Of course “Winter is coming” eventually (though this time we’ll have to wait until mid 2017 and season 7 is announced to be 7 episodes only) but HBO is surely not expecting us to sit idly and wait, year after year, for another season of Games Of Thrones to start, are they?
Well, whatever THEIR expectations, let ME share 10 series with you, that have been keeping me company on the long, seemingly never ending summer nights 😉 Plus, some of them already aired for several seasons, giving you the chance to dive into dozens of episodes in a row. So, enjoy! (Also be sure to watch the GOT Season 7: In-Production Teaser under this post.)
History / Fantasy / Fairy Tales:
1 – Vikings
Premiering in 2013, Vikings has an IMDb rating of 8.6 on its first 3.5 seasons so far. The first 3 seasons were 10 episodes each but the 4th consists of 20 and was split into two parts. The second 10 episodes will start airing on November 30th. (If you are already a fan, see the new Season 4 Returns trailer.) In case you haven’t been watching the series yet and wonder what’s it all about… On IMDb, the plot is summarized as: “The world of the Vikings is brought to life through the journey of Ragnar Lothbrok, the first Viking to emerge from Norse legend and onto the pages of history – a man on the edge of myth.” Don’t say I didn’t warn you though, as this isn’t a series for the soft hearted and people with a stomach that gets upset easily. There are a lot of brutal and/or bloody scenes. Of course we find supernatural and mythological links as well. Hence GOT fans should feel quite at home. Note that as the series was produced by History Channel nudity is rather limited but the main characters Ragner Lothbrok and his strong wife and companion Lagertha add a lot of steam to the already great story.
2 – Marco Polo
Premiering in 2014, this Netflix series got an IMDb rating of 8.1 on its first two seasons. Though it’s unclear if the series will be renewed for a third season, it is an exciting, historical watch. “In a world replete with greed, betrayal, sexual intrigue and rivalry, ‘Marco Polo’ is based on the famed explorer’s adventures in Kublai Khan’s court in 13th century Mongolia.” states IMDb. Great material for a series and Netflix did a good job casting and developing the characters. The Chinese chancellor Jia Sidao (played by Chin Han) is a must-watch himself. Furthermore, the blind martial arts teacher who trains Marco Polo even got his own short film: One Hundred Eyes.
3 – Once Upon A Time
Premiering in 2011, this ABC series got an IMDb rating of 7.9 on the 6.5 seasons already aired. The series’ 6th season started in September and is currently being shown every Sunday on ABC. Personally, I love fairy tales. If you don’t at least partially agree with this statement, don’t watch this series 🙂 Though you might want to give it a try when you hear that the screenplay is from the writers of Lost. The storyline of the first season, according to IMDb, goes like this: “For Emma Swan, life has been anything but a happy ending. But when she’s reunited with Henry – the son she gave up for adoption ten years ago – on the night of her 28th birthday, everything changes. The now 10-year-old Henry is in desperate need of Emma’s help because he believes from reading a book of fairytales that she’s the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming – who sent her away from the Enchanted Forest to be protected from a curse that was enacted by the Evil Queen.” I love how the writers have been creating a web of relationships between all the classic fairy tales and in the later seasons even modern ones like Brave or Frozen. If you are still unsure, watch the trailer below and go with your gut feeling…
Sci-fi / Supernatural / Horror:
4 – Stranger Things
Only having premiered a couple of months ago, Stranger Things was definitely the most awaited and praised series of the year so far (until Westworld started, which I will come to next). The IMDb rating of 9.0 kind of says it all. Being directed by “the” Steven Spielberg and starring Academy Award nominee Winona Ryder surely helped but there is much more to Stranger Things than these two big names. On IMDB the plot is summed up as “When a young boy disappears, his mother, a police chief, and his friends must confront terrifying forces in order to get him back”. What the plot doesn’t give away though, is the amazingly authentic 80’s atmosphere created, that carries you back to modern cinema classics like E.T. or our favorite Stephen King movies. A total must-watch! Can’t wait for the second season to start…
5 – Westworld
Inspired by the 1973 film of the same title (starring Yul Brynner) about a futuristic theme park populated by humanlike robots and targeting an ultra-rich clientele, Westworld aired 4 episodes so far and already has an IMDb rating of 9.1. Staring Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris, the series is a pleasure to watch in terms of acting. But why am I still writing about it? If you weren’t hiding in the jungle or had your head stuck in sand for the last month, you already heard a lot about this series. Now go and watch it. Go!
6 – Sense8
Created by Lilly Wachowski (as from the Wachovski siblings that directed The Matrix), Sense8’s second season will start on December 25th, 2016 but it has already been renewed for season 3, which will air in 2017. According to IMDb, where the series is rated 8.4, the story goes like this: “A group of people around the world are suddenly linked mentally, and must find a way to survive being hunted by those who see them as a threat to the world’s order.” If you liked the 2006-2010 series Heroes, this will feel familiar, though these kids’ main superpower consists of being able to link mentally. So don’t expect characters who can fly or stop the time but the abilities they share, are nevertheless impressive. Be prepared to let the series take you from India to the USA, from Iceland to Kenya. And it’s going to be an awesome journey, I promise 🙂
7 – Penny Dreadful
No, “Penny Dreadful” isn’t our beautiful heroine’s name in this series. In fact according to Wikipedia “Penny Dreadful is a term used to refer to cheap popular serial literature produced during the nineteenth century in the UK (…) The term typically referred to a story published in weekly parts, each costing one penny. The subject matter of these stories was typically sensational, focusing on the exploits of detectives, criminals, or supernatural entities.” Starring box office actors like Eva Green, Josh Hartnett and ex-Bond Timothy Dalton; it is no wonder the series got successful but the idea to interweave famous horror classics’ characters into one story line and the beautiful cinematography created are the final touches that make this series so special. After 3 successful seasons, it ended this year though and has an overall rating of 8.4 on IMDb. I don’t want to spoil it for you by giving away to much but expect vampires, werwolves and even Satan himself!
Political / Drama / Comedy:
8 – Mr.Robot
Rated 8.4 on IMDb, Mr.Robot “follows Elliot, a young programmer working as a cyber-security engineer by day, and a vigilante hacker by night”. Being renewed for season 3 which is to air in 2017, Mr.Robot won many awards so far. 2 Golden Globes this year, for “Best Television Series – Drama” and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Christian Slater” are just two of them. Be prepared to question the state of the world, the power of huge enterprises over it and also your own perception of things.
9 – Suits
It all starts with “Mike Ross, a brilliant college-dropout, who on the run from a drug deal gone bad, finds himself a job working with Harvey Specter, one of New York City’s best lawyers” and continues with 6 seasons (IMDb Rating: 8.7 so far) of us watching this amazingly smart and charismatic duo managing to win one corporate case after the other, when at the same time they have to struggle with power fights in the law firm, crises in their personal lives and of course with Mike’s dark past. Can’t wait for season 7! In fact we only started watching last winter and reached season 6, which aired this summer, sooner than we wanted. Oh and let me add some trivia: One of the female leads, Meghan Markle, was just discovered dating Prince Harry and everybody is being super un-cool about it…
10 – Shameless
No wonder “Shameless”, which first aired in 2011 and is currently in season 7 has an IMDb rating of 8.7. It is so miraculously and utterly charmingly shameless. “An alcoholic man lives in a perpetual stupor while his six children with whom he lives cope as best they can” doesn’t cover the plot at all. But no summary could, I fear. Nothing is a taboo to the screen writers. Don’t watch this if you are easily offended. Or maybe just do. The characters are so natural and funny that you forgive them everything, hanging on their every word. Best comedy-drama (does this genre even exist?) in years…
I hope you liked this post and will enjoy the series, you have now decided to watch, even more. Also take a look at the 3 bonus videos I shared below…
BONUS: Game of Thrones Season 7: In-Production Tease (HBO)
The Original Westworld: 6 Things You Should Know
Spoiler Alert!
Only watch this if you already have watched the first 10 episodes of Season 4 of Vikings.
Globally Happy 
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