Wightfibre’s Top 5 Box Sets

Are the summer holidays taking their toll and you need some escapism, or perhaps you’re just fed-up with the same old TV schedule? We’ve chosen five box sets for you that cover a range of viewing tastes.

Let us know if you have a box set to recommend and we’ll feature it for you next time. You can join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Mad Men

Mad Men has been hailed as the best American gangster drama since The Sopranos. It is a drama series based on a group of people who work in advertising in New York during the 60’s. The plot focuses on the advertising agencies as well as the personal lives of each character – it’s a great social commentary of life in the era. The series begins with series 1 in March 1960 and moves through 1970 by the end of series 7. This drama is serious but funny too, making it incredibly entertaining overall. You’ll sit down to watch one and not want to stop.

Peaky Blinders

Peaky Blinders has been topping box set charts recently and after just one episode, you’ll soon see why. Set in the 19th century, the main character is lovable rogue Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) and is set around a violent crime family trying to maintain their status as number one gang in the city whilst escaping the grasp of watchful Chief Inspector Chester Campbell. This series has been noted as one of the best to be produced by the BBC in years. This historical gangster drama is easy to watch and gripping.

Homeland

Homeland has been an incredibly popular drama in recent years, probably thanks to the fact that its story-line reflects current affairs, especially when it first aired. The show has won numerous awards throughout the years, including Golden Globes and Primtime Emmys. This thrilling drama begins by introducing the viewer to Nicholas Brody (Damien Lewis), his family and his relationship with CIA operative Carrie Mathison. Brody had been held captive by al-Qaeda and returned to the US as a war hero, but this hero is hiding multitude of incredible secrets which gradually untangle and draw you in as the show progresses. There are currently 6 series of Homeland, and with around 12 episodes per series, that’s a lot to get your teeth into.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Not all of our top picks are serious dramas, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a hilarious American comedy police show, with actor Andy Samberg heading up the cast as Detective Jack Peralta. Samberg’s character is childish and compelling to watch and always at the centre of whatever disaster is unfolding. As the show progresses we see that Detective Jack has an excellent arrest record, but some feel he has never worked particularly hard for it and never follows the correct procedures to secure the arrests. Competitive colleague, Detective Amy Santiago is always close on his tail trying to catch him out, but will she ever shine a light on Jack’s ‘incompetencies’…

The Office (UK)

What better way to round-up our top picks than UK favourite The Office. Written and starred in by Ricky Gervais, the viewer follows his character David Brent as an awkward, insufferable office worker always trying to impress and better his colleagues, but with disastrous consequences. We begin by finding Brent annoying, rude and hard to watch, but by the end of series 9 it’s hard not to feel bad for him and sympathise with his constant need for approval from long-suffering colleagues. The Office was and is so popular that it has even been replicated over the pond in the US with Steve Carell starring as the equivalent of Brent (Michael Scott), so when you finish the UK version why not catch the US one too?

Did you know that you can catch all of Sky’s Box Sets with Wightfibre? Find out more here.