American culture has consistently proven to have a work ethic that blows away most other societies. We are an industrious people, so we become slightly disoriented when our vocations are taken away. Perhaps this is a good time to sit back, rest up, and enjoy ourselves a little. Here are a few binge-watch reviews that might help you decide where to begin this forced life of leisure.
White Collar
With six complete seasons and 81 episodes, White Collar provides binge-watching aplenty. The series is a refreshing police drama with comedic elements that will keep you glued to your easy chair. It originally aired from 2009 – 2014, so the content doesn't seem terribly out-of-date. The plot is fun, the cast talented, and the scriptwriting brilliant.
The program's premise is that a loveable art forger turned thief gets snagged by a gritty FBI "suit" who always gets his man. Con artist Neil Caffrey played by Matt Bomer, is easy on the eyes – almost a ringer for Pierce Brosnan – and comes off as the lovable thief. His foil is strait-laced FBI agent Peter Burke (played by Tim DeKay), who cannot dislike the con man no matter how hard he tries.
The character development is terrific, and the show sports an unusually talented supporting cast. Mozzie (played by Willie Garson) is Caffrey's longtime mentor in all things criminal. The quirky and comedic sidekick is a nice respite from the drama. Elizabeth Burke (played by Tiffani Thiessen) is the warm and charming wife of the FBI agent who finds the handsome thief and his pal hard to resist.
Best of all, White Collar has no political overtones, so you won't feel like you are being preached to by the left. IMDb gives it 8.2 stars, so that should tell you something. You can find the video series on several streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime Video.
The Crown – Season Four
The Crown traces the history of the reign of Elizabeth II. It is a Netflix original release, and many who watched the first three seasons anxiously awaited this new one. Sadly, season four comes up short due to the producers' need to push a leftist agenda. Perhaps that isn't enough reason to not watch this sweeping and beautifully photographed epic – but the viewer should be forewarned.
One gets the sense that The Crown is real insider information of the palace dramas that have encompassed the Windsor family for the last hundred years. This is probably false -- but they certainly do make the series feel as if it were more fact than fiction.
Much like Downton Abbey, there is a surreal beauty to the landscape photography giving the program a sweeping big picture tableau. The cast has had to change over the seasons but is still large and in charge and able to deliver a finely honed script.
Sadly, this season the producers felt the need to twist the character of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher into a shrill, insensitive, hopelessly low-class character that bears little resemblance to the real Iron Lady. Conservatives will not find her portraiture in The Crown very flattering.
Still, The Crown has a way of developing multi-dimensional characters that even Sigmund Freud would have trouble analyzing. This ability to let the viewer see both good and evil in the human spirit is intriguing. Bottom line: After viewing season four, you won't feel like you just ate junk food, but Conservatives will feel as if they've been hijacked by an unnecessarily left-leaning viewpoint.
The Crown is streamed on Netflix.
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