I don’t actually own a TV, and not only because I’m trying my best to live up to my alternative lifestyle Goth/hippy boat-dwelling stereotype, but because as a general rule, up until a couple of years ago I couldn’t find anything worth watching enough to merit the purchase.
However in recent years, telly, and how we view it has all changed, and today’s Goth is just as likely to be streaming online shows, subscribing to Netflix, and generally viewing the PeeCee as the TeeVee rather than sitting through yet another repeat of something to do with the Kardashians.
This change in how things work means two things; there’s a hell of a lot more good TV shows out there than there ever used to be, but with so many streaming and hosting sites both showing and producing their own shows, it can be easy to miss some absolute gems, because they’re not being shoved up in your face at every ad break.
Another good thing about shows like these is that sites like Netflix wholesale dump out a whole season at a go, and binge-watching an entire series in a weekend is totally a thing now.
I’ve found several great shows in the last couple of months that I think will also appeal to a wider Goth audience, so here is my pick of three of the best potentially obscure shows that you may not have heard of.
Top of the Lake
Top of the Lake is a joint production between the UK BBC and the NZ/Australian equivalent, and is set in the fictional town of Laketop in New Zealand. The basic premise of the story is that a 12 year old girl from the town rocks up pregnant, won’t name the father, and promptly disappears. The story focuses on the viewpoint of the investigating officer, Robin, who is a Sydney detective who was raised in Laketop, and has now returned there for her own personal reasons.
Add in the fact that the father of the missing girl is a bigtime drug dealer, his estranged son was Robin’s childhood sweetheart, and a large chunk of the town’s land has just been taken over by a feminist commune, and you have the basics of a highly complex and wonderfully executed tale.
The story is complete in seven episodes, and the whole story is tied up within those episodes, although a second season has now been announced.
The show is dark, twisty, hugely clever and has been lauded very positively for its portrayal of women and female-centric storyline.
Les Revenants
Les Revenants is a French TV show, subtitled into English. Usually I’m not a big fan of subtitled stuff, but my French is passable and I don’t find it too off-putting in this show. If you know for sure that subtitles will do your head in, check out the American remake, “The Returned,” although I haven’t watched it myself and so can’t comment on its quality.
Les Revenants somehow reminds me in many ways of Top of the Lake, although this is down to the scenery (the show is set around a valley village and its huge nearby dam) and tone of the work rather than the storyline.
The storyline revolves around the town itself, and the reappearance of several people who had died at various points in the past, seemingly in perfect health and otherwise normal. Season one is complete, and a second season is currently in the pipeline.
The Killing
The Killing is an American remake of the Danish TV show of the same name, and has the same ethereal, slightly unsettling and yet highly addictive feel to it as both Top of the Lake and Les Revenants, and has even been compared to David Lynch’s Twin Peaks and Fire Walk With Me.
The series is set in Seattle, and revolves around the story of two homicide detectives and the murders that they investigate.
Four seasons of The Killing are all available on Netflix now, with the fourth season ending the series.
If none of these are really your style (and I would go so far as to say that if you don’t like one of them, you won’t like the others) check out some alternative options on Dark Side of the Net– The Following in particular is definitely worth a punt.
Graveyard Picnic (cool blog name, dude!) also has some suggestions too, both for older shows and newer releases.
