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SERIES TO BINGE WATCH THIS WINTER
Article credit: Indiewire.com
“GLEE” SEASON 6 (AVAILABLE JULY 18)
W
hy Should I Watch It? Well, you’re a completist, aren’t you?
The modern era of binge-watching television via popular
services like Amazon, Hulu and...other stuff has taught us two
things: 1) People are more forgiving of bad or subpar seasons
when they’re speeding through them without second thought,
and 2) People will watch anything if they’ve already seen most
of it. I’m not arguing the sixth and final season of “Glee” is a significant step down from Season 5, but you’ll probably check it
out no matter what if you’ve seen the rest of the FOX musical.
Best Episode: Amber Riley’s return in “What the World
Needs Now” marked the high point for an up-and-down final season of “Glee.” Love, and if not love then friendship,
conquered all — a belief near and dear to my heart — as Rachel made a somewhat forced return to Broadway while Santana and Brittany moved forward with their wedding by informing Brittany’s parents as well as Santana’s homophobic grandmother. Things got a little real for an episode where high schoolers donned tuxedos and sang Burt
Bacharach tunes, but that honesty only ended up supporting the prominent theme of many musicals: all you need is love.
SCANDAL (SEASON 4)
PRETTY
LITTLE
LIARS
Why Should I Watch It? “Scandal” is no longer just quality nighttime soap. its the nighttime soap responsible for an ABC takeover via Shondaland and a resurgence of the guilty pleasure
TV genre without the guilt. “Empire” wouldn’t exist without
“Scandal”,and obviously neither would “How to Get Away with
Murder” or upcoming drama “The Catch.” “Grey’s Anatomy”
may be Shonda Rhimes’ breakout hit, but Scandal made her the
power producer that she is today. Get on board or get out the way.
Best Episode: Episode 19, “i’m just a Bill,” marked the last quality episode before a disappointing finale. Rowan Pope returned
(always a welcome sight) and Susan was a total badass. If only
the finale could have kept the momentum going, or at least not
faltered under the pressure a twist-heavy series always carries.
(SEASON
5)
Why should I watch it?If anyone can actually explain to me the ABC
Family brand, I would be forever indebted to you. Not only do I not understand how a subsidiary of Disney with the word family in its network
name can air TV-14 series like “Baby Daddy,” “Freak Out” and “ Young
& Hungry” next to animated movies like “Despicable Me” and the “Princess Diaries 2,” but I would have bet money before today that “ Pretty
Little Liars” was on The CW. It just seems like a better fit, doesn’t it? Of
course, I don’t know what fits on ABC Family, so I could be way off base.
Best Episode: “Miss Me x 100” proves that most 100th episodes
are damn fine entertainment. “ Pretty Little Liars” is still cruising along, keeping its main secret while exploring the depths
of its core characters, and Episode 5 of Season 5 does just
enough right to keep both trends on the upswing. The mysterious “ A” is seen texting our stars – Aria, Emily, Hanna, Spencer and Alison – after her (“A” has gotta be a girl, right?) shocking return to Rosewood. How’s “ she” reintroduce herself to the neighbourhood? By blowing up a house, of course. ABC Family, you’ve done it again.
JULY 2015. CM. Page 30