Midnight Mass
michaella92/moviestillsdb
Mike Flanagan has created several excellent gothic horror series for Netflix. However, the best of them is Midnight Mass. At only seven episodes in length and with a satisfying and definitive conclusion (this is a closed mini-series by design), few shows are so easily binge-able.
It is hard to describe the plot of the show or even get into what genre it is without giving away some of its best secrets. Knowing nothing about Midnight Mass is the best way to approach it — less is more. It is not for the squeamish, though the blood and guts are window dressing to a deeply moving and emotional story about faith and death.
Arrested Development
ln614123/moviestillsdb
Arrested Development’s greatest strength is its rewatchability. Though the show did not find a large audience on network television when first aired, it gained a massive cult following on DVD specifically because people were able to watch it over and over again and appreciate the layered, cleverly repetitive joke structure of the sitcom. Creator Mitch Hurwitz and his team lay seeds for jokes that don’t pay off for entire seasons before sneaking up on you with a punchline that will leave you in stitches.
Even if you’ve watched it fairly recently, that’s all the more reason to jump back in with another series binge.
Squid Game
Timothy2/moviestillsdb
If you were one of the four people who didn’t binge Squid Game at the height of the COVID lockdowns, then pencil this Korean horror thriller in for your next long weekend.
Like a great airport paperback, this show is impossible to tear yourself away from. Every episode ends on a (sometimes very literal) cliffhanger, and the larger mysteries of the show will have you discussing theories in those spare minutes while you cue up the next one.
Once again, this isn’t for the squeamish, but the heightened violence only adds to the tension and will put you as on edge as the contestants in the game
Derry Girls
mitchellgreen/moviestillsdb
Derry Girls is a teen dramedy set in Northern Ireland during the early 1990s, specifically in and around the real-life historical events of the Troubles. And while that might seem incredibly specific, the themes and stories told around the lives of this group of secondary school girls are universal.
The show is only nineteen episodes long across three series (the British equivalent of a season) which means you can mainline this thing in a sitting and still have time to enjoy it all over again if you are so inclined. The show is uproariously funny, genuinely touching, and absolutely a must-see.
Schitt’s Creek
patricklucas/moviestillsdb
Created by father and son duo Dan and Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek is the perfect “hangout show” in that it presents its viewers with a world that is just so darn enjoyable to visit. With likable and well-drawn characters, cheery resolutions of conflict, and a genuine vibe of positivity (similar to Ted Lasso), you’ll want to binge the show as an excuse to get to spend more time in this lived-in town and with people who very quickly feel like old friends.
Catherine O’hara’s performance as the matriarch of the Rose family is one for the ages, though the rest of the cast more than hold up their ends. Schitt’s Creek is one of the best sitcoms of the last decade.
Bridgerton
michaella92/moviestillsdb
Despite being set in the ostensibly stuffy Regency era of London high society, Bridgerton is one of the horniest television shows ever produced for American audiences. Heavy breathing, longing stares, eyes and hearts aflutter — steamy isn’t the word for it. You’ll want to binge the show to see the romances and mysteries play out, yes, but also to see how far the next love scene might go.
The entire show is preposterous, with contemporary speech, music, and values crashing headlong into its historical setting. But honestly, that is part of the fun. The show is elevated trash, like all the best primetime soap operas.
The Good Place
murraymomo/moviestillsdb
The genius of Michael Schur’s The Good Place — and what makes it so immensely binegable — is the way it isn’t afraid to completely break its premise and reinvent itself. And it doesn’t do this once, or even twice, but over and over again. It’s like the writing staff deliberately wrote themselves into fun little corners as a challenge, and then instead of taking the easy way out and looking for some way to hit the reset button, they chose to double down and get weird with it.
The conclusion of the show is a lot to process emotionally and spiritually, though considering the starting point is asking what happens after we die, that is to be expected. The Good Place is a nearly perfect show that everyone should see
The Great British Baking Show
Victoria Dawe/Comic Relief/Getty images
The strength of The Great British Baking Show is that it is everything that American reality shows are not. There’s no artificial drama, nor are there pointless cliffhangers or mean-spirited elimination ceremonies. Instead, you’ll find a show that is filled with competitive contestants, yes, but also deeply supportive and friendly with one another. Judges are tough in their criticism but never cruel or manipulative. Some hosts make genuine human connections and don’t needlessly stir the pot.
Every season is filled with so many quirky, likable bakers that it is impossible not to get invested. You will laugh and cry along with them as they go on their journey to find out who will be that season’s top baker.
Westworld
yaut/moviestillsdb
The third and fourth seasons of Westworld are rightly criticized for somewhat collapsing under the weight of the series’ mysteries and complexities. And by extension, the quality of the second season is slightly diminished because we know that what follows isn’t as good as what came before.
The first season, though, can stand completely on its own as a fantastic closed-loop narrative and is one of the best shows to binge on a rainy weekend. This show has cards up its sleeve that have never been played before or since, and your jaw will be left on the floor more than a few times.
Ultimately, it’s up to you whether you want to watch the first season as an isolated, complete mini-series with a couple of mysteries left unsolved, or carry on to the conclusion of Westworld’s four-season run.
Station Eleven
acla/moviestillsdb
You’d be forgiven if you weren’t in the mood to watch this mini-series when it first premiered on HBO Max. Watching a show that is about the aftermath of a virulent flu pandemic that decimated the global population while we’re still in the middle of COVID is not everyone’s idea of a good time.
Still, that doesn’t change the fact that this incredible 10-episode mini-series is an absolute must-watch binging experience. Based on the novel of the same name, this epic narrative hops back and forth between characters dealing with the outbreak as it happens and those that remain decades later. Wonderfully written, well acted, and beautifully photographed, pencil Station Eleven in on your next long weekend for a series watch.
