I kind of like TV shows, in case you hadn’t noticed. Once upon a time, I was watching almost fifteen shows at one time (I blame the British government and unemployment), and while I don’t even watch a third of that any more, I still love my shows. Since I also love reading and the two are totally connected, I wanted to share three of my top recommendations with you. And this has absolutely nothing to do with how obsessed I am with The 100 at the moment. Nope. Nothing at all.
1. Spartacus
If you didn’t know about this flawless show then you don’t know me at all. I never miss an opportunity to rave about it and push it onto people. Unfortunately, hardly anyone listens to me when I tell them how flawless it is, because they tend to believe that it’s all about sex and violence. NO. NO. You are WRONG. It’s about brotherhood and family and fighting against your oppressors and abusers, and standing up for what you believe in. It’s about freedom. To quote the showrunner: “[It’s] about a man who almost changed an entire nation by the force of his will.”
It also has my all time favourite character out of everything ever.
BECAUSE NO CHARACTER, STORY OR DEVELOPMENT MATCHES UP TO THIS GOD.
In case you were wondering, it’s based on the completely true story of Spartacus, a gladiator and slave in the Roman Republic (before it became the Empire), who fights for the right to live free of Roman rule. It’s inspiring, it’s epic, and it’s truly the best TV show I have ever watched. There are four seasons, three full ones and a prequel, and the impact that this story has had on me will stay with me forever. The correct viewing order is Blood and Sand, Gods of the Arena, Vengeance, and War of the Damned. Please, watch it.
2. Veronica Mars
Hey, Marshmallows! I started watching Veronica Mars last year when it was announced that there would be a movie. I had no idea about it before then, but Tatum and I were like “Well I guess it’s good?” and we ended up marathoning the hell out of it. Veronica is one of my favourite characters ever and let me just talk about the OTPEST OF OTPS that is Logan and Veronica. So Tatum and I like to ship. We also like to rank our ships because we have at least two hundred. And Veronica and Logan are at the fucking top of the pyramid. THEY CANNOT BE BEATEN. I remember when we realised how much we loved them together, and each of us was hesitant to tell the other that they had surpassed Destiel (Supernatural) and season one Delena (The Vampire Diaries).
Veronica Mars is about a teenage private investigator and is set in a town called Neptune and everything about it is awesome. The themes involving the rich and the poor people, abuse, and other such stuff are wonderfully done. Season three, the final season of the show, is definitely the weakest, but it’s absolutely brilliant at the same time.
3. The 100
Have you ever marathoned an entire season of a show in one day? I hadn’t for a while, not since I discovered Supernatural, but then I discovered The 100 and I watched the entire first season and caught up with season two IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS BECAUSE IT’S EPIC. This only happened a couple of weeks ago because I honestly thought this show was horrific when I watched the pilot in March, but I wish I had continued with it back then. These past couple of weeks have been the best thing to happen to me in a while because they’ve been full of fangirling, energetic screaming, shipping, OTPs, and flawless writing. BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER.
The 100 is a post-apocalyptic show based on a book of the same name. But the show is absolutely nothing like the book, according to my trusted friends. Basically, people from the USA moved into a space ship because the Earth was destroyed by war and radiation. In the pilot episode, a group of a hundred teenage prisoners (the fact that they’re teenagers makes sense, I promise) are sent down to Earth to see if it’s survivable. And it turns out that it is. Kind of.
My favourite things about The 100, besides Bellarke who are the most epic flawless couple who are rapidly catching up with Logan/Veronica, is the diverse cast and flawless storytelling. These writers know what they’re doing. They have created a fast-paced, terrifying, action packed show that grabs you by the (metaphorical) balls and twists with your emotions. Let’s talk about the cast for a moment: a huge percentage of them are POC. In fact, the majority of them are. How many shows, especially ones aimed towards teenagers, can say that? Not only is it realistic, since this show is set in the future, it is great representation and I applaud it for that. Also, there are so many badass women in this show I can’t handle it. The main character, Clarke, is a woman who is leading this group of teenagers alongside a (beautiful) MOC, Bellamy. In addition, the writers aren’t afraid to touch upon dark subjects. The character development is stunning. The world building makes me weak inside.
I am urging you all to give this show a go, because while I fully admit I might be blinded by my stanning goggles, I would go so far as to say that this show is almost flawless. Watch the pilot, ignore how terrible it is, and then watch a couple more episodes and I promise you will be hooked. And you will probably want to be. Tatum has written an awesome post on the show as well because she’s stanning as much as I am, and there is also this flawless infographic presentation which says everything I want to say and more.
So, when do you want to do a buddy watch?
WHAT EXCELLENT TASTE YOU HAVE. THANK YOU FOR GETTING ME TO WATCH SPARTACUS EVEN THOUGH IT HURTS AND MAYBE I HATE YOU A LITTLE FOR IT, IDK (kidding, I do not hate you at all so worth it for the epic and also how could I hate you?)
I like the smooth, subtle way you are throwing The 100 in everyone’s faces. Well done, keep it up.
YOU ARE WELCOME IM ALWAYS HAPPY TO RUIN PEOPLE’S LIVES HAW HAW HAW
I’m a very subtle person
I loved Veronica Mars, both the show and the movie! I’ve read the first book “The 100” but I’ve only seen like one episode of the show. It was so different from the book that I was a bit confused. Maybe I should just continue on.
Great post!
Veronica Mars is AMAZING. And yeah, the book is VERY different to the show. I think they bought the rights and started production either before the book was fully finished or before it came out 🙂 DEFINITELY continue on. It gets so much better.
the 100 campaign train just keeps on going *hands out pamphlets*
It’s going so well
I’m sorry, I just lost a few minutes staring at Bellamy’s arms and then Bellamy’s what the hell face. I have looked at the Bellarke hug gifs for literally hours this week. GAHHHH.
sorry I got distracted from this comment because I scrolled back up to look at the gif 😀
FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT AMBER YOU ARE A SOLDIER FOR BELLAMY
You have flawless taste in this post and OKAY I PROMISE TO WATCH SPARTACUS WHEN I’M EMOTIONALLY READY
*stares at Bellamy’s arms wraaaaapping around her for ten minutes* *sobs weakly*
THAT’S GENERAL AMBER TO YOU, SONNY.
AND YES GOOD THIS IS A GREAT PROMISE I WILL HOLD YOU TO IT UNTIL I AM OLD AND GREY
All these shows are are on my “watch one day when i catch up in everything else” list. I’ve heard so much about them and have been wanting to see what all the fuss is about for ages! The only exception to this is The 100. I watched the trailer and thought it would be another silly teenage romance show that would annoy me so never gave it a chance. But seeing you guys freak out about it all over twitter…. It’s becoming very hard to resist.
The promo was silly, and the pilot episode is AWFUL. But after that it gets better and better each episode. BEST SHOW.
I used to watch Veronica Mars when it first aired, but I lost track of it around season 2…I think. I definitely want to re-watch it and finish it. 🙂 I also want to start Spartacus and maybe, just maybe (since you rave on about it so much), The 100.
Season one is the best season of Veronica Mars, in my opinion, but it’s still great later on because Veronica and Logan are FLAWLESS <3
And YEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSS, please start them both!
How do you feel about the new actor in Spartacus? That was my favourite TV show of all time, but then I couldn’t get on board with the new actor so I never finished the rest of the series. Am I definitely missing out?
I adore The 100!! I’m so glad I decided to start watching it! Octavia and Lincoln forever!!!
We discussed this a little on Twitter but I loooove Liam. It took me a while to get used to him but he is amazing at the role once he settles in. Definitely missing out! The final season is wonderful and the grand finale is the most epic thing I’ve ever watched.
I LOVE YOUR OCTAVIA/LINCOLN LOVE
Spartacus and The 100 are two of my favourite TV shows which just leaves Veronica Mars which I obviously really should watch.
*high five* Have we talked Spartacus before? We should have. Veronica Mars is obviously AMAZING
I’m so obsessed with TV it’s not even funny. But I haven’t watched any of these shows!! I’ve heard of all of them, and considered watching Veronica Mars and The 100, but I never thought about Spartacus! Now you’ve got me all intrigued. Right now I’m watching Grey’s Anatomy, Parks & Rec, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and The Mindy Project. I posted months ago about how TV ruled my life but now you’ve inspired me to post again!!
You should get right on that! I loooove TV, I’m not even going to lie. I’ve seen the first few Grey’s seasons and LOVED IT. The Walking Dead is also freaking amazing, especially this new season. I quit Game of Thrones at the end of last season because they completely messed up some of my faves 🙁
YESSSSS, do a post and then link me to it so I can see 😀
Haha, it was only a matter of time before a post like this would appear on your blog. But, I’m very thankful you made me watch The 100 and it’s a good thing you are spreading the word. This reminds me that I need to do a The 100 binge-watch.
I love Veronica Mars! I’ve asked Santa for the box set for Christmas 😀 Team Logan FTW. Though Piz is not a bad second place.
Ahhh The 100! Such an amazing show! I’m actually too scared to read the books now because I’m afraid they won’t live up to the show and that NEVER happens haha.
I too binge watched the 100! I did it in 2 days though (and already got my parents hooked on it…success!)
It’s funny how that infographic was the one that made me watch the show in the first place!