I know we’re mostly sitting at home with a lot of time to stream shows, so rather than scroll indecisively, let’s find both new and old shows to indulge in. Leave a comment or send me a tweet with your suggestions on what we should include in future posts. I’ll try, if possible, to keep this to movies and series available to stream on subscription services without additional money, but I’ll leave a note if there’s a premium charge.
This week’s theme: sacrilegious comics. I’ll look at several series of adaptations of comics/graphic novels based on good and evil in the Christian God/Satan paradigm. None of this week’s shows are appropriate for small kids, so wait until the wee ones are tucked in, and then grab your beverage and/or partner of choice for some late-night viewing.
First up, Warrior Nun. This is a show premise that sounds like it would be completely stupid, and yet somehow it isn’t. This Netflix original is a runaway hit for the streaming platform. Ava, a paralyzed orphan who has tragically died, finds herself accidentally resurrected thanks to the powers of an ancient relic called the halo and a group of… warrior nuns who fight demons.
Trust me on this. It’s actually a very entertaining show with a diverse cast of strong women and a sprinkling of Buffy vibes. Once you binge through, you’ll want a second season.
Available on: Netflix
Bonus material: The graphic novels
My second pick: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. This has been out for a while, but I find myself running into people who have not yet discovered it. If you remember the ’90s series, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, forget about it. This is nothing like it. Instead, we have a much darker Sabrina, the half-witch who must choose between her friends and her family’s loyalty to Satan. The show has a fairly intense three seasons with a fourth and final season due at some point
Available on: Netflix
Bonus material: The Archie Comics series
The third pick: Constantine. Constantine can be streamed in either movie form or as a short-lived series. Constantine is based on a DC graphic novel series and features a chain-smoking anti-hero with an affinity for exorcism and a curse on his soul. The movie stars Tilda Swinton as a deliberately androgynous half-angel wearing some amazing costumes and Keanu Reaves, who Hellblazer purists might note does not have Constantine’s traditional blond hair or English accent. He rocks the role, and maybe some other adaptations featuring blond male leads should have taken note. (Yes, Iron Fist, this was directed at you.) I’ll have to confess that I’ve only seen a few episodes of the TV series (which is only one season long), but that just gives me more things to watch later.
Available on: Hulu (movie) CW Seed (TV series)
Bonus material: Hellblazer graphic novel series
Lastly, we have Lucifer. Lucifer, based originally on Neil Gaiman’s Sandman graphic novels, is a story of the Devil himself. Lucifer Morningstar takes a vacation from all that running Hell and decides to move to the City of Angels. He opens a piano bar and finds him himself solving murder mysteries with his partner—and love interest—the police detective, Chloe. The series is structured mainly as a procedural, but it really works. Lucifer ran on FOX for several seasons before being canceled and picked up by Netflix. Netflix has added Lucifer’s bare bum to the series, and it’s not an unwelcome addition. The show also does a fair share of fan service—casting recurring characters known from other geek favorites and dropping in the occasional Sandman character.
Lucifer is also a good one to start binging now because new episodes are due out on Netflix in August.
Available on: Netflix
Bonus Material: Lucifer Book One
