5 Guilty Pleasure TV Shows You Love to Hate
While I'm personally not a fan of shaming people for their choices, sometimes they just can't let go of the feeling that they're doing something wrong by embracing things that someone else thinks are wrong.
The world of television is so vast and varied that sometimes you find yourself binging a few series that you never thought you would end up loving. For example, check out the list of shows I am currently watching. You see, there’s no point in trying to make a list of only highly intellectual shows for a binge, because you love what you love.
However, there are some series that many people consider to be their guilty pleasure shows, and there are probably some aspects that can characterize such shows. Like a rather unrealistic plot, or too much comedy where it should not be, or unlikely plot twists, and so on. But even if we understand what's wrong with them, we can't help but want more.
Here's a list of 5 such shows. Feel free to use them if you feel that Severance is too much for an evening binge.
1. Desperate Housewives ( 2004-2012)
Desperate Housewives is the ultimate choice for me when I want to escape into a dark humorous reality with a perfect picture and amazing characters. The peaceful suburban setting creates a contrast for the many dark secrets that will unfold during the series, and it just blows my mind how perfect the editing of the series is.
The cast is perfect: each character has their own personalities, and the way the creators develop each of them is worth following. The show about 4 housewives and their never ending shenanigans is definitely one you would love to hate, but you can't because it has you on the hook.
2. Riverdale ( 2017-2023)
My second choice is Riverdale, which took the classic Archie Comics characters and turned them into a dark, melodramatic mess. And the fans can't seem to get enough! What started out as a simple teen drama quickly turned into a bizarre mix of murder mysteries, gang violence, cults, and supernatural twists.
The characters often make questionable decisions and the dialogue can be downright cringeworthy, but the show's far-fetched storylines keep us all hooked. Even if you can't believe how ridiculous it has become, you still find yourself watching it, eager to see what absurd twist the story will take next.
3. Grey's Anatomy (2005-)
Grey's Anatomy has been on the air for 20 years, and despite some eye-rolling moments, it continues to dominate the world of television. The show mixes medical drama with personal melodrama, constantly shifting between tragic love stories, life-threatening surgeries, and complex relationships.
The show is also filled with overdramatic death scenes and absurd plotlines that make you want to scream something like “That would never happen in real life!” But despite the moments of frustration, Grey's Anatomy draws you back season after season with its heartfelt moments and jaw-dropping cliffhangers.
4. Upload (2020-)
For many people, Upload has become yet another show they want to hate, but can’t. The hilarious sci-fi series that started out with the "technology is taking over the world" concept, only to end up as a complicated, multi-layered romantic drama with a sci-fi twist.
Upload follows Nathan Brown, a not-so-great young man who died in a car accident. But the thing is, he has a chance to continue his life in an alternate universe, or to create his Upload there and live as a virtual version of himself. But this decision has caused him and 10 other people a lot of complications...
5. Elsbeth ( 2024-)
My personal favorite genre of guilty pleasure shows are crime dramas, and Elsbeth is a perfect example of one. The main character of the show, Elsbeth Tascioni, is a quirky NYPD consultant who comes from a legal background.
The woman is awesome and solves high profile murder cases in one day (which we all know is, to say the least, highly unrealistic). But isn’t it just good to see the police work this way for a change?
