As I Cee It

I love talking about television. I love talking about shows I like, upcoming shows that I’m excited about, getting show recommendations. With cable, Netflix and Hulu, there is so much content available I can barely contain myself (or keep up). However, there has always been one genre that has eluded me – period shows. With the notable exception of Dr. Quinn (which I loved, likely due to a childhood crush on Sully), I’ve never been much for them. I couldn’t even watch Mad Men.

But it looks like my tastes have changed recently. I’ve discovered three period shows that I’ve really gotten into. (I feel like it’s worth noting that only one is a BBC show, though BBC seems to be top dog in period pieces and everyone’s favorite go-to.)

1. Underground (WGN)
Tonight’s season premiere was actually the inspiration for this post. I originally watched it because a) Aldis Hodge and his super fine self that I developed a crush on when I watched Leverage and b) I try to support shows starring people of color. I L-O-V-E this show. While it’s often heartbreaking (to be expected), the characters are beautifully resilient and hopeful. It’s well-written and the actors are fantastic.

2. Poldark (BBC/PBS)
This was a recommendation from a friend who lives for BBC and period shows. I only agreed to watch it when I Realized the lead was Aiden Turner who I fell in love with during his time as a vampire on Being Human. (…I’m sensing a trend here.) It’s pretty good and I like the story.

3. Turn (AMC)
This was the first of the three that I started watching. I found this show before Underground when I was looking up things Aldis Hodge was in. Even knowing he wasn’t a major character, I gave it a try anyway. I’ll admit it took about three to four episodes before I could tell the characters apart, what with the white powder wigs and uniforms and all. I was very much into it by the end of the first season and I’m trying to make time to delve into S2.

Ok. Well. It looks like the moral of the story here is that I can be convinced to watch just about anything if there are attractive men in it. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. But these shows are actually good, too!

Got any period show suggestions for me? Turn is ending after S4 so I’ll need to replace it with someone.