I was in Wrigleyville today at a coffee shop chatting with my friend Abby and she asked me what my top television shows were. After careful consideration over an oatmeal and a drinkable, Swedish yogurt I decided to choose the first 5 shows that popped into my head that I watched an episode of and enjoyed over the weekend.

Disclaimer: I love television! These shows are just the tip of the iceberg of television shows I watch and enjoy. I tend to gravitate toward shows that create a world with characters that I could see myself comfortably living in. I watch a lot of ensemble shows made up of people that I think would be interesting, fun and artistically fulfilling to work with. All of these shows feature ethnically diverse casts with forward thinking writers/producers that try very hard to break stereotypes.

Brooklyn 99: Procedural Cop Comedy that teeters very gracefully on the line of absurd and serious.
Jane the Virgin: It’s a telenovela, but in English. It’s an absurd show with a whole lot of heart.
The Good Place: It’s about a mediocre woman (Kristen Bell) who dies and accidentally gets sent to heaven. I was raised Catholic by a philosophy teacher. Since the dead can’t talk, I am fascinated with all life after death theories.
iZombie: It’s about a doctor that was bit by a zombie and is now undead. These zombies take on the characteristics and memories of the people they eat. She now works in a morgue and eats dead people’s brains to help solve their murders. Every week the main character gets to play her character with the mannerisms and memories of other people; pretty cool!
Superstore: It’s about employees that work at a superstore. The show has really hit it’s stride this second season. It’s a comedy that delicately deals with very topical and very serious issues.

Honorable mention aka shows I’ve watched an enjoyed within the past couple of weeks: The Walking Dead, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Fresh off the Boat, The Story of God with Morgan Freeman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Black Mirror, Community…