It’s hard enough to keep up with the shows I’ve been watching for years (because I haven’t paid for television in nearly 5 years and generally have to wait to stream), let alone stay current with the torrent of new shows available on the numerous outlets nowadays, but since I want to be a part of it all, I had to make a concerted effort to watch some new things.

I decided to go through my various lists and watch the first episode of a number of shows, and see what struck me.  Here are the “new to me” stand outs:

4.  The Last Kingdom – A wonderful show I discovered via Netflix is the BBC import The Last Kingdom.  Set before England is a united nation, the story follows the life of a young Saxon prince who is captured by an invading Dane army and becomes their earl’s slave.  As the years pass, he becomes more Dane than Saxon and eventually becomes the earl’s adopted son.  His journey is a strange one as he discovers that despite his true heritage, he is a man that doesn’t really belong in either world, and yet finds himself at the center of the great changes that are to come.

It’s a period piece set in England.  For me, that’s all it really takes, 😉  but there is something unique and captivating about this show, and I definitely recommend watching the first episode like I did – I’m sure you’ll be hooked too.

3.  Galavant – A comedy musical set in Medieval times starring Timothy Omundson?!  I was in from the moment I saw the first preview, but because of the not-having-tv-thing, it was just another show that got pushed to the wayside…until Netflix.  The first two seasons popped up and I was hooked from first song – Thank you, Alan Menken! (of Disney movie fame: The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Tangled to name a few).

The series follows Galavant, a knight on a mission to reclaim his lost love, but as you can expect in a comedy, things don’t always go as planned.  The show is more adult oriented despite the light hearted presentation, special guests make regular appearances, and without commercials, the 18 episodes are only about 20 mins long, so it’s an easy binge watch.  And then I discovered the horrible truth – Galavant had been canceled.  I think the show is really wonderful, and cleverly done.  I’m sad to learn that there won’t be any more of it.  If you’re looking for something different and just plain fun, I highly recommend Galavant.

2.  Vikings – This was a show I longed to watch, but again, did not have access to, and then I got access to Hulu and voila!  Even if I hadn’t been entranced by the first episode, which I totally was, this show was one I was willing to put a little effort into.  Thankfully, it didn’t come to that.  It’s fantastic!  Vikings are often portrayed as this brute invading force, but this show takes us inside their world and, in particular, the life of Ragnar Lothbrok.

Tired of the routine set by his earl of sailing east to lands they have repeatedly pillaged, Ragnar makes a daring-rogue decision and builds a boat of his own to travel to new destinations.  Ragnar, besides being easy on the eyes, is a compelling character to watch.  He’s a clever man played by a subtle actor who says a great deal with his eyes.  (I’m a sucker for that, hello, Mads Mikkelsen.)  And then there’s his wife, Lagertha, a famous warrior known as a shield maiden.  She is an amazing character and my eyes are drawn to her whenever she’s on screen.  She’s a force to be reckoned with, and it’s satisfying to find a character like her.

I’m only on season 2, and there’s already been betrayal and sacrifice (literally) and loss.  I can’t wait to see what else is in store for these characters.

1.  Stranger Things – Everyone was talking about Stranger Things so I decided to watch the first episode to see what all the hype was about.  If you’ve been on the fence, get off of it already and watch this hit from Netflix Originals.

Set in the 80s in a small town, this sci-fi series follows a group of friends, four 12 year old boys who are sort of the geeky outcasts.  (In hindsight, they’re the boys I wish I would’ve befriended when I was 12 to learn how to play D&D.)  When one of their friends mysteriously disappears, a new friend mysteriously appears, and a “strange” series of events follow as this tale unfolds.

There was a lot of information about this show on every social media outlet (there still is as season 2 is close at hand), and it was hard to stay ignorant to the premise, so if you’re like I was, I won’t give too much away because it is really well done and a lot of fun to watch.  I have to say I was surprised how much I enjoyed this, because I didn’t know what to expect, so maybe that’s a good thing…I’ve been disappointed more often than not recently when I’m looking forward to something…and despite the fact that Winona Ryder is one of the leads, she is still not a good actor, the show is worthy of your time.

And the +1 is currently in the  “undecided” section:

Black Butler – The Sis has already watched all the available episodes and is a fan, but I’ve only watched a few, and am still on the fence.  I really like the premise which is about a young boy, the heir to a vast fortune in Victorian England, who makes a deal with a demon to avenge his family.  The demon then becomes his constant companion in the way of his butler, and he is “one hell of a butler”. 😉

Japanime seems to be a cross between a couple of animation types, a beautiful, stylistic art, and this odd, campy, almost childish variant.  Black Butler has both, which sometimes pulls me out of the story because the two styles are drastically different, but this is a mainstay in their animation, I’ve discovered, so it’s just something you have to get used to.

Black Butler is available on both Netflix and Hulu and the Hulu version has both the dubbed and subtitled versions, I believe.  I would recommend the subtitled versions, because Sebastian, the butler, has a wonderful, soothing voice.

Have you watched any of these shows?  What do you think?  Wanna talk about any of them?  Let’s chat!