It is no longer impossible to find a specific episode of TV. Be it “Saved by the Bell” or the latest “30 Rock”, with the help of sites such as Netflix, Hulu Plus and HBO Go, TV is everywhere. However, watching everything takes extreme dedication and time. Additionally, such connection would be a waste if it weren’t spent on shows that would be otherwise difficult to get access to.

Therefore, The Talon has explored five shows that deserve a watch.
“Friday Night Lights” centers on a football-crazed high school in Dillon, Texas. It follows the lives of the head coach’s family, while the football players change from season to season.

Although the show is about football, it can connect to any high school student because it focuses on a variety of issues students face in high school, such as performance enhancing drugs, high school relationships and familial relationships. It honestly shows what a high school atmosphere is like. For example, the different cliques of students and the resentment some students have toward the football stars can be seen on any high school campus.

In contrast to other shows, the viewer likes every character in spite of their apparent flaws; there are no antagonists, just average people who make mistakes. The plot and characters on “Friday Night Lights” have the potential to increase spirit for our own sports.

“The Wire” is an HBO series that depicts the struggle in inner-city Baltimore with the drug culture; the police can’t stop it, newspapers are too broken down to cover it, lawmakers are too corrupt to care, and the school system never had a chance. The characters are stuck in a washed-up city ravaged by poverty and political corruption.

Unlike other crime shows, this show gives viewers a look at both sides of the story. Some of the main characters in the show are drug lords or the head of a gang. By seeing the antagonist’s side as opposed to the usual protagonist’s side, viewers get a deeper understanding of the reasons behind such serious crime. “The Wire” is no “Glee”—the show forces viewers to reflect on how they appreciate their own lives instead of quick musical relief. The serious issues posed keeps viewers hooked for all five seasons of hour-long episodes.

For anyone who was crushed that Jack Bauer’s days of fixing massive terrorist attacks on the U.S. in only 24 hours has ended, it is time to make the switch to “Homeland”.

“Homeland” is a Showtime series that launched its first season in 2011. The show is about a CIA officer who comes to believe that a U.S. marine, who was held captive by Al-Qaeda as a prisoner of war, was turned by the enemy and now threatens the United States. The rest of the CIA sees him as a war hero and not as a threat, which forces the viewer to second-guess which of the main characters to trust.

Even though the show is worked on by some of the same executive producers that made “24”, Homeland is more of a psychological thriller, and it doesn’t possess as much action as “24”. The main story is weaved throughout each episode with many side stories, which engages viewers as they try connect the dots every minute of the show. Homeland’s enthralling plot line serves as a good replacement for “24”.

“Arrested Development” focuses on the dysfunctional Bluth family that must struggle to run their family business in spite of the fact that the father was arrested for shifty accounting practices.
The show features renowned actors such as Jason Bateman and Michael Cera, who plays the same awkward/nice guy we have come to expect from him. The eccentric attitudes of the family members, who possess a vast number of idiosyncrasies, provide an ample amount of humor to cover three seasons.

We will have to wait until 2013 for a fourth season, but Netflix announced in November 2011 that it will make the fourth season available to members, and the possibility of a movie looms in the future. However, even without the fourth season available, it’s imperative to start watching this hilarious sitcom.

“The League” is an FX sitcom about a group of six friends who are in a fantasy football league together. The show follows the friends, who will do anything to win, while also explores a variety of situations that occur in their everyday lives.

What separates this show from other sitcoms is that the jokes are completely unforced; friends hang around and behave like any group of friends do. The creative normality of the show is due to the fact that the show is almost entirely improvised by some of the best improv actors in the country. There is a basic outline of the plot of each episode, but much of it is improvised. There is epic trash-talking, outrageous bets, angry emails, people in love with their own roster, rampant over-thinking about roster moves and a true desperation to win at all costs.

These are things that all guys do in fantasy leagues and in real life with their group of friends. This show has some vulgarity, but for the most part it is hilarious and representative of real life interactions of a group of friends.