WARNING: Spoilers
“A Small Light” is a Disney Plus mini-series that covers the real-life story of Miep Gies’s life and how she helped hide Anne Frank and her family during the Holocaust, which takes place in Amsterdam. Gies had a close relationship with the Frank family because she had been secretary to Otto Frank for a couple of years before they had to go into hiding. We also learn how Gies meets her husband, Jan Gies, who also helped in hiding families aside from the Franks. The story that the TV show portrays of a character, who we had never really known much about.
The mini-series is very intriguing and surprising at many points of the show, especially near the end of the series when the Franks are unexpectedly found and Miep’s life is put into even more danger. The costumes and outfits used in the show are centered around the time period they are in, with all of the outfits being very similar to what people wore in the 30s. The set used for Otto’s workspace, which was where the Franks hid, looked very similar to the actual building the Franks hid in. Especially the bookcase that was used as a door to make it look like there was no room behind it. The cast made the show very immersive as they really looked like the historical figures they were meant to represent. The details in the sets, dialogue, costume design and actors really helped to represent a fascinating and interesting piece of history to today’s generation.
Overall, I think that “A Small Light” was the best series of 2023 because of the effects it had on me as a person. It changed my thinking about the world in the past, present and future. I recommend this TV show to anyone who wants to watch something different or overall enjoys history.
Throughout the history of any sport, crazy stories and wild seasons have always been possible. These sorts of occurrences are especially true in the world of Formula 1. The story of Brawn GP and their only season ending with a championship win was recently retold in the super in-depth docuseries “Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story.” Directed by Keanu Reeves, the series gave viewers a never-before-seen glimpse into Brawn’s historic 2009 season from the perspectives of various members of the team, from their championship-winning driver Jenson Button down to people who helped with car development in the factory.
What makes “Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story” so unique as a docuseries is how comprehensive the coverage was. Considering the many different members of the team, and even other notable figures from all over Formula 1, that helped contribute to the show, it gave viewers a very detailed look into the struggles and hardships Brawn faced on their way to their wins in both the drivers and constructor’s championships. Little details like the fact that many members of the team had to fly on budget airlines to get to race locations, just to keep the team afloat, hadn’t previously been very well known and highlighted to viewers how dire the team’s financial situation was.
With how tight their budget was, Brawn barely made it to the end of the 2009 season, and “Brawn: The Impossible Formula 1 Story” truly shows viewers the magnitude of this hardship. The show is a must-watch for Formula 1 fans, as such a story will likely never be seen again with how expensive it has become to own and operate a successful Formula 1 team.
Once more, all eyes are set on Lady Diana – only this time it’s because of the newest season of“The Crown.” Princess Diana’s story pulls on the heartstrings of viewers in this chillingly accurate retelling of Diana’s life after her divorce from Prince Charles. It is the show’s final season and is coming out in two parts: four episodes debuted on Nov. 16 and six more are on the way on Dec. 14.
Avid fans of “The Crown” follow this story intently, as a majority of the show’s audience was alive and there to witness the divorce of Diana and Charles, along with the princess’s tragic death. While there is some debate on what is fact and what is fiction, “The Crown” provides the perspectives of Diana and Charles in a dramatized tale of events, which is a leading factor in what makes the show so captivating.
Part of the series’ magic is its ability to give viewers a feeling of urgency while watching the show. From the first season, viewers develop attachments to the characters, especially those who had lived through the times of King Edward VIII’s abdication to Marburg Files to the death of Princess Diana.
“The Crown” has yet to disappoint, as each season gets more interesting and intuitive as they come out. This season, “The Crown” goes more in-depth into Diana’s relationship with her sons and her neverending love and care for her children. So far into the show, Charles’s portrayal appears conflicted yet happy to be reunited with his partner, Camilla Parker-Bowles.
While it is unknown what part two of season six will bring, fans of “The Crown” are happy to say that it has been a success and a great watch so far.
“I’m not the muse, okay? I’m the somebody.”
This is what the main fearless character says in the show adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel, “Daisy Jones and the Six.” The show follows a rock band in the 1970s called The Six who started to grow in popularity with their hit song “Look at Us Now.” In this song, the gorgeous and unknown woman, Daisy Jones, is featured. She joins the band and they start to make music together. They then go on a world tour for their hit album “Aurora,” and while on this tour, tension builds between Daisy and the heartthrob male lead, Billy Dunne. This storyline may sound familiar and that is because the plot is loosely based on the events of the iconic band Fleetwood Mac and the relationship between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.
This show perfectly captures the book with the incredible cast of Riley Keough, Sam Claflin, Suki Waterhouse and more. Along with the star-studded cast, the show also has a cast album of original songs that are amazing to jam to if you love the rock of the 70s with a bit of a modern twist.
This show has several cool elements that are well translated from the book to the screen. This is always great to see screen adaptations of our favorite books because it makes the stories come to life. Overall this show has a great vibe to it and is bound to draw attention from anyone with its rocking songs and drama. This is one of the best in 2023 and deserves the front stage of the best show of the year.
The classic reality competition TV show, “Dancing with the Stars,” debuted its 32nd season this year, proving that even 18 years later it’s still an amazingly entertaining show. The TV show features celebrities, who are novices to the world of ballroom dancing, thrown into a dancing competition with a professional mentor. It’s so much fun to watch your favorite stars improve week after week, and learn to love something they were initially terrified of.
My favorite part about this TV show is the audience engagement. Although it’s entertaining just to watch the celebrities dance, it’s even more fun when you have a say in the results. Audience votes play a large part in who gets eliminated every Tuesday night, so fans from everywhere have been glued to their phones and TVs trying to keep their favorites in the competition. This added anticipation and audience involvement only increases the show’s entertainment level.
Furthermore, DWTS is one of the only shows still on nowadays that I can learn something from. Week after week, I find myself not only learning a lot about the beautiful art of dance but learning a life lesson of stepping outside of my comfort zone. Seeing celebrities be nervous at first but become pros is incredibly inspiring, and it makes me want to try something new as well. DWTS is the best TV show of 2023 due to its significant lessons and audience engagement, and I’d recommend that anyone watch it if they’re looking for a new obsession.
To preface this article, I am a huge fan of the old ’90s “Goosebumps” television series and specials. I used to watch them as a kid all the time and I loved them. The new show is good but makes some new and odd changes to the “monsters” in the show. In this critique, I’m going to talk about a handful of these changes in the order that they appear in the series.
Firstly, all the stories are in one inter-connected universe and happen in the same town instead of the stories having no connection except for direct sequels to previous episodes. It is a big change and it seems that the parents of the town are all in on something. One of the aforementioned monster changes is the aptly named, “Haunted Mask” which is now a blank wooden face instead of the monstrous green-skinned visage of both the book and the previous show. The show makes great use of this idea by showing the viewer that the mask can change to look like anything depending on what the wearer wants it to look like. Another change is that due to the interconnectedness of the stories, there is a central mystery to the entire show. In my opinion, makes the show more interesting than the old ‘90s version. While it’s less scary and more mysterious than the ‘90s show, I think that “Goosebumps” season one is worthy of the master of kids’ horror, R.L. Stine’s name.
“Invincible,” initially premiering in 2021, is the animated adaptation of the comic book of the same name. Striving to defy established superhero conventions, it has featured countless main characters being killed and, nearing the end of the season, showing superheroes as the enemy.
Season two was split into two halves with the first part being released this past November. Following the comics, the show demonstrates more complex relationships between deranged superheroes with vastly different motivations. Of course, it features power struggles, epic fights and saving the world, but the writers blur the lines between good and evil as characters do horrific things for good reasons. Even the main villains are shown to have complex emotions and sometimes remorse. The viewer is left to wonder if they’ve been thinking about the story wrong this whole time while cementing the already established characters as complex and confusing. Good shows get the viewer thinking, but great shows give the viewer no clear moral answer. It’s impossible to say with 100 percent certainty that any character is in the right, and even harder to say any villain is acting in complete vanity.
Even as you think, the complex questions the writers ask are supplemented with fast-paced action and clever comedy, creating a through-line of suspense, comedy and relationship-building moments. “Invincible” is one of the best shows I’ve seen in terms of character development, and the newest season doesn’t disappoint. I doubt there are many people out there that wouldn’t enjoy the newest season of “Invincible.”
Video game fans alike were not expecting the masterpiece that is HBO Max’s “The Last of Us” TV show. After being burned by movie and TV show adaptations, the original hype was not that high – that is until the trailer came out. From the casting choices, with the brilliant Pedro Pascal and talented Bella Ramsey as the leads, to the costumes, sets and script, the show was a masterpiece.
Fans of the game will find it eerie to watch this impressive remake as many of the scenes are so similar to the video game it feels like they were taken straight out of it. Pascal and Ramsey clearly did their research, playing the roles just as they were portrayed in the game – almost as if they were the characters themselves. The costume and makeup design for the spore-made zombies were impressive, creeping out even the largest horror fanatics.
Heartstrings are pulled on, tears roll down cheeks and faces are hidden behind blankets all in one episode. “The Last of Us” brings the found family trope to the screen, giving single dad energy raising a teen daughter – especially after the losses both characters went through. Additionally, the LGBTQ+ representation is everywhere, bringing the community to a genre that rarely has the representation.
After a decade of mediocre zombie apocalypse shows, “The Last of Us” brings a new outlook and vibe to the theme. The hype for season two is exponential, and I am definitely one of those people stocking up on tissues.
A decade after the first book in the Lockwood & Co. series came out, the TV adaptation of the first two books was released on Netflix. This young adult thriller does an excellent job slowly yet timely introducing the audience to the setting and characters.
Lockwood & Co. is set in London, England, present day, with the main difference being back in the 80s, there was “The Problem,” which refers to the time Marissa Fittes, played by Amanda Abbington, accidentally stirred up the spirits of the deceased, allowing the spirits to return to the living realm through weak points, or “sources.” When the two realms mixed, people discovered that some children were gifted with one or more of the three talents: listening, sight and touch.
Sight allows people to see apparitions, ghost fog, death glows and other visual manifestations. One of the main characters, Anthony Lockwood, played by Cameron Chapman, possesses this ability. The next talent is touch. Those gifted with this ability can sense the presence of spirits in spaces or objects. Anthony Lockwood’s best friend, George Karim, played by Ali Hadji-Heshmati, possesses this ability. The last and least common gift, listening, is possessed by the main character, Lucy Carlyle, played by Ruby Stokes, giving her the ability to hear the ghosts and connect with them on a different level.
The story follows Lucy Carlyle’s journey and how she became one of the most talented agents. Carlyle’s job as an agent began when she was eight as her mother forced her into the profession, wanting a second income no matter the danger of the career. However, after Lucy’s best friend, Norrie White, played by Lily Newmark, becomes “ghost locked,” basically a haunted coma and Carlyle is blamed for the death of her fellow agents, Carlyle runs away. In search of a company, and people in general, that appreciate her gift and her as a human being, she stumbles upon Lockwood & Co., a small agency led by Anthony Lockwood.
As someone who has not read the books, I thoroughly enjoyed this series with the constant progression of the story. Sometimes, shows focused on any sort of investigation can be repetitive and boring, but this show kept me on the edge of my seat.
Sadly, the show was canceled due to financial issues. However, the series stayed true to the books, so fans of the TV series can answer their questions through the five-book series.
Outer Banks, A Netflix original, premiered season three on Feb. 23. The show follows John B, played by Chase Stokes, a teenage boy whose father has mysteriously disappeared. JJ, portrayed by Rudy Pankow, Kiara, played by Madison Bailey, and Pope, brought to life by Jonathan Daviss are three of his best friends. The group calls themselves “Pogues” which is slang for the working class. On the opposite side of the Island is the side named “Kooks” who are considered wealthy. As the show progresses a “Kook” named Sarah Cameron joins the group along with someone they meet named Cleo as they travel and become escapees to get gold. The season begins with a one-month time jump after they escape Ward and Rafe Cameron, Sarah’s father and brother.
The group makes their way onto a deserted island and makes the island their own by finding ways to live and naming it ‘Poguelandia.’ The group is saved off the Island eventually, still on the hunt for gold. This show brings viewers on a whirlwind of emotions every episode, and the last episode is especially exciting and action-filled. Many fans of the show, including myself, were very happy with the two relationships brought into the show that have been awaited.
This show deserved the best of TV series because it had adventure, action, teenage angst, and romance, making it a great bundle to find on Netflix. This season will pull on viewers’ heartstrings as the group has been losing repeatedly. This show takes viewers on a rollercoaster of emotions, making it especially intriguing to watch and enjoy.
After rising tensions and COVID-19 complications led to an abridged 13th season of the “Real Housewives of New York,” the iconic show has returned for a reboot, with an entirely new cast. These six women have accomplished much more than the show’s reputation may initially lead viewers to believe, with each entertaining cast member an entrepreneur in their own way.
From Erin Lichy’s real-estate renovations to Ubah Hassan’s journey to grow her hot sauce brand, this season gives viewers an inside look at New York’s upper-class entrepreneurs and the struggles they’ve overcome to achieve this status. Jenna Lyons, the iconic fashion designer known for her previous role as lead designer at J. Crew (and her enormous closet), provides a welcome addition to the cast, and mediates many tense conflicts throughout the season. Jessel Taank, the show’s first Indian housewife and successful fashion publicist, is always an entertaining presence, and her unexpected anecdotes will have audiences continuously surprised.
From new hobbies to relationship conflicts, audiences get a real look into each housewife’s life, and personal journeys in this series. Brynn Whitfield, business consultant and avid chess player, keeps fiery conversations alive throughout the season and never fails to make a lasting impression.
In the comedic setting filled with drama and alcohol-induced outbursts, audiences may find unexpected self-disclosures comforting as the girls bond with one another through difficult situations. Sai De Silva, a cast member known for her fashion influence and work with brands, opened up about her familial struggles during the “Real Housewives” reunion, and the entire cast rallied around her in support. With beach trips, business meetings and boisterous gatherings, the “Real Housewives of New York” contains entertaining content for many different audiences, and may leave viewers with an unexpected new outlook on life.
The Netflix sensation “Squid Game: The Challenge” has taken inspiration from the groundbreaking TV series “Squid Game,” where contestants engage in intense children’s games for a chance to win a staggering $4.56 million. The show brilliantly mirrors the high-stakes nature of its predecessor, as real-life participants navigate a series of challenges, pushing their mental and physical limits to emerge victorious. Much like the original, contestants must strategize and adapt to the evolving dynamics of each game, all while witnessing the elimination of their fellow competitors.
However, the success of “Squid Game: The Challenge” has not shielded it from controversy. The show faces significant backlash due to its poor set conditions and the perceived unlikability of its crew and work staff. Critics argue that the intense working conditions depicted on the show mirror the harsh realities faced by the contestants, blurring the lines between fiction and reality. The audience has raised concerns about the ethics of putting participants through strenuous challenges for entertainment purposes.
Nonetheless, “Squid Game: The Challenge” has enticed an abundance of fans all around and has positioned itself to be the frontrunner of reality TV in this current time. Fan’s consistently comment on its dramatic enticement allowing viewers to really be drawn in within the show,” Squid Game:The Challenge” is definitely a show to watch, if you are interested in cold blood, backstabbing, strategic, individual gameplay on a reality TV based platform.
Released in the peak summer of 2023, the second season of the hit series “The Summer I Turned Pretty” hit Amazon Prime Video immediately captivating eager fans across the country desperate to know what happened after being left on a massive cliffhanger from the previous season. The show follows Belly Conklin, a 17-year-old girl, during the summer when she, her mom, Laurel, and older brother, Steven, stay at Susannah’s beach house with Jeremiah and Conrad, her mom’s best friend and her two sons about Belly’s age.
This show adequately blends drama, comedy, nostalgia, romance and coming-of-age themes that resonate with viewers of all ages. Belly is stuck in a love triangle, faced with a predominantly difficult decision of choosing between Conrad, the quiet and obscure one or Jeremiah, the fun, outgoing and loud one. This decision gets increasingly tough following Susannah’s unfortunate circumstances and Belly going back and forth with who she truly loves, making the audience more susceptible to who Belly is going to end up with. Belly does not want to be the bad guy with either of the brothers since they are both going through such a tremendously tough time, so she tries her best to be there for both of them without making the other jealous.
The second season of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” can strategically tackles more mature themes while maintaining innocence and leaves the audience keenly anticipating the next episode. It is definitely worth a watch if you miss the summertime and are looking for a new compelling show.
WARNING: Spoilers
This past March, the much-awaited conclusion to the heartwarming Apple TV original series “Ted Lasso” was released. “Ted Lasso” is a wholesome series following an ex-American-football coach from Kansas who traveled to London to coach soccer for the AFC Richmond team.
In the third season, Ted Lasso, played by Jason Sudeikis, and his team are aiming to win the Premier League Championship. After many ups and downs, the season ends with Lasso returning home to Kansas and leaving AFC Richmond behind to be with his son. The ending was very sentimental and emotional for the people who have been watching this show since the first season came out. That being said, the conclusion did not disappoint. Bittersweet as it may have been, it really came full circle, with Lasso leaving his team behind better than he found it.
This show was one of the best I’ve ever seen. It was a unique storyline, the cast of characters was amazing and all the episodes addressed powerful themes of mental health, something that is very rarely seen in male characters. It kept me not only entertained but also extremely connected to the loveable characters. Every Wednesday that I sat down to watch it, I was on the edge of my seat, hoping that AFC Richmond would win and that Roy and Keeley, two characters from the show, would get back together.
Overall, season three of “Ted Lasso” was an incredible conclusion to an even more incredible TV series. Of all the TV shows that came out this year, this is the best not because of how popular it was, but because of how well it blended emotional problems with comedy.
