What I'm Watching Now: Fall 2017

written by Betsy Flak on 2017-10-05

All right, we're going to switch things up a bit for this (and future) installments, and I'm going to go over my top three TV shows or movies that I've seen recently on the big or the small screen (along with some honorable mentions). So let's get to it!

Ok, first, I've been pretty dull lately, and I haven't made it into the theater to see much of anything. I did see Beauty and the Beast and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, although not in the theaters. While I enjoyed both and would recommend them to anyone who's thinking about watching them, several weeks after seeing them, they don't stick out in my mind. Plus, it's supposedly the "golden age of television," so is all that surprising that my top three items are all TV shows? Without further ado, here they are:

Game of Thrones, Season 7

• In a nutshell: Have you been living under a rock? Just kidding, although almost all of you probably know what this is about. Based on George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, it's a high fantasy story featuring political intrigue set against a coming war pitting zombies and those who control them against humanity.
• Watch if: You have even the briefest moment of interest in it.
• Skip if: You hate nudity and/or violence on-screen. Also if you haven't read the books and it annoys you to keep track of a large cast of characters (not that you have to keep track of them to enjoy the show). Or if you're really super crazy determined to read all the books first (something I gave up on just this year).
• Notes: Seriously, like so many people, I'm obsessed with this show. I watched it right when it came out, then had to go on all the Reddit threads to see what people were discussing. So what I'm saying is, I might be biased since this show--and A Song of Ice and Fire in general--is right up my alley.
• Where to watch: HBO Go (or HBO Now, On Demand, you get the idea).

The Good Place, Season 1

• In a nutshell: Eleanor Shellstrop dies and she makes it into heaven. Yay! There's only one problem: she's not who they think she is.
• Watch if: You enjoy whimsical comedies and dramedies.
• Skip if: Don't skip it. Seriously. Give it a chance, at least for the first four episodes or so. It does take them a beat hit their stride. I suppose if you're very serious about religion, perhaps skip it? It doesn't follow any one religion's idea of heaven and hell.
• Notes: I loved Season 1--and even more so after rewatching it--but I'm not in love with Season 2 so far. I mean, I'm one whole episode in, so it's possible that they just need a bit of time before it gets good again. Also: it's possible I'm biased. I love dramedies as a genre and Kristen Bell in pretty much everything she's done (Veronica Mars, House of Lies, the voice behind Gossip Girl, etc.). P.S. Eleanor Shellstrop was also my Women Crush Wednesday pick this week!
• Where to watch: Season 1: Netflix, Season 2: NBC

Jane the Virgin

• In a nutshell: A women waiting for marriage gets artificially inseminated by accident. Love triangles and chuckles ensue.
• Watch if: You like soap operas and soap opera-like TV shows (I'm thinking Gossip Girl, Vampire Diaries, those kind of shows).
• Skip if: You need everything to be 100% realistic and not silly at all. Or you can't stand reading subtitles on a screen from time to time.
• Notes: I love soap operas, so of course I enjoyed a show that loves telenovelas and teases itself about being a telenovela. Plus, as a writer myself, I relate to main character Jane, both in her pursuit of publishing her novel and her love of lists. So yeah, once again, I might be biased. Shrug.
• Where to watch: Seasons 1-3: Netflix, Season 4: The CW, starts Friday, October 13th.

Over the past few months, I also finished up Vampire Diaries, the most recent season of Scandal, and Star Trek: Voyager. And I started watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Hulu, which I'm enjoying. Since I'm only midway into the first season, I didn't consider it for this list.

And that's it! The next time I write one of these, there might be snow on the ground and the annual holiday spate of movies to watch. Want more? Read the last "What I'm Watching Now" post.