It seemed all anyone was doing during quarantine was binging Netflix, which is entirely understandable considering the never-ending free time we had. Suddenly shows like Outer Banks, All-American, and Tiger King gained a cult following. Their casts, especially Chase Stokes and Madelyn Cline of Outer Banks, became instant celebrities and now have millions of followers on Instagram. Outer Banks and All-American were renewed by Netflix for additional seasons, and Carole Baskin of Tiger King was selected as a contestant on Dancing With the Stars.
Just like most everyone else, I watched all three of these shows, mostly without complaint. With so much time on my hands, my standards for TV shows were unbelievably low. I was just looking for almost anything to occupy my time, and these TV shows filled some hours. Looking back, however, the shows are downright awful — the acting is, for the most part, dreadful and the storylines are bland and trivial.
Now that we are no longer in the lockdown phase of the pandemic and we don’t have as much time, I need actually good TV shows in order to continue devoting my time to Netflix and Hulu. Here are 5 of my favorites — no matter how busy I am, I will always find some time to watch these.
- Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu
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Based off the popular book by Celeste Ng, Little Fires Everywhere is at once a crime mystery thriller and an examination of motherhood. It deals with two families, the wealthy Richardsons and the poorer Warrens, who become increasingly connected as the show moves through a possible arson, teenage love stories, a divisive court case and lots and lots of secrets. What I loved most about this show was that nothing was cut-and-dried; I never knew which character to agree with. This speaks to the unbelievable writing of the show, and with Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington as leads, the acting is just as phenomenal.
- Gilmore Girls on Netflix
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An old classic, feel-good show that still manages to be a lot more compelling than anything popular during quarantine. Gilmore Girls is set in Stars Hollow, a picturesque Connecticut town home to Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. With its focus on a mother-daughter duo, Gilmore Girls is a show about friendship and family, intergenerational relationships, teenage love and coming of age. While I will always recommend this show, don’t bother checking out the accompanying Netflix revival miniseries.
- This is Us on Hulu
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Similar to Gilmore Girls, This is Us is a multigenerational drama about family, following the Pearson family throughout several different time frames: the 1980s, when Jack and Rebecca are parents to three young children, the children’s teenage years and the children as adults in the present day. The show depicts real life as it is, and while it is known as a tearjerker, happy moments in the show are just as powerful. This is one of my favorite shows I’ve ever watched, and, as it was just renewed through six seasons, it will be around for a long time.
- John Mulaney’s stand-up comedy specials on Netflix
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Technically this isn’t a TV show, but John Mulaney’s three stand-up comedy specials on Netflix are my go-to whenever I need to laugh or just want something comforting. His comedy specials are essentially just stories, but Mulaney’s understanding of timing and voice inflection makes them some of the most entertaining stories I’ve ever heard. I’ve seen each special multiple times and never get tired of re-watching!
- Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix
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I first watched Grey’s Anatomy the summer before my freshman year of high school. At the time, it was about 12 seasons with roughly 20 episodes a season, each episode about 40 minutes. I watched it in its entirety within about a week and a half, which speaks to how unbelievable the show is. Grey’s is a medical drama series that follows a group of young doctors at a Seattle hospital as they journey from interns to attendings, chronicling all the life moments in between. It is still on the air, but I especially recommend the first ten seasons.