Summer means long days in the sun, barbecues, farmers markets, dinners outside with friends and… binge watching tv.

I am a self-professed television junkie. If you’ve read my Bachelor/ette recaps you already know that (side note: sorry for not doing those this season, i can’t really get into Jojo’s season). My DVR is usually jam packed and I’ve got subscriptions to Hulu, Netflix and HBONow. It’s a problem. Basically what I’m saying is you’re talking to someone committed to the medium. Over the weekend, I had multiple conversations about what shows I’m watching now so I figured I’d bring that convo from real life to the blog.

When it comes to what I watch, I’m all over the place. Trashy reality shows, yes please. Intense (read: violent) dramas, yup. Comedies, all the time. Mysteries, random sci-fi type shows, super heroes, period dramas – I’m into all of it.

I do realize that a lot of my favorites aren’t for everyone but here’s five that I think a lot of you could definitely get into this summer. I’ve left off my most favorite show – Game of Thrones – from this list since I know most people have already made a decision on whether to love it or leave it. BUT, and that’s a big but, if you do watch it – I’m always down to talk GOT (yes, I’m a nerd and abbreviate it) so drop me a comment, tweet me or just send a raven (sorry that was a crazy nerdy Game of Thrones joke – please don’t judge).

• Bloodline (Netflix) – The second season of this family drama meets murder mystery meets drug crime drama just dropped on Netflix and I cannot wait to plough through it. The show, set in the Florida Keys, stars Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) as a father, cop and most importantly, member of the Rayburn family – a prominent family of six who run a bed and breakfast. The show’s premise is hard to really nail down but during the first season it centers on the return of their troubled brother Danny (Ben Mendleson). Without going into too much detail, there’s also a drug smuggling element plus lots of internal family drama.

  I am pretty obsessed with Bloodline. I love that it’s set in the Florida Keys, an area very familiar to me from growing up in Miami, but more than that the acting is on point, it’s full of suspense and it’s a good mix of mystery and drama. I will say that the first couple episodes of Season 1 are a little slow but don’t give up. By the time you get to the third or fourth episode, you’ll be hooked and won’t want to get up from the couch. I’ve only just started Season 2 but I’ve heard it’s even better than the first and that every episode has you on the edge of your seat.

• Southern Charm (Bravo) – Ba Ba Doooooooo!

  Man oh man do I love this Charleston-based Bravo reality show which may have the best opening credit song of all time. It just wrapped up it’s third season which I think, was the best yet. I’d describe Southern Charm as the Real World with a dash of Real Housewives mixed with Sweet Tea. This one is obviously on the trashier side but it’s so good. It’s like everything I wish the Real Housewives would be on a consistent basis.

  The majority of  the cast is upper crust enough that work is more of a hobby than a necessity which allows plenty of time for random lunches, mid-week parties and lots of southern dinner parties. The thing I find the most entertaining is the wide range of ages of the cast members. There’s Thomas, the 50+ year old playboy from an old money family who had a failed run for Congress and has been arrested (and done time for) drug possession. Thomas now has two kids with Kathryn, a barely 25 year old fiery red head who is a descendant of Vice President John Calhoun. If you were an late 90’s/early 2000’s Real World fan, you’ll probably recognize Cameron (Real World San Diego) who is now married to a doctor and selling real estate. She pals around a lot with Shep who is like a human golden retriever. He loves partying, dating all the ladies and just generally having fun which would be no big deal if he wasn’t pushing 40 and living off his trust fund.

  Southern Charm is perfect for a rainy Sunday binge sesh and when you’re done you need to listen to my favorite podcast, Bitch Sesh, to hear their hilarious commentary on the show.

• Animal Kingdom (TNT) – Okay so I just started watching this and it’s my new obsession. The show is in it’s first season and is only on episode four right now so you can wait to binge or get on board now.

  This one is similar to Bloodline in that it’s a mix of family and crime drama. I never watched Sons of Anarchy but someone I know said if you liked it, you’ll love this. It’s centered on a criminal family of brothers that is lead by matriarch Smurf (Ellen Barkin) all living in Southern California. Their crime of choice is bank and jewelry store robberies but that’s not necessarily the focus of the show. It hones in more on the relationships between the brothers and their mom as well as their nephew who is now in the mix after his mother died of a drug overdose. It’s full of drugs, sex, violence and surfing.

  I’ve also neglected to mention that the brothers are all smoking hotties. It stars Scott Speedman (from Felicity) along with a couple guys that look like long-lost Helmsworth brothers. Lots of eye candy in this one ladies. It’s a good show to watch with your man since there’s a little something for everyone.

• VEEP (HBO) – Currently in it’s fifth season, we just started watching VEEP but we’re hooked. If you liked 30 Rock, you’ll like the humor on this DC political comedy. I’ll admit I didn’t watch because I’m not a huge Julia Louise Dryfus fan but she’s pretty hilarious on VEEP.

  Since I’m not that far into the show, I can’t give many details but it’s full of the dry humor that made 30 Rock, Happy Endings and Arrested Development so good. Plus it’s only 30 minutes so it’s easy to watch a bunch of episodes at one time.

• Silicon Valley (HBO) – This is another dry witted HBO comedy that is worth binging on. Set in Silicon Valley (duh), it centers on a group of misfit programmers working on their start-up, Pied Piper. They work and live in a house owned by a washed up entrepreneur Erlich Bachman (TJ Miller) trying to get their start-up funded while battling with faux internet giant Hooli.

  I know that’s not a lot of info but trust me, this show is full of LOLZ. I’ve cried laughing multiple times from the randomness of this show. And it’s only 30 minutes so you can binge watch it pretty easily.

In case you missed it… The Man in the High Castle is another one of my FAVORITE shows. I wrote about it before here. It’s on Amazon Prime and is SO GOOD. Might not be for everyone but if you’re into history and suspense shows, it is the best.