(i probably missed a couple, that i watched, feel free to add to the list)
10 things i hate about you (2009)
black cake
city on fire
crashing (2016)
dare me
daybreak
deadly class
everything now
everything sucks
freaks & geeks
freeridge
genera+ion
get even
grand army
grease: rise of the pink ladies
harlan coben’s shelter
heathers (2018)
hellcats
high fidelity (2020)
high school
i am not okay with this
i know what you did last summer
julie & the phantoms
my lady jane
now apocalypse
panic
queer as folk (2022)
red band society
selfie
the bastard son & the devil himself
the girl in the woods
the secret circle
the society
twisted
up here
vampire academy
wayne
wolf pack
my favorite films i watched for the first time in 2024 💜🔮✨
this year was so good on new amazing series, and i watched a couple older ones that were on my list. let’s get to it!
this show is so lush. modern humor and language is so perfectly incorporated here. i live for historical shows like this, that sort of break the boundaries of what's okay. and the soundtracks are top tier as well. but of course the main driving force is the main romance which couldn't be more perfect. i'm absolutely obsessed with them and always will be. definitely, one of my fav ships ever. unfortunately, it's the forth year in a row, when my favorite show gets cancelled after the first season. it's never fair, and "my lady jane" deserved to live on.
i thought it was so energetic and creative. maya and donald had perfect chemistry. i loved how the show took an existing story concept and turned it around, made it its own thing. a perfect action romcom imo.
when the show came out back in 2019, i watched the pilot and i KNEW, this was made for me. why did it take me 5 years to finally watch it? i don't know. but it's fantastic. it's just so unabashedly fun, bright and cooky, i'm obsessed. i get how it's not suited for a mainstream audience, and that's probably why it didn't take off. but it's very special to me.
quite campy, in the same vein as "now apocalypse", actually. it was certainly made for me, i'm an aquarius after all. the level of production and creativity is insane. this is a piece of art.
finally got around to this "comedy" that gives people anxiety. undoubtedly, it's one of the best shows airing now. a must-watch.
so this surely is a romance that will tear your heart apart. it reminded me of "normal people" and "lovesick" (which i whole-heartedly recommend). "one day" is so beautiful, the way it depicts time is genuine and real. the performances of leo and ambika are outstanding.
this show surprised me by how it drew me in. i found the story riveting, and the characters very authentic. i especially enjoyed the styling of the characters, the main girls had such well thought out unique styles that fit their personalities.
it's time for guilty pleasures. i mean, it's a really well-made show, nothing to be ashamed about. but it's just so messy and sinister in away, that at first i could't really say i loved it. but when season 2 premiered and i found myself clinging on to each episode, i knew i was in for it.
this has the aesthetics of "call me by your name" and the feeling of a perfect summer day. beautiful and vulnerable.
they are a force. this is both hilarious, dramatic and extremely inspiring. i could listen to "voldemort under my headscarf" all day.
honorable mentions go to the shows that i continued to watch this year: good trouble S5 - so i finished my favorite show ever that’s been with me for 5 years, i’m so happy it exists and i’m gonna miss it forever, i think everyone should watch it, it’s worth it. shrinking s2 - obsessed with the vibes & extremely attached to this little friend-family. heartstopper s3 - still the most warm and kind series ever, only more mature now, and i love it. that 90s show s2&3 - so comforting to me, so sad it got cancelled. chucky s3 - camp itself has ended this year, i'm gonna miss this world. heartbreak high s2 - best teen show on tv rn, let’s be real, the energy is unmatched, i hope the final season will exceed my expectations. young royals s3 - i don’t think season 1 could ever be topped, but it was a satisfying conclusion to a beautiful show.
i don’t think ppl talk about these shows enough! (or at all)
peak teen tv
1. PANIC on amazon prime
i watched ‘panic’ at the very beginning of 2022, and have since rewatched it twice. i’m still surprised how it stuck with me and became one of my favorite shows, because typically i prefer more light-hearted stories.
the idea of teenagers playing this high stakes life-threatening game is so intriguing. the mystery behind who started and runs this tradition adds so much suspense. there’s also the additional layer of poverty and family issues that’s pushing the main character. it’s so interesting to explore the characters’ motivations, their reactions to pressure. it makes for a colorful complex story. and, of course, what sells it is the main romance. the chemistry between the characters is off the charts!! (not me thinking i wouldn’t ship them before seeing the show phaha).
even though ‘panic’ was cancelled after season 1 (which, sadly, is true for most of my favorite tv shows), i believe there’s a satisfying finality to the season that makes it work as a stand alone story.
2. QUEER AS FOLK on peacock
pure queer joy is what this show is. i’ve only experienced this level of happiness while watching “genera+ion” (which is my favorite show ever). and yes, “queer as folk” is more adult because - duh - it’s about adults, and one teen character. in a lot of ways it’s about forming your community and keeping it safe. it takes on serious issues, the characters are messy and make mistakes, yet it feels so warm and comfortable, like a home.
i’ve never seen the original show so i’m judging this show from a non-reboot perspective (which i’m pretty sure it is anyway, even though you can make parallels between some characters, it’s a new different story).
trigger warning: there’s a mass sh**ting scene in the first episode (it’s not very graphic).
3. HEARTBREAK HIGH on netflix
the new aussie it show, move over h2o just add water! okay i’m joking, but heartbreak high really took over the world as it should have! it’s a diverse well-written gen z teen drama with amazing fashion.
what you can expect: a lot of dramaaa, secrets & unexpected twists, sex scenes that don’t sexualize teenagers, actual ace representation (i’ve only seen it done this well in “genera+ion”), probably the best autistic representation i’ve ever seen, exploration of some dark themes (assault, police brutality) that are unfortunately a part of reality for a lot of teenagers, beautiful friendships and romantic relationships, teen angst and rebellion.
i fell in love with these characters and their dynamics, i can’t wait for season 2! plus, it turns out there was a lot of australian things i didn’t know about, so it was very cool to see australian culture represented in this fun bright series.
4. REBELDE on netflix
look at all these pretty faces and tell me you don’t want to know more about them. this show is one hell of a fun ride. it’s like elite mixed with violetta. there’s so much colorful potential in almost (looking at you esteban) all of these characters. they fight, they perform, they’re friends, rivals and lovers, and for the big moments they’re each other’s family. they’re rebelde. i want to steal their wardrobe and be their groupie.
5. WEDNESDAY on netflix
not suprised this show became such a hit, but i’m glad i watched it when it came out without any preconceived expectations. the style of this show is amazing and it’s an entertaining watch. there can’t be enough praise for jenna ortega’s performance. she’s outstanding in everything she does, and she carried this show.
6. HEARTSTOPPER on netflix
this is a fluffy warm ball of sunshine. comfort at its finest. i’m so happy this show exists and people talk about it. i just want to give every character a hug. oh, and i want those cute doodles in my life.
7. THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY on amazon prime
such a cute summer show. i think the creators did a great job of adapting the book for the modern young audience. it could’ve easily turned into another kissing booth with a “not like other girls” protagonist. even though you can see the original outline of the characters, they feel more evoled in the show. and that’s what i hope will happen to the story later on as well. i like when adaptations improve on given material and find their own identity.
i did’t really like nor understood the ending so i’m kinda tense about season 2. if it’s gonna turn into a belly x conrad love show, i’m gonna have to head out, and demand a jeremiah spin off (#teamjeremiah).
8. SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE on freeform
so this is one of the more underrated shows on this list. it’s a dramedy that follows a young woman battling her addiction in a town full of people who are right there to remind her why she drinks. sam makes quite an appealing lead character. she’s messy, she’s selfish, she’s confrontational, but she longs for real meaningful connections, even though she’s afraid of them. there’s a diverse array of characters who go on this journey with her, and i love every single one of them. i think this show has a very good trailer actually, helps get the feel of the show and what it’s about.
9. DOLLFACE on hulu
such a beautiful entertaining show about female friendship and finding yourself outside of a relationship. the cast is incredible, including kat dennings as the jilted ex, brenda song and shay mitchell as her estranged besties, matthew gray goobler as a love interest, and brianne howey and lilly singh as a nice bonus on the side.
the part that makes this show so unique is the daydream sequences that follow the main character. it shifts the rules of the world, makes it more fantastic and unpredictable. makes me wish i could get on a bus with the cat lady that would take me to my friends.
10. HEATHERS on amazon prime
no matter how much you like the original movie, THIS heather squad is way more memorable and charismatic. who wouldn’t want to watch an edgy dark comedy about teen phychopaths whose whole identity is “i’m not like the other people, i’m weird, i’m a weirdo”, toxic friendships, murderous romance & tumblr fashion circa 2016? maybe i’m just build different if it’s my jam and not yours.
seriously though, i unapologetically loved it. kinda reminds me of “the scream queens” (which is outstanding) and “insatiable” (which i couldn’t get into).
my favorite films i watched for the first time in 2022 ♥️
TOP 5 FAVORITE MOMENTS FROM 2022’S QUEER AS FOLK
1. Mingus’ performance to “sacrilege” by yeah yeah yeahs
my first association when i read the title of this episode was this song, so i was immediately captured when it actually started playing. mingus’ look during the performance was ethereal and mesmerizing. you could really feel the spiritual rebirth they and the audience were going through.
2. Brodie blowing up Daddius’ parents’ car to kimberly nichole’s cover of “house of the rising sun”
nothing more cathartic than getting revenge on your best friend’s homophobic parents. brodie might be impulsive but it’s admirable how much he cares and fights for his friends.
3. Brodie saving Mingus’ life in Babylon
the most memorable shot during the babylon attack, which the show flashed back to a couple of times, was brodie body-slamming mingus after he sees the terrifying look on their face and realizes what’s happening.
4. Brodie and Ruthie’s kiss in the rain
okay, so i’m not saying i ship it. but their relationship plays as the main love story of the show.
sure, at first we don’t get anything but a “platonic besties” vibe from them. yet, even in the beginning it feels like in ruthie’s relationship with shar there’s always another person aka brodie. later when we find out brodie and ruthie were each other’s first love it all starts to make sense. brodie had to stuff his feelings for ruthie after she came out to him as trans, but he never really got over them.
i wonder what direction their relationship would go, were we to get a season 2. all obvious reasons tell me they wouldn’t last long, but who knows? sexuality is fluid.
5. Brenda’s coming out
this coming out is pure camp and i live for it. it was as unexpected as my love for her, and yet completely in character. julian and brodie’s reaction to “you get it from your mama” was priceless.
ranking hsmtmts characters bc i’ve got nothing more important to do
14. lily
she’s just plain annoying and i want her to get off my screen every time she’s on it.
hope she’s not in season three and if she is she’s not redeemed (make her even more evil, then maybe she’ll be interesting).
[this is just about the character of course, nothing against the actress]
13. miss jen
i was finally starting to like her in the beginning of season 2 but the last few episodes reminded me how infuriating she is. i don’t like how she treats her students and the fact that she doesn’t have teaching credentials doesn’t help.
12. ricky
it’s not that i hate him i actually like him sometimes, but he’s so oblivious and gullible. give this boy some therapy then maybe we’ll talk.
11. nini
she’s alright. but we see so much of her and yet so little of the important stuff that would actually make her interesting. i support and respect her and all, i just don’t really care about her.
10. natalie
hello where’s her screen time? episodes 10&11 proved she deserves it.
9. big red
he’s just kinda there. i like the actor but i’m not that invested in the character’s storyline.
8. carlos
respect him a lot. but the show doesn’t give him enough plot line for me to care.
7. seb
love him bc he’s a sweetheart but him and carlos are in the same boat (or should i say ship) when it comes to screen time. the show remembers they exist once every 5 episodes, so they’re just kinda there in the background.
6. howie
he’s so high up bc he intrigues me. i’m certain that he’s a good guy but i guess the finale will settle it for me.
5. kourtney
i’m glad that this season she’s not just a supportive black friend and gets her own storyline. although i wish we’d seen more of her at work & pursuing her dreams instead of only witnessing the howie drama (and even that mostly in the background).
4. ashlyn
ash was consistently great from the beginning. love her bond with gina and need more of it.
in some ways she reminds me of phoebe from friends because she’s a multitasking queen and apparently likes to stir up drama (bc wth was that deal with the chocolates).
3. mr mazzara
even though he was sort of an antagonist in season one (for like 4 episodes) and he said a few nasty things, since his first scene, i liked his presence and comedic timing. in season two he completely won me over. he’s just someone who can do no wrong at this point. and his relationship with ej is amazing. so yes he’s in the top 3.
2. ej
ej could’ve be an unlikable character but matt cornett is portraying him so well it’s impossible not to like him. he was definitely one of the most surprising character development wise. although he was my second favorite since day one, regardless. his story arc was one of the best. he is the best male character. now, i’m kinda scared to lose him next season. and also, portwell for life <3
1. gina
do i even have to say it? she’s a queen and everyone should bow down to her. should’ve been the main character idc.
sofia wylie was the reason i started the show and gina became my number one the second i saw her in the background. finally this season has been giving her all the screen time she deserves and i couldn’t be happier. gina is one of my all time favorite comfort characters.
Out of nowhere, today I had a sudden urge for BJ Alex content. And then, while I was dumb scrolling through Instagram, I found these:
Completely randomly 😭🙏💘.... Ooooh, how much I miss them. They are one of my top favorite couples of all time. I LOVE them SO MUCH 🤧❤️❤️❤️
P.S: And I even found these posts in the right sequence: Instagram showed me fisrt Jiwon and then - DG 🤧💘