Since we’re all stuck inside for the next few weeks, we could indulge in personal reflection and growth, pursue creative endeavors, read all those books we’ve been meaning to get to… or we could just watch a lot of television. I have put together a list of bingeable series for your quarantine, with a few basic guidelines. One, I’m not bothering with the usual suspects like Fleabag and Schitt’s Creek. Those are great shows, and you should watch them, but it occurred to me now is a great time to revisit past shows I missed the first time around, so that is—mostly—what I have compiled here: complete shows you might not have seen when they were new. And two, I stuck to comedies. The world is f-cking scary right now—I saw two people almost come to blows over lactose-free milk in the Target dairy aisle and it was not funny, it was sad and borderline scary for how f-cking dumb we are as a species—so my recommendations are for—mostly—funny things to feed your eyeballs. If you’re looking for something to watch over the next few weeks, here are a few recommendations for you.
Buzzfeed: Unsolved
This series is EXTREMELY bingeable, as episodes usually run under half an hour, and sometimes are as short as fifteen minutes. Hosts Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej have a real Mulder and Scully vibe, with an enthusiast who wants to believe (Ryan) and a skeptic who falls for nothing (Shane). The seasons are split between “True Crime” and “Supernatural”, the latter of which gets a little Ghost Hunters with all the “what was that?!” and it’s always nothing, but these episodes are a quick delivery system for some of the most popular stories in true crime and the paranormal. If you want to know what all your murderino friends are on about but don’t want to commit to a full-on crime podcast, Unsolved’s got your back. It’s also conveniently available on Amazon Prime and Hulu.
Castlevania
Season three just dropped on Netflix, so now is a good time to catch up with this adult animated series based on the Castlevania videogames (don’t worry, you don’t need to know the games to get into it). The series revolves around hot cartoon Trevor Belmont, a cynical monster hunter who teams up with Dracula’s moody son, Alucard, and a smart magic lady, Sypha, to fight vampires. Sounds stupid, but it is not the stupidest vampire show on this list. Castlevania is funny—Trevor is a one-line wonder—bloody, and Gothic as f-ck, if you’re looking for something a little harder for your binge.
I Think You Should Leave
I will ALWAYS recommend this because I can tell from references that no one gets that you are not watching it. You can binge the whole thing in just under three hours, and it’s the best sketch comedy of the last year, hands down. Get in on the jokes before the second arrives later this year (maybe? Who knows when anything is coming out anymore). It’s on Netflix, so just watch it already or else Chunky is going to come out here and break your laptop.
Justified
The complete series is now on Hulu, so it’s a great time to catch up on Justified, if you missed it the first time around. Like Castlevania, Justified is not really a comedy, it just has a lot of funny stuff in it (the dialogue is SPECTACULAR). It also has a pre-Unbelievable/Booksmart Kaitlyn Dever as a teenaged backwoods criminal mastermind (Loretta McCready FOR LIFE), and it totally predicted Trump’s America like six years before he took office. I recommend just watching the whole thing, but if you want a cheat code, the abridged version of Justified is:
Pilot episode, season 1 episode 5, season 1 episode 7, season 1 episodes 11-13, season two, season four, season six.
Review
Andy Daly’s Review is one of the most insanely dark comedies of the last decade, in which the ineffable Forrest MacNeil reviews life experiences for his audience, including pancakes, cocaine, cryogenics, and forgiveness. The way Review builds to its finale is absolutely brilliant, this is truly one of the unsung gems of the Peak TV era that it seems NO ONE watched when it was happening live. You can stream it via Comedy Central in the US, or through Crave in Canada. Please watch Review, it really is one of the best things you missed.
Sarah’s Channel
I will also ALWAYS recommend Sarah’s Channel, because I can tell you’re not watching it. It’s just TWENTY-NINE MINUTES. It’s the most binge-able thing on this list. Give yourself the gift of comedy and check out Sarah’s makeup tutorials and meet Justin already. Like and subscribe!
The Vampire Diaries
THIS is the stupidest vampire show on my list. I decided to give this a shot since I missed it the first time around, and then Duana came to my rescue and suggested I skip right to the finale of season one, a decision I strongly second. This show definitely takes off in the second season. I don’t really care about the Damon-Stefan-Elena love triangle—mainly because Elena is as interesting as a dish rag and I refuse to believe two vampires with over a century of life experience would find her so riveting—but I am super here for Caroline and Bonnie. If you want a soapy teen drama about the supernatural, the complete series is on Netflix.
What We Do in the Shadows
Not a complete series, but season one is hilarious, and available on Hulu. It is not a remake of the Taika Waititi/Jemaine Clement mockumentary, but a spin-off done in the same style. This time, we follow four vampires living together on Staten Island: eternal lovers Laszlo and Nadja; Nandor the Relentless; and energy vampire Craig. They are joined by Nandor’s familiar, Guillermo, and the more the show becomes about Guillermo, the funnier it gets. Season two begins next month (probably), so now is a great time to get caught up.
