Now that the school year’s almost over, and all our friends are starting to pack up and head home, we suddenly find ourselves with an unusual amount of free time on our hands. Now, we can do what we’ve been wanting to do since November of last year — catch up on that TV show everyone’s been going on about. We’ve spent the last five months narrowly dodging spoilers — and occasionally seeing the death of your favorite character on Tumblr in a GIF — so now it’s time to actually sit down and watch the dang thing.
Here’s a list of the next seven shows you should watch on Netflix this summer.
"Lost"
Okay, it’s old, but it’s gold. And if you’re like me, you’ve been meaning to watch this one since before the series finale. At this point, we all know the ending but I mean, it was good enough to warrant six seasons, so you might as well start now. Better late than never, right?
"House of Cards"
I love this show. I was skeptical at first, considering I’m not all that into politics, and the talking directly into the camera bit threw me off for just about the first episode, but now I’m neck deep in fictional politics and I can’t decide if I hate that character or he’s just seriously misunderstood.
"The Following"
If you have an unhealthy obsession with Kevin Bacon, this is the show for you. It’s got cults, it’s got plot twists, and plots within plots. I have come home many times to see my roommate on the couch almost in tears because of this show. I’ve only seen a few minutes of it, but it’s already good.
"Jessica Jones"
A few months ago, the internet exploded in support for "Jessica Jones." I’ve been meaning to watch it since last year, and only made it through two episodes with my roommate before our schedules got too busy to find time to sit down and watch it together. From those two episodes, however, I know it’s worth the wait.
"The Walking Dead"
Perhaps at the most anticipated moment, the season finale of "The Walking Dead" earlier this month managed to make us feel frustrated and also worried. Who died? Was it Glenn? Maggie? Sasha? Michonne? It could have been anyone, so what better way is there to over analyze things than by watching from the very beginning?
" Gilmore Girls"
I used to hate "Gilmore Girls." Now I quote it on a regular basis and have all seven seasons in box set form waiting for me at home. I was delighted to hear about the four revival episodes, so this is definitely one of the shows I’ll be watching this summer.
"FRIENDS"
If you’re ever in the mood for some 90s nostalgia, look no further. I have spent countless hours laughing until there were tears in my eyes because of FRIENDS. Where do I start? The theme song that everyone loves and hates at the same time? Joey’s catchphrase, ‘How you doin’?’ or Chandler’s sass? Everything about this show is gold.
Of course there are many more shows you can watch, but if you don’t know where to start, maybe this will help you out. Enjoy your time off, kids. Relax a bit.