Sometimes we all need an escape from reality with the help of a good binge-watch. Putting on a series, sitting on the couch, and snacking sounds like a dream weekend. The only thing that might ruin it is a mediocre show, or spending hours trying to figure out what to watch. Don’t worry, Netflix has plenty of binge-worthy shows that will keep you entertained. A few of these shows are watchable over a weekend, while others may take you a lot longer, so you can keep the binge going as long as you want. Who needs to go outside anyway?
The Haunting of Hill House
Mike Flanagan makes great horror, and The Haunting of Hill House is my favorite of his series. One of a handful of series Flanagan made for Netflix, Hill House focuses on the Crain family who lived in the very haunted eponymous mansion. The story switches between the five siblings as children going through a traumatic experience in the house and then as adults still grappling with what happened there. Somehow, it is both extremely creepy and gut-wrenching. Who knew that ghosts could break your heart?
GLOW
GLOW stands for the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. Inspired by real-life events, GLOW takes us back to the over-the-top vibe of the 1980s when wrestling was a cultural phenomenon. A rich boy trying to impress his parents starts up a women’s only wrestling league filled with actresses, athletes, and geeks who have no idea what they are getting into. These women seem to find themselves when they dive head-on into their wrestling personas, especially Ruth (Alison Brie) as “Zoya the Destroyer.”
Supernatural
If you’ve never watched Supernatural, maybe you should stay away from the 15-seasons-long juggernaut. Once you watch the show you are never quite the same. All you need to know is that brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester are on a quest to keep the unknowing world safe from supernatural creatures and celestial threats in their sweet 1967 Chevy Impala named Baby. Over the course of the series, they face everything from ghosts to demons. Is it ridiculous sometimes? Yes, but what other show features a depressed angel who drank an entire liquor store? Just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Sense8
Sometimes when you watch a show, you just have to suspend all disbelief and let it guide you where it wants you to go. Sense8 is one of those shows. I don’t know if it ever makes sense, but after the third episode, you will be too hooked to care. Eight very different people from different parts of the world are connected via a hive mind. They share thoughts, feelings, and emotions. One can even take over the bodies of the other seven. Of course, someone is after them and their abilities, so the eight must work together for the sake of all of their lives. It’s another great sci-fi gem from the minds of the Wachowski sisters.
The Walking Dead
With 11 seasons and several spinoffs, The Walking Dead is an insanely popular show. Although there may have been some low points in the series, it is still addictive. The first episode shows Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) waking up in a hospital to a zombie apocalypse and leaving his small town to see if his family is still alive. The creepy zombies keep an underlying current of fear going in every episode, and you watch to make sure your favorite characters are okay. Sometimes you celebrate at the end of an episode, other times you are left in a sobbing mess. No matter what, The Walking Dead is hard to turn off.
Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte
Although they are technically two different series, Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte should be binged together. The first two seasons of Bridgerton are streaming now, with a third one on the way. Queen Charlotte is only one season and fills in some backstory gaps that Bridgerton didn’t cover. Both series are full of romance, rich people shade, and plenty of steamy scenes. It may be escapism, but with Regé-Jean Page involved, can you really blame us? Watching it is basically self-care.
The Sandman
Based on the cult classic comic book series by Neil Gaiman, The Sandman is a must-see. A group of novice magic users seeking immortality imprison Dream, the actual master of dreams. When he finally breaks free, he must right all the wrongs committed while he was away. This includes a sleeping sickness and a wayward nightmare who has become a notorious serial killer. Every episode is masterfully written and acted. One episode featuring Dream’s sister, Death, is so good that it even made Neil Gaiman cry.
Key & Peele
Even though Key & Peele ended years ago, the sketch comedy genius of Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key still feels fresh and hilarious. Sketches like “Substitute Teacher” and “Menstruation Orientation” will always be funny. I don’t know anyone in 2023 who doesn’t need more humor in their lives.
Wednesday
Wednesday is a great mix of nostalgia and new storytelling. Executive produced by Tim Burton, the series tells a new story about Wednesday Addams of the Addams Family (two things 1990s goth kids love) at a boarding school for monster-adjacent kids. Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) uncovers a murder mystery while trying to keep her distance from people. Plus, the show might inspire you to pick up a crochet hook and make one of Wednesday’s roommate’s adorable snoods.
The Good Place
It took me until the pandemic to watch The Good Place. I’m glad I did because it is perfect, wholesome fun and helped ease the madness of the real world. Eleanor (Kristen Bell), Chidi (William Jackson Harper), Jason (Manny Mendoza), and Tahani (Jameela Jamil) find themselves in “the Good Place” after they die. Yet none of them really earned such a spot, so they make sure to do good in the afterlife, which goes about as well as you would think. Nowadays, time is all Jeremy Bearimy anyway, so just binge it and enjoy.
Into the Badlands
Into the Badlands is a post-apocalyptic story that combines several futuristic tropes, yet it still works. It takes the fighting elements of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and places them in a feudal version of the American South. Sunny (Daniel Wu) is one of the most feared enforcers of the Badlands. He’s a trained killing machine who does everything his Baron orders. But he yearns for something else. When a kid with a strange power shows up, he finally believes there might be a way to escape.
Godless
Godless may appear to be a basic (albeit graphic) Western limited series, but it’s so much more than that. It takes place in a frontier mining town in 1884, where an accident in the lucrative mine decimated the male population, leaving the town’s women to rethink their roles in society. Between a violent gang searching for a wayward member and unscrupulous businessmen sniffing around the mine, the women—including Merritt Wever and Michelle Dockery—have a lot to handle, besides just keeping the town above water.
The Umbrella Academy
The Umbrella Academy takes family drama to a whole new level with a superhero group of siblings. Raised to be the ultimate fighting team, all the kids grew into total messes despite having superhero abilities. When their dad mysteriously dies, they all return home; even their long-lost brother reappears. Events that take place soon after trigger an apocalypse they must prevent, if only they could stop bickering and get over their childhood trauma in time.
Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp and Ten Years Later
If you’ve never watched the cult classic comedy Wet Hot American Summer, stop what you’re doing and put it on immediately. When you’re done with that, you need to binge Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp then Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later. First Day of Camp shows just how the summer began, with all the original actors playing the same characters despite being much older (which just makes it funnier). Ten Years Later is the follow-up series that was also promised at the end of the movie. Do the storylines make any kind of sense? No, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t hilarious—just ask that can of mixed vegetables. He’ll tell you all about this new way.
The Witcher
If you are looking for the perfect fantasy to binge, look no further than The Witcher. Geralt the White Wolf is a witcher who kills monsters for money. Over the course of his travels, he befriends Jaskier, a hot mess bard, and Yennefer, an extremely powerful mage. There’s even a princess who’s in hiding because her power is linked to the fate of their world.
(featured image: Netflix)
