488 Movies Like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Page 12)

It’s hard to shock viewers nowadays, with TV being saturated with every type of show imaginable. But Am I Being Unreasonable? succeeds at standing out with deceptive simplicity. The six-part series asks us to follow Nic (Daisy May Cooper) and Jen (Selin Hizli), seemingly ordinary mothers living seemingly ordinary lives. Predictably, it starts with their midlife malaise, but the more we learn about the pair, the more complex and fearsome they become, and the more it becomes clear how difficult it is to know (and much less trust) another person. 

The show swerves from drama to comedy to romance to horror all in a flash, and in lesser hands these changes can be frustrating and jarring. But here they feel welcome and fresh, thanks in large part to confident direction, a whipsmart script, and the wonderful relationship that forms between Nic and Jen. Every twist feels justified and every genre shift feels ingenious. Like its leads, Am I Being Unreasonable? can seem simple at first, but it dives into unexpected depths with every new episode.

Genre: Comedy

Actor: Daisy May Cooper, Seline Hizli

Based on true events, A Spy Among Friends tells the story of Kim Philby (Guy Pearce) and Nicholas Elliot (Damian Lewis), best friends who worked for MI6, that is until Philby defected to the Soviet Union. Subject to inquisition and intense scrutiny, Philby and Elliot test the strength of their friendship against growing political turmoil.

The series starts slow and the dialogue, while smart, can get heavy-handed. But if you give it some time, the payoffs are rewarding. The sets are immersive as it spans different eras and countries; the actors are charismatic as they present enigmatic layers for us to unfold; and the particulars of espionage manage to feel freshly shocking in a story told many times before. 

Artful, well-performed, and gripping, A Spy Among Friends is a great watch for fans of voluble but intelligent thrillers.

Genre: Drama, War & Politics

Actor: Adrian Edmondson, Anastasia Hille, Anna Maxwell Martin, Damian Lewis, Gershwyn Eustache Jnr, Gilly Gilchrist, Guy Pearce, Karel Roden, Lucy Akhurst, Lucy Russell, Monika Gossmann, Nicholas Rowe, Stephen Kunken, Steven Elder, Thomas Arnold

Director: Nick Murphy

Rating: TV-MA

Based on the 2014 film of the same title, this mockumentary series manages the difficult, Seinfeld-ean task of being about nothing in particular and still being funny. Sure, the show's episodes usually revolve around its core cast of vampires' unfamiliarity with the real world, but the stakes are low—no pun intended—and the character relationships get to develop at a relaxed pace. Even when new monsters or more fearsome vampires are introduced, the show never loses its absurd, goofy tone. And from insecure Nandor and feisty Nadja, to exasperated Guillermo, monotone Colin, and sassy Laszlo, What We Do in the Shadows boasts one of the most robust ensemble of bumbling protagonists on TV today.

Genre: Comedy, Horror

Actor: Harvey Guillén, Kayvan Novak, Mark Proksch, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou

Wellington Paranormal is a wry and highly entertaining mockumentary series that follows a special force unit and their adventures in quelling paranormal activity. Taika Waititi executive produces this cross-genre sitcom, which serves as a spin-off to Waititi’s cult classic What We Do in the Shadows. 

While the film focuses on the creatures, Wellington Paranormal is decidedly about Officers Minogue and O'Leary and the hijinks that ensue as they encounter all sorts of supernatural beings, from vampires and werewolves to sea monsters and demons. The show is simple but deadpan funny: a chillingly breezy way to spend your binge time. 

Genre: Comedy, Crime, Fantasy

Actor: Karen O'Leary, Maaka Pohatu, Mike Minogue

Rating: TV-14

We Own This City is a six-part miniseries following the ins and outs of the Baltimore Police Department's Gun Trace Task Force. Hailed by critics as the “spiritual successor to The Wire” (both shows were developed by David Simon), the gritty crime drama works as a smart and gripping exposé not just of the Baltimore police department, but of big and flawed institutions, in general, and the seeming inherence of corruption. The series is based on the book We Own This City: A True Story of Crime, Cops and Corruption by Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton.

Genre: Crime, Drama, Reality

Actor: Dagmara Domińczyk, Darrell Britt-Gibson, David Corenswet, Delaney Williams, Don Harvey, Jamie Hector, Jon Bernthal, Josh Charles, Larry Mitchell, Lucas Van Engen, McKinley Belcher III, Rob Brown, Wunmi Mosaku

Rating: TV-MA

Genre: Comedy

Actor: Busy Philipps, Dale Dickey, Danny McBride, Georgia King, Shea Whigham, Sheaun McKinney, Walton Goggins

Rating: TV-MA

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: Charlie Rowe, Claire Skinner, Claudia Jessie, David Fynn, David Ross, Ellie Kendrick, Frances de la Tour, Frances Grey, Jeremy Swift, Johnny Flynn, Martin Clunes, Michael Palin, Nathaniel Parker, Olivia Cooke, Philip Glenister, Robert Pugh, Sian Clifford, Simon Russell Beale, Tom Bateman

Director: Marc Munden

Every episode of Totally Completely Fine begins with a trigger warning, and rightly so—the show's entire premise is about mental health, grief, and self-harm. Vivian, the lead (a captivating Thomasin McKenzie), is an orphan who goes on benders and ideates about killing herself. Things escalate when she inherits a cliffside house that doubles as a popular suicide spot and gains a prying (albeit good-natured) psychiatrist as a neighbor. All these elements, and a couple more, force her to confront her repressed trauma once and for all. 

It sounds bleak, and it should be difficult to watch, but the show is a successful dark comedy. It strikes that rare deft balance between tragedy and comedy, highlighting painful truths with cutting humor and delivering jokes tinged with poignant insight. Vivian and her siblings are not entirely likable, but their brokenness and vulnerability make them all the more relatable, the perfect guides to hold your hand through this totally messy, completely enthralling, and finely compassionate show.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: Devon Terrell, Rowan Witt, Thomasin McKenzie

An eccentric billionaire. A freakishly strong character who is ashamed of his strength. A Captain America-esque leader. An old mentor in the form of a wise talking monkey. You guessed it; The Umbrella Academy is about superheroes.

One fateful day in 1989 many women across the globe give birth at the same time, but at the start of that day, none of them were pregnant. The eccentric billionaire adopts a number of these children to form The Umbrella Academy, a collective similar to X-Men or The Avengers. Except, because they are all kind of related, this show is about their family dynamic as much as it is about their superpowers.

The Umbrella Academy is an entertaining story of superheroes that is rarely original but always enjoyable. Ellen Page plays one of the kids (the black sheep of the family who has no superpowers), and she’s a joy to watch.

And substantial bonus: Mary J. Blige (!) plays a hitman.

Genre: Action, Action & Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Adam Godley, Aidan Gallagher, Cameron Britton, Cameron Brodeur, Colm Feore, David Castañeda, David Castañeda, Eden Cupid, Ellen Page, Elliot Page, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Génesis Rodríguez, Justin H. Min, Mary J. Blige, Ritu Arya, Robert Sheehan, Tom Hopper

Rating: TV-14

This series is proof that no matter how silly or brutal things get, pro wrestling can always serve as someone’s sanctuary. Though they sprinkle in pixie dust to make the industry as sketchy, barbaric, and ambiguous as possible, there’s a sparkle to the show’s energy that makes it feel like you’re watching a sweet cinematic drama, or rather a dreamy depiction of the monstrous world of ‘80s joshi wrestling. Ultimately, they do a stellar job conveying intimacy in interpersonal drama and portrayal of combat (even when combat amounts to stabbing someone's head with a fork), and taken as a whole, makes for such a breezy and mesmerizing pro wrestling drama.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Ayame Goriki, Ayame Gouriki, Daisuke Kuroda, Erika Karata, Haruka Imou, Jun Murakami, Nobuko Sendo, Ryoka Neya, Takuma Otoo, Takumi Saitoh, Yuriyan Retriever

Rating: TV-MA

By imagining a plausible world in which World War II is avoided when an American populist president cozies up to Hitler, The Plot Against America becomes an effective allegory for all the ways well-meaning citizens gradually allow fascists to take power. Every perspective espoused by the Levins—a Jewish family grappling with the new president's endorsement of anti-Semitism—is treated as just one partially correct response that's ultimately just too little, too late. These ideological discussions that make up the heart of the miniseries are nevertheless filmed on a grand scale, and played with real fervor by an ensemble cast that includes Morgan Spector, Zoe Kazan, Winona Ryder, and John Turturro.

Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, War & Politics

Actor: Anthony Boyle, Azhy Robertson, John Turturro, Morgan Spector, Winona Ryder, Zoe Kazan