With campuses being shut down most of us have had to pack up our dorms and head home for the semester early, and for most of us that means living once again with our parents. While I love my parents as much as the next guy, sometimes it can be hard finding something we all can enjoy watching. I know from personal experience that it can be difficult finding something we can all enjoy while trying to avoid any awkward moments when the stand-up comedian goes a little too far or the make out scene lingers for a little too long. For just this reason, I’ve compiled a list of Netflix viewings that I have pre-approved as safe to watch with your families: no sex scenes, no fight scenes, no racy humor so you can have a fun and pleasant family night.
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction
David Letterman, now a retired late-night talk show host, has his own new Netflix sit-down show accompanied by renowned guests, as the title would suggest. If you or your parents are at all interested in the lives of Barack Obama, Malala Yousafzai, or Melinda Gates you’ll have to give this show a try. Letterman and his guest discuss at times somber topics, however there is always a glimmer of cheer that shines throughout each episode making it a wonderful watch.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Due to the outbreak of coronavirus, a lot of us have had to cancel our spring break and summer vacation travel plans and leaving us itching to be somewhere other than our living rooms. Although it doesn’t quite beat the real thing, travel shows can help satisfy that urge a little bit and make us feel transported to another land. On “Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner”, chef David Chang joins lovable celebrities like Kate McKinnon and Chrissy Teigen on different cuisine adventures in foreign destinations like Phnom Penh and Marrakesh. Each episode is filled with delicious food, beautiful shots of the land, and hilarious banter between Chang and his guests. My family and I finished it in just two days!
The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes
Keeping with the trend of escapist travel TV, this show takes you on an architectural journey to a plethora of different homes throughout the globe, including Switzerland, Portugal, and India. As you may have inferred from the title, each home is structurally unbelievable, beautiful, and unique. The sweeping shots of these unfathomable houses will give you a breath of fresh air and maybe even have you planning a dream home of your own.
Tidying Up with Marie Kondo
Although this show did have a bit of a popularity streak when it was initially released back in January of 2019, so many people still haven’t seen it so I feel I must include it in this recommendations list. During quarantine, many of us have wanted to clean up our homes but have yet to find the motivation to do so– this show will definitely help with that! Tidying guru Marie Kondo enters people’s hoarder-level homes and helps them find peace again in their surroundings. Each episode is full with tips on how to fold and organize your belongings along with Marie’s step-by-step process on how to declutter your home. While at first I did think a whole show about cleaning could be boring, with Marie’s lovely and motivating presence it makes for a wonderfully pleasant viewing.
Tig Notaro: Happy to be Here
While I will admit this stand-up special is a little peculiar, if the humor suits your taste it is bound to make you belly laugh. In her outrageously funny Netflix special, Notaro shares slice-of-life stories about working as a temp, being confused for a man, and raising her hysterical twin boys in her quintessential offbeat style. Besides all of that, this special has probably one of the strangest endings to a comedy performance I have ever seen, but you’ll have to watch it yourself to see what I’m talking about. I have seen this special at least five times, but it still makes me laugh each time. It perplexes me why this special remains unknown to most, but I encourage you to at least give it a shot.
While I know it can at times seem impossible to find things to watch with your family, hopefully these Netflix picks are ones you haven’t already heard of and are willing to give a try the next time your family wants to watch something altogether.