Thursday Thoughts: June 25, 2025
While I’m not a big TV watcher, I do like to put a show on in the evening to watch while winding down before bed. Which is kind of funny when you consider that I watch a lot of murdery shows before bedtime. How I don’t have more nightmares, I’m not sure. But it’s what I seem to be drawn to the most when choosing a series.
Crime shows aren’t the only thing I watch, however. I do love a good comedy or even a drama when the mood suits. A friend of mine introduced me to K-dramas, which are also really fun, even if I’ve only watched one so far. Documentaries and fictionalized versions of real events are also high on my list of things I enjoy.
The best shows I’ve watched recently are very much a mixed bag of genres. Which I think is fun. Everyone has their own tastes and interests, but I tend to get bored if I watch (or read!) too much of the same kind of thing.
My favorite shows recently (in no particular order) are as follows:
(All links will take you to IMDB.)
Mid-Century Modern (Hulu/Disney+).
Summary: After an unexpected death, three best friends–gay gentlemen of a certain age–decide to spend their golden years living together in Palm Springs, where the wealthiest one lives with his mother.
I was first enticed by this show when I saw Matt Bomer was part of the main cast. I lived to hate him as Bryce Larkin on Chuck but came to love him as Neal Caffrey on White Collar. However, as I perused the list of cast members, I realized that this show was chock full of great talent. Nathan Lane and Linda Lavin are also main characters, despite Linda Lavin passing away during filming. As a bonus, this show managed to nab a ton of excellent guest stars each episode.
Top Chef (Bravo on cable, Peacock streaming).
Summary: Aspiring chefs are judged by a panel of food and wine experts while competing against one another for a shot at culinary stardom.
My late husband got me hooked on cooking competitions, although I’m the one who got him watching The Food Network a million years ago. Top Chef is a high-level competition with some of the best chefs from around the country and Canada competing for money and other prizes. Each season is set in a different area, and the most recent season was set in Canada, mainly Toronto, but with a couple of episodes in Calgary as well. They bring in a bunch of celebrity chefs as judges as well as former contestants, which is always fun to see again. After 22 seasons, I can safely say that I’m invested.
The X-Files (Hulu).
Summary: Two F.B.I. Agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained, while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.
Admittedly, I’m about two decades late for this one. In my defense, I saw the first episode premier and then started a job working nights the very next week. And I did not have a VCR at the time. I wonder if my kids have any idea how much easier their lives are thanks to technology? I’m only halfway through season 3, but I am loving this show. Mulder and Scully’s relationship is fantastic. He’s crazy and obsessed and she’s patient and willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, even at his craziest. I also love all the weird things they investigate. A highlight was seeing Jack Black in one of the early episodes. I was definitely not expecting that. That is a bonus to watching shows this old – you’re often encountering roles you never knew your favorites even had.
A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story (Britbox).
Summary: Follows the story of Ruth Ellis: her lifestyle as a young nightclub manageress, her violent relationship with the man she then killed in cold blood, her arrest, trial, and subsequent legal battle to get her release before she was hanged.
I stumbled across this in an email I received from Britbox announcing new shows. Historical stories as well as legal stories fascinate me, so this was a win/win. As infuriating as the entire situation was, I was glued to the TV for the entire mini-series. In telling my in-laws about this show, my older daughter turns to me and says, “Where the heck do you find these things, mom?” I would love more shows like this, honestly, even if it means I rage at the television when no one else is around.
Have you watched any of these shows? What have you seen lately that you think more people need to know about? I’m always looking for suggestions since sometimes I can’t make up my own mind.
In anticipation of the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale beginning next week, I’ve been doing a rewatch of the first five seasons. Thankfully, I had remembered a lot of the major plot points, but I was surprised at how many of the smaller, but still important, things I had forgotten about.
