The Bold and the Beautiful

Serialized television can be a visceral and all-consuming medium. Devotees to certain shows lap up every piece of content they can find, spend money on merchandise, and even create their own fan art. They scour online fan communities, social media sites and message boards to speculate and theorize about what everything means and what's going to happen next. Obviously, the internet has catalyzed a lot of this growth by organizing fans from all over the world over their mutual love for a given show. House of Cards and Orange is the New Black appear to most recent examples of this phenomenon, while Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead seem to be on a whole other level by themselves. Netflix, on-demand, and other streaming services have helped proliferate these shows to reach audiences they wouldn't have reached five or ten years ago.

While so much fanfare and internet attention is devoted to these big tent pole properties, other smaller shows still get unnoticed; criminally so in some cases. In many ways, that's what this blog will be devoted to; taking the shows relegated to the TV-darkness and bringing them into the light. Let's get started with two of my recent favorites.


Rectify
Set and filmed in the lovely Georgia countryside, Rectify keeps one word firmly planted in my consciousness: beauty. This show is simply beautiful. From the outstanding acting and writing to the stunning cinematography, this show -- centering on a recently-released death row inmate -- sings and dances like few other offerings currently on television. While similarly-set shows focus on the grimy underbelly of southern life and culture (True Detective, True Blood, and Justified come to mind), Rectify sets its sights on everyday struggle and redemption. Created by local Georgian Ray McKinnon, this show exudes southern charm and hospitality while also dealing with the isolation and fervent gossip that comes with small town life. Appropriately so, Rectify moves at its own graceful pace, not concerned  by onlookers who may be used to a more high-intensity and volatile drama. If you slow down just a little bit, there might not be a more rewarding experience available on TV right now. Recitfy is currently airing its second season on the Sundance Channel. The first season is also streaming on Netflix.

Hannibal
On the other side of TV spectrum lies Hannibal, which focuses on the eponymous popular character from the Silence of the Lambs film and its many sequels. While Hannibal is shown on a big network (NBC), the show still attracts a meager audience and has been stuck in the not-so-attractive Friday night slot for most of its run.  This show is not for the faint of heart. For a show that deals with Dr. Lecter and his relationship with serial killer profiler Will Graham, Hannibal might just be the skin-crawliest thing on TV. With countless indistinguishable sounds and images throughout every episode, Hannibal meticulously subverts the stereotypical detective/serial killer with its distinct visual style and creepy,borderline masochistic tone. Hannibal just wrapped up its second season and the first can now be streamed on Amazon Prime.