I spent a lot of the summer holidays watching old series, like the Gilmore Girls and the X Files. I used to be a massive fan of the X Files, as I was quite a nerdy teenager, but then it got super weird and I left home to go to university and didn’t have Sky, so couldn’t watch it. I finally watched the last few series and I think it’s pretty good. However, it’s dated so much so I was pleased to have some new TV to watch.

[Nashville – Now TV || The Get Down – Netflix ||
Parks and Recreation – Amazon Prime || The Great British Bake Off – BBC One]

A friend first suggested I watch Nashville, when it first came out. I scoffed, but gave it a go. Now, I love it and was crushed to hear that it had been cancelled after this series. I’m hoping/may have imagined that it’s going to be picked up by someone like Netflix or Amazon, because it is brilliant! I never knew the world of country music was so cut throat or glamorous and I’m still surprised by how many of the cast wear cowboy boots! I love everything about the show, especially Rayna James, played by the awesome Connie Britton, who will always be Tami Taylor from Friday Night Lights in my eyes! (Major girl crush!) I also have developed a love for country music since watching the show and have bought all the soundtracks so far and listened to a few other artists on Apple Radio. If you need something light hearted and dramatic at the same time, check this out.

Let me preempt this write up of the Get Down by saying I hate musicals. With a passion. That being said, I didn’t know this was a musical, and don’t see it as such. And it’s freakin’ amazing. We binged it over two nights and can’t wait for the second part to be released. It’s glorious and brilliant and worth a few hours of your time. Set in the 1970’s when New York was going through a really tough time, it charts the beginning of Hip Hop, which went on to dominate in the 80’s. It’s fantastic and the soundtrack is epic.

I saw the first few seasons of Parks and Recreation a few years ago, but the rest weren’t on Amazon, so I’ve been waiting patiently for them to appear, which, apart from the final series, they have. I love Parks and Rec. It reminds me the American Office, in that I want to work there. It’s such a funny show, in that there were many times when I did laugh out loud! The characters are brilliant and I love how they all come together to overcome pretty much anything, despite their differences. The fact that Leslie has such a cheerful, can-do attitude is so encouraging. I seriously need a ‘What Would Leslie Do?’ wristband for when things get tough!

Need a say anything about The Great British Bake Off? It is a classic show that never seems to get old, despite being in its 7th series. That’s quite impressive for a show with a simple format – Bake things, judge the things and get rid of someone. I love it when things go terribly wrong, like when someone uses salt instead of sugar and Paul Hollywood has to spit his food out! Or when angry people throw their bakes in the bin! And who hasn’t cried over their baking? I know I have. And it might be stupid, but we’ve all done it and most of just in the privacy of our own kitchens, when we didn’t have the glacial stare of Paul Hollywood, judging our every move. But then, neither did we have the warm embrace of Mel & Sue, or the kind words of Mary Berry to pick us up when the cake we baked was practically burnt on the outside and raw on the inside. True story. I hope they never stop making this show because it is brilliant.