It’s been a long and lonely quarantine and unsurprisingly I’ve burned through more TV shows than ever before. Rest assured, I’m picky about what I watch but even pickier about what I recommend. These seven shows have most or all of the qualities I search for in order for it to be binge-able: a sustainable plot, female characters that are actually well-developed, honest-to-god funny writing, violence and action, cool accents, underlying political messages, detailed and stylized wardrobe, sexy scenes, and a complex enemy.
- La Casa de Papel (Netflix)
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I genuinely couldn’t believe the scale of production and scope of emotions La Casa de Papel (aka Money Heist) managed to hit. A group of smart, funny, sexy criminals get together to rob the Royal Mint of Spain, taking hostages and making enough money to last a lifetime. I was surprised to see the depth of each character and their backstories considering the size of the cast. There wasn’t a dull moment, but there was a share of action, romance, violence, and the diabolical genius plans of The Professor to carry the two seasons of this show without a lull.
- Lucifer (Netflix)
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The much loved Devil / Detective whirlwind is coming to the end of its fifth and (maybe) final season, so there’s plenty to keep you occupied. Though every episode has some kind of action or drama or near-death experience, the overarching plot and character development are slow burns. The romantic tension between Lucifer and Chloe is truly agonizing and made me press “next episode” before I could think about it. Lucifer kept me interested long-term, often incorporating plot points on mortality, ancient prophecy, and the fabric of the universe. You know, casual stuff for a Los Angeles detective and her fallen angel sidekick.
- The Politician (Netflix)
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Somehow each Ryan Murphy project from Glee to American Horror Story is able to hit the beating heart of our reality while being just a little too bizarre to be real. Following a bunch of rich, entitled high schoolers during a class election seemed trite at first, but performances by Gwenyth Paltro, Ben Platt, and Jessica Lange bring the drama to an entirely new level. Plot twists in The Politician always came at the right time and left me hanging onto every word of ostentatious dialogue.
- The Great (Hulu)
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Elle Fanning (one of the most beautiful humans to exist) wears one of the most aesthetically fantastic wardrobes I’ve seen in television. Comedic writing meets beautiful scenery meets political overthrow in this show. I gasped, I laughed, and I cringed along with Fanning’s Catherine while she learned the do’s and don’ts of the Russian court. Emperor Peter III rules with debauchery and violence, often making a spectacle of himself that further proves Russia’s need for a major makeover. The Great doesn’t take itself too seriously and keeps it light, making it a super easy watch.
- Euphoria (HBO)
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Already an addict at 17, Rue is a high school student who just got out of rehab when the season begins. She narrates the whole show but the perspective of events changes from person to person which kept it interesting and opened a lot of potential storylines for the future. The styling, coloring, music, and overall production of Euphoria is something I have never seen in a TV show before. It’s as if all of the party scenes from Skins UK were brought into 2020. The plot covers drug addiction, repressed sexuality, domestic abuse, slut-shaming, and the painful instability of recovery. Why do we watch this stuff? Anyway, I binged Euphoria in 2 days.
- The Good Place (Netflix & Hulu)
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The beginning of The Good Place gave me the impression of a typical comedy, but I was so wrong. I laughed until my stomach hurt but I also cried, like really sobbed, for Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, Jason, Michael, and Janet. The Afterlife turns out to be even more complex than Earth which allowed the writers to explore the different experiences of humanity as well as what shapes us outside of the societal context of everyday life. Niche humor and the absurdity of their surroundings made the characters relatable in their own ways, always bringing the plot back to the ground when it got out of hand. They evolved so much through the four seasons and carried the series to a truly gratifying finale.
- Peaky Blinders (Netflix)
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I might have saved my favorite for last, though be warned, Peaky Blinders is not for the faint of heart or stomach. The gritty portrayal of post-World War I England is grimy and bloody, filled with soldiers with undiagnosed PTSD and street gangs. Birmingham is under the order of the Peaky Blinders, a gang headed by the Shelby family. Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy) is no doubt the kind of tough anti-hero protagonist that I love. On-par with the portrayal of Pablo Escobar in Netflix’s Narcos, Thomas Shelby is one of the best leading characters in a drama I’ve ever seen. Just when you think he’s met his end, Thomas perseveres, and no matter his crimes you won’t be able to stop rooting for him to win.
Whether it’s the satirical lightheartedness of The Great or the gory, heart rate-raising action of Peaky Blinders, hopefully something here piqued your interest. Some days I feel out of sorts and bored after being home so much, and TV series have an amazing way of transfusing people and excitement into our lives that we otherwise wouldn’t have known. COVID might have changed a lot in my life, but it will never stop me from forgetting reality and heading to Netflix to join whichever world I want.
