I am a TV bingewatcher - here are the top three series I have watched this year

As a film lover, I spend much of my free time watching movies and then writing reviews on Letterboxd; it is my favourite pastime. However, every now and then, a TV series will pique my interest. In fact, like many people, I am very guilty of binge-watching a new series in only a couple of days.

This year has seen an abundance of great TV series descend on the streaming platforms. Some highlights for me have included Mix Tape on BBC, The Bear, and the most recent series of The Summer I Turned Pretty. However, sometimes you have to revisit a series gone by, probably already recommended several times by friends; those are usually the best. Here are my top three favourite watches of the year so far.

The White Lotus (Series 3)

This series had me spellbound, despite its slow start, by the end I was hooked. It doesn't quite match up to the second series but it is very close behind. The show's creator Mike White knows how to write a truly shocking script that will keep you guessing. The series synopsis reads: "The White Lotus Season 3, set in a luxury spa and wellness resort in Thailand, explores themes of spirituality, greed, and self-discovery as guests and employees' hidden desires and dysfunctions come to a head, leading to conflict, revenge, and a mysterious death. The season follows several groups of vacationers, including a family facing financial ruin, a group of former friends, and a couple, all while the resort staff tries to maintain order amidst the escalating chaos.

Mindhunter

Mindhunter took me by surprise. As someone who doesn't usually enjoy any kind of true crime/serial killer drama I didn't expect to get into this so much, but it was so well done. Created by David Fincher and starring Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany, it was over in just two short series but there are calls to renew it for a third season, fingers crossed. The series synopsis reads: "Mindhunter is a Netflix true-crime drama about the early days of criminal profiling in the late 1970s and early 1980s, following FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench, and psychologist Wendy Carr. The trio pioneered the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit by interviewing incarcerated serial killers to understand their motivations and develop theories for predicting and solving crimes. The series explores the psychological toll of their groundbreaking work, delving into the damaged psyches of both the criminals they study and the agents themselves."

Ozark

I am only on the third season of Ozark but it is climbing its way into my favourite crime series of all time. I can't believe I slept on it for so long, especially after being a big fan of Breaking Bad and Narcos, which you need to watch if you haven't already. It is a classic that stars Laura Linney and Jason Bateman. The series synopsis reads: "Ozark is a Netflix crime drama about a financial advisor, Marty Byrde, who is forced to relocate his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks to launder money for a drug cartel. When Marty's money laundering scheme for the cartel goes wrong, he must establish a bigger operation in the Ozarks to appease the cartel leader and save his family. The Byrdes become entangled with local criminals, including the Langmore and Snell families, and their involvement in organized crime deepens with each season."