There was a time not so long ago when the great screenwriters would have nothing to do with television; they all vied to have their scripts turned into movies.
As more and more television stations opened the need for new and better material arose and, with it, salaries. So more of the better writers turned their attention to television.
Today, we have a plethora of excellent shows to watch. I am going to recommend a few to you if you haven’t watched them yet.
First, Starz bought the rights to Diana Gabaldon’s “Outlander” series. Season 6 just ended Sunday night. Claire (Caitriona Balfe) accidently gets tossed back in time to meet Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) who becomes the love of her life. Even though it may seem to be fantasy, it is actual historical fiction. There is lots of violence, nudity, and sex but it’s a great story.
People who like historical fiction, intrigue and romance will love Netflix’s “Bridgerton.” The show is based on a series of Regency romance novels, and Julie Andrews voices the narrator. Season one actor Rege-Jean Page was the heartthrob of every woman who watched.
PBS has aired two seasons of “All Creatures Great and Small,” on Masterpiece Theater based on the series of books. “Yorkshire Dales” by veterinarian James Herriot. Although this has been done before in the 1970’s, the current version is the best. This is free and doesn’t need a streaming service to watch. Season three is currently being filmed.
My game night crowd thinks “Yellowstone” is the greatest program on air. We spend about 10 minutes every game night talking about the show. If you miss an episode, you are in the dark. “Yellowstone is an epic drama about the Dutton family, who controls the largest contiguous ranch in the US, which is under constant encroachment by those it borders. Now showing on the Paramount channel, “Yellowstone” stars Kevin Costner as John Dutton.
For the baby boomers, there is the Netflix comedy “Grace and Frankie” starring Academy Award nominee Lily Tomlin, Academy Award winner Jane Fonda, Martin Sheen and Academy Award nominee Sam Waterston in this hilarious show about two women who don’t like each other but are thrown together when their husbands want divorces, declare their love, and want to marry each other.
There are other great shows out there. Starz is airing “Gas Lit” starring Academy Award winner Julia Roberts and Academy Award winner Sean Penn as John and Martha Mitchell of the Watergate scandal.
Another Netflix original, “Ozark” starring Jason Bateman and Academy Award nominee Laura Linney, is worth the time to watch.
Julian Fellowes, who is an outstanding writer, brought us the PBS series “Downton Abbey.” It was so popular that they brought back the entire cast for a movie in 2019, and another this year opens May 20 in theaters.
There are so many great series and programs now being written for television that there just isn’t enough time in the day to watch everything out there. So I am always surprised when anyone says, “I couldn’t find anything to watch!”