5 Shows to Binge Watch After the Game of Thrones Series Finale

[image error]If you’re like me, you are waiting in eager expectation for the upcoming final episode of Game of Thrones.  However, I’m already thinking about what I’ll watch next.  I know it’s the same as thinking about lunch when you’re sitting down to breakfast, but hey, we all have our weaknesses, right?

What I love about GOT is the complex plots, the well-developed characters, and of course the setting.  These five shows have all of that.  They may not be set in a  quasi-medieval time, and unfortunately none of them have dragons, but they’re still quality shows that will grab your attention and keep you coming back.

Here’s my list:

The 100    This show chronicles the lives of 100 criminal adolescents who are banished from their home, a dilapidated space station, and sent to Earth 100 years after a devastating nuclear war.  These young people struggle to find their way on what has become an alien planet.  The show is rife with strong characters, political intrigue, and lots of unknown enemies.  It’s definitely an edge-of-your-seat kind of experience.  Five seasons are available on Netflix.
How to Get Away with Murder .  This fast-paced mystery involves a brilliant, yet deeply disturbed, criminal defense professor and a group of ambitious students who are all out to win her favor.  In this show, one misfortune begets another, and has everyone scrambling to undo, or at least mitigate, the horrible series of events that threatens to get them jailed, or worse, killed.   All of the actors are excellent, but my very favorite is Viola Davis as Annalise Keating.  Her performance is amazing, and the show is something I could not stop watching.  Five Seasons on Hulu and Netflix.
The Magicians .  Harry Potter meets Donny Darko meets The Chronicles of Narnia?  Yes, that’s right.  Imagine if HP was set in the US, and the wizarding students were all in their twenties, drank (a lot), did drugs (a lot), and slept together all while exploring magic and Narnia?  That’s The Magicians in a nutshell.  Based on Lev Grossman’s novels, this series is seriously deranged.  It’s funny, scary, and incredibly exciting.  The characters are all complex yet very damaged which makes the entire experience so compelling.  Definitely a must watch.  Four seasons on Netflix.
Altered Carbon .  If you enjoyed Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049,  then this is the show for you.  Visually, it’s stunning.   The special effects are amazing.  The story follows Takeshi Kovacs, a prisoner who’s been in suspended animation for 250 years.  Kovacs wakes up and is given a new body and a chance at redemption.  But only if he can solve a complicated murder mystery.  This show is action-packed and full of twists.  10 episodes on Netflix.
Shamless.  Okay, this is a far cry from dragons and the iron throne, but Shameless has plenty of family drama.  The Gallaghers are probably one of the most dysfunctional families in Chicago.  They’re not quite Lannister bad, but they all have their hang-ups.  Together, they struggle to survive poverty, absentee parents, and a host of other issues.  Mostly funny and occasionally heart-wrenching, Shameless is a binge-worthy show.  8 seasons on Netflix.