Between work, family, friends, and finding time for yourself — it can be nearly impossible to keep up with all the latest pop culture news and stay informed for your next workplace chat.
It can feel alienating joining a workplace conversation about the latest trendy TV and find yourself completely out of the loop. Even more so, if it’s a show you are watching but are significantly behind on, and you find yourself ducking out of chats to avoid spoilers.
But with umpteen streaming services available, as well as UK terrestrial channels, it’s hard to know what to watch.
Read on to discover four must-watch TV shows that will help you stay informed for your next natter around the office watercooler.
- Ted Lasso
There were more than a few eyebrows raised when Apple TV spun off a character that originally starred in a series of NBC Premier League commercials into a fully-fledged comedy series. But it has turned out to be a stroke of genius.
Ted Lasso — named after the titular affable American football coach turned Premier League manager — follows a motley crew of characters based out of the fictional Richmond F.C and their struggles on and off the pitch.
The show thrives in its overwhelming commitment to show how the power of positive energy can overcome almost any challenge.
Ted is offered a job in England under false pretences, set up to fail by his bosses, and considered a laughing stock by the sporting world. Yet, he succeeds by slowly wearing down everyone he meets with his charms.
Ted turns almost every foe into a friend and slowly pushes his small football club, its owner, and playing staff to be better.
If you’re looking for a dose of joy to shake off a hard workday, Ted Lasso could be the place to start.
The 3rd season — which is tipped to be its last – is currently underway, so there’s no better time to get involved.
- The Mandalorian
For so many years it was the king of the box office, but now Star Wars is finding a new home and increasing success on the smaller screen.
As “May the 4th” — also known as “Star Wars Day” — approaches, it could be a good time to catch up on the most popular of Disney+’s Star Wars series, The Mandalorian.
The series is Star Wars with a heavier dose of the Western genre. It follows Din Djarin, a Mandalorian bounty hunter, and his adventures with his bounty turned adoptive son, Grogu, an infant member of the iconic Yoda’s species.
Star Wars has featured heavily in the popular culture zeitgeist for so many generations of people.
Fans who took a trip to the cinema in 1977 are likely in their mid-50s or 60s now. While generations of children and grandchildren will likely have grown up on the early 2000s prequels and more recently the sequel trilogy.
So, if you’re looking for a series that’s incredibly popular, that you can sit down and enjoy with your children or even grandchildren, The Mandalorian could be a good place to begin.
- The Last of Us
At the start of 2023, you might have found yourself overhearing chit-chat about mushrooms, zombies, and road trips across post-apocalyptic wastelands. If you did, it’ll likely have been about HBO’s highly successful video game TV series adaptation The Last of Us.
The show, based on the game of the same name, takes place almost 20 years after global society collapses. An outbreak of a cordyceps mushroom-based infection has turned ordinary folk into blood thirsty, infectious, zombies.
The series follows Joel, a grieving father, and Ellie, an orphaned girl with a special gift, as they navigate their way across a dystopian America. The unlikely pair try to avoid getting bitten or confronted by the smattering of uninfected humans who have turned to theft, murder, or worse in order to survive.
Widely regarded as the best video game adaptation to date, The Last of Us is headlined by the wildly popular Pedro Pascal — who also stars in The Mandalorian. The series also features the creative team behind the award-winning Chernobyl series.
- Succession
Currently airing its fourth season, HBO’s Succession has dominated the award’s circuit over the last few years.
Chronicling the trials, tribulations, and downright evil machinations of the mega-rich Roy family — Succession follows the decision of the family’s patriarch, Logan, to announce his intention to step down as head of his multibillion-dollar media empire and start planning for his succession.
As a result, his spoilt, and cut-throat adult children vie for the spot as his eventual heir, all while Logan flip flops on whether he’d prefer to just remain in charge himself.
Brutal and intense, this must-watch show is nearing its intended conclusion with the fourth series being the last. The show has already sprung a few surprises, so if you’re a fan or plan on watching, it might be a good idea to binge a few episodes now to avoid having anything spoilt for you next time you’re in the office.
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