You may have heard of these celebrated shows, like Donald Glover’s Atlanta, HBO’s Insecure and Transparent on Amazon. However, it’s hard to keep track of the latest award-winning shows nowadays. So, we’re here to give you a short and easy answer. If you only have time for a few new shows, these are worth your while.
From Insecure To Atlanta, Top Critically-Acclaimed Shows
HBO’s Insecure is everything from hilarious to painfully real. The show follows Issa and her friends through their lives in Southern California. The star, Issa Rae, got her start with the web series, “Awkward Black Girl” and you can definitely feel those awkward moments throughout the show. It’s hysterical to watch her rap to herself in the mirror about those cringeworthy moments. If only we all had those skills to make our awkward moments less tense. Insecure‘s writers strike an important balance between the comedy and portrayal of real life tensions. The characters confront racism and intersectional feminism in the workplace and social settings. With only two seasons (16 episodes total) out so far, this groundbreaking show is something you can easily catch up on now!
Before Atlanta, Catch Up On Transparent
I could not stop binging on Amazon’s Transparent when I started. Four seasons sounded intimidating at first, but within the first episode, I was hooked. Jeffrey Tambor is breathtaking as the transgender father of three comically selfish kids in their late twenties and early thirties. The show takes place in LA and follows this Jewish family as their father transitions, and they each deal with their own escapades. It’s a drama series without a doubt, but you’ll find yourself cracking up at each character’s ridiculous antics. There are such bold personalities in the family and anyone with an even slightly dysfunctional family will relate. The show delves deep into the process of changing genders. It gives a brutally honest look at everything involved, without trying to put Tambor’s character on a pedestal. Instead, it shows the nuances of a divorced older parent who has made mistakes. The superb acting and writing of each episode will have you cracking up and crying all within a half hour span. Despite sexual harassment allegations against Jeffrey Tambor, the show will continue, with or without its star.
Donald Glover’s Atlanta
Donald Glover’s acclaimed Atlanta is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Glover recently walked away with two Emmys for his writing and acting in it! His character, Earn, manages his cousin who is trying to make it as a rapper known as “Paper Boi.” Struggling for respect from his family and money to survive, Earn, the Princeton drop-out, sees potential in his cousin and wants to help himself by helping his cousin get his start. Glover’s personal background growing up in Georgia and becoming a rapper himself gives the show its authenticity. The writers are all black and at the Emmys, Glover himself became the first black director to win an Emmy in comedy. Not only is it an in-depth portrayal of the rap scene in Atlanta, but the show also is noted for its blend of hyper-realism and surrealism with dream-like scenes to disorient the audience a bit. With season two coming out March 1, 2018, there is no reason not to catch up on this unique, award-winning comedy-drama.