My Top 10 Shows That Have Come Out Since 2015

A month or so ago, I watched the second season of Never Have I Ever. It got me thinking about how many things had come out in recent years that I have really enjoyed. So, I decided to make a list of my favorite shows that have come out starting in 2015. Of course, watch out for spoilers!! I will put a warning if there is a big spoiler.

1. Never Have I Ever I LOVE Mindy Kaling’s writing (as you will see later on), and this show makes me laugh like no other. While Devi can be ridiculous, I find her to be so relatable. There is one scene in the second season where her therapist says this - “ It means you’re human. Devi, you feel a lot, which means sometimes you’re gonna hurt a lot, but it also means that you’re gonna live a life that is emotionally rich and really beautiful.” As someone who has a lot of really big feelings, this made me feel so seen. Devi herself is a joy to watch, but all of the characters add something. Her bond with her mom is so touching, especially as they grieve the death of her father together. Her best friends are sometimes annoying, but I find their dynamic to be very charming. Now, onto one of my favorite parts of the show - THE LOVE TRIANGLE. I love a well-made love triangle. Ben and Paxton both have their pros and cons, but I enjoy both of their relationships with Devi, and there are many hot and sweet moments with both of them. One of my favorite moments of TV recently SPOILER was in Episode 9 of Season 2 when Devi and Paxton kiss with Heat Waves by Glass Animals playing in the background. I think this moment is very sweet and sexy and the music makes it perfect! END OF SPOILER This show is equally funny and real, and it is such a fast-paced show that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. I can not wait for season 3!!!
2. Schitt’s Creek Who doesn’t love Schitt’s Creek?? I watched this for the first time with my family a couple of years ago, and we have loved it since. When we watched the extra special that went with the finale, I cried so incredibly hard. I did not even realize how much it meant to me until then. This show is about a rich family who lose all of their money and have to move to a small town and be poor. I love Johnny and Moira (the parents), I really do. But the relationship between David and Alexis (siblings) is what immediately made me love this show. I think my sister and I are sweeter with each other than David and Alexis (maybe), but their fighting was so sweet and realistic to me, and I just loved it so much. This show is made of characters that you sort of don’t like at the beginning, but you’re able to see how deep these characters are and how genuine and real the connections in this little town are as the show goes on. For example, Roland is a weird, kind of creepy character. I really thought he was gonna be an unlikeable character the whole show. His character never changed, but you were able to see more of who he was underneath his weird, pervy exterior, and I grew to love him and want only happiness for him. Next, let’s talk about romance!! Patrick and David are one of my favorite OTPs (one true pairing) of all time. Their individual renditions of The Best by Tina Turner showed how people can be so different but so compatible and right for each other. SPOILER When they got engaged, I cried and laughed simultaneously. END OF SPOILER I love shows and moments that make me feel the whole spectrum of emotions. My mom and I’s relationship is not similar to Moira and Alexis’s in basically any way, but another moment that makes me laugh and cry SPOILER is when Moira surprises Alexis at her graduation END OF SPOILER. The episodes are short, but they really pack in all the feelings
3. Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist So, I really believe that adding music to anything makes it so much better. This show follows Zoey, a 20-something coder who is dealing with the declining health of her dad. In the first episode, she is getting an MRI when there is an earthquake. She comes out of this experience able to hear people express their feelings through song. The people singing do not know they are singing and no one else can hear them. I think this show has so many funny and meaningful moments, and the music adds so much to the experience. Zoey is in a love triangle with Max (played by Skylar Astin who is one of my favorite actors of all time) and Simon. There are funny and sexy moments in this love triangle, but the reaction of these men when SPOILER her father dies at the end of the first season END OF SPOILER is what really makes me love these relationships. They are both mature men who are able to see past their feelings and jealousy and support her and each other when it is necessary. This cast all has such great chemistry. All of the plot lines go together well and no plot or character seems odd or out of place. This show was sadly cancelled after a cliffhanger season 2 finale. BUT it was just announced that there is a Christmas movie in production that will help wrap everything up. Stand out moment: Max singing I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) after SPOILER Zoey’s dad is hurt in season one END OF SPOILER.
4. Stranger Things This is one that maybe needs no explanation. This show has been popular from the moment it came out and has won countless awards. In case you haven’t watched it, it is about a young group of boys in Hawkins, Indiana. One of them, Will, goes missing, and most of the season is focused on finding him. The other boys receive help from a mysterious girl, Eleven, who seems to have some connection to Will’s disappearance. Despite all of the D&D-esque monsters, at its core, this show is about friendship. These kids are way out of their depth with with they have to deal with and are only able to survive by trusting each other. This show is very heavy at times - characters die and go through hard things. Despite all that, the dynamic between all of the young actors is hilarious, and the characters bring humor to a show that has the potential to be very serious and depressing. I have no sure where this show is going, but I can’t wait to see what happens in season four (whenever it FINALLY returns).
5. Four Weddings and A Funeral Remember when I said I really like things created by Mindy Kaling? Well, here is another one! This is basically a rom-com told in ten episodes rather than a movie. Because it is a TV show, you get more time to get to know the characters and love them. This is truly an ensemble cast, so it is difficult to give a short summary. Basically, it is about four friends who knew each other in college all living close to each other again and going through life. This includes cheating scandals, fun costume parties, a reality tv show, boarding school, AND four weddings and a funeral :) I have watched this show all the way through two times now, and I was surprised by how invested I got in the lives of these characters in only ten episodes. I loved the friendships, the romances, and the family in this show. Like I said before, I really love when I laugh and cry when watching a show because that makes me feel like the show is similar to real life with highs and lows and everything in between. This show has always surprised me, and you should watch it and be surprised by how much you absolutely LOVE IT!
6. The Bold Type Okay, so this show has given me unrealisitic expectations for the future. It follows three women, Sutton, Jane, and Kat, who all work for the same women’s magazine in New York City. It’s kind of like Sex and the City but more tame with slightly less focus on men. What I love about this show is, yes the romances, but mostly how much these three friends support each other. All three of them are very career driven, and this show really showcases how powerful women can be and that we can do anything we set our minds to. I love this mix of idealism and practicality. Sometimes, things really don’t work out for these characters, and it’s just a realistic part of life. Sometimes, this makes me mad when I watch TV because I want to see something less realistic. I live in reality, so I sometimes want something very separate from it. While it is realistic, they seem to have an endless supply of hot, romantic partners and endless career opportunities. I don’t know if it was meant to add to the idea of girl power, but it just made me jealous because I do not think that is necessarily what real life is like. Also, they’re adults who get to live with their best friends!! For all the heartache and rough times, this shows makes me want to go get my best friends and become wildly successful and happy together.
7. Marvelous Mrs. Maisel I am a big Gilmore Girls fan, so I was very excited to discover that Amy Sherman-Palladino had a new project out. Similar to Gilmore Girls, this show is fast-paced and focused on independent women. While Midge Maisel is not a character who I relate to a lot, she is one who I find hilarious and admire. In the first episode, her husband leaves her after revealing that he had been cheating on her for a while, and her life crumbles. She finds solace and passion again in being a stand-up comedian which is very out of the ordinary for a woman in the 1950s. This show has another great cast! All of the characters are hilarious! While there is plenty of romance that I do really enjoy, I like this show because it feels like romance often falls to the back burner for Midge behind her family and comedy career. I could listen to Midge talk about sports and never get bored.
8. The Haunting of Hill House This is not the type of show I would normally watch. I scare easily (really easily), but this show is so interesting and tragic that I could deal with the jump scares. This show jumps between two time periods - when the five siblings are young kids living with their parents at a house they are flipping and when they are older and dealing with the repercussions of what happened at that house. I think the writers and creators of this show are really smart. I love when there is a show that I just think is so clever. When everything is finally revealed, you will be mind blown because it is so unexpected, but it also makes so much sense. I think Episode 7 of this show is one of the most tragic episodes of television I have ever watched. This show is focused on one family and how they have evolved and changed through tragedy. I think the depiction of siblings and family dynamics are so accurate especially when dealing with tragedy (I apparently can’t use any word but tragedy to describe this show). While this is not necessarily a show with a clear happy ending, I feel like it is a fulfilling ending that makes sense and left me feeling resolved. For real, watch this show!!
9. Ted Lasso This show is still pretty new to me, and I just watched the second season a few days ago, so I think there is a chance that how recently I watched it is affecting its place on my list. It is about an American football coach, Ted Lasso, who gets hired as a football coach in England for one of the Premier Leagues. He brings so much joy and optimism to this team, and it completely changes their dynamic in a good way. So, having recently watched, I have many thoughts. 1) I love Ted! He is so optimistic and kind to every single person. I think he would do anything to help anyone no matter who they were or if they had wronged him. 2) I love Roy Kent. He is so grouchy but so sweet. I saw a tweet recently that said he is a perfect example of someone who is kind but not nice, and that is really the best descriptor of him. Because he is so grouchy, his acts of kindness are so meaningful and sweet. For example, SPOILER when Jamie’s stupid dad came and was a jerk, he gave Jamie and huge hug, and I wnated to cry cry cry forever because it was so sweet. END OF SPOILER Also, literally every character (except Nate who can rot in Hell for all I care) is exceptional. The way they all care for each other, especially for characters who were all not close at the beginning, is so sweet to see. This show also never does what you expect, and it is such a pleasant surprise. Because I have watched so much media, it sometimes feels like no plotlines are really new. I had multiple times in the second season when I really thought I knew what was going to happen and was just plain wrong (SPOILER Sam + Rebecca?? Excuse me?? END OF SPOILER). Go watch it!!
10. PEN15 It’s been a while since I have watched this, but I know that I loved it, so it’s on the list! The two creators of the show play two middle school girls (Anna and Maya) going through all the problems that middle school girls have to deal with. When my family and I first started watching the show, I was a little thrown off by seeing two thirty-something-year-olds play twelve-year-olds, especially since all the other middle schoolers are played by actual middle school-aged actors. Eventually, I just got used to it, and now I have trouble remembering that those actresses are not kids. Maya and Anna’s relationship is so weird, but so sweet, and their struggles are very relatable. All they really want is to fit in and be liked by everyone else. I remember how that felt in middle school. I know how that feels still now. There have definitely been times during this show that I have had some real bad second hand embarrassment from some of the situations they get themselves in. And just an example of what type of humor this show is, look at the title :)

Honorable Mentions: These shows did not quite make it into the top ten, but they were both special in their own ways, so I felt like they deserved some mention!

• Anne with an E
• Julie and the Phantoms