Top 10 TV Shows to Watch for Writers

Working through writer’s block doesn’t have to be stressful. You can Binge the ‘top 10 TV shows to watch for writers’ your way out of this for inspiration. This can be a table-turner if you find the right series to couch on. Netflix brings a plethora of compelling shows to watch exposing a raw storyline while keeping character development hand in hand.

While watching, analyze the story and make note of what is it that made it a success. These shows can be a tool for you to learn how to stay relevant and connected to the audience. Figure out what makes the show tick and bring that in your writing. Here are the top 10 TV shows to watch for writers and make your writing skills grow – the 10 best writing tools may also help in that regard.

What are the top 10 TV shows to watch for writers?

• The Walking Dead
• The Killing
• Breaking Bad
• Stranger Things
• The Girlfriend Experience
• Squid Games
• Russian Doll
• Black Mirror
• Fargo
• Designated Survivor

The Walking Dead

Walking Dead is a gritty gore drama surrounding a zombie apocalypse. It revolves around the group of survivors as they struggle to find safety but soon a number of them break under pressure and lose their humanity.

Don’t watch this drama for the zombies or the gruesome trill but writers should watch it as a character study of how the survivors’ struggle. This struggle is more in their interpersonal conflicts than the threat roaming out in the streets. It showcases how society can so easily lose its humanity when brought under the threat of survival.

This show promises an emotional wringer as the viewers see survivors battle zombies while also combating inner bullies and tyrants.

The Killing

While the critics and viewers’ review of this show kneels downward as the story moves forward, it is a great show for a good investigative instinct where it showcases crime and police drama. Here the action gun scenes are not highlighted in contrast the procedures and working of the police are brought to light. This show is famously linked to The Twin Peak which is a strong show of the time that cultivated a cult following as Die Hard did.

Here one can see real human emotions coming out explained so beautifully by David Bianculli, on NPR’s Fresh Air program all the while also showcasing the real grunt work on the police system. This is one of the reasons why viewers are still connected to the series despite it being slow as it showcased an emotional experience that a viewer feels associated with.

Breaking Bad

Here we see that the effect of a character evolving and developing can be so substantial that it can encompass the whole storyline.

This story gives the writer viewers the gist of how and why a viewer is hooked to the script. It is encircling the life of a mediocre man who is living through his daily life struggles when tragic news hits him and he, thinking “how can it get worse” starts a meth lab to make his financial position stable.

This show portrays how a simple man can change for the worst in desperation for the love of his family just to make his family financial circumstances preferable. It is said to be a high-quality piece of suspense and action. Paul MacInnes reviewed in The Guardian “The whole thing was about transformation. But Breaking Bad was also emblematic of significant changes in TV and culture as a whole.”

Stranger Things

This show is beyond phenomenal if one is looking for inspiration. The plots and twists brought about create suspense that will make the viewers have no choice but to Binge-watch the series. The storyline is taut and the execution is beyond perfection.

The setting surpasses the excellence as one goes down memory lane watching the show. The show has Stephen King’s horror elements combined with Agatha Christie’s suspense thriller.
The series leaves the viewer wanting for more, the same is stressed by Lucy Mangan as she reviews the show in The Guardian.

The Girlfriend Experience

It’s a slow burner from which it is difficult to keep your eyes away. It’s a character study where the beautiful lead isn’t in over her head and is showing a grounded personality. We don’t see emotional highs and lows but still, the interest of the viewer is kept even though they are not necessarily relating to the characters.

A strong law student is shown who takes the opportunity presented to her whether you agree with her decision or not. She takes the journey in the escort world all the while growing in her personality with whom the viewers attach themselves.

Every character and setting is well thought out as reviewed by Stuart in The Guardian “a world has been very carefully constructed here”

Squid Games

The new “Games” are taking over social media nowadays. Not for the faint-hearted but the soft-core keeps one hooked on. It’s a thought-provoking drama that makes one anticipate that a culture that brings out violence is inherently sick and deranged. It’s tapping on the pressing issues such as debt, family ties, and the longing for a better life.

Human instinct is challenged to see how far one can go to get that pursuit of happiness. Karl Quinn beautifully sums “The horrors of the game exist only because life outside the arena is a kind of Hell”

Russian Doll

An inspiring story diving into a character’s anatomy, is a must-watch for a writer’s exploration as the series answers the century-old question of “what makes us human?” A different aspect of this show is that it ranges from hysterically funny to brutally emotional.

When one feels that the show is running out of juice there comes another twist. The Star states “The best part of the show is that it manages to keep us chortling, even as they address serious issues of death and mental illness.”

Every person will have a different taste of what is happening as they respond according to their background. Overall it combines how our society’s shame-laden culture to mental illness worsen the condition even more than the real situation.

Black Mirror

Black Mirrors tap into the things we are uneasy about in the modern world. A series of stories are brought forward where they are put under a microscope – a few dark realities of technology when they are combined with some shady elements of human nature.

This series can give a whirlpool of possibilities to a writer as they drift through the dark freakish side of social media and human interaction.

Fargo

Several characters get involved with unique murder investigations in different quiet towns of the midwest. This series makes the characters real, authentic, and human so they gain viewers’ sympathy. This can be a new way for the writers to go about.

It is said to be unpredictable and leaves the viewers thinking for hours. It sets a mood that is nourishing thus fulfilling.

Designated Survivor

“Designated Survivor aims to have it all: the weight of “The West Wing,” the addictive thrills of “House of Cards,” and perhaps even the action of “24”, Ben Travers reviews in Indie Wire. It gives writers a new dimension to democracy as it is hit by the crisis and how politics work its way around society.

The work in progress that one character faces by the choices and experiences it faces is highlighted in this series. This theme of transformation can be very strong for the reader or viewer, like Kiefer Sutherlands’ moves from the powerless post to the all-powerful.
The story revolving around one main character needs to have a big plot and twists to retain the attention but overall it provides an impressive watch.