Lately I’ve been thinking about the beauty of a well-written TV series, because there are so many of them from which to choose. Back when network TV and a few “premium” channels like HBO were the only options, well-written shows like Hill Street Blues, ER, and LA Law stood out in a sea of mediocrity. But with the advent of streaming, it’s hard to keep up! Here some of this winter’s favorites at our house:
BAD SISTERS features five Irish sisters, four of whom conspire—for good reason—to kill the malevolent husband of the fifth sister. At the outset we learn John Paul is dead, but not who killed him or how. 
As the episodes unfold it becomes clear just what a nasty piece of work he was, but somehow was clever and lucky enough to evade multiple attempts to take him out. In the background is a hilarious subplot involving a pair of insurance agent brothers, one of whom is determined not to pay out on the policy insuring the bad brother-in-law’s life. Great characters, terrific plot.
We were late to the TED LASSO party, and I’m so glad we finally made it. The unlikely story of an American college football coach being hired to lead a British premier league soccer team when he knows nothing about the sport (which, of course, most of the world calls football) boasts marvelous humor, brilliant pop culture references and plenty of emotionally touching scenes as well. I didn’t understand all the fuss when it was hailed as the show that helped people survive the pandemic. Now I get it. I look forward to each new episode and hope rumors that season three will be the last are dead wrong.
We’re waiting with considerable impatience for the next season of ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING. I thought season one could not be topped, but it was. A third season will be coming at some point, but Hulu is being coy about exactly when. You know a Steve Martin and Martin Short collaboration is going to be creative and well-written (not to mention well-acted) but Selena Gomez adds so much to the mix, as do the various guest stars (Sting was hilarious, and word is Meryl Streep is going to show up during season three.) When the world seems to be on fire and the Red Sox are not at their best, OMITB is a good bet.
DEAR EDWARD sounded like a downer. A plane crash kills every passenger and crew member save one, an adolescent boy named Edward. Their surviving loved ones meet in a grief group paid for by the insurance company and help each other grieve and move forward with their lives. I feared it would be either maudlin or depressing. 
But the great Connie Britton stars, and the writers are veterans of Friday Night Lights, which is one of the best written shows ever, IMHO (in which she also starred). So we checked it out and were mesmerized by the powerful writing and acting. If you have been reluctant to try this, trust me. It will move you on many levels.
Finally, ALASKA DAILY, feeds my love and devotion to the world of local journalism and I recommend it highly. It’s a network show, but if you miss the episodes on ABC you can catch it streaming on Hulu. Hilary Swank is convincing as a hard-charging New York reporter who winds up in Anchorage on what she prays is a short-term gig. 
She has a profound impact on a newsroom full of young reporters and they—especially Grace Dove, who plays a talented, insightful native Alaskan reporter named Roz—and the otherworldliness of Alaska have a profound impact on her. AD’s sub-theme is the uphill challenges newspapers all over the country are facing, and why it is essential that they survive, especially smaller papers like the fictional Daily Alaskan. Tight writing, great ensemble cast. Watch it!
All that said, I’d love to hear in the comments what you’ve been watching lately. Let’s hear your recommendations!
Brenda Buchanan brings years of experience as a journalist and a lawyer to her crime fiction. She has published three books featuring Joe Gale, a newspaper reporter who covers the crime and courts beat. She is now hard at work on new projects. FMI, go to http://brendabuchananwrites.com
Kait Carson
Charlene D’Avanzo 
Thanks, Brenda. Worthy of checking out is the “Person of Interest” series, if people haven’t seen it. It starts out as a crime series and then morphs into science fiction, including artificial intelligence, a scary concept to an old-timer like me. If you lose the human element, the capacity for evil seems unlimited, though I hope I’m not wrong onmaybe I’m wrong on that!
From Wiki: Person of Interest is an American science fiction crime drama[2] television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2011,[3] to June 21, 2016,[4] with its five seasons consisting of 103 episodes….
The series centers on a mysterious reclusive billionaire computer programmer, Harold Finch (Michael Emerson), who has developed a computer program for the federal government known as “the Machine” that is capable of collating all sources of information to predict terrorist acts and to identify people planning them. The series raises an array of moral issues, from questions of privacy and “the greater good”, the concept of justifiable homicide, and problems caused by working with limited information programs.
Katharine Trendacosta of Gizmodo noted that by the end of the series in 2016, Person of Interest had been transformed from a “crime-fighting show” with an entertaining plot device into “one of the best science-fiction series ever broadcast”..
This is great to know, David. Thanks for the recommendation!
Agree. Agree. Agree! This is probably my favorite series bar none. My husband is an old farm boy/truck driver who can and does binge watch old westerns loves this show. When it was listed as leaving Netflix I found it online and bought the series. We’ve watched it all the way through at least four times. It is entertaining, thought provoking, and actually very current what with all the AI, smart everything, and a power hungry billionaires.
Thank you, Julianne!
We’ve been trying to get our kids (57 and 56) to watch Person of Interest, as A-I is increasingly relevant to their lives, as well as our grandchildren’s lives. The most popular majors at both my alma mater and my grandson’s college are computer science. Let’s hope that right-thinking people do whatever they can to fight back against A-I’s evil potential.
Person of Interest is an American science fiction, crime drama[2] television series that aired on CBS from 2011 to, with its five seasons consisting of 103 episodes.
From Wiki: “The series centers on a mysterious reclusive billionaire computer programmer, Harold Finch (Michael Emerson), who has developed a computer program for the federal government known as “the Machine” that is capable of collating all sources of information to predict terrorist acts and to identify people planning them. The series raises an array of moral issues, from questions of privacy and “the greater good”, the concept of justifiable homicide, and problems caused by working with limited information programs.
Katharine Trendacosta of Gizmodo noted that by the end of the series in 2016, Person of Interest had been transformed from a “crime-fighting show” with an entertaining plot device into “one of the best science-fiction series ever broadcast”.[5] The show won the 2012 People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama and the 2016 People’s Choice Award for Favorite TV Crime Drama.”
Thanks for the IRISH SISTERS plug. Hadn’t happened on that one!
I think you will love it. It’s a master class in creating an antagonist. Let me know what you think.
We very much liked “The Night Agent”, a Netflix series from author Matthew Quirk.
That is on my list, Matt. I’ve heard very good things.
I just finished binging 12 seasons of Vera. I am bereft. I am looking forward to seeing how they do Shetland w/o Jimmy Perez. Ashley Jensen will replace him and I hope doesn’t mug it up like she does in the Agatha Raisin series. Shrinking, while not at all mysterious, is ribald and wonderful.
Vera is just top-notch, as is Shetland and I also am going to be interested to see how the latter is without Jimmy. Have you seen the Two Rivers series based on Ann Cleeves’ Matthew Venn books? It’s very good also. We have heard others praise Shrinking, and will pick it up soon. Ribald and wonderful are great attributes for a series!