Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Scranton chapter.

It is that time of the year again, time to start fresh. You have new classes, teachers, notebooks, and it’s basically the best excuse to start watching a new show Netflix.  Let’s face it; you’re going to need an outlet to unwind after-hours of classes and homework. So here are the 10 shows that you NEED to binge watch on Netflix when you have downtime (or procrastinating).

Orange is the New Black: 3 Seasons

Orange is the New Black is sweeping the nation and if you are not watching it you are seriously missing out. The show is based off the book and follows Piper Chapman (Taylor Shilling), a woman who is sentenced to fifteen months in prison. The great thing about this show is it’s a Netflix original, which means that the entire season is released all at once, yay! However, the downside is you will have to wait for season 4 to be released #boo. But the good news is you’ll be so addicted to the show that you won’t care.

Friday Night Lights: 5 Seasons

This show has a little bit of everything football, drama and not to mention Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch). Friday Night Lights follows a small town football team from Dillon Texas. It’s like Remember the Titans but in TV form and once you watch one episode you will be hooked. Warning: While watching, you will constantly ask yourself why you can’t be friends with Tami Taylor (Connie Britton) or why you can’t get your hair to look like hers (sigh).

Law and Order: Special Victims Unit: 3 Seasons

Law and Order: Special Victims Unit is currently the longest airing drama on television with its 17th season premiering on September 23rd on NBC. So why not see what all the fuss is about and binge watch the series about a dedicated squad of detectives. Unfortunately, Netflix is only airing seasons 13-15, which are all post Stabler episodes (come on Netflix get your sh*t together). But there is plenty of Olivia Bensons’ (Mariska Hargitay) sass to go around, and Season 13 introduces you to Detective Nick Amaro (Danny Pino) who is just a good to look at as Stabler was.

Friends: 10 Seasons

So no one told you life was gunna be this way, clap, clap, clap, clap. Yes people, we live in a time where you can watch Friends whenever and wherever you want. So instead of trying to catch the reruns of the episodes you haven’t seen on TV, just watch the entire thing from the beginning on Netflix. See how Joey, Monica, Rachel, Chandler, Phoebe, and Ross started and where they ended up. Or figure out the age-old question if Rachel and Ross really were “on a break.”

Gilmore Girls: 7 Seasons

Gilmore Girls is one of those shows that we’ve all seen at least once in our lives, or have seen a ton of episodes out of order. This however, can easily be fixed if you watch the entire series on Netflix. Just in case you’ve been living under a rock the last few years, Gilmore Girls is a show about Lorelei (Lauren Graham) and Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) a mother daughter duo that live in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. Also, gracing the show with her presence is pre Bridesmaids Melissa McCarthy who plays Lorelei’s best friend Suki. This show will make you laugh, cry, and wish that you lived in Stars Hollow.

The Walking Dead: 4 Seasons

The Walking Dead will mentally prepare you for a zombie apocalypse (yes it can happen). The show follows Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) after he wakes up from a coma and tries to make sense of the new zombie filled world he’s been thrown into. The show is very character driven. The writers and producers are not afraid to kill of your favorites, no one, not even the main characters are safe. The Walking Dead’s 6th season premieres on AMC on October 11th at 9P.M., catch up on all the episodes you missed on Netflix. Season 5 is not on Netflix yet, but have no fear they sometimes release the previous season two weeks before the new season airs.

One Tree Hill: 9 Seasons

One name, CHAD MICHAEL MURRAY. Yes the teen dreamboat of the early 2000s stars in this series about two half-brothers Lucas Scott (Murray) and James Scott (James Lafferty), who compete for positions on their school basketball team. One Tree Hill also features Sophia Bush (John Tucker Must Die and Chicago P.D) as Brooke Davis. This show will bring back the crushes that you had in the early 2000s. It will make you laugh, cry, and sit in your bed until the very end.

Grey’s Anatomy: 11 Seasons

Grey’s Anatomy, the show follows Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) who is originally accepted into the residency program at Seattle Grace Hospital. All seasons of the show are on Netflix, Season 12 premiere on Thursday September 24 on ABC.

The Office: 9 Seasons

This brilliant show is a fake documentary about a fictional paper company, Dunder Mifflin, based out of our very own Scranton, Pennsylvania. While watching, you will fall in love with all the Dunder Mifflin employees like Michael, Jim, Pam, and Dwight to name a few. This show will make you laugh so make sure you’re not on the fifth floor of the lib. 

Jordan Gruttadauria is a NEPA native that can't wait for a New York City lifestyle. She is a senior at the University of Scranton majoring in Strategic Communication with a concentration in Public Relations and minoring in Theatre. When she is not working on one of the theatre productions at Scranton, you can find Jordan either eating a burrito or binge watching Law and Order: SVU on Netflix(I mean who doesn't want to grow up one day to be Olivia Benson). Jordan and coffee are a bond that cannot be broken, so if you see her on campus expect her to have coffee cup in hand. She is very excited to start writing for Her Campus and share stories with other girls on campus. Follow her on Instagram @jordangruttadauria and on Twitter @jordaaann13
Samantha is an East Coast girl from Pennsylvania with a New York City attitude and a Florida mindset. Her shopping habits are contagious; she has inherited them from her mom (they say mother knows best, right?). Samantha is a University of Scranton senior majoring in Strategic Communication with a minor in Business. She is the Campus Correspondent of Her Campus Scranton, which she co-founded in September 2014 with her best friend, Elise. She is also the captain for Scranton Love Your Melon and secretary of the University of Scranton's Business Club. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter, @samanthaamilazzo @samanthaliza_