(Lost + Zombies) - Smoke Monster= The Walking Dead

Literally, that's The Walking Dead in a nutshell. It's Lost without the smoke monster, and instead of the Others there's zombies.  But it's a similar tale of survival-at-any-cost with a group of total fucking morons.

Orange is the New Black: I did not see this coming

So I have this post that's 95% done on the Walking Dead that I was planning on posting next, but then I watched all of Orange is the New Black in under a week and I just HAVE to talk about it.  (Don't worry, we'll get to my love of Daryl killing zombies soon.  And I *do* love Daryl.)

But Orange is the New Black is something unlike anything I've ever seen on TV, even if it's only on Netflix Instant.  It's a show created by a woman, based on a book written by another woman, starring a cast of almost all women, the majority of whom are either not white or not straight.  It's a show that treats a gay love story with the same care and attention as a straight love story, and that shows the flexibility of human sexuality in a non-exploitive manner.  It's a show that gives us the stories of people that society has written off, and does so in a non-preachy manner.  Hell, it's a persuasive argument for prison reform wrapped in NPR jokes.

Luther: Your standard loose-cannon cop, only this time he's British and played by Idris Elba.

For me, Luther is the perfect combination of my two favorite things: British TV and crime procedurals (with bonus handsomeness).  The titular Luther is a rageaholic jackass who is going through a divorce and generally on a downward spiral.  He's a detective who solves crimes (and occasionally dispenses some good old-fashioned vigilante justice) in London.  He's also magnetic and charming and at the same time kind of a terrible person?  It's complicated.  But also awesome.

TV Shows that should be on Netflix Instant so I can watch them whenever I want

1) The O.C., because that show was seriously brilliant (if you ignore Marissa, who is the worst).
2) Gilmore Girls, because I'm kind of dying without an infusion of Lorelai-Gilmore-fast-talk and Rory-Gilmore-earnestness.  And Jess.  Always Jess.  But there's too many seasons to own/get on disc rental, so help a girl out, okay Netflix?
3) Chuck, because that show is ADORABLE.
4) Lois and Clark, the New Adventures of Superman, because mid-90s Dean Cain.
5) Semi off topic, but seriously, netflix, stop putting shows that have been on Instant for OVER A YEAR in the "new arrivals" section, because now you're just lying.

Bears. Beets. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.

It took me awhile to jump on the Battlestar Galactica bandwagon, not due to any aversion to it but because I don't have cable.

But then it came on Netflix Instant.  And my husband and I watched all four seasons in three weeks.

Hart of Dixie: Distractingly Set in Stars Hollow

Hart of Dixie is a charming little weekly romantic comedy, whose main fault is that they don't even try to hide the fact that it is clearly filmed on the same set as Gilmore Girls, and I find it super distracting (I have the same problem with Pretty Little Liars-- I keep expecting to see Lorelai or Miss Patty or Lane pop around a corner).  There's no Miss Patty, but it *does* have Carl Winslow as a slightly effete gossip blogger.  So there's that.

The best sitcoms you aren't watching. Or maybe you are. I don't know, I'm not you.

I can't really do my usual reviews of sitcoms, since they just don't really fit that format, and there's not a lot to say about individual characters.  After all, most of the comedy comes from the interactions between characters, rather than the characters themselves.  So instead, I'll do a brief round up of my unexpected favorites, plus a few standards that if you aren't watching right now, I don't think I want to know you.