Well we’re still in lock down, but never fear because there’s still plenty of amazing television shows for you continue to binge watch in this whole close down period.
Check out the follow-up to our first Ultimate Binge Guide below:
Taboo
When it comes to actors who exemplify the alpha male character, Tom Hardy ranks at the top of the list and here he gives a dangerous, calculating, violent and sometimes depraved performance as haunted outlaw James Keziah Delaney in Taboo. Boasting the talents of showrunner Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders), Taboo was developed by Knight, alongside Hardy and his father Chips, and takes audiences back to the London in the dark side of the 19th Century and pits Hardy’s outlaw Delaney against the might of the East India Trading Company. Taboo is a slow-burn drama, and it’s a dark and burning affair as Hardy brings forth his inner savageness as Delaney as he does everything he can to undermine the authority of the mighty East India and claim his birthright. From political conspiracies to cannibalistic murder, Taboo is an absolute riot of a series and it certainly makes you sit up straight.
Sons of Anarchy
Regarded as one of the greatest TV series of all time, Sons of Anarchy is synonymous with the word badass, and this tale of outlaw bikers and their quest to live free is straight up cool TV. Charting the story of the Sons of Anarchy motorcycle club and their heir apparent Jackson ‘Jax’ Teller (Charlie Hunnam), as he tires to find a balance in his life after becoming a new father, Sons of Anarchy has some of the best characters ever committed to the small screen, including the calculating Gemma Teller (Katey Segal), a Lady Macbeth type-character who will do anything to see her son control the club, and to regain her influence over him. With roaring Harley Davidson’s, hard-rocking metal music, outlaw brawls and intense gunfights and a ravenous orgy of sex, drugs and outlandish behaviour, Sons of Anarchy was punk rock television in it’s purest form, and it’s intense narrative gripped you from beginning to end. It remains as one of my favourite television shows of all time, and I highly recommend you take this ride.
The Deuce
New York City, 1971. Time Square is a bombed out ruin of mob-controlled bars, massage parlors and porno theatres, and in this turbulent and flamboyant era a collection of cool cats and kittens make it there own. Recalling the classic style of films such as Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, The Deuce is a wild-ride through the excess of the 1970s and 1980s and charts the rise of pornography industry from those who ran it and profited from it. Series creators David Simon and George Pelecanos pull no-punches with this series, and it’s packed together with some amazing performances from the likes of James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal. There’s a definite superfly cool with The Deuce and fans will dig the authenticity and detail of the production design, costuming and cinematography, along with it’s ultra fly MoTown score. The Deuce is a gripping narrative of a complex group of people in a turbulent era and for those wanting some serious drama, it makes for a must watch piece of entertainment.
Mayans MC
First we had the intensity of Sons of Anarchy, and series creator Kurt Sutter, along with rising screenwriter Elgin James, expands on the concept of Sons of Anarchy in a whole new context with Mayans MC, which swaps the outlaw lifestyle of Southern California and transports us instead to the dangers of the Mexican border and a new outlaw lifestyle. Mayans MC finds us following the life of Mayans prospect Ezekial ‘EZ’ Reyes (J.D. Pardo), a young man who was once the all-American boy before his life took a chance for the worse and led him down the outlaw life. Mayans MC is filled with the similar outlaw-crime style that we first saw in Sons of Anarchy, but comes at it with an entirely different take here, and with it’s Mexican-American flavour, and a host of new characters and plots, makes it one of the best pieces of television to be watching at the moment.
Warrior
A martial arts-action-western from the mind of Bruce Lee and brought to life by the minds behind Banshee? Yep you heard me right and you should most definitely be watching Warrior! Adapted from martial arts legend Bruce Lee’s original 1970s television pitch, Warrior is one of the most exciting new releases to arrive on television, and it’s combination of the western and martial arts genre makes for something entirely unique. Following the adventures of kung fu prodigy Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji), who comes to San Francisco in the searching for his long, lost sister and gets caught up in the violence of the Tong Wars. The action is brutal, and the cinematography beautiful as showrunner Jonathan Tropper transports audiences to a different era with a narrative that is incredibly gripping and Warrior makes for an extremely rewarding watch.
All these shows are available to stream on Neon now.
