I love watching TV, it is how Oli and I relax almost every, single evening. After a hard day, I find sitting on the sofa and watching a really good show helps me unwind and forget any stress the day has caused. However, 2015 was the year that saw me give up on lots of my once favourite TV shows. I couldn’t make it past judges houses on The X factor this year as the programme has just become so dull and predictable. Ant and Dec lost my attention only a week in to this years I’m a Celeb and even my beloved Hollyoaks lost me as a viewer after the, ridiculous, reveal of the hospital serial killer.
Although I said farewell to some of my old favourites, I did switch the channel over to some really amazing programmes that, in the past, I potentially would have ignored. There were some great TV programmes on in 2015 and I thought I would share them with you, just in case you missed them.
So, in no particular order, here are 8 TV shows I watched and loved in 2015…
1. Game of Thrones (season 5)
If you haven’t caught up on series 1-4 yet, where have you been? Seriously. I know this season of the violent, sexy fantasy world of Westeros has by no means been the best but I am such a big Game of Thrones fan I couldn’t not include it in my list. Following a very uneventful series, the last 3 episodes were awesome and I ended up jumping up and shouting at the TV on more than one occasion. Those 3 little words in the season finale, ‘For the watch’, still make me want to cry now. I think I might be a bit too emotionally invested in this show…
2. Bates Motel
This programme was recommended to me by a work friend and it is so, so good. Bates Motel tells the twisted tale of Norman Bates, the psycho himself from Alfred Hitchcock’s ultimate suspense cinematic masterpiece, Psycho. Bates Motel is set in modern day America and follows the life of teenager Norman and the strange relationship he shares with his mother. Some of the acting in this programme is pretty bad, luckily not in any of the main characters, if you can push past this though the story is really gripping and you will not be able to just watch one episode at a time. I am currently, not-so-patiently waiting for series 3 to arrive on Netflix .
3. First Dates
This programme makes me so happy. Yes, it is trashy and yes the dates rarely ever work out, but I can’t help but love this show. First Dates is a few series’ in now but I only discovered it last year. It is a fly on the wall, documentary style show on channel 4. Couples meet for the very first time at the First Dates restaurant in London and we get to watch how their date goes, sometime good, sometimes bad but always funny. and at the end we get to see how things worked out for them. I really don’t normally watch stuff like this but it is really easy watching and both Oli and I sit watching it with stupid grins on our faces. You just got to love a bit of romance, right?
4. Not safe for work
I was not expecting to enjoy this programme half as much as I did. Seeing the brilliant actress Zawe Ashton in the trailers enticed me to watch Not Safe For Work as I absolutely loved her as Vod in Fresh Meat. This channel 4, comedy drama follows Katherine, a recently divorced civil servant, as she is relocated from her job in the big fancy London office to an insignificant, failing office in Northampton, full of odd balls and run by a work shy line manager, with a bit of a soft spot for class A drugs. The acting is really good and although the life of a woman working in an immigration policy office may not sound that interesting, it actually really is.
5. You, me and the apocalypse
Ever wondered what you would do if the world was ending? Jamie and his friends are about to find out when news breaks that a comet is heading straight for earth. This programme follows the stories of several different characters from across the world in the weeks leading up to the end of the world. Family secrets are revealed to main character Jamie while across the pond in America, the news of the apocalypse gives inmates Leanne and Rhonda a chance to escape and be with their families when the comet hits, obviously not everything goes according to plan. Oli and I looked forward to this programme every Wednesday and when the series finished we were both frantically searching Google for any hints of a second series. You, Me and the apocalypse has a brilliant cast, including Rob Lowe, Pauline Quirke, Jenna Fishcer and Mathew Baynton, also known as Smithy’s mate Deano off of Gavin and Stacey.
6. Better call Saul
Before I say anything else, it is not as good as Breaking Bad but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still pretty brilliant television. You all remember Saul Goodman, right? The comic relief who came in the form of a smooth talking, criminal lawyer in probably the most talked about TV show ever, written by Vince Gilligan? Well, Better call Saul is set 6 years before Walter White stepped into Saul’s office and changed his life forever. The series shows us how down on his luck public defender James Mcgill begins his transformation into the lawyer for criminals we all know and love from Breaking Bad. The show does not ignore it’s predecessor and features cameos from some memorable characters. I am very much looking forward to the series 2 release on Netflix this February.
7. Jessica Jones
This programme is amazing. I don’t want to sound over dramatic but it really is brilliant. Jessica Jones is a Netflix original and is based on one of the many characters of the Marvel universe. Unlike Iron Man or Captain America, Jessica Jones is no superhero. She is instead a moody, hard liquor drinking, private investigator who is struggling to escape the demons from her past. David Tennant is brilliant as the terrifying master of mind control, KillGrave. The series is very noir-esque and prepare yourself for lots more violence and adult themes than you would see in any of The Avengers films. Oli and I watched the whole series in about a week, it was impossible to just watch one at a time.
8. Peep show – The final series
I am so sad Peep Show is over. I have loved this channel 4 comedy for years and after a couple of disappointing series’ , I was so happy to see Mark and Jeremy back to their same old witty selves and you could tell the writers were pulling out all the stops for the final series. Peep Show follows the lives of Mark and Jeremy, or the El Dude brothers as they call themselves. If you have not seen Peep Show before and you fancy a laugh, go watch an episode now, it’s funny..I promise.
Do you watch any of these TV programmes? Is there any shows you loved last year that you would recommend? I am always looking for something good to watch in the evenings. Let me know 🙂
I keep meaning to do a post like this too – I loved Jessica Jones too such a great show 🙂
Great list. The hubby and I watch lots of series in our evenings #picknmix xx
I love Game of Thrones too. I thought I wouldn't like it, but how wrong I was. It was a bit of a slow series compared with the others.
First Dates is my favourite programme ever. I just spend the whole episode going 'aww'.
Sally @ Life Loving
#PicknMix
I haven't seen that last Peep Show yet! It was such a great show, especially the first few series #PicknMix
I know, I was sad when it was over it was that good haha xx
we are big fans of Thrones and Bates Motel over here also. I keep telling people they need to watch Bates. Its a hard show to describe
I watched so much TV last year! Although out of these I only saw Peep Show – we don't watch much American stuff, though I do make an exception for Hoarders and Extreme Couponing 🙂 #picknmix
I agree about X Factor I used to be a fan, but this years was so boring! I love First Dates but haven't watched many of the others at all. We loved Person of Interest this year love that show,
Thanks for linking up to #PicknMix
Stevie x
If I am honest I have never seen any of them in the list but I am a big fan of Hollyoaks! x
love game of thrones – wish it would hurry up and come back!
I fell in love with Jessica Jones over Christmas. Had myself a proper binge. I don't usually like comic book based things so it was a lovely surprise #AnythingGoes
Thank you. It is the best way to relax in the evenings I think, nothing like a good box set to get stuck in to.xx
I really thought I would hate Game of Thrones too but I was very wrong! Haha, sitting there saying 'aww' is exactly what I am like when i watch 'First Dates', it is so sweet. xx
You should catch up on it. It is a great series finale and so, so funny xx
Yay yo GOT and Bates Motel. I totally agree, Bates is a bit of weird one to explain, it doesn't really fit in to any particular genre. My friend who recommended it to me just said 'it is a prequel to Psycho' , that was enough to convince me to watch it. Let me know what you think of series 3, if it ever comes to Netflix that is!xx
Extreme couponing? I feel like I need this programme in my life, haha.xx
I know, I don't know why they bother to continue to make X Factor anymore, it is so predictable and boring now. Oh I have no heard of Person of Interest, will have to look in to it :0. Thanks for hosting xx
You haven;t seen any? You should watch them all ;). Oh I was such a big Hollyoaks fan for years, I just got bored of the stupid storylines. If I am honest though, I do miss my daily Hollyoaks fix!xx
I know me too, surely it has to be starting again soon? It ended on such a dramatic scene as well.xx
It is soo good, isn't it? We binge watched it too. I like the Marvel films but never bothered with any of the TV series' before, I loved Jessica Jones though. How creepy was David Tennant?xx
Love Jessica Jones but can't binge watch in the same way as other shows. It's heavy stuff and it needs time to digest and think about!
I thought First Dates would be really naff but the few episodes I've caught have been surprisingly sweet!
Th big show for 2015 for me was River but it's not on iPlayer any more. I really enjoyed the recent adaptattion of "And then there were none" on the BBC over Christmas too. Brilliant stuff with great performances. Period drama without the stuffiness.
Watched The Walking Dead out of habit more than anything else. My attention started to drift and I've yet to catch up with American Horror Story: Hotel. It's been lurking for a while now!
#AnythingGoes
My OH watches Game of Thrones, but I really can't see the appeal! & we did watch Bates Motel for a while, but seemed to lose interest. You have reminded me that I meant to watch Not Safe for Work, though! & never heard of You, Me and the Apocalypse, but sounds like something I may like so should look into it. I should probably get around to watching Breaking Bad before Better Call Saul – OH loved Breaking Bad but I didn't watch, I don't think he's watched Better Call Saul yet, though. He's also been watching Jessica Jones (so has my mum!) #anythinggoes
We totally binge watched Jessica Jones but that is just because I am so impatient and have to know what happens next straight away. I heard a little bit out BBC and 'And the there were none', it is a shame they're not on iplayer any more. We lost interest in The Walking Dead half way through series 2. Hope you find time to catch up on American Horror Story.x
Aww well GOT isn't every ones cup of tea, I really wasn't expecting to like it at all. You really need to watch Breaking Bad, the hype around it is totally justified. Your Mum has good taste in TV, haha xx
A lot of good shows premiered in 2015. With the rise of netflix people seem to miss a lot of great shows on tv.