Devs 

(RTC – 86% | RTA – 91% I IMDB – 7.8 I Meta – 77)

Overview: Once you get past the fact that this show is on Hulu, you will love it! Devs follows the story of Lily Chan, a coder at a company that is basically Google. Lily is on a quest to find out the truth about her boyfriend who goes missing. This show is very cerebral and requires full attention to truly appreciate. So put the computer away and dig into this awesome show that will make you think. There is zero chance that you own Hulu, because no one does. So, ask for your friends’ password or make the investment.   

Platform: Hulu

Category: Drama, Thriller, Requires Full Attention

Length: 1 Season – not yet finished, on episode 5. New episodes released on Thursdays. (~50 minutes each)  

ZeroZeroZero

(RTC – 80% | RTA – NA% I IMDB – 8.2 I Meta – 75)

Overview: Interested in getting into cocaine shipping/brokerage and looking for some reasons why it’s a bad idea? Well, check out ZeroZeroZero! The show focuses on a single cocaine deal from the perspectives of the buyers, sellers, and brokers. It is like “Crash” mixed with “Narcos” in the way that it follows a few different, yet intertwined story lines. Be warned, there are some very violent scenes and this show doesn’t fall into the “feel good” category. That being said, the show is really well done and makes for an incredible drama/thriller. If you like “Narcos”, this is a must.

Platform: Amazon Prime

Category: Drama, Thriller, Drug Trafficking

Length: 1 Season – 8 Episodes (~50 minutes each)

Tiger King

(RTC – 97% | RTA – 97% I IMDB – 8.1 I Meta – 76)

Overview: If you haven’t heard about this show already, you should be embarrassed. This show is now so massive that it is requirement to watch in order to stay relevant socially. Why is everyone watching it? The answer is because it is absolutely ridiculous, extremely entertaining and low key makes you feel better about your life. The show revolves around Joe Exotic, an eccentric owner of a “Big Cat” park in Oklahoma – this basically means he owns a ton of tigers. His feud with Carole Baskin, a pseudo animal welfare activist, sparks a series of wild events that makes for one of the most absurd documentaries you will ever watch. Also, fuck Carole Baskin.

Platform: Netflix

Category: Documentary, Big Cats!, Eccentric Characters

Length: 1 Season – 7 Episodes (~45 minutes each)

Dave

(RTC – 86% | RTA – 91% I IMDB – 7.8 I Meta – 77)

Overview: Lil Dicky is the writer, director and star of this show that loosely features his upbringing and struggles making it as a rapper. For anyone that doesn’t know Lil Dicky, he is a white, Jewish rapper/comedian that came onto the scene circa 2015. He struggles to deal with issues that everyone can understand, such as living with a disfigured penis and dealing with a bipolar hype man. The show is hilarious and surprisingly good. If you are hungover or just looking for something uplifting and easy, this is your show.  

Platform: Hulu

Category: Comedy, Easy Viewing, Surprisingly Good, Short Episodes

Length: 1 Season – not yet finished, on episode 7. New episodes released on Thursdays. (~30 minutes each) 

Watchmen

(RTC – 64% | RTA – 71% I IMDB – 8.1 I Meta – 85)

Overview: If you haven’t seen this show, it’s a must watch. Yes, this is technically a DC Comics series, but, relative to other DC Comics shows/movies, it is actually good (sorry DC). Also, if you are against comic series, this show doesn’t feel like one at all – it has more social commentary and character development than most shows. The plot revolves around Angela Abar, a masked cop looking to find answers after a series of odd events take place in her town. That is all we will give you here. Mark my words – this is one of the best shows HBO has produced.

Platform: HBO

Category: Drama, Thriller, Crime, ShowBoat Favorite  

Length: 1 Season – 9 Episodes (~50 minutes each)

This Way Up

(RTC – 91% | RTA – 100% I IMDB – 7.7 I Meta – 78)

Overview: If you loved Catastrophe, you will love this show. Sharon Horgan, the female lead in Catastrophe, is the executive producer and co-lead of the show. The story revolves around Aine, a young single Irish girl, and her pursuit to land back on her feet after going to rehab. The dark comedy touches upon themes of mental health, family and happiness in a very smart and hilarious way. Pro tip: turn on subtitles because the deep Irish accents can sound like a foreign language.

Platform: Hulu

Category: Dark Comedy, Short Episodes

Length: 1 Season – 6 Episodes (~30 minutes each)

Ramy

(RTC – 97% | RTA – 83% I IMDB – 8.0 I Meta – 87)

Overview: Maybe I am just an ignorant white guy/middle aged boat captain, but I admit that I don’t have a deep understanding of the Muslim religion. Ramy helps fill that educational void by providing a glimpse into the life of a Muslim growing up in New Jersey. Ramy is in his mid-20s and is pulled between his Muslim faith and the typical American millennial culture – going to parties, dating, #sex, drugs, etc. The show is hilarious and tells the story in a very smart way. It’s like a Trojan horse for Muslim education. Note: Do your best to get past the 2nd episode and you will be well rewarded.

Platform: Hulu

Category: Comedy, Drama, Short Episodes, Educational

Length: 1 Season – 10 episodes (~30 minutes each)  

Killing Eve

(RTC – 91% | RTA – 87% I IMDB – 8.3 I Meta – 79)

Overview: This is a fun little story of cat and mouse. You have Eve, an MI5 security officer looking for some action; then you have an extremely talented assassin named Villanelle who is enjoying the fruits of her profession. The story follows Eve as she tries to hunt down Villanelle. The show is very well produced and makes for an extremely exciting thriller. Additionally, it makes you hope to god (or whoever you pray to) you don’t cross paths with a serial killer.

Platform: Amazon

Category: Drama, Thriller, Serial Killer

Length: 1 Season – 9 Episodes (~50 minutes each)

Mad Men

(RTC – 94% | RTA – 96% I IMDB – 8.6 I Meta – 86)

Overview: MrShowBoat…why the fuck do I need your newsletter if you are going to provide obvious, stale recommendations like Mad Men? First off, easy bro. Secondly, we are going to be providing some #throwback recommendations periodically. This is the first #throwback in the series. Let’s just say this – if you haven’t seen Mad Men, it is one of the best shows ever produced. If you have already seen Mad Men, it is one of the best series to rewatch. Considering we all have ample time these days, we recommend you 

Platform: Netflix

Category: Period Drama, ShowBoat Top 10, #throwback

Length: 7 Seasons – 6 Episodes (~50 minutes each)

Unorthodox

(RTC – 97% | RTA – 83% I IMDB – 8.0 I Meta – 87)

Overview: Okay, I am going to be totally honest here – this show is not easy to watch. BUT, it is amazing. The story follows Esty, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish woman who flees her arranged marriage and religious community to start a new life abroad. Even though she moves thousands of miles from home, her past quickly catches up with her and she becomes torn between worlds. The show acts as a window into New York’s insular Hasidic community and its, often questionable, customs and culture. Again, this can be difficult to watch, but it’s as close to a masterpiece as a Netflix show can get.

Platform: Netflix

Category: Drama, Culturally Diverse, Miniseries,

Length: 1 Season – not yet finished, on episode 7. New episodes released on Thursdays. (~30 minutes each) 

What We Do In The Shadows

(RTC – 94% | RTA – 96% I IMDB – 8.6 I Meta – 86)

Overview: After you are done with Unorthodox, you will need to lighten up the mood. WWDITS has a 32% chance of doing that – we say 32% because this show is absurdly stupid and not for everyone. The series is produced by Taiki Waititi, the same guy that brought you Flight of the Concords, Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit. WWDITS follows the lives of four vampires living together in Staten Island (I would make the case that almost everyone living in Staten Island is a vampire, but that is neither here nor there). It basically chronicles what life immediately after college would look like if you and your friends were vampires. The show is a mockumentary and is recorded in a similar style to that of The Office, but instead with a much more ridiculous cast and premise. The writing is surprisingly genius and is a must watch for anyone that likes stupid comedies.

Platform: Hulu

Category: Mockumentary, Vampires, Ridiculous

Length: 2 Seasons – 17 Episodes Total (~25 minutes each)

Top Boy

(RTC – 95% | RTA – 94% I IMDB – 8.4 I Meta – 9.8)

Overview: Sick of The Wire not being more British? I know, me too. This show is literally The Wire meets BBC. Top Boy follows drug gangs in the housing projects of London as they fight over turf, avoid the police, and recruit #hot young members.  The first two seasons aired on Chanel 4 in the UK and can be easily binged at only 4 episodes each.  In typical Netflix fashion, they renewed for a third, 10-episode season after fan demand, which aired last year.  Drake was a huge fan of the series and a big part of the renewal, and actually has a producer credit on season 3.   Netflix also recently announced a fourth season in the works after strong reviews. 

Platform: Netflix

Category: Crime Drama, Drugs, British

Length: 3 Seasons – 18 Episodes Total (~50 minutes each)

Waco

(RTC – 69% | RTA – 75% I IMDB – 8.0 I Meta – 87)

Overview: At Showboat, we fucking love cults. We really do. At the very top of our top 10 #hottest cult leaders sits our boy David Koresh. Waco is a miniseries on Netflix providing an in depth look at the Waco siege, where a compound belonging to a religious cult called the Branch Davidians was raided by federal and Texas state law enforcement. The incident led to a 51 day standoff between the cult and the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) + FBI that was widely covered by the media. The story is an adaptation of the book “Waco: A Survivor’s Story”, written by one of the cult followers that lived through the events. Sooooo, the story is a little sympathetic to our boy David Koresh (doesn’t fully depict how creepy the guy was) and shows that there might have been some significant mishaps on the part of the ATF and FBI. The show has a really good cast, which adds tremendous value to the narrative. See below for some highlights:

·        Taylor Kitsch – That super hot guy from Battleship Friday Night Lights

·        Julia Garner – That girl from Ozarks who low key carries the show and has a great southern drawl

·        Paul Sparks – That kind of creepy reporter guy from House of Cards who hooks up with Claire Underwood for a while

·        Michael Shannon – That conflicted cop from Boardwalk Empire with the really stern face

·        Rory Culkin – That younger Culkin brother you never knew existed

Platform: Netflix

Category: Drama, Cult, Miniseries

Length: 1 Season – 6 episodes (~50 minutes each)

Ozarks - Season 3

(RTC – 97% | RTA – 91% I IMDB – 8.4 I Meta - 66)

Overview: Going to skip the overview here because absolutely everyone on here understands the premise of Ozarks. If you haven’t seen any of these seasons you should probably let me know so that I can take you off the email chain.

We didn’t love this season at first. It starts off slow and some of the residual characters are thrust into the spotlight, changing the whole vibe of the show. Overall, it just feels off and dragging up until around episode 4 or 5 where the dial is then turned to 11 and things start kicking into full gear. The 2nd half of this season ends up being spectacular and the final product is truly unbelievable. Additionally, there is a monologue by one of the new characters in this season that is one of the most impressive displays of acting you will ever see.

Platform: Netflix

Category:  Crime Drama, Slow At First, Impressive Third Season

Length: 3 Seasons – 10 Episodes Each (~ 1 hour each)

Upload

(RTC – 83% | RTA – 90% I IMDB – 8.2 I Meta – 67)

Overview: Upload is basically a mix of Black Mirror, Parks and Rec and Frasier. The show depicts a future where technology has drastically changed our everyday lives. One of the major breakthroughs is a technology where you are able to upload your consciousness into a virtual afterlife once you die, allowing people to essentially “live forever”. The plot revolves around an app developer who suffers a near fatal car accident and is subsequently uploaded into a virtual afterlife called “Lakeside”. I’ll leave you with that.

Note: Mrs. Showboat and I fucking hated this show at first. We felt like some of the tech themes were being forced and that the show lacked substance. Maybe it was the 14 kombuchas we had the night before, but SOMETHING kept us in the game. We trucked on and we couldn’t be happier about it. Overall, Upload is 100% worth watching and the final product ends up exceeding initial expectations.

Platform: Amazon

Category: Comedy, Science Fiction, Very Watchable

Length: 1 Season – 10 Episodes Total (~30 minutes each)