Television can be really spotty in terms of what’s good and what’s not. Sadly, there’s a lot more “not” out there than “good” thanks to the woke takeover of our culture. Most shows made nowadays fall so far into the political that finding one without “the message” is like finding a unicorn.
Luckily for you, I’ve found quite a few and will now them to you in one convenient list! Add your own in the comments if you feel one that I didn’t recommend should be listed.
“The Last Kingdom” – Netflix
This show was recommended to me just under a month ago but it’s been around since 2015, and with five seasons under its belt. I’m halfway through the fourth season because I can’t stop binge-watching it.
The show takes place just before the formation of England around the time of Alfred the Great and focuses on the character Uhtred of Babbenburg. During this time, the Saxon lands of England are being raided by Danes. As a child, Uhtred watches as his father is killed by the Danes but he is quickly adopted by them, turning him into a Saxon/Dane hybrid. His ultimate goal becomes to retake his home of Babbenburg from his uncle who tried to have him killed, but his tumultuous life takes him to many different places. Uhtred’s journey through life, the friends and enemies he makes, and the victories and defeats he wins are fascinating to watch.
The show has about as much intrigue as Game of Thrones but without the flash, flare, and gratuitous nudity and overt gore. You won’t find dragons or magic in this show, but it doesn’t need it. There’s no message in this show and even religion is handled even-handedly as it does play a large role in the series. The acting is always incredible, and the stories and situations will have you fixated. Even people who typically don’t like these shows seem to be drawn to them. I recommend giving it a go.
“Peaky Blinders” – Netflix
Take a little walk to the edge of town and go across the tracks.
After “Peaky Blinders” was recommended highly to me by people I trust, I gave it a shot and at first, I didn’t have high hopes for it. Fast forward to today and the plight of the Shelby family has enraptured the Morse household.
The show takes place in Birmingham, England, around the 1920s and 30s and follows the Shelby family which leads a crime gang called the “Peaky Blinders,” so known for the fact that they keep razors in the brim of their newsboy caps which they use to blind their opponents. Tommy Shelby, their leader, is a clever and ruthless man with ambitions to lead his family from being a low-level local gang to an international crime syndicate. What happens over the course of the seasons is nothing short of addicting.
While the setting is interesting, it’s the characters and acting that truly bring it to life. Tommy is played by Cillian Murphy, an actor born to play a war veteran turned crime lord. Paul Anderson plays his brother Arthur, who acts as the gang’s bruiser with a lot of heart. The standout for me, however, is Tom Hardy’s Alife Solomons, a Jewish crime lord that has a frienemy type of relationship with Tommy. Watching the two spar with words should go down as some of the best moments in television history.
Settle in and get ready for a really fun ride. My personal favorite is season four when the Shelbys go to war with the Italian Mafia, led by Adrien Brody’s Luca Changretta. Just be sure to turn on the subtitles. They don’t temper the accents in this show for American audiences.