Half the year is over and there's been so much good TV already, even without a Game of Thrones or Stranger Things-like phenomenon to anchor it. My favourite shows of the year so far include Cobra Kai, The End of the Fucking World, Mozart in the Jungle, Dear White People, The Looming Tower, Wild Wild West, Trust and Lovesick. All of them are streaming in India so watch them already!
And if you also live your life from binge watch to binge watch just as I do and have already seen all these shows, guess what? I have even more recommendations for you.. again! So here are the top 5 shows of June that are streaming in India:
5. MARCELLA S02 (Netflix)
From the creator of the fascinating Scandinavian series The Bridge, Marcella Season 1 was a creepy and haunting murder mystery with the amazing Anna Friel playing the stereotyped difficult straight-white-male-detective-with-a-hidden-secret, but as a woman. Marcella Season 2 is a creepier and even more haunting murder mystery with the amazing Anna Friel owning an even more difficult straight-white-but-very-complex female detective with an even bigger hidden secret. I liked Season 1 more but Season 2 is a pretty solid gloomy rainy day binge.
4. THE STAIRCASE S01 (Netflix)
What is the deal with Netflix making incredibly binge-able true life crime documentaries that take over your entire life and screw with your mind and all the things you hold sacred? Why are they doing this to us? The Staircase is ONE MORE addictive true crime series about a death that apparently seemed to have been a result of falling from a staircase – but may have something sinister behind it. Is it the Making of a Murderer? Or the case of another Evil Genius? I'm not telling you more because I don't want to The Jinx it.
3. WESTWORLD S02 (Hotstar)
There is little doubt that Westworld is one of the most ambitious shows ever attempted on television, not just in scale but also in ambition. But in its season 2, as great as some of its individual episodes were – Episode 8, Kiksuya was one of the best and saddest in the show – the show didn't seem to talk larger themes or stun with one big twist like season 1. Instead, the back and forth timelines seemed to exist to complicate rather than simplify. It's still fantastic television, but the promise was something even more.
2. GLOW S02 (Netflix)
I love this show. An underdog comedy about a bunch of women who play wrestlers for a seedy cable show, GLOW is hilarious, heartwarming, and so full of spirit that there's no way you cannot love it. In its second season, the show focuses on some of the individual stories of the characters in its massively talented ensemble cast, and tackles everything from racism to sexual harassment. The last episode alone is worth the show being in this list so go watch it!
1. LUKE CAGE S02 (Netflix)
After a series of utter disappointments that broke my heart – I mean, I almost lost my faith in all that is awesome in the world after watching The Defenders – Marvel is back with a good superhero show. Luke Cage still suffers from the consistent Marvel problem of too many episodes, but unlike other Marvel shows, it isn't trying hard to be a 'different' superhero series or a superhero series at all. Instead, it is an A-rate black gangster crime drama where one of the central protagonists just happens to be a bulletproof superhero. There's power, money, black history, some great music and a musicality, and of course, Harlem at the center of this show that has some of the best written antagonists in all of Marvel (Hello, Bushmaster!). The best part? You don't even need to be a Marvel fan to watch it – though you may just become one.