themselves. The show masterfully explores the many doubts and issues that sexuality and relationships can bring.

Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Marvelous Mrs. Maisel tells the story of Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan), a housewife in the 1950s who suddenly finds herself being dumped by her husband for his secretary. In the midst of a breakdown, she discovers a new passion and talent: stand-up comedy.

It has a positive, happy vibe to it, which makes it the ideal comfort TV. Mrs. Maisel experiences a lot and reacts to it in a very human way. Even with all the adversity thrown at her, she seems to have incredible willpower to make things better. You become motivated watching her go and can't help but support her as she tries to make her way in this male-dominated world.

I wrote a whole review of the show after the 4th season was released, and after watching the 5th, it has earned a spot in my heart as one of my favorites ever.

Standing Up (Drôle)

Standing Up is a Netflix comedy series that follows three friends, all first- or second-generation immigrants in Paris, striving to follow their dreams of being stand-up comics.

They perform at a small comedy club called Drôle (which is what the series is called in French). These young comics from different backgrounds attempt to navigate between their professional career dreams and their financial and sentimental setbacks.

Standing Up resembles a solid stand-up performance. It is chock-full of self-deprecating humor about daily living that doesn't mind making a social critique.

I have also written about this show before, which was unfortunately canceled after its first season release.

Little fires everywhere

Little fires everywhere centrally tell the story of a perfect upper-middle-class mom, Elena (Reese Witherspoon) who, even though she loves her four children, resents her younger one. This relationship is put to the test when a new mom, Mia (Kerry Washington) appears in their lives.

This is a show about motherhood, and it's full of little mysteries that keep you clicking on the Next button. Based on a book of the same name, it only has one season, which I particularly love. The eight-episode drama deals with issues of race, class conflict, sexism, and plenty more.

Valeria

I would describe Valeria as a Spanish Sex and the City. It tells the story of Valeria, who has been struggling to write a novel. Once she starts having an affair and writing about it, her book starts to take shape. Write about what you know, right?

María López Castaño adapted Elísabet Benavent's novels into the television series. Valeria is ultimately the story of a young woman seeking a profound connection with everything in her life. There is no doubt Valeria has that connection with her friends, but neither her husband nor her job are giving it to her at the beginning of the series.

After the huge success of La Casa de Papel, there has been an explosion of Spanish shows on Netflix. This one is quite light and fun. An updated view on female friendship and modern struggles, but this time, based in Madrid.

Malcolm in the middle

Malcolm in the Middle was a hit sitcom from the 2000s about a dysfunctional low-middle-class family with four male kids. As expected, their house is a mess, and the boys are always fighting between themselves and in trouble. It's a great summer pick to just laugh out loud and forget about your problems. Especially because they seem quite small in comparison to this family.

Do you have any other TV series to recommend binge-watching in the summer?