The Best TV Shows That Everyone Talks About But You've Never Seen

Well, it’s official - this has been one of the weirdest weeks of my entire 30.5 years of life. I can honestly say that I’ve never had a bigger mood swing than the one I’ve had in the last week; and that’s big coming from me, I’ve been pregnant before. In 7 days, I’ve gone from hanging up on my mom when she hinted that I should consider canceling my trip to Mexico to sounding like an old lady while I screamed at the TV when I saw people out at bars on Saturday night. It’s been overwhelming to say the least. (And YES, I obviously cancelled my trip to Mexico.) 

So here we are - hopefully most of you are reading this from the comfort of your couch in your chicest PJ set. We’re all doing what we can to stay home, stay healthy, and stay safe. It’s a fairly scary time, but we here at STIK have no doubt that we can still come together and support each other as we face varying levels of stress, anxiety, loneliness, and quarantined-induced intoxication. Cheers, folks.

Our customers have always told us that they love our content, so our plan is to bring you lots of lighthearted, semi-educational content (emphasis on the "semi") for the foreseeable future. Since so many of you have expressed your love for our show recommendations, this feels like a natural place to start. What a perfect time to start a new show! Maybe that show that everyone talks about but you’re too embarrassed to say you haven’t seen yet? Just a thought - but you’re locked in your house with no where to go, if there’s ever been a time to start that show, it’s now. 

Homeland - Simply put, Homeland is a fantastic show. The quick synopsis: a marine sergeant returns to the U.S. after eight years in captivity. Upon his return, an overzealous, emotionally turbulent CIA agent believes he’s been turned against the U.S. and is connected to a terrorist organization. If you love anything related to espionage/CIA/foreign affairs, Homeland will be your jam. The mix of drama and thrill in each episode is perfect - you get to know the characters as they navigate real-life relationships and situations, while also enjoying moments of action and that "holy sh*t what just happened" feeling. There are also 7 seasons so...time to binge!

Friday Night Lights - This is THE feel good show everybody needs right now. The show is set in a small Texas town that's centered around its high school football team, but don't let that deter you. It's so much more than football - family drama, love triangles, Tim Riggins. If you haven't yet binged this show - now's the time. Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.

Fleabag - I was skeptical about this show at first, but after one episode I was completely hooked. The show was created and written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge who, if you haven’t heard, is f***ing hilarious. She also stars in it, which makes everything about the show even more badass. The show is technically categorized as a “comedy-drama” that depicts the life of a (very sarcastic) young woman dealing with the trials and tribulations of love and loss. What I love about this show is that Fleabag (the main character) breaks the fourth wall a LOT, and her timing is impeccable. There are also only 2 seasons, so it won’t take long to get through this hit. PRO TIP: if you're hunkered down with your parents, maybe pass on this one until you're by yourself.

Breaking Bad - Full disclosure - I have never seen a single episode of Breaking Bad. I’m not a huge fan of shows where you root for the bad guy - it’s just not my jam. BUT, I personally know the two biggest Breaking Bad fans of all time. Christina and my husband, Andy, literally live and die for this show, so I’d be an idiot to leave it off this list. From what I can gather, Breaking Bad is about a down-on-his-luck chemistry teacher named Walter White, who decides to start a meth lab to help support his family financially. Christina has watched the series 8 times. (Yes, I said 8.) She explained to me that she just loves the dark humor that the show is built on. She said, “It’s exciting! You just really don’t know what’s going to happen next.” Maybe I should give this one a go??

Newsroom - Newsroom might be the underdog of this list, but I HAD to put it on here. Newsroom was written by Aaron Sorkin, and might be the MOST Aaron Sorkin show of all time. The quick-witted conversations, the sarcastic rebuttals, and the quippy tone - all marks of Mr. Sorkin at his best. The show depicts a fictional cable news network as they tackle the day-to-day of life as anchors, producers, and journalists. You’ll feel all the feels watching this show - you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll fall in love. The best part is the show uses actual historical events as its backdrop, which makes everything the characters get into all the more interesting and realistic. 

Last Tango in Halifax - Another show I haven’t actually seen but one that came highly recommended by our COO, Peter. Gotta give the credit to him for this detailed synopsis. This romantic comedy involves Alan Buttershaw and Celia Dawson, two 70-something widowed people. After their respective grandsons put their profiles on a popular social-networking site, the two rediscover feelings for each other similar to the ones they had many decades earlier as teenagers. Their relationship is a celebration of the power of love at any age, but it comes with obstacles -- namely their families. Alan's daughter, Gillian, and Celia's daughter, Caroline, are polar opposites and, while neither would ever think about getting in the way of her parent's happiness, the situation is a bit disconcerting.  Give it shot, I am sure you will love it as well!

Game of Thrones - Oh my god, if you’ve never seen GOT, I’m SO jealous. You need to finish reading this amazing blog post, grab a giant glass of red wine, and turn on Season 1, Episode 1 RIGHT AWAY. Oh man - this is arguably the best TV show of all time. Unfortunately, it’s kind of hard to explain why. Let me start by saying you don’t have to be a LARPer to enjoy this show. I’m not a big fan of medieval stories, but this one hooked me from the beginning. The plot takes place in a medieval fantasy world and depicts an epic story of the fight to rule the world (aka the Seven Kingdoms). There are a lot of characters, a lot of battles, a lot of sex and deceit, and a LOT of different storylines - I promise you will never be bored. Just give it a try - it’s worth it. If you watch this, I’ll watch Breaking Bad, deal?

Alright - that's a pretty solid list for now. We'll be back with more TV show recs soon. What's shows do you plan on watching while you're home? Tell us in the comments.