1. Rick and Morty (Hulu and Adult Swim). Animated series are really on point these days. Rick and Morty is the most recent of several really great animated series that I've been trying catch up on the past few months. It has caught me even quicker than some of the others. I mean, first of all, it's like a crazy and dirty version of Back to the Future (and who doesn't love Back to the Future). I enjoyed it because it is clever and resolves problems very unexpectedly. Some show within the wacky animated series genre (is that a genre?) throw crazy things at their character or go to very dark places just for the reaction. Rick and Morty certainly does that too, but it's tied to something human. If that doesn't make sense, just watch the end of Season 1's second episode, Lawnmower Dog to see what I mean. In fact, just watch the whole thing, pretty easy with Hulu and Adult Swim at your fingertips.

2. The Flash (Netflix and Hulu). For some reason I've tried watching Arrow on the CW, but I just can't stick with it. That's why I'm surprised that I enjoy The Flash so much. I definitely was intrigued when I watched the series premiere last year and wanted to keep watching, but then Oliver Queen showed up and that made me think understanding Arrow was a prerequisite, so I didn't pursue it. Then life conspired against me to get me on the The Flash train. First Legends of Tomorrow decided to get made and looks fantastic (what can I say? I love superhero team-ups and Arthur Darvill) and then The Flash showed up on Netflix, a tantalizing opportunity to get caught up. So I just pressed play. I'm halfway through the season and I'm glad I'm watching. It's certainly silly enemy-of-the-week fun, but I think that the overall mystery of what happened to Barry Allen's mother makes it interesting enough to stick around. The characters and acting are good, no breakout performances, but it works with the show. The romantic parts of it are hackneyed and kind of annoying, but don't ruin it. The special effects are surprisingly good for a little CW show. Overall, I'm definitely going to be binge-watching it to get caught up to the current season.

3. Tales from the Royal Bedchamber (Netflix). If you like watching shows about British history, you will recognize the name Lucy Worsley immediately. She is the historian and presenter of various BBC series including Inside the Body of Henry VII, Food in England and now Tales from the Royal Bedchamber, among other. On the surface these seem like they could be rather boring and dry tales about anatomy, food and beds, but Worsley's enthusiasm and excitement about whatever topic she takes on, overrides that and draws you in. She is also particularly good at showing the significance of a pedestrian object, like a bed, withing the greater historic context. For example, Medieval English kings had bed that were almost hammock-like and could be dissembled so they could be taken from castle to castle on the monarch's never-ending journey to consolidate his power. I feel like I learned so much from this short hour-long program. And if you don't care about knowledge, you'll at least get a chuckle from watching Lucy Worsley climb into and out of so many historical beds and narrate these tales.

4. 12 Angry Men (Amazon). I want to confess that I have been terrible about watching my 100 Great Movies. It's been weeks and I've only gotten through four. Boo hiss! But, let me tell you, I've watch 12 Angry Men and I was fascinated. I'd already watched pieces of it for a B-school class that discussed ways of influencing people, but it was great to see it as a whole. I won't go into the merits of this film because better film critics than I have already said all that there is to say on that front. I will say, however, if you are sometimes reluctant to see films that others have labeled as great, but think that they are perhaps out of touch with present-day, give this one a try. It is a very stylized account of a jury pool discussing the fate of a young man that touches on a lot of the prejudices that are so hotly contested to this day. It would also be of interest to those who like to study human interaction because it's basically a masterclass in film form.

5. Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall (Amazon, Vertigo, Comixology). Fables is an excellent (recently ended*sniff*) comic book series written by Bill Willingham that tells the stories of storybook and fairy tale characters living in modern day times, exiled from their homeland by The Adversary. And just for the record, it came before Once Upon a Time. If 13 years of issues seems a bit daunting, I really suggest starting with 1001 Night of Snowfall to get a taste of what Fables can offer you (well-told stories and beautiful art). It's in the same world with the same characters, but gives you a series of Scheherazade-esque one-off tales that are set in the past (from the current events of the series). The tales themselves are clever, funny, dark and full of humanity. The art is very special because multiple artists contributed to the book making each tale beautiful and special. If you end up liking this one their are 150 back issues and several spin-offs to keep you happy.

Another weekend looms large with possibility. I hope it's a lovely couple of days for you and you get a chance to check out some of these things that I have recommended. Follow me on social media to see when I post again (Monday, I hope). Happy Weekend!