Life is just so tough, isn't it?
You know when you find an amazing show, but it's either already off the air or is on hiatus? So you finish it and then have nothing else to watch until the new thing rolls around. Sometimes, you never find this new thing and are stuck watching reruns. This is usually just fine, but secretly you know you want more.
So here it is! A list of great shows to fill that gap of yours.
1. Problem: You've just finished Buffy. It took time and effort and now you're just tired and feel like you've been punched in the heart. There is, obviously, Angel, and the 40 million Buffy-verse comics, but I have something a little bit different for you.
Solution: Dollhouse. Also by Joss Whedon and starring Eliza Dushku, who played Faith, this is one of my all-time favourite shows. Basically, our heroine belongs to a place called a Dollhouse, which has wiped her brain, and is lent out to people who can afford it. When this happens, the lab implants a personality and becomes this person for the day. The first season is pretty episodic, but then some stuff goes down.
2. Problem: Firefly has been over for years now and you'll never get over it. Joss Whedon, why must you do this to me? You've seen the show multiple times, as well as Serenity, and maybe you've even seen the comics, but it's not enough. It's never enough!
Solution: Supernatural. This seems like kind of a weird suggestion for Firefly, but hear me out. First of all, there are 9 seasons, so you won't get bored. Second of all, there are several appearances by Whedon-verse actors, which is always nice. Third of all, the Winchester brothers are kind of like cowboys...who instead of journeying through space, journey through America. And instead of having a ship, they have an Impala. But they do still commit crimes for the common good. And kill demons! They've both got this salty dog, Western type thing going on, and they're both great.
3. Problem: Castle is on hiatus and I can not stand it. Nathan Fillion, you charming bastard. I can try and wait while watching Dr. Horrible over and over again, or...
Solution: Bones. I've only just started this show, but I love it so much. It's very similar in that they're both procedurals with a male-female partnership that buds into a relationship, but there are a few differences between them. For instance, Beckett is a cop and Booth (David Boreanaz) is an FBI agent. Other than that, Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Castle are both writers, I guess. Well, Brennan is a forensic anthropologist, but you know. You get to see David Boreanaz without all the brooding, which is nice, and he's actually really funny. His character is really similar to Castle's and I just want them to be friends because they are both just so grumpy when their women get threatened. Even though it's usually their women that are protecting them, not the other way around.
4. Problem: Dexter got boring.
Solution: Hannibal. Let me preface this by saying that I really did love Dexter. Just like a lot of shows, the first season really was very scary. And then it mellowed out and added comedic elements. Fine, still good. But then the whole sister thing got boring and gross and not believable and very, very annoying. So we move on. Hannibal has way more cooking sequences anyway. This is like if Dexter was actually evil, you know? And man, they are so creative with those bodies on this show. I mean they made a cello out of a person.
5. Let's just cover all our bases here. Problem: Masterchef is always on hiatus and when it's not, I can not stand to be waiting for the next episode to come out. Masterchef Jr. was on for a while, and there are the other country's versions, but that's like asking me to watch Canada's Next Top Model. Without Tyra, there's just no point.
Solution: Hell's Kitchen. Oh yes, I said it. There are so many seasons of this and it is really very similar to Masterchef. Gordon Ramsay is in charge, the structure to the game is the same, the sound effects and voiceover guy have been the same since Fox picked them up, and it's high pressure cooking! The only thing I miss is Joe and Graham shaking their heads disapprovingly in the back.
6. Problem: Archer does not have very many episodes at all and is on hiatus right now. At least they've been renewed for a sixth and seventh season, but when is that going to happen? I'm waiting!
Solution: Bob's Burgers. They're both a cartoon style and therefore farfetched in everything they do. Bob owns a burger place (Bob's Burgers) and is voiced by H. John Benjamin, the same guy who voices Sterling Archer. That's right, try getting over that one. Anyway, his family works in the restaurant with him and each of them is hilarious. Tina, his daughter, is 13 and can not control her urges. Louise, his youngest, is kind of evil. Gene is his only boy and is obsessed with playing his keyboard--mostly just recordings of barking dogs and farts. He'll basically do whatever his sisters tell him to. His wife, Linda, is completely ridiculous and is usually on their kids side, even if they're completely wrong. They were originally going to have the family be cannibals, but they thought that would make the show too dark. I stand by the fact that it would be hilarious. Anyway, this is addressed in the pilot, which is literally one of the best episodes of the entire show.
7. Problem: Arrested Development is over! But you know what, guys? Never fear. There's always money in the banana stand.
Solution: Better Off Ted. Porscia is just as funny in this show--maybe even funnier. She actually plays the boss at a company that makes literally everything. Ted is a suit at the company and has to interact daily with her and the team of scientists who basically conduct experiments on the products they've invented. It's campy and kind of random, but it's also hilarious.
8. Problem: Parks and Rec is about to release it's last season and Aubrey Plaza and Chris Pratt are adorable and Leslie Knope is the funniest, most passionate person in the entire universe and this is a show about PARKS but it's the BEST.
Solution: Guardians of the Galaxy, which is coming out in August but I really don't care because I know it will be amazing. An extended clip just came out and it's basically Andy running around as Burt Macklin, FBI. I can't take him seriously, no matter how buff he gets. I really would try to, but there's an interview he did for the movie where he starts giving one of the interns a French braid.
