THE HANDMAID’S TALE (2017)
5 seasons / 56 episodes (so far)
If ever there was a show not for the feint of heart, it’s The Handmaid’s Tale. This dark, apocalyptic vision of a country that is taken over by a theocracy and holds women as reproductive slaves (or worse) is based on the best-selling book by Margaret Atwood. Perhaps the most terrifying thing about this terrifying scenario is how terrifyingly close it may come to being our reality if we continue down the road we are currently going in this country. But The Handmaid’s Tale is so much more than a cautionary tale or a warning, it is a thrilling, disturbing and riveting story of one woman, June Osborne, played by Elisabeth Moss, who is abducted, enslaved and then starts a rebellion against a country of oppressors. There is so much more to it than that, and so many characters that make this story a compelling experience, but it’s something you really have to experience for yourself. But, again, please be warned: it is dark, heavy, intense, disturbing and haunting, and, if you’re a woman, absolutely terrifying. But maybe seeing the future can help us avoid it.
***Emmy Winner***
DOPESICK (2021)
1 season / 8 episodes
It’s hard to recommend a series that will make your blood boil, but it’s hard to not consider Dopesick absolutely essential viewing for every American. It’s the story of the origin and explosion of the opioid addiction crisis in this country, a healthcare emergency from which we are still suffering from. It tells both the story of the evil pharmaceutical company at the center of the storm, as well as the victims of their greed, the patients and the doctors who unknowingly put themselves at risk. Michael Keaton does some of the best work of his career, as does Kaitlyn Dever, Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbard, Rosario Dawson, and Mare Winningham. An absolute must-see, but have a stiff drink at the ready to calm your nerves.
***Emmy Winner***