There’s a good chance you will have already binge-watched some of these shows by the time you read this write up. But just in case you have missed out on a few, The Week wanted to give a nod to some of the smart, funny, and thrilling series out there. We may have skipped the most obvious choices (Game of Thrones, How I met your mother?) but rest assured, the list has some recommendations that will make your weekend a binge-watching bliss. st at work.
For the starry eyed girl
The Mindy Project
At first glance, you might think the show is a chick-flick, but it’s really not. The humor in this show is mainly focused on poking fun at the main character, played by Mindy Kaling and she is the best sport when it comes to kicking herself while she is down. Thanks to solid joke-writing, laugh-out-loud physical comedy, and a strong supporting cast, The Mindy Project delivers on the funny. And most of all, Kaling herself pulls off an energizing performance onscreen, while crafting a smart, self-aware take on young professional women and their dating lives. This is one show you’ll not regret spending the entire weekend watching back to back.
For the wild child
Orange is the New Black
This series plays out in a woman’s prison. Loosely centered around Piper Chapman, an unlikely resident of Litchfield federal prison, Orange is the New Black expertly unfolds the back stories of women who populate the prison. What make it so binge-worthy are its darkly humorous, thoughtful and dramatic plots. This Netflix original reflects the complicated nature of humanity in the most inhumane of settings. With more origin stories and present-tense plot twists by season two, OITNB offers complexity, heart, and some extremely satisfying servings of revenge. It’s not quite accurate to laud the supporting cast, because it’s the outstanding ensemble that steals the show with the help of fresh writing and thoughtful character development. By the last episode you’ll be rooting for season four, and extremely thankful that Netflix is rumored to once again release the full season all at once.
For the inner P.I. in you True Detective
If the intriguing plot and Mathew McConaughey’s performance aren’t enough to keep you hooked from one episode to the next of HBO’s “True Detective, what about the fact that each season is a self-contained story that ends with the season finale? The show’s pace is slow and that is the beauty of it. Have patience and unravel the mysteries that each stellar cast member brings to the plot. The stories are complex and deep, which makes it all the more prime candidate for binge watching.
For the dysfunctional drama addict Transparent
Before Kim Kardashian’s stepfather revealed his trans identity and Caitlyn Jenner took over the cyberspace, you had Maura. Indeed Transparent tells a similar tale. Actor Jeffrey Tambor plays a father who wants to live his life as a woman and needs to tell his adult children. Tambor’s turn as Maura in itself is award-worthy, but what is most surprising is how it is just one facet of this family drama. All the members of the Pfefferman clan are struggling with their own demons and each storyline is full and fascinating to follow. It is a study of faith, family, and dysfunction that is well worth the day or two it takes to binge-watch it.
For the comic geek Gotham
In this Batman prequel set in the corruption of Gotham City, Detectives Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock investigate the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents, while running up against a number of villains from the Batman universe. Here the drama successfully blends the fun of the comic books with a gritty police procedural. One could be forgiven for thinking that following this start, the rest of the show will just go with the motion, being utterly predictable and boring but thankfully, this is pretty much where the ‘what we know’ ends and we’re opened up to a new representation of Gotham, this time, living life before Batman. The city itself in Gotham is dark and moody and filled with an assortment of not-so-nice things and it’s certainly entertaining to see them battle it out for power.
For the Feminist Call the Midwife
BBC’s period drama quickly gained viewers internationally for its fascinating look at the lives of midwives in 1950s London. The show follows Jenny Lee, a midwife at the Nonnatus House in the poverty-stricken Poplar district of London. Jenny works with the nuns of the Nonnatus House to help with midwifery in her town, confronting different families and women through their noble tasks. Most shows on television celebrate families and individuals living with plenty of material possessions. However, Call the Midwife takes a grittier look at life in East London in the 1950s.
Do you want to binge-watch something on Netflix and take a nap...
Call The Midwife has been praised for its ability to shed light on the feminist work that midwives did, at a time when feminism wasn’t as familiar a term as it is today. What’s more, the series doesn’t just have oodles of drama, but boosts a unique sense of humor as well. Its range is such that both fans of Downton Abbey, and Parks and Recreation would enjoy this series.
For the sharp tongued comedian VEEP
The series is about the trials and tribulations of Vice President Selina Meyer, a onetime contender forced to toil in the political shadow of a President who clearly has no real place for her in his administration. While Selina harbors big ambitions, the thing is, she also happens to be emotionally needy, occasionally clueless and a tad bit arrogant. So as she struggles to cement her legacy in an effort to set herself up for another shot at the presidency, it’s a good thing that she has a staff at hand, frantically trying to fix her PR gaffes. Though it doesn’t help that every now and then, they end up making fresh blunders of their own. A rapid-fire, densely interwoven tangle of sharp dialogue, Veep is a true ensemble piece and there is pure pleasure in watching the ca
