Summer is peaking its shy, little head around the corner and waiting for us to put our textbooks and laptops down and join it to play.
And what better way to spend your summer than basking in the warm glow of the television screen?
There’s a rich reserve of television on the internet these days and I invite you to spend the next few months soaking up its rays with me.
Mondays
Grace & Frankie
Comedy Goddesses, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, unite in this Netflix original about dramatic life change. I would drink peyote tea with these two ladies literally any day. Life doesn’t end after 50 and Grace and Frankie is the answer to that myth. In an article by Kathi Wolfe, Grace and Frankie is described as “a New Age, ‘California liberal,’ touching, sometimes grating “I Love Lucy” — if Ricky and Fred were coming out to Lucy and Ethel.”
Tuesdays
Pretty Little Liars
#SummerOfAnswers is so close, I can almost touch it (LITERALLY TONIGHT). This is the season we’ve been waiting six years for (or two school years, four halloweens and a christmas in Rosewood) and as the date draws nearer, it’s really all I can think about.
I watch Pretty Little Liars on FaceTime with my sister because this show is best with a buddy to scream and hypothesize with. Make it a date.
Start from Season One on Netflix and catch new episodes on ABC Family
Stitchers
Immediately following tonight’s premiere of Pretty Little Liars, tune into Stitchers, ABC Family’s first procedural drama.
Stitchers promises to be an exciting ride as a sci-fi/crime solving/badass chick show full of attractive people – thanks again, ABC Family!
Wednesdays
Scrotal Recall
Don’t let the name throw you. Scrotal Recall is, ultimately, a smart and endearing love story.
Incited by test results that tell him he has chlamydia, puppy-eyed Dylan tracks down his former lovers to break the news. But he contacts them alphabetically rather than chronologically, leaving us to weave together the timeline and realize that events that led to The One getting away.
This is a fast watch but if you are able to prevent yourself from clicking “play next,” you can manage to string it out for six weeks.
Fridays
Call The Midwife
This BBC period drama is delightful. Based on a memoir, Call The Midwife takes place in London in the 1950s and centers around the midwives in a nursing convent. Our leading lady, played by Jessica Raine, is delightful. The other midwives are delightful. The babies are delightful. The dialogue is delightful. These characters and their absolute selflessness will inspire and encourage you and maybe even restore your faith in humanity.
If you’re a fan of Downton Abbey, you’ll enjoy Call The Midwife.
Young & Hungry
When you’ve had enough of birthing babies and you just need a laugh, switch over to Young & Hungry, an ABC Family sitcom starring Emily Osment (Hannah Montana).
While Young & Hungry can be cheesy at times, it’s also clever and sometimes completely inappropriate and racy. Emily Osment is hilarious, hot and super broke. Watch her struggle to get out of debt and accidentally sleep with her boss.
Saturdays
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Feeling nostalgic? Join me for a summer-long rewatch of this television treasure. If it weren’t for Buffy, TV would be less smart, less female and less fanged. Time to pay homage.
If you haven’t watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer yet, get out from under your rock and get ready for the apocalypse. So many apocalypses. If you need further incentive, this was the show that mainstreamed Joss Whedon (The Avengers), Sarah Michelle Gellar (The Crazy Ones) and Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother) among many, many others.
Sundays
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Another BCC show! BBC is turning out some fantastic shows these days and I anticipate Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell could fast become as beloved as Sherlock or, god forbid, Doctor Who.
Based on the novel by Susanna Clarke, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, has already been touted as, “the finest new drama that’s been on our screens this decade.”
For those of you who think fantasy is just for children – shame on you. For the rest of you, give this one a go.
IV TV GIRLS 