The TV Shows You Need to Start Following Now

April has been a mix of good and bad things when it came to TV shows. I’ve come across new good shows worth following, and then the really, really good shows; welcomed back returning TV shows with new episodes lined up for the next few months. And then, the sad part was bidding goodbye, both temporarily and finally to ones that ended too soon, like Constantine.

Sorry for slacking for a few weeks since my last update. I was busy with putting up my portfolio. I tried to finish it within the month before I procrastinate and probably drag it again to the end of the month. I’m proud to say it’s finally done and live since yesterday. Drop by today at AnnaEsguerra.com 🙂

Moving on.. let’s talk about TV shows! I need a breather from all that coding and days straight of sitting down infront of the computer and endlessly checking codes until everything looked ~perfect~. I also have LOTS to talk about it!

Empire was consistent, solid and thrilling right from the start. As such, the ending (…of season one! Don’t fret, there’s going to be a confirmed second season) came too soon. But they did not left without a bang. The last bit of the season finale gives us a glimpse of Lucious’ dark plans of revenge soon as he is free, which we’ll most likely see next season.

Taraji P. Henson’s character definitely carried the show. Cookie is the Empire! I doubt I’ll even stick around if not for her sassiness and BAMF/#ladyboss attitude from the premiere. Oddly enough, it was Terrance Howard who, for me, became lacklustre towards the end of season 1. Yeah, thinking about this show now, it’s Cookie first, their three boys second, and Papa Lyon last who ranks most to least interesting in terms of character growth in the show’s storyline.

I was not expecting The Flash to get this much hype and for the show to be this exciting. I thought it would just be another ho-hum beginnings of a superhero kind of show, but in every episode there’s bound to be a shocker in the end that’ll leave you hanging and wishing the next episode would come right away. Many plot twists in the story and a lot more are upcoming, I would expect from a timey-wimey type of storyline. I especially look forward to the big reveal and showdown between Dr. Wells and Barry Allen. The trailer above is a mix of all the upcoming episodes that leads to the season 1 finale. Four episodes to go.

Cisco is also becoming a favorite character, because look at him.. the dude can emote, and does it adorably, and also in a funny way (to me).

I noticed there have been a couple of Arrow crossover episodes in The Flash. I’m still very hesitant to watch Arrow because I’m still annoyed that it wasn’t Justin Hartley cast as Oliver Queen. See, I really loved Smallville that I refuse to taint my good memories of that show by supporting the new shows about the other superheroes played by completely different people. Well yeah, except The Flash that I watch, but I’ll let one get away haha. Who are they going to cast as Clark Kent when they come to a point that Superman needs to make an appearance in either shows? They’re bound to cross paths, right?? I’m excited BUT doubtful about that. The Ray Palmer/Brandon Routh appearance was pretty weird for me though. Still can’t move on how he was the worst villain in Chuck. 😛

Silicon Valley went back on air just last week, after a year of waiting. The thing with really good shows, such as this one, is they end too soon! Or maybe HBO shows are just like that? I wouldn’t know, it’s the first time I’ve watched an HBO Original series. 😛 I find the show very hilarious, especially the humor and the references to the tech world are spot on. The humor may not be for everyone, in fact I think it’s even offensive to some. I might have watched the first 8 episodes in anticipation of the recent one more than a few times and it never got old to me.

Also I’ve found a new appreciation for people who do clean and good stand-up comedy. I say clean because I am reminded of the ‘comedians’ we have here who unfortunately base their ‘humor’ at the expense of insulting other people. Been watching a lot of Comedy Central too, which I recently just discovered on our TV hehe. Yeah most of the guys in this show are comedians, I think that’s why it worked out for them.

The show is co-produced by Mike Judge popularly known to have done MTV’s Beavis and Butthead and the voice and creator also of King of the Hill (another favorite of mine! lol).

One of the more serious and seemingly slow-paced shows I follow is Person of Interest. There are days when I wanted to give it up and stop watching because, as much as it saddens me to admit, the show is becoming boring. It’s the same feeling I have with Gotham, which looked very promising in the beginning. Both shows looked very promising in the beginning. But maybe the problem lies in me. Maybe these are shows that are too serious and the person watching it needs to focus and really pay attention to what’s going on – and I don’t always do that. Sometimes I’d be caught looking at my phone when a scene in a show is too boring.

I read somewhere that these two are perfect to do crossover episodes, albeit being in completely different universe.. and I agree with it! They actually look like the same show sometimes, haha.

Fortunately, things are quick to turn around when I intently watch per episode of these two shows and my interest in keeping up with them is back on track.

The recent Person of Interest episode w/ Taraji P. Henson’s character shown through flashbacks and hallucinations concerning John Reese feels like a filler episode, like it was just added there to please the Joss Carter-John Reese shippers. Yet it left no room for unresolved issues and conflicts by the end of it. Everything was resolved and peace of mind was established for the longing John Reese. 😛 This filler episode left me quite emotionally affected, right through the feels, for those two.

The Cat and the Bat

I dunno which way the show Gotham is going to these days, but it seems like a lot of things are happening and crammed into a single episode. Okay, not really. It was extended to 3-4? Probably til the end of this season. Milo Ventimiglia is suddenly a guest in the show, as a psycho serial killer; We saw some of Alfred’s badass skills he learned from his time in army in the middle of the season; Bruce is slowly easing in to the Batman life (he has to start somewhere, right?); and Fish Moony… I don’t even know how relevant she is or her storyline in the main storyline of everything happening these past couple of weeks. The trailer for the next episode is pretty darn exciting though! People are freaking out that Bruce sees a hidden… lair, inside the mansion.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is one of those shows I randomly heard of and found through a friend talking about it on twitter and did not regret when I watched it ever since. Not a super favorite, but it’s funny enough for my taste. Light-hearted and fun, too, and far from being a very serious show. Some people like it, some don’t find it as funny or entertaining which sort of bothers me because I figure most of the people here came from the other show, The Office, which as far as I know is well-loved by internet people.

Surprisingly he liked it after I told him about this show, to check out a few episodes from it. That’s an unexpected reaction because he isn’t the type of follow TV shows like I do. I feel like I did some kind of level up when this happened. Haha.

I would put a trailer of the first season as an intro for you of this show but the autotuned interview from the first episode which eventually became the show’s opening intro is sooooo catchy. Watch it! 😆 IDK how legit the autotune version is.. if it’s made by a regular user, or done by the show for the show.

Currently on break and will be back sometime next year. All episodes are up online though, so get to it while it’s still early to catch up! It’s a Netflix original, and if I’m correct.. all episodes come out simultaneously at the same time. I look forward to it!

The Mindy Project is also a show I follow, but currently it is on break. Not much to say about it though! Jane the Virgin, another show I randomly watched an episode of and instantly got hooked is also looking good and unexpectedly took a turn after episode 17. I’m afraid it’s also coming closer to its finale for this season. Darn!

Also, a reminder that I should not judge the show’s title by its cover. Just look at Selfie: You’d think it’s one of those horrible shows from its title.. but it was actually the complete opposite of that. Sad it was gone too soon.

Oh yeah, if you’re wondering where Kristen Bell is now.. she’s a regular in this Showtime TV series called House of Lies. I don’t think it’s as famous as the other shows in this post, and it takes some time for one to warm up to it.. but it’s good enough for me. Don Cheadle also stars. Should I try to categorize it, I’d put it under Adult Humor. It’s also on break, though. You can still catch up.

New and Upcoming TV Shows

Recently, I discovered that Hilary Duff was going to be in a new TV show. I was SO excited for her when I found out because I love her, and I’ve probably seen every most shows and movies that she has been on (especially the underrated movies like Greta and Beauty and the Briefcase).. and she isn’t on many shows for the past few years. As far as TV is concerned, it feels like THIS is her next big gig after being on Lizzie McGuire….. and just imagine how long ago that was!

Just let that sink in for a minute, and realize how old we all are now. Come to think of it, my age and Hilary Duff’s age aren’t that far apart. She could be all of 90s kids older sister we wish we had.

Anyhoo, the title of the show is Younger. It’s about a woman in her 40s who wants to get her work career back, but since she had kids and a family earlier in her life, she feels she’s too late to get back into the ‘game’. With the help of her bestfriend, she pretends to be half her age in order to ‘fit in’ with the work industry, and succeeds (so far).

I understand perfectly and can relate to what the character goes through. Currently in my mid 20’s and I do feel I am too late to even enter the ‘game’. 😛 Like, why would a big organization or company take a chance on me? Right? That’s for another future post aka career woes.

Hilary’s role is a supporting character, I noticed, but so far there’s a lot of exposure for her character in the story. I don’t know, I feel enamoured just seeing her again on TV being adult-like, mature, responsible and all. Our Lizzie is all grown up indeed! My only complaint is that each episode is TOO FREAKIN’ SHORT. Just as when something interesting happens, it’s the end of the episode already!

Last April 20, Michael Rosenbaum (familiar to everyone as Lex Luthor from Smallville) sneakily posted a tweet about his upcoming show titled Impastor. It is about his character who’s trying to run away from a loan shark, and somehow ends up being a gay pastor, an identity he stole, in a small town.

I’m down for any show this guy makes! LOVED him in Sorority Boys, I think that’s the one where’s the most hilarious. All his movies, TV shows.. the more funnier the better and this doesn’t fall short of it. I’m glad he’s a main character in this one. Who knew that someone who portrayed a billionaire villain was a natural comedian?! Last time I saw him was in the saw Breaking In… which eventually got canceled. 🙁

One of the worst things that I hate is when good shows I follow gets axed too early, not even giving them a full season. The shows I can remember that got canceled abruptly were Emily Owens, MD., Intelligence, Outsourced, Breaking In, Constantine. And yet, many shows that suck are still live on air. Sigh.

When all the previous shows I mentioned go on their respective breaks (especially the ones nearing the finale), I will finally have time to check out Breaking Bad! I’ve been putting it off for years, and it was only after watching a couple of episodes of Better Call Saul (a prequel to Breaking Bad TV series, according to people) that I became convinced to watch BB. I shall get to it.. very soon!

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I’m quite sure there’s not one person out there, at least the people who pass by this blog, who doesn’t watch or follow any TV series whether local or international show… with that said, I’d like to pass the ball to you and ask: ANY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TV SHOWS I SHOULD WATCH OR CONSIDER WATCHING NEXT?

PS: I am not into Zombie and Vampire-themed shows. They say that iZombie is promising and it’s like Veronica Mars and zombies put together in one show but I still refuse to give in (though let it be known that I LOVE Veronica Mars). I also wouldn’t watch The Walking Dead, The Strain (even though I was going to bec Mia Maestro was there!), and Vampire Diaries, sorry.

Got better suggestions? Go take it out on the comments box down below. The entire space is open for your recommendations. 🙂