With all of the streaming networks, it’s easy to get overwhelmed when you are looking for a new show. I thought I would share a few of my favorites.

Severance

Severance is a show that caught my attention a few months ago. The show’s premise is that the characters get their memory erased when they begin working for Lumon Industries. When the workers go down to the workstations, their memories get wiped, but every day when they leave the building (specifically out of the elevator), their memories return. The workers are basically two different people. 

Lumon uses a so-called medical procedure called “severance” to take the memories of their employees while they are at work. When a severed worker is at work, they are dubbed “innies” and can remember nothing of the outside world.

The show goes into a lot of depth about how this could really change and affect a person’s life. The employees are missing eight hours out of their day. They have no knowledge of that time. This is actually one of my favorite parts of the show, which is when you first see the employees go in the elevator and then they just change into a completely different person. This really confused me at first and the audience doesn’t find out why until the next episode.

The thing that I really love about the show is that it could happen in real life. The show has an excellent cast and each actor plays their role well. The main actor is played by Adam Scott who you might remember from Parks and Recreation. His character, Mark, made me heavily invested in the show. 

If you like to watch shows that have a lot of suspense, then this is the show for you. It’s not particularly scary, but we don’t know what’s really going on. It’s all left to speculation.  Watchers will be rewarded because it delivers such an amazing ending that will leave you on the edge of your seat, a cliffhanger for you to interpret. 

If I had to give this show a rating I would probably give it an A. It’s one of those shows you will remember for a long time. The show is on Apple TV.

Reacher

The next show I would recommend is Reacher. This show is filled with action and has a new storyline each season. Alan Ritchson plays Reacher and he is perfect. He’s 6”2’ and massive unlike the movie Reacher. Tiny Tom Cruise played Reacher and that just wasn’t believable. 

This show is based on the book series by Lee Childs. In the books, Reacher is described as 6”5’ and over 250 pounds of total muscle. He also was in the military police when he served. I think of him as like a large Sherlock Holmes. Tom Cruise is anything but that, and that’s why the TV series is so much better.  

Reacher roams the world and seems to run into trouble in every town he ends up in. The trouble usually stems from him trying to help someone. He’s a loner, but he’s a good guy. And the funny thing is, he doesn’t carry anything except a toothbrush and passport. 

In the first season, we get to see what a good detective Reacher is. We also find out a lot about his past, but my favorite part about the whole show is just how much of a badass he is. He doesn’t tolerate crap from anyone, and his life calling seems to be looking out for others.

The second season dives into more of his past and how it’s catching up to him. His former military team seems to be dropping dead, literally. 

The show has a great balance between fighting and mystery. One of my favorite scenes from Reacher is when they are in jail and he just beats up every single guy who tries to fight him in his cell. He is definitely not a man to be messed with. This show is on Amazon Prime and the second season just came out.

The Boys

This next show, The Boys, is quite violent and pretty graphic. I wouldn’t recommend watching it with somebody that doesn’t do well with violence. You will see a lot of blood, so if that is something you do not like to see, then do not watch this show at all.  

The Boys is based on a comic but it’s not like any comic I’ve ever read. They made the comic into a real messed up life.  

The Boys is set in a universe where super-powered individuals are heroes and work for a powerful corporation known as Vought International, which markets them and makes lots and lots of money off of them. Outside of their heroic personas, most of these heroes are arrogant, selfish and corrupt.

This show follows a superhero called Homelander, who is played by Anthony Starr. Homelander is the leader of the heroes and is the most powerful thing on earth. So he thinks of himself as a god. This causes problems in the show because he feels like he can do whatever he wants and he does just that, even when it is super wrong and evil. 

People who are heavy fans of superheroes and violence are going to enjoy this show. The acting is really good and there’s a lot of emotion to the show. It’s not just violence. 

One of my favorite moments from the show is when Homelander lasers down somebody and people still clap for him. There are three seasons so far and a fourth one is on the way. This show is on Amazon Prime.

Invincible

The last show I want to recommend is called Invincible. This show takes the same ideas as The Boys except it’s animated. This show is also from a comic and is very violent. 

The cast of this show has some pretty big names like Steven Yeun, Mark Hamill and JK Simmons. 

Based on the Image Comics series of the same name, the show follows 17-year-old Mark Grayson and his transformation into a superhero under the guidance of his father Omni-Man. 

Omni-Man is not from Earth but he lives here and is the biggest superhero on Earth. Early on in the show Mark develops his superhero powers but things take a very unexpected turn.

One of my favorite scenes from the first episode is when Mark is trying to learn how to fly but he keeps falling. I feel like that shows that we often fail but the more times you try the easier it gets. This show is on Amazon Prime.