March Madness 2020 Ultimate Pop Culture – TV Shows Bracket Selections

I love March Madness for reasons that differ from most. Most people love March Madness for being the pinnacle of College Basketball. For me, I couldn’t care less about the sport. I love March Madness because it gives me an excuse to do a tournament style bracket comprised of whatever topics appeal to me. For those who gave me suggestions, thank you! I am excited to see how this pans out.

If you follow me on Facebook and IG, the four brackets have been determined along with the four sub topics for each bracket. The four brackets will be the following…Disney World, Best TV Shows per Streaming Service, Best of Sports and Best of the 90s (my childhood).

It is Day 2 of the Bracket Selection Period, which means the TV Shows as per Streaming Service is up next.

To be completely honest, I am not a massive TV show binger. I find myself watching my favorite shows on repeat throughout the year. Occasionally, I will give another one a chance. That being said, I am not completely ignorant to what shows are popular. Someone suggested breaking up the TV shows based on streaming services. Those will be the sub topics. Those are as follows…

• Netflix
• HBO
• Hulu
• Disney+

Getting the elephant out of the room if you see the bracket, I have changed the bracket from Prime to Disney+ because Prime was honestly too much of a clusterfuck to separate streaming availability versus purchasing. So I called an audible. The shows selected do not have to be originals. However, they cannot be available on more than one of the platforms in the bracket. I included HBO which is available with Hulu for an additional purchase. Again, you still need to purchase HBO to watch.

By now you get the general idea of the rules, let’s dive into the seeding.

• 16 – Breaking Bad (Netflix 4)

This was the first show I remember going full blown binge as far as streaming service goes. I remember hearing how great it was and I was hooked from episode one. Still to this day, I would contest it is one of the best shows of all time. It ended strong. It didn’t drag on. It told a great story.

• 15 – Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO 4)

I am relatively new to the HBO world. I first bought a subscription in November 2018 to binge Game of Thrones in anticipation of the new season. I haven’t watched this one yet. However, I know it is popular among viewers so I am giving it the nod in the bracket. It will probably be the next new show start after talking about it with someone today ironically. 

• 14 – Letter Kenny (Hulu 4)

I don’t have Hulu so again, we have another show I have not seen (2nd of 5). I have a few close friends who quote it and showed me a clip from it, it seems hilarious. Once again, giving a blind nod here.

• 13 – Even Stevens (Disney+ 4)

A real staple of my childhood. Who didn’t love Even Stevens? This was one of the first shows I watched when Disney+ launched.

• 12 – Lizzie McGuire (Disney+ 3)

The first show I binged once Disney+ launched. Dudes, chicks, it didn’t matter. Most people in my age range loved this show growing up.

• 11 – Full House (Hulu 3)

I remember watching Full House when I was younger every day after school on TBS (channel 17 I believe) because my sisters would have it on. It was always a show I would watch if it was on. For the 90s, it had some damn good star power with Bob Saget, John Stamos, Olsen twins etc. I still watch it here and there. It stands well with time. 

• 10 – The Newsroom (HBO 3)

While The Newsroom isn’t the most popular show of HBO, not even close. I felt wrong leaving it off. One because I love it. Two, I think every person should watch it. Too many people have opinions about the media but fail to realize they are part of the problem. I believe this show does a great job painting that picture of everything wrong with the mainstream and consumers.

• 9 – House of Cards (Netflix 3)

I began the show and never finished. It is one I need to go back and watch. I love political shows and political characters. Both Frank and Claire Underwood are straight savages. I have been able to avoid spoilers and hopefully will continue that. The show has been heralded enough to deserve a spot, no question. 

• 8 – Stranger Things (Netflix 2)

I think this is far and away one of the more popular shows Netflix has at the moment. It’s ironic that such a nerdy show is so damn popular in the mainstream. It is filled with compelling characters such as Eleven, Hopper and Dustin. Every season has kept me interested. I can’t wait for the next season after seeing the first trailer!

• 7 – The Sopranos (HBO 2)

Another show I haven’t watched. Namesake alone, everyone knows the Sopranos. It is hands down one of the most popular series of all time. It also features one of the most controversial endings. I can’t imagine what would happen if that aired 20 years later. Social media would have had a shit fit. 

• 6 – The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu 2)

I have heard great things about it. It is wildly popular among the Hulu crowd. That is honestly all I know. 

• 5 – The Mandalorian (Disney+ 2)

Disney buying Star Wars has obviously given the brand a massive resurgence igniting the true Star Wars fans as well as casual fans. I have not watched a single episode of this show either. However, just go on the internet and you see it’s popularity. The Baby Yoda memes have given it more than enough recognition. 

• 4 – Boy Meets World (Disney+ 1)

One of my favorite, most watched and most quoted series ever. Growing up, this was far and away my favorite show. It still ranks very high for me. It wasn’t a massive deal to me when it became available on Disney+ because I own the box set. At some point, every year, I run it back and re-watch the whole series. 

• 3 – Seinfeld (Hulu 1)

While I am no Seinfeld super fan, the show about nothing is one of the best ever. I casually watch it and have never watched an episode I didn’t like. I can promise you that if I had Hulu, the first show on my list to watch through would be Seinfeld. 

• 2 – Game of Thrones (HBO 1)

GOT is arguably the greatest TV show in history. I loved every single second of it. I do eventually plan to re-watch it. Before season 8 aired, I watched it twice which was the first two times I had ever watched it. I caught so many things the second go round that I missed the first time because of how in depth the series was. A big reason I want to go back and watch again is because of the controversy regarding the final season. Personally, I didn’t hate it like everyone else. It did feel rushed, but how much more character development needed to be done? I want to give it another shake to see if my opinion differs. Nonetheless, it is still one of the best shows ever. 

• 1 – The Office (Netflix 1)

Another show I jumped on late, but better late than never though. It may very well be my favorite show of all-time at this point. Unfortunately, it is hard to compare easy watch shows like The Office to shows like Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad. I love the simplicity of being able to turn on a show like The Office and not feel like I have to pay attention to every detail. The show gets better every single time I watch it. The jokes seem to get funnier. I love the humor of The Office.

RECAP

Netflix Shows – The Office, Stranger Things, House of Cards, Breaking Bad
HBO Shows – Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, The Newsroom, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Hulu Shows – Seinfeld, The Handmaid’s Tale, Full House, Letter Kenny
Disney+ Shows – Boy Meets World, The Mandalorian, Lizzie McGuire, Even Stevens

Stay tuned by subscribing to the website or following Hotard Huddle on Facebook and Instagram. Voting on each bracket will take place next week! Tune in tomorrow for the selection of bracket 3 (Best of Sports).