Hi everyone! Happy October!
You might have noticed that I took a small break from posting last week. I was a bit busy, and didn’t want to rush putting out any type of post I didn’t have the time for. But, I’m back, and ready to jump into this week!
I really do enjoy sharing some of my favorites with you all, whether it be favorite YouTubers, favorite songs, or even favorite drinks at Starbucks—I love to give you all recommendations based on some of the things I enjoy.
So, I’d love to share some more of my favorites with you this week! Now, I’m not an avid TV watcher, but I do have a few select series that I absolutely love!
I will admit, some of these shows are ones that a lot of people may not have ever seen/heard of. Which, honestly, might be part of the reason why I love them. I absolutely love any type of entertainment that goes above and beyond, creating something different than what we normally are seeing in more popular pieces of media. This includes darker themes, characters with mysterious backstories, or even stories that lead to viewers theorizing as to what the bigger picture may be.
If you like that type of media, then you’ll probably like a lot of these series as well!
1. Haunting of Hill House/Haunting of Bly Manor
I’m going to talk about these two together, as when talking about one, the other is inevitably brought up as well. Out of all the series listed here, these two are my favorite!
Haunting of Hill House is a Netflix series that is based around a mansion that is known to be haunted. This family, Hugh, Olivia, and their five children, all move into the house one summer with plans to renovate it and resell it. Unfortunately, things don’t quite go as planned, and the effects of the house have all carried into the children’s adult lives.
It’s an incredible story, and each episode leaves you wanting to know more and more about what is going on. You’re left in the dark as to what happened in the house–you only get bits and pieces of the story here and there from that summer. I am beyond impressed with the storytelling aspect that this show presents. Yes, it is a bit of a thriller, which may scare some off, but I still recommend this show to absolutely everyone.
Haunting of Bly Manor has a similar storytelling technique, but is in fact an entirely different story. This series takes place in a manor in Bly, a small town in the UK. An Au pair from America named Dani takes up a job within this manor, caring for two kids, Miles and Flora. Right off the bat, you can tell something is slightly off–it’s obvious that the kids know something that the adults do not. Through this story, we learn of the story behind Bly Manor, as well as the history of some who live there.
This series is a bit less of a thriller than Hill House is. It definitely still has some spooky aspects, but is much more tolerable to those who are sensitive to all-things scary! It really is perfectly splendid.
2. A Series of Unfortunate Events
When watching this show, I did not expect to fall in love with it the way that I did. Now, I am talking specifically about the adaptation on Netflix with Neil Patrick Harris in it. I know that there are other adaptations of the famous book series, but I’m specifically talking about the Netflix series.
I actually remember reading the books growing up, and absolutely loving them. So when I saw that there was a show on Netflix based on the books, I knew I had to watch!
For those who may not be familiar with the series, this story is about three children, Violet, Clause and Sunny, just following the death of their parents, who were incredibly rich. They are sent to live with their supposed closest relative, Count Olaf. We soon find out just how evil and sinister Count Olaf is, as he wants nothing from the children but the tremendous fortune their parents left with them. We follow the children as they go and live with several different people and several different places, unfortunately encountering Count Olaf and his gang everywhere they go.
It is a surprisingly dark story, with several very dark themes throughout. On the surface, is can easily be mistaken as a show just for kids. But in reality, it talks about some pretty terrifying-to-think-about topics. It’s another show that leaves you wanting more, and you can’t help but root for the kids in the hopes that they’ll one day finally be happy.
3. Mysterious Benedict Society
I had no idea what this was, until it was actually introduced to me at work. I also had a few friends recommend it, so I decided to give it a try. Little did I know that I would end up absolutely loving it!
Now, this is another one that is actually based off of a book series, except this one is an adaptation done by Disney, available on Disney+. I will admit, I never read the books series growing up–in fact hadn’t even heard of it at all until a few months ago. But, the show itself is beautifully told and incredibly well done.
This show follows four kids who are a little bit different than others. In this world, there is a crisis going on called the Emergency. Mr. Benedict is trying to get to the bottom of it and stop it, and he needs these kids’ help to do so.
Honestly, if you enjoy A Series of Unfortunate Events, you’ll probably enjoy this one, too. While the stories are very different and unique from one another, I noticed a certain similarity between the two. I can’t quite put it into words, but the best I can think to put it is that they have very similar styles in design/how the world looks.
4. Criminal Minds
Not every show that I like is unique. I’ve loved Criminal Minds for years! I’ve watched so many of these crime drama shows, but Criminal Minds has always been the one I find myself going back to.
I think most people know about this one, but if not, this show is about an elite squad of FBI profilers who try and track down the country’s most dangerous serial killers. Of course, we get to dive into the personal stories of these profilers as well, but a majority of the show follow’s these agents investigations.
I won’t go too much into this one, but it is a fantastic show, and really well done!
5. Gravity Falls
I will admit, I only recently watched this one and have only seen it once, but man, this show surprised me. On it’s surface, it just looks like a silly little cartoon, but the story in this one goes deep.
We start off at the beginning of summer, where twins Dipper and Mabel have been sent to live with their Great Uncle Stan who lives in a place called the Mystery Shack in Gravity Falls. Here, Dipper finds a mysterious journal that talks about the secrets and mysteries of the little town. We follow the twins’ journey in which they encounter several mysterious creatures and events, and also meet several fun characters along the way.
This show is available on Disney+, and is only two seasons long, so it’s pretty easy to get through. Like I said, I was surprised as how in-depth this show’s story goes. Yes, it has a lot of silly humor and lighthearted moments as well, but don’t let it fool you!
Hopefully you now have a new series, or multiple series, to watch in your spare time.
Have you seen any of these shows? I’d love to hear your thoughts on them! Also, what are some of your favorite shows?
Have a great rest of your weekend, and I’ll see y’all next week!
In the life of ash 