OpiumforSeriesAddicts

“Winter is coming… “ unfortunately not until 2017! Just a few months ago, "Game of Thrones" left us with a shocking season finale, "House of Cards" also recently delivered, and "The Walking Dead" will only have Rick Grimes and his group walking through the zombie hell again next month – very slowly, episode by episode. So, what remains for us series junkies to binge until then?

Plenty! Because the possibilities of binge-watching are limitless. For everyone who wants to fall in love with a new series again, needs content for the coming time, or wants to catch up on unseen classics, I have five tips in store to satisfy your craving for cool stories and strong characters. Let’s watch!

Californication

Available on: Amazon Prime, Netflix
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Network: Showtime
Seasons: 7
Runtime: 20-30 Min.

For fans of ... boobs, social criticism, biting dialogues, rock n' roll, and likable anti-heroes.

One might think that everyone has already seen this series gem. Wrong! Some have actually missed this highlight. Those who feel addressed now should pay close attention:
Hank Moody (brilliantly playing himself: David Duchovny) doesn’t have it easy: The provocative author has writer’s block and his great love Karen (charming: Natascha Mc Elhorn) is building a new, orderly life with their daughter Becca and her new partner Bill. Addicted to women and drugs, the lovable cynic navigates the superficiality of California and gets into one disaster after another trying to win Karen back. The situation escalates when Hank Moody unknowingly seduces the seventeen-year-old daughter of Karen’s friend Bill.

Conclusion:

We get to follow Hank Moody’s life for seven seasons. Some critics claim the plot starts to repeat itself at a certain point. We believe: The series doesn’t thrive on its original storyline but on its shiver-inducing dialogues, super cool characters, and the way it treats human flaws with comedic ease.

Wayward Pines

Available on: Amazon Prime
Genre: Mystery, Crime, Science Fiction
Network: FOX
Seasons: 2 (unfinished)
Runtime: 45-50 Min.

For fans of ... conspiracy theories, Twin Peaks, nightmare scenarios, and mind-bending plots.

While searching for a missing colleague, Detective Ethan (Matt Dillon in a different role) gets into a car accident and finds himself in the sleepy town of Wayward Pines. He quickly realizes that something is not right here. Any further sentence from me would almost be a spoiler. However, I won’t withhold one from you: "There are no crickets in Wayward Pines."

Conclusion:

If you liked Lost and Twin Peaks, you’ll enjoy Wayward Pines. Half mystery, half science fiction, and a bit of film noir make this series absolutely worth watching. The cast is convincing, the atmosphere is very dense and threatening. Although the mystery of the strange town of Wayward Pines is revealed over the course of the plot, the tension is always maintained.

You’re the Worst

Available on: Maxdome, Lastwagen, alternatively iTunes
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Network: FX-Network
Seasons: 2 completed (3 starts on October 31, 2016)
Runtime: 20-30 Min.

For fans of ... insults, inconsistency, all kinds of vices, schadenfreude, and witty dialogues.

Two people incapable of relationships get involved with each other. The result: nothing but chaos! Gretchen, a smart, chaotic PR manager, and Jimmy, a cynical, unsuccessful writer, end up in bed after the wedding of a mutual acquaintance. What was planned as a one-night stand quickly turns into an affair with substance. Both drink, smoke, have almost no social skills, don’t believe in love, and have no clue how to maintain a relationship.

Conclusion:

Let it be said: This is not a romantic love story with "fluff" but a cheeky, uncompromising anti-love story with equally rough and messed-up protagonists. If you want to maintain your worldview of "honey here and there" love, you should not watch this hidden gem. An ode to non-love and moral gray areas.

American Horror Story

Available on: Netflix (unfortunately only up to season 4), alternatively iTunes
Genre: Horror
Network: FX
Seasons: 5 completed (6 starts on September 14, 2016)
Runtime: 45-50 Min.

For fans of ... goosebumps, blood, spooky children, psycho clowns, voodoo witches, dark basements, violent nuns, and hot maids.

Still new to some (hard to believe), too scary for others (come on...)! In the series American Horror Story, we move into a horror house in season 1, a psychiatric institution run by nuns in the 60s in season 2, a coven in season 3, a freak show in the 50s in season 4, and a murderous hotel in season 5. Right! This series is an anthology series. Each season covers a different theme, a different story, and different characters, but usually with the same cast. Although Ryan Murphy, the mastermind behind it all, has assured that everything is connected. #exciting!
In seasons one to four, Hollywood great Jessica Lang shines in the lead role, from season five, Lady Gaga got to shine as the red thread and was directly rewarded with a Golden Globe for her performance. But other notable actors also make appearances here, including Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Zachery Quinto, Chloe Sevigny.

Conclusion:
The stories of the seasons are usually simple and play with typical horror clichés. No plot twists, no big surprises. That’s not what the series thrives on. The series thrives on the bizarre atmosphere, the eerie figures, the creative implementation, the magnificent soundtrack fitting each season, and at times on historical references. It alludes to well-known serial killers and inexplicable cases in the course of American history. A MUST-SEE for every horror fan!

The Affair

Available on: Amazon Prime
Genre: Drama
Network: Showtime
Seasons: 2 completed (3 starts on October 20, 2016)
Runtime: 45-50 Min.

For fans of ... moral gray areas, psychography, tension without KABOOM, dramaturgy, perspective shifts, stunning visuals, and crime.

Sure, we know what you’re thinking. The title suggests it: Sappy. Women only. Wrong!

In “The Affair,” the married Noah (some might know Dominic West from the cult series “The Wire”) meets the also married Alison during a family vacation in Montauk. The special thing: Each episode is split, meaning the story is told first from Noah’s perspective and then from Alison’s. Depending on the perspective, dialogues, events, and even clothing change. From Noah’s perspective, Alison made the first move and vice versa. The two plunge into an affair that triggers a tragic death and shakes the lives of everyone involved. However, who exactly is involved is only revealed much later.

Conclusion:

Even though the story is well-known, the format is new. The characters are drawn with depth and realism and are so complexly real that everyone can identify with one moment or another. The focus is on interpersonal gray areas, no one is good or evil. The truth lies - as the saying goes - somewhere in between. The atmosphere repeatedly shifts from optimistic to dark and displays a subtle hardness. Definitely a series for both men and women, but not recommended for hopeless romantics who need a classic happy ending.