by Katie Barton | staff writer

Whether it be on cable or through a streaming service, watching TV shows is what most people do in their free time. But lately it feels like every show has hundreds of episodes that drag the story on for way longer than needed. And if you’re anything like me, your attention span and free time to just watch TV has probably deteriorated as well. So, here are my recommendations for some enjoyable and short TV shows.

My first recommendation is Derry Girls, a twelve episode show on Netflix. This live action show follows the lives of five teens growing up in Derry, Ireland in the 90’s, when Ireland had a lot of conflict between the Catholics and Protestants. The show focuses on Erin, Clare, Michelle, and Orla who go to a Catholic all-girls school. In the first episode, we meet the fifth member of their friend group, James, who is from England and is being sent to their school.  I will warn you that everyone on this show has a very thick Derry accent, so you might need to put on subtitles for the first couple of episodes, but eventually it gets easier to understand what they are saying. 

This is one of my favorite shows because just about every scene has some sort of comedic aspect to it. But, though it is a comedy, it still manages to have really heartfelt moments between characters. I also think it does a great job of highlighting issues that were going on in this era while not being too serious. So if you just want a quick comedy show, I think Derry Girls is perfect for you.

My next recommendation is Blood of Zeus. This is an eight episode long animated show that follows a boy named Heron in ancient Greece as Demon-like titans begin to attack his home village. He soon discovers the he is actually the son of Zeus and this being revealed causes other other gods on Olympus to turn against Zeus. This show is an extremely gory and violent adaptation of Greek mythology. 

I loved this show and binge watched all of it in one day. My favorite thing about this show is probably its animation. From the unique character designs and terrifying monster designs to intricate background designs, the animation in this show is just beautiful. And if animation isn’t really your thing, the plot will definitely draw you in. The plot starts out really simple just demons attacking a village, but with every episode more and more secrets get revealed and the plot just gets more and more interesting. So if you want a show with great animation and plot but, also don’t want to watching something super long, I think you’ll love this show.

My final recommendation is Over the Garden Wall, a 10 episode long Cartoon Network miniseries that follows two brothers, Wirt and Greg, and Beatrice, a talking bluebird, as they try to find their way out of a magic forest called the Unknown. Throughout their journey in the Unknown, they meet many whimsical and strange creatures such as the Woodsman, Pottsville, a town filled with pumpkin people, and the Beast, a forest creature, who turns children into trees. 

Over the Garden Wall has lots of good things going for it, and one of my favorite aspects of it is the world and the world building. Specifically, the way that most of the shows’ lore is left up to the interpretation of the viewer. This allows the viewer to really let their imagination run wild. I also really appreciate the way that hints for later plot points are hidden in earlier episodes. These two factors make this show really fun to rewatch, and since it is shorter, rewatching doesn’t take as much time or energy as other shows might. I think this show would be great to watch if you’re an imaginative person who enjoys analyzing media but who also does not want to watch a super long show.

I hope this list helps you either find a new favorite show to rewatch over and over or gives a few hours of quality storying telling to enjoy.