8 TV Shows That Are A Must-Watch

With summer half of the way over, there is still plenty of time to binge-watch as many TV shows as you can before it is time to go back to school. One can find a TV show to watch almost anywhere from cable TV to various streaming services (Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video, to name a few.) The series you decide to watch can be one that is currently on the air or one that has recently concluded and/or finished years ago. Listed below are 8 of the best TV Shows (All of them are currently on the air) that you might want to start binge-watching right now:

1. Cobra Kai:

With the current trend of iconic TV shows and/or movies getting a reboot, the web series based on The Karate Kid franchise is among the best of these reboots. Although the trilogy was centered around Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), Cobra Kai is told from the perspective of Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), Daniel’s nemesis from the first film. The show, which premiered in May 2018, takes place 34 years after the events of the first film when Johnny reopens the Cobra Kai Dojo, which reignites his old rivalry with LaRusso, who opens Miyagi-do dojo. The duo’s feuding also leads to rivalries between students from both dojos, with some being caught in the crosshairs. The web series has had nothing but positive reviews and was recently renewed for a third season, which will air in 2020. Want to feel the nostalgia of the 1980s? Check out Cobra Kai on Youtube Premium.

2. This Is Us:

NBC’s Emmy-Award winning comedy-drama follows the lives and families of two parents and their three children, over several different time frames of their lives. While Sterling K Brown has received several accolades (including one Emmy and a Golden Globe) for his performance as Randall Pearson, Mandy Moore’s portrayal of Rebecca Pearson, the family matriarch, is what holds the show together and deserves more recognition (hopefully she will finally get the Emmy nomination (and win) she deserves when the Emmy nominees are announced later this month). Season Four of the critically acclaimed show is set to air on Septemeber 24th.

3. Elite:

The Spanish teen crime drama focuses on a group of high schoolers at Las Encinas, the most prestigious private school in Spain, who are at the center of a murder investigation. At Las Encinas, the social structure is determined by wealth, power, and sex, which play huge parts in the plot as we slowly watch how the murder unfolds and try to guess who did it. Although Elite only premiered on Netflix in October 2018, the show has received glowing reviews for its’ storyline and narrative and has earned comparisons to some of the best teen dramas of the past decade such as Riverdale, Gossip Girl, and Pretty Little Liars. The hype and online buzz of Elite blew up so much that less than two weeks after it aired, the show was already renewed for a second season, which is slated to be released in September.

4. Riverdale:

TV’s hottest teen drama, which is based on the characters of Archies Comics, is set to return on The CW for Season Four in October. The series follows the lives of Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) and his friends in their hometown of Riverdale, where darkness and secrets haunt the town’s perfect image. Riverdale has become a cult classic thanks to performances of Apa, Cole Sprouse, Camila Mendes, and Lili Reinhart, and the late Luke Perry. With Perry’s untimely death this past February, the show plans to dedicate every new episode in his honor.

5. Orange Is The New Black:

Since the comedy-drama premiered in 2013 on Netflix, it left an instant impact and led to the current trend of streaming services developing their own original series. Orange is The New Black (OITNB) based off of Piper Chapman’s memoir of the same name about her experiences during her one year sentence at a women’s minimum security prison. Since its’ premiere, OITNB has won many accolades (Including four Primetime Emmy Awards) and has received critical acclaim for its depictions of race, body types, gender, sexuality, and humanization of prisoners. The last season of OITNB will be released on July 26th, so grab your tissue box as we say goodbye one of the most iconic Netflix original series ever.

6. Big Little Lies:

The HBO Emmy-Awarding winning series is back as its’ second season recently premiered on June 9th, 2019. The all-star studded cast, (Starring the likes of Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, and Laura Dern) added Meryl Streep for Season 2 and some people believe that Streep has already secured an Emmy win for her critically acclaimed performance as Mary Louise. The juicy drama and dark humor of the show are the qualities that set season two of Big Little Lies up for another dominant path for the upcoming awards season.

7. Stranger Things:

The Netflix Original Series recently returned with its’ third season and continues to live up to its’ hype as it draws more viewers. The Science fiction horror series is set during the 1980s in a small town in Indiana where the investigation of the disappearance of a young boy is affected by supernatural events occurring in the town. A young girl (Millie Bobby Brown) with telekinesis helps the missing boy’s friends in their own search of their friend. The show, known for its homage to 1980s films, characterization, and atmosphere, never fails to disappoint.

8. Grand Hotel:

Although the ABC mystery drama only premiered on June 17th, 2019 and has aired four episodes so far, the intriguing storylines and characters of Grand Hotel create so much suspense that it leaves viewers wondering what will happen next. Based on the Spanish TV series Gran Hotel, Grand Hotel takes place at the Riviera Grand Hotel, the “last family-owned hotel” in Miami Beach. Storylines focus on the Santiago Family (The hotel’s extremely wealthy owners) and its’ employees, where secrets, lies, debts, and a missing employee are framed amongst The Rivera Grand Hotel’s luxury exterior. The telenovela-like drama is produced by Eva Longoria and stars Oscar-Nominated Actor Demian Bichir and it’s a summer must-watch.