The Unafraid Show’s Quarantine Binge Guide: Television

Television UF

Are you stuck inside? Do you practice social distancing? Are you slowly losing your mind? I’ll cut right to the point. This global pandemic sucks. It’s scary and nervewracking. Be smart, stay safe and most importantly, stay inside! I’ve been working from home for well over a year so I was born from the seclusion just like Bane was born from the darkness. Since you’re inside, it’s time to binge that television show you’ve always wanted to watch, but never had the time to put in the effort? Guess what? Now is the perfect time for a quarantine binge watch.

My recommendations will be for shows that are either currently on television or premiered a season within the past year or two. I don’t need to beat a dead horse and say to watch classic shows like The Wire, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and The Sopranos. There’s no better time than now to watch those iconic programs. For me, The Sopranos has always been my white whale. I never finished it all (shame on me), but I’m making an effort to go back and rewatch it. See, I’m flawed human, too.

Here it is. The Unafraid Show Quarantine Binge Guide: Television

The Best Show Of The Past Year – Fleabag

Fleabag
Fleabag / Amazon Prime

Fleabag: Two seasons, 6 episodes per season, 20-28 minutes per episode. Watch on Amazon Prime.

I’m running out of words to describe Fleabag. But, I did have a lot to say when the second season premiered this past April. Fleabag is one of the most creative shows ever made. It will make you piss your pants and cry your eyes out. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a god.

Let’s Get Weird – Devs

https://youtu.be/aoNloYTsH0Y

Devs: Currently in 1st season, 3 episodes released, 50 minutes-1 hour per episode. Watch on Hulu.

The plot description for Devs is pretty straightforward. Lily Chan (Sonoya Mizuno), a software engineer, believes her boyfriend was murdered by her employer, the Amaya Company, which is run by the CEO, Forest (Nick Offerman). However, after a few minutes of the first episode, the show quickly becomes a haunting and mesmerizing thriller based around technology. Devs‘ creator is Alex Garland, the mind behind Ex Machina and Annihilation. Similar to those two movies, Devs has many twists and turns that will fuck with your mind, but it a good way.

Smoke Weed With Your Friends And Laugh Your Ass Off – The Real Bros Of Simi Valley

The Real Bros of Simi Valley: Currently in 3rd season, 4 episodes in S1/10 eps in S2/5 eps released so far in S3, 6-25 minutes per episode. Watch Season 1 on YouTube and Seasons 2-3 on Facebook Watch.

Do you even burn, bro? The weed is optional, but watching Real Bros is mandatory. Real Bros is a parody of The Jersey Shore and The Real Housewives set in Simi Valley. From truck nut obsessions to kickbacks, Jimmy Tatro created a series that is just as funny as it is ridiculous in nature. Squash your beef, get exterior, and binge the show in one sitting.

Quarantine And Chill – You

You: 2 seasons, 10 episodes per season, 41-50 minutes per episode. Watch Netflix.

Hello, you. To be honest, lifetime shows are usually not my cup of tea. They’re usually too melodramatic for my liking. However, You is different. The show highlights a creep who stalks girls and commits evil acts of violence. I wouldn’t say You is a fun show, but it was built to binge with your significant other. It’s uncomfortable at times, but it will spurn a conversation after every episode. Again, I usually wouldn’t watch this show, but it’s so damn addicting.

Watch With Me – Jack Ryan

Jack Ryan: 2 seasons, 8 episodes per season, 40-64 minutes per episode. Watch on Amazon Prime.

This is my current show of choice. I’m late to the game, but Jack Ryan is an enjoyable binge. I’ll watch a CIA political thriller about an analyst attempting to stop a terrorist attack any day of the week. The charismatic John Krasinski is the star, but Wendell Pierce’s presence creates a buddy-cop dynamic that leaves you wanting a spinoff with the two characters.

Girls Kick Ass – Killing Eve

Killing Eve: 2 seasons, 8 episodes per season, 41-55 minutes per episode. Watch on Hulu.

Fleabag might have been my favorite show of 2019, but Killing Eve owned that title in 2018. Killing Eve portrays a cat-and-mouse game between Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh), a British intelligence officer, and Villanelle (Jodie Comer), a psychopathic assassin. Oh and Comer give spectacular performances and the duo have undeniable chemistry. The “will they, won’t they” romantic narrative adds to the show’s addictive nature and suspense. Plus, Phoebe Waller-Bridge wrote the first season. Enough said.

Rapid Fire

Best Star Wars Show That Star Wars Fans And Non-Star Wars Fans Will Love – The Mandalorian. 1 season, 8 episodes, 31-46 minutes per episode. Watch on Disney+. MANDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. It’s a bounty hunting adventure that happens to be set in the Star Wars universe. Even if you hate Star Wars, The Mandalorian rules.

Think You Have It Bad? – Chernobyl. 1 season, 5 episodes, 60-72 minutes each. Watch on HBO. A reminder that acting quickly helps and every decision matters. The show may be full of existential dread, but the subject matter is important, compelling, and captivating.

Comics Are Cool – Watchmen. 1 season, 9 episodes, 52-67 minutes per episode. Watch on HBO. Give comic book adaptations a chance! Watchmen is too smart for its own good. It’s brilliantly paced and expertly thought out. Regina King is a badass. Tick tock.

Don’t You Forget About Me, I’m Still The Best Written Show On TV – Better Call Saul. Currently in its 5th season, 10 episodes per season, 42-61 minutes per episode. Watch Seasons 1-4 on Netflix and Season 5 on AMC. Like LeBron James, it’s important to appreciate greatness during its run because when it’s gone, it’s gone forever. That’s Better Call Saul in a nutshell.

Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby – Sex Education. 2 seasons, 8 episodes per season, 47-59 minutes per episode. Watch on Netflix. A raunchy sex comedy is somehow one of the sweetest and most endearing coming-of-age stories on television.

If You Know, You Know – The End of the F***ing World. 2 seasons, 8 episodes per season, 19-24 minutes per episode. Watch on Netflix. If you know, you know. Just watch this quirky and funny little show.

NoHo Fucking Hank – Barry. 2 seasons, 8 episodes per season, 26-35 minutes per episode. Watch on HBO. Once you meet NoHo Hank, you’ll be hooked. It also helps that Barry is one of the best dark comedies I’ve ever seen with Bill Hader’s best performance as an actor.

Did I miss anything? Do you have more suggestions? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or tweet us, @unafraidshow.

Emmys 2019: Who Should Win And Who Will Win?

Veep Emmys predictions

The 71st Emmy Awards air tonight at 8 PM EST on Fox. Who should win and who will win? Here are the top storylines as well as my predictions for the Emmys.

Top Storylines

Will Game Of Thrones dominate the night?

One of the most decorated shows on television says goodbye at tonight’s Emmys. HBO’s Game of Thrones set a record when it was nominated for 32 Emmys. At the Creative Arts Emmys, the show already won 10 Emmys, which means if it wins three tonight (which it should), it would break the record for most Emmys won by a single season. Despite a roller-coaster season that was met with mixed reviews, you don’t get nominated for 32 Emmys out of luck. Expect a big night for Thrones.

Can Julia Louis-Dreyfus make it seven for seven?

If there was a Mt. Rushmore for sitcom actors, Julia Louis-Dreyfus would be on it. Louis-Dreyfus is a dominant force at the Emmys. Before Veep, Louis-Dreyfus was nominated for 12 Emmys for her time on Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine, winning twice. What’s even more impressive is for her role as Selina Meyer in Veep, Julia Louis-Dreyfus has never lost Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Six seasons, six nominations, and six wins. Louis-Dreyfus will look to make it seven for seven.

Will Fleabag be rewarded for its brilliance?

Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Fleabag / Amazon Prime Video

Without a doubt, the best thing I saw on television this year was the second season of Fleabag. What Phoebe Waller-Bridge did with the Fleabag character is something that will never be replicated. It’s a true shame if Fleabag walks away empty-handed. If Veep or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel didn’t have previous Emmy experience, Fleabag would sweep all of the major awards. However, Veep just had its final season and Maisel is trying to repeat. That being said, Waller-Bridge is a lock to win comedy writing and both Olivia Colman and Sian Clifford are in the running for supporting actress. I’ll take what I can get.

Other Thoughts

  • If Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, or Rhea Seehorn never win an acting Emmy for Better Call Saul, we failed as a society.
  • They say tying is like kissing your sister, but Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh should split Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. It’s so difficult to pick one over the other.
  • I didn’t watch a lot of the Limited Series nominations so therefore, I don’t have any predictions. However, I did see Chernobyl so if I had to choose, that’s my pick.
  • Bill Hader and Henry Winkler should repeat in their respective acting categories for Barry.

Now, let’s get into the predictions.

Outstanding Drama Series

  • Who Should Win: Better Call Saul 
  • Who Will Win: Game of Thrones 

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

  • Who Should Win: Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
  • Who Will Win: Billy Porter, Pose

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

BBC tv show Killing Eve Best shows of 2019
Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh in Killing Eve / BBC America
  • Who Should Win: Jodie Comer or Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
  • Who Will Win: Jodie Comer or Sandra Oh, Killing Eve

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

  • Who Should Win: Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul
  • Who Will Win: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

  • Who Should Win: Lena Headey, Game of Thrones
  • Who Will Win: Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones

Outstanding Comedy Series

  • Who Should Win: Fleabag 
  • Who Will Win: Veep

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

  • Who Should Win: Bill Hader, Barry
  • Who Will Win: Bill Hader, Barry

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

  • Who Should Win: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag
  • Who Will Win: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

  • Who Should Win: Anthony Carrigan, Barry 
  • Who Will Win: Henry Winkler, Barry

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

  • Who Should Win: Sian Clifford, Fleabag
  • Who Will Win: Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

What are you Emmy predictions? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or tweet us, @unafraidshow.

Fleabag Season 2: Why Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Dark Comedy Soars

Is it ok to have sex with a priest? In real life, the answer is not up for debate. It’s a no that is usually followed with a stint in prison. In other shows or movies, having sex with a priest is offensive, blasphemous, and highly inappropriate. However, in the masterful second season of Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge character’s desire to have sex with a hot priest (Andrew Scott) is morally wrong, and yet I found myself rooting for it to happen the entire time.

Immoral decisions, self-deprecation, and loneliness are at the heart of the dark comedy, Fleabag*. Phoebe Waller-Bridge stars as the titular character, Fleabag, a humorous, yet troubled young feminist trying to cope with her complicated life in London. In the first season, Fleabag constantly fights with her emotions and struggles to find peace over the recent deaths of her mother and best friend, Boo (Jenny Rainsford), with the latter serving as a co-owner of their guinea-pig themed cafe. While fighting her own issues and female angst, Fleabag has to juggle relationships with her successful, but miserable sister, Claire (Sian Clifford), her passive and distant father (Bill Paterson), her pretentious and villainous godmother (Olivia Colman), and a revolving door of sexual partners.

I did not discover Fleabag until a few weeks ago. Therefore, my review of the show comes after the second season has aired.

Fleabag’s inability to sustain successful and healthy relationships leads her to communicate her thoughts with the audience. Fleabag constantly breaks the fourth wall to hilariously describe her feelings and emotions. Her breaks range from well-thought-out monologues to simple, effective eyebrow raises. The fourth wall starts off as a way to convey Fleabag’s actions at the moment, we quickly learn that the audience is her closest friend and the fourth wall is a coping mechanism for her unhappiness and isolation.

Fleabag Season 2 Trailer

The second seasons picks off “371 days, 19 hours and 26 minutes late” after the first season ends. Fleabag’s bickering with her chaotic family (in a spectacular jumpsuit if I might add) at the engagement dinner of her father and godmother. This time, Claire’s sleazy husband Martin (Brett Gelman) and the aftermentioned handsome priest join in on the family’s dysfunction to cause an unforgettable and hysterical dinner scene.

Waller-Bridge, who also created the hit drama Killing Eve, states that the second season is a “love story,” but it’s not a typical one. It’s a beautiful, fucked up love story that accurately shows how trauma and grief can sadly lead to loneliness. Losing her mother and friend causes Fleabag to be emotionally distant from the rest of her family. To cope, Fleabag uses humor, sex, cursing, and theft, but it’s still not enough to make her grief and pain go away. This repressed trauma leads to the self-sabotage of Fleabag’s own life.

It’s also why Fleabag’s attraction and desire to have sex with a priest makes a lot of sense. The priest is similar to Fleabag in that he curses a lot, enjoys a good drink, and uses humor any chance he gets. There’s real chemistry between the two. However, Fleabag has lived a life full of heartbreak, meaningless sexual encounters, and trauma. Fleabag views the priest as someone who cannot break her heart since he’s dedicated to God, which is why her sexual desire for him is so strong. As Fleabag later confesses, she’s looking for someone to tell her how to live her life because her choices haven’t led to happiness and fulfillment.

For a show that’s so hysterical and vulgar, Fleabag is also emotionally gripping and extremely powerful in its portrayal of love, grief, and despair. Fleabag successfully balances hope and tragedy to showcase a troublesome, caring, and thoughtful woman in an amusing way. Waller-Bridge recently stated that the second season would be the show’s last. However, it’s time to steal a page out of Fleabag’s playbook and start praying so it can return for a third season.

Fleabag consists of two seasons containing six episodes each. Both seasons can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.