You may be enjoying The Strain, Extant and a few other off-season cable shows, but your network favorites won’t be back for a month or longer. That means it’s a great time to do some binge-watching and maybe get caught up on a few of the more talked-about shows you haven’t seen before they return for a new season.
For Fans of History and Epic Battle: Vikings
This History Channel show has the same level of action, drama and production values as anything HBO offers, and season one is part of the Prime Instant Video catalog so Prime members can view it free of charge! One more season has run and is available in Instant Video format. When the show returns next Spring, Season 3 kicks off. From IMDB:
The adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok: the greatest hero of his age. The series tells the saga of Ragnar’s band of Viking brothers and his family as he rises to become King of the Viking tribes. As well as being a fearless warrior, Ragnar embodies the Norse traditions of devotion to the gods: legend has it that he was a direct descendant of Odin, the god of war and warriors.
– Written by History Channel
For Fans Of Crime Thrillers: Hannibal
In this latest iteration of the Dr. Hannibal Lecter mythos, which serves as a kind of prequel to the films, Hannibal is played with equal parts creepy and suave by Mads Mikkelson and the role of Will Graham is taken over by Hugh Dancy. The first season of this series is part of the Prime catalog, with a second season available in Instant Video format as well. From IMDB:
Explores the early relationship between the renowned psychiatrist and his patient, a young FBI criminal profiler, who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers.
For Fans Of Gritty Drama, Outlaw Stories, Biker Culture and Road Movies: Sons of Anarchy
The first five seasons of this award-winning FX drama are included in the Prime Instant Video catalog, so you can get caught up all the way to the most recent season without spending a dime if you’re a Prime member.
Stars chalie Hunnam, Katey Sagal and Ron Perlman. From IMDB:
A man in his early 30s struggles to find a balance in his life between being a new dad and his involvement in a motorcycle club.
For Fans Of Action-Adventure And Pirates: Black Sails
If you found the network pirate show Crossbones to be a little dull and plodding, try Black Sails instead. It may not have any big-name actors, but what it lacks in star power it more than makes up for in high production values, excellent performances and twisty, double-crossing storylines.
It’s a Starz! production and originally ran on that network, so note that it also includes strong language, nudity, violence and other adult content. From IMDB:
Captain Flint and his pirates, twenty years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic “Treasure Island”.