That urgent need you’re having right now to curl up in the fetal position on the couch with a whole bag of chips and 10 hours of TV? The struggle is real. When it’s the dead of winter and you don’t want to leave the house, Netflix is your friend. Here are some of our favorites to stream or download right now and chase those gloomies away.
11 Netflix shows to binge-watch right now
1. Easy
Easy is a racy comedy that can be classified as a collection of stories based in Chicago. You can never get too attached to anything in this series, as there is a constantly shifting theme, a constantly shifting list of characters, and a completely new situation to be resolved in each episode. If you are the type of person who likes to take a small nibble into each chocolate in a box of truffles just to find out what’s inside, then you will love this series that tackles sex, domestication, suburbia, and social interaction.
2. Godless
This western takes place in the late 1880s, somewhere and everywhere in Colorado and throughout the four corners area. Godless will hook you from the beginning by dumping you in the middle of chaos right away. A stray man shows up in the middle of the night with a gunshot wound. Another needs to have his arm amputated in the middle of the night. Characters are slowly introduced as the storyline doesn’t reveal much at the outset…it’s slow to unfold but worth the wait!
3. Freaks and Geeks
Oh, the clothes! The hair! The bad behavior that we tolerated way back in the late 20th century! Freaks and Geeks is a great throwback for those who remember the ‘80s or want to know what it was like. This binge-worthy series tells the story of Lindsey, a high-school girl who’s trying to find her place in the world while dealing with issues like death, bullying, cliques, crushes, and cutting class. The series, which originally aired in 1999-2000, features many actors who went on to big comedy careers.
4. Limitless
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to use 100% of your brain? Struggling 28-year-old Brian Finch finds out when a chance meeting with an old friend introduces him to a cognitive enhancer drug, NZT-48. This drug enables him to access more of his brain, and thus exhibit superhuman abilities like stellar memory and heightened awareness of his physical surroundings. Where can we go and what can we do with 100% access to our brain? The possibilities are Limitless.
5. Peaky Blinders
This British crime drama starts off with a BANG and doesn’t let up. Set in 1919 Birmingham, England, the series accurately portrays everything from depressed streets of mud to gambling in the back alleys. There are four seasons available, the latter of which are rumored to be the best.
6. The Crown
When it’s dark and stormy outside, who wouldn’t want to curl up with Elizabeth II? The Crown is a historical drama that starts in mid-century England during the reign of Elizabeth II. A powerful story of political rivalries, power and, yes, romance, the series had us hooked from the opening scene. This show has been rated among the most popular on Netflix right now, and it won a Golden Globe for Best Drama. So far two seasons have been released.
7. Wormwood
This fascinating true-crime documentary from filmmaker Errol Morris revolves around a government conspiracy and the death of a scientist in 1953. Wormwood is a great brain-food series for those who like to ruminate.
8. TURN: Washington’s Spies
This AMC original series is about the British and the Loyalists in 1778, following the independence movement in New England’s emancipated states. If you think you already know the story, you might be surprised by some twists in the narrative. Four seasons of this timeless revolutionary war period drama are available on Netflix right now.
9. Black Mirror
This series of vignettes takes place in the fictitious world of tomorrow, and it is best described as a creepy and dystopian world. It’s a series about humankind’s innovations, and about the darkness of the human condition. Each episode features a different dark facet of technology, and how it can go terribly, terribly wrong. Best for dark nights and strong constitutions.
10. Ultimate Beastmaster
On a lighter note, Ultimate Beastmaster is based upon an obstacle course and the real-life humans that try to master it. Unlike American Gladiator, this series features teams from different countries, sometimes speaking in different languages with subtitles. And these competitors are unstoppable! It’s a great show for the whole family, and it’s great inspiration for you to stay on track with your own fitness goals.
11. Mad Men
Mad Men chronicles the descent of a white, male-dominated society in the United States in the 1960s through the story of an adman in Manhattan. The setting is at once gorgeous and disturbing: Men dress in long coats and top hats like gentlemen, but exercise the power and ego to denigrate and criticize women. This is an eye-opening series that is a must-see to understand mid-20th-century workplace social dynamics to see how we’ve grown into today’s workplace norms.
12. Portlandia
Originally on IFC, Portlandia is an offbeat sketch comedy that skewers the Oregon city of Portland and its quirky inhabitants, painting some rich and hilarious portraits of feminist bookstore owners, aggressive cyclists, and–perhaps most hilariously–restaurant patrons who go to visit the farm where their meal (a chicken) lived before they decide whether to order it. This is a must-see.
