HBOGO is gone, the HBOMax streaming service has taken its place, and we couldn’t be more grateful for this change of business model. I’ve had my eyes on HBOMax’s selection for a long time, but up until now I’ve only been able to watch these series if I rented them – those days are finally over. Here’s a three-series rec list of what to start with on HBOMax.
The Good Fight
Since Vigil, I’ve been a bit hooked on series where Rose Leslie plays a lesbian. Well, The Good Fight is just like that, it’s airing on HBOMax, it has five seasons, and although Rose Leslie is only in the first three, it’s worth watching all the way through. The story begins as Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski from The Good Wife) joins a firm of Black lawyers in Chicago, taking Maia Rindell (Rose Leslie) with her. The episodes show the day-to-day life of the firm during the Trump era, responding very well to the ongoing social problems of those four years. Sometimes it feels too on the nose, but at the same time it’s refreshing to watch a series that shows how to respond well and empathetically to socially divisive situations. The humour of Diane’s character is wonderful, and the character of Marissa Gold (Sarah Steele) is very well done.
Station Eleven
Dystopian series will always have a special place in my heart, and in my opinion good dystopian series should be taught in schools. Station Eleven is close to my heart for several reasons: first, it stars Mackenzie Davis, who plays Kristen Stewart’s girlfriend in Happiest Season. Also, the story feels fresh and new compared to all the dystopians I’ve seen so far, the whole thing is like, what would the world be like after the apocalypse if only the bachelors of arts survive. Kirsten (Davis) travels around the Great Lake with a group of Shakespearean actors, the company touring the remaining towns each summer. In this world, sexual orientation doesn’t matter, you can spend your life with whoever you want, it’s more important that communities survive and protect themselves. There is conflict, of course, and tragedy, but all in all it is a heartwarming story of a group of Shakespeare fans in a not at all unlikely future
The Sex Lives of College Girls
A series about four college girls on HBOMax. Someone’s totally gonna be a lesbian. I went into it with those hopes, and I wasn’t wrong. The story begins with four very different girls moving in together at the prestigious University of Essex’ dorm. Each one is trying to find herself, find her own way, and of course they become friends and each others’ support system. No one should expect too much character development or very deep, dramatic storylines, this is a nice, fun, no-thoughts-required comedy with twenty minute episodes. It’s got one season so far, it’s a great way to relax after a gruelling day, the chemistry of the four girls, Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet), Bela (Amrit Kaur), Leighton (Reneé Rapp) and Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott) works well, they’re all likeable and that’s all we need.
Translated by Zsófia Ziaja
