What are you watching these days?
Speak:
- What series have you been watching recently?
- Can you recommend a series for others to watch?
There are so many streaming services ( like Netflix, HBO, Disney+, Apple TV+, Hulu, Hoopla, BBC, Prime video, and many more) now that it is hard to keep up to date with all the new releases.
Vocabulary
Streaming media = Video or audio accessed via the Internet. E.g Netflix / Youtube
Broadcast media = Traditionally this is radio and television
Video on Demand =Watching a video or series whenever you want e.g. A series on Netflix, A video course on Udemy
To subscribe (v.) = usually pay on a monthly basis to access a service
A subscription (n.)
To binge on (v.)= to do ‘too much’ of an activity (especially eating, drinking, watching tv)
Binge-watch: Kind of like “binge-eating” – but “consuming” or watching an entire tv series of episodes or shows in a single weekend or sitting – I’ve done this.
Show: A show can mean either the name of the tv series or a single episode of the tv series. Episode and show can be used interchangeably.
Episode: is one installment of the TV series. It’s like a chapter in a book. An episode can be 20-minutes in duration or 60-minutes in duration. How many minutes in an episode depends on the TV series.
For example: “Last night’s Stranger Things episode was action-packed.”
Season: A season is a group of episodes for your TV series. A TV series may “run” or be programmed for just one season – or if your favorite scripted TV series is The Simpson, it’s been on for 20 seasons.
Season premiere: A season premiere is the very first episode of a season. It’s like the birth of your television show. Awe! So cute.
Season finale: The last episode of a season. Often lots of twists and misdirection, ending with a cliffhanger. These are very mean story developments because you often have to wait months until the next season begins before you can find out the reveal.
For example “Did you see last night’s season finale?”
To spoil = to ruin something
A spoiler = when you tell someone the end of a story / season / episode (but they don’t want to know)
A spoiler alert = give someone a warning that you will tell them the result (of a match, ending of a series or book…)
Different kinds / types / genres of series:
Sitcom = situational comedy
Comedy = a funny programme
Soap Opera = a series about everyday life
Period Drama = a drama set in the past
Documentary = programme giving factual information
Sci fi = science fiction
Reality TV = usually follows unknown people in unscripted situations. E.g. Top Chef, Survivor, The Voice
Lifestyle = shows about lifestyle activities such as cooking, decorating a house…
Horror = a series with a frightening plot
Are there any binge-watch worthy TV series you can recommend for your fellow English learners?
examples,
* Now I have been watching a Netflix serie called She’s Gotta Have it. It depicts the life of a afro-american artist who lives in Brooklyn. In the dialogues you find lot of slang. I recommend it if you want to discover the American culture, especially black.
* If you like sci-fi or horror, then you may enjoy “Stranger Things.” This Netflix show is set in the 1980s and the pop culture of that decade.
The series replicates the ‘80s fashion, with the stonewash jeans, and even one of the cult actresses of the 1980s – Winona Ryder – is a main character. The series also has a fantastic soundtrack – that is, the music is great.
* If you liked the movie with Bill Murray called, “Groundhog Day,” then you may like the Netflix series “Russian Doll.” The premise or concept is very similar. “Russian Doll” is about a woman who experiences the same evening over and over again. After the end of the evening, she dies, a different way each day. Then, she wakes up the next day – which is really that same day– as if nothing happened, but she can remember that she died and came back to life.
Confused? Me too. It’s confusing even for English speakers, but that’s part of the fun: trying to understand what’s happening in this woman’s life. Why does she die every day? And how does she come back to life? And then she meets a guy who has the same problem… You have to see it.
Adjectives to describe TV shows
You could use the following words to describe, these different genres:
Horror, Crime, Thriller, Action, Drama
Thrilling
Captivating
Entertaining
Scary, spooky = very frightening
Romantic / Romance
Heartbreaking
Touching
Moving
Tragic – very sad,
Comedy/ Sitcoms
Hilarious (very funny)
Humorous
Hysterical
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