There’s only a few weeks left of spring quarter and then it’s summer! What better way to spend your three months of freedom than watching an entire TV series or two? Below is a list of shows you won’t regret binging and all of these can be found on either Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.
Action
Arrow
Just finishing its third season on the CW, Arrow is a gripping story that continues to introduce lesser-known DC superheroes in a darker way. The show follows Oliver Queen, a party boy billionaire who lives in Starling City. Oliver is stuck on an island for five years after a shipwreck, and returns to Starling to become the Arrow, a brutal vigilante who saves the city from intricate plans and deception by the very people he used to call friends. The show features tons of strong female characters who break the usual troupe and often serve as both heroes and villains that rival Oliver in ability. By his side is a wickedly smart, beautiful and only slightly awkward, MIT graduate and IT tech specialist Felicity Smoak. His ex-girlfriend Laurel Lance is a lawyer and often aids on the legal side of things. This show isn’t afraid to take darker twists and the wicked bow and arrow sequences are incredibly exciting.
Daredevil
Daredevil follows Matt Murdock, a lawyer who starts a small law firm with his best friend Franklin “Foggy” Nelson, as he follows the trail of a surprisingly loveable crime lord. Murdock was blinded as a kid and therefore has extremely heightened senses and uses those to fight crime at night. It’s ridiculously intense watching a blind guy fight crime, and he moves through life with inspirational optimism. This show has a fantastic mix of humor and innovative action.
The 100
97 years into the future, humanity’s population lives on The Ark, a giant space station. Life support systems are dwindling and 100 juvenile prisoners are sent to Earth in order to determine if it’s habitable. Their mission is to find supplies and shelter at an old military station and then make contact with the station. This show is jam packed with trope breaking and plot twists; it’s unafraid to kill off lead characters; no one is truly safe. Clark is the main character and becomes the natural leader of the group. She is unafraid to make the tough decisions and will do anything to keep her people alive. The show gets increasingly complicated as they struggle to form a stable community, run into Grounders (people they didn’t know were still on Earth), and other natural confusion of an Earth ravaged by nuclear war.
A Twist on the Professional World
House of Cards
This show is all about the inner workings of the White House. It follows congressman and House majority whip Francis “Frank” Underwood, who breaks the fourth wall and addresses the audience, and his brilliant manipulation of everyone around him. This show makes politics riveting, dark, and enlightened. It really makes you feel smarter just watching it! The characters are all so complicated and you never know who will rise or fall in power. Frank ruthlessly plays a giant game of political chess and we follow him on his trek to the highest possible rank, President of the United States.
Dexter
In this show, the same guy is both solving murders and committing them. Dexter was adopted by a Miami cop after his mother was brutally murdered at the age of three. The cop, Harry Morgan, recognizes homicidal tendencies in Dexter and teaches him to channel it “constructively”. AKA, he’s allowed to kill awful criminals who have slipped through the justice system. Dexter works as a blood splatter analyst for the police department and leads a seemingly normal life. This show blurs the lines between villain and hero, and good and evil.
Guilty Pleasure Dramas
Reign
This period drama follows Mary Queen of Scots as she moves to France to marry her betrothed, Prince Francis. The pair struggles to fall in love and stay that way as they face huge political decisions, internal threats, country wide religious warfare, and an attraction Mary has with Bash, Francis’s illegitimate half brother. Mary often chooses her people over her own heart and strikes fear into anyone who tries to cross her. This shows is FAR from historically accurate, but that is easily forgiven due to the compelling characters and amazing costuming.
Gossip Girl
This show offers an inside look into the wonderfully outrageous lives of the young, beautiful and rich teenagers who reside on the Upper East Side of New York City. It follows socialite Serena van der Woodsen and her friends, with equally pretentious names, as they navigate love, betrayal, and unimaginably cool parties, all with the eyes of the Gossip Girl blog who scandalously reveals their secrets. We enter the world alongside outsider Dan Humphrey as he falls for the it-girl and struggles to keep up with their antics. The setting alone is enough to commit to this show, NYC is beautiful and they explore every inch of it.
Once Upon A Time
Fairy tales and modern life collide in this incredible creative show. Emma Swan is a bail bonds collector living a normal life until her son, who she had given up a decade ago, shows up. He believes that Emma is the daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White and that she was sent away when a curse by the Evil Queen trapped everyone from the fairytale world in a present day town called Storybrooke, where no one but the Queen, known as Regina and the adoptive mother of Henry, knows who they really are. Henry takes Emma to Storybrooke where eventually she is convinced and it’s up to her to save everyone. This show comes off as cheesy at times but it brings to life our favorite fairytales with new twists and inspired interconnections!
Unique ComediesThe Office
The Office is presented in a fake documentary style, where the characters interact with the camera and have set aside time for commentary. It takes place in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of a paper company called Dunder-Mifflin. The Office is full of unique characters that will all have you cracking up in different ways. Their odd interactions and the antics of branch manager Michael Scott are unlike anything that’s ever been on TV. You’ll feel connected and invested in every single salesman, secretary, accountant and even the temp.
Bobs Burgers
This animated sitcom follows the Belchers, parents Bob and Linda, and their children Tina, Gene, and Louise, who run a hamburger restaurant. This show has a subtle witty humor and the weird characteristics of each character are relatable, exaggerated, reflections of our own lives. It has sly humor, but moments of crassness. Pretty family friendly, but an underlying darkness, and TONS of food puns. There’s a rivalry with the restaurant across the street Jimmy Pesto’s, and Tina is in love with the owners son, Jimmy Jr. Tina is going through puberty and is unafraid to be completely honest about her obsession with butts, horses, zombies and writing erotic friend fiction. Gene is an aspiring keyboardist and a prankster, and his jokes often subtly reference pop culture. Louise is the evil genius who likes to mess with people and create hilarious drama. This family has such a strong mix of inventive characters and original comedy.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
After spending fifteen years stuck underground in an apocalypse cult, Kimmy Schmidt finally escapes and tries making a life of her own in New York. She rents an apartment with a man named Titus, a gay aspiring Broadway actor who makes his living as a Times Square street performer. He helps reintroduce her to modern life and she provides him with inspiration to never give up. Kimmy’s fresh eyes and exposure to our modern world serve as a hilarious commentary on the things we prioritize.
From Across the Pond
Sherlock
Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman star in this contemporary version of the popular Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Dr. John Watson (Freeman) is a war vet returning home to London and searching for a flat mate. Through a mutual friend he ends up living with the brilliantly eccentric Sherlock Holmes. They have amazing chemistry and John’s practical observations are a hilarious contrast to Sherlock’s stoic rationalism. They develop a deep affection for each other and sweep the city solving cases. Eventually they discover that many of the cases have been planted by Moriarty, Sherlock’s nemesis. This is a charming and smart retelling of an exciting story and you will fall in love with their rendition.
Misfits
This crass British comedy is about five people doing court mandated community service when an odd storm strikes London. The five of them, along with scattered others throughout the city, start to realize the storm has given them odd powers. Their probation officer has also been affected with an insane desire to kill, they’re attacked and in the process discover their powers and kill the officer. The rest of the story is about them covering that up, encountering others with powers and despite all odds, developing a bond. Nathan, played by Robert Sheehan, is a riot. He takes nothing seriously and he alone is worth a watch.
Tugs at the Heart Strings
Parenthood
Parenthood follows the large Braverman family, specifically the four grown siblings Adam, Sarah, Crosby and Julia. Adam is a level headed business man and first born, he has three children, the middle child with Asperger’s Syndrome, he’s the guy with the American Dream and a vast responsibility to support his family and aide his siblings. Sarah, is the unstable divorced daughter who returns to live at home with her rebel daughter and sensitive son, she has a huge heart and works to find herself. Crosby is the happy go lucky musician who finds out he has an absolutely adorable son. Julia is a lawyer and her husband is a stay at home dad, she’s tough and sometimes cold but opens her heart to adopt a son. This show touches on every aspect of life in the realest and rawest way. The four lean on each other as they face mortality, marital, parental, and love issues. I promise you will cry watching this show, but in a wonderful way.
Friday Night Lights
Dillon High School’s football coach, Eric Taylor is a championship winning coach that inspires both his team and the entire town. Coach Taylor strives to balance his emphasis on family, his status in a sometimes confrontational community, and his personal ambitions. His wife is the school counselor turned principal and they have a teenage daughter who becomes increasingly rebellious. The show also focuses on the various players, one who has a life altering accident, another who needs football to become a better person and the underdog who was nothing until the team built him up. This town and their team struggle to be good and free, priorities and duties are blurred as tensions lean on the continued success of the team.