You know the mood you’re in. It’s a Saturday, and you’re sitting in your dorm room or off-campus apartment, and you don’t want to do anything. You’re not having a bad day, but you just want to sit around and watch tv. Except, you don’t know what to watch, and you have the entirety of the internet to choose from. That’s what this list is for. None of these are high-stress TV shows, these are just shows to pass the time.
1. Queer Eye (Netflix)
If you haven’t seen this show, well, you need to now. The premise of the show is that five gay men makeover one person. In the old version of the show, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, they only made-over straight men, but the revival of the series has done one gay man, one woman, and one trans man. The show’s themes are love, self-acceptance, and a whole lot of humor. Each of the five men has one area of specialty – grooming, styling, housing, culture and food. The men representing each are Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown and Antoni Porowoski. Each of the members provides humor and all-around good feelings. Also, if you’re prone to crying in feel-good moments, have a box of tissues ready.
2. Nailed It! (Netflix)
This is an absolutely hilarious show, especially if you can’t bake. This show is all about taking amateur bakers and having them bake really complicated Pinterest-esque masterpieces. If you can bake, and you’re thinking about watching this show, you might walk away really frustrated. But, at least you will be laughing. The show is hosted by Nicole Byers from the prank show Ladylike and Girl Code. She is a fantastic host, and I would highly recommend watching this if you just need to laugh and feel better about your baking skills.
3. Kitchen Nightmares (Hulu)
If you want to feel better about your cooking but in a different direction, might I suggest Kitchen Nightmares hosted by Gordon Ramsey? Watch in increasing horror as all of the common sense food rules that most people know go to complete abandon as Ramsey travels to different failing restaurants. Seeing these restaurants is truly impressive because one wonders how on earth any of these owners think their restaurant is in a good place. (And, yes, many of them do.) It’s hilarious due to Ramsey’s commentary and can also be very heartwarming as the owners get their restaurant back together.
4. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Hulu)
Do you like crime shows? Do you like comedies? Well, congratulations, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is the show you’ve been looking for! The show circles around members of the NYPD Brooklyn 99th precinct and the shenanigans that surround them – and there are many. Additionally, the show has been praised for its excellent representation and themes. The captain – Raymond Holt – is a black gay man and the force also has a bisexual latina (Rosa Diaz, canon as of season 5). The show also is hilarious and light-hearted while incorporating themes of toxic masculinity and racial profiling.
5. Dear White People (Netflix)
This is one of my new favorite shows – it’s not a show I discuss a lot since most people become frightened of the title. The show is about Sam, who hosts a radio title with the same name and the consequences that result from that name. The discussions and issues this show addresses are very enlightening to me, a non-black person, and I have significantly enjoyed every episode. It deals with issues concerning interracial relationships, black struggles, and the differences in opinion about the prejudice many black Americans face. The show is extremely topical and also hilarious. (Also, it features two LGBT characters!)
I hope this helps anyone struggling to find a new show to binge watch! These are all very good shows, so I hope you enjoy each and every one of them. What shows are you currently binge watching? Let me know in the comments!