Here it is. The list that no one asked for, but that I have written all the same. I’ve watched all of these shows at least halfway through (thinking about how many hours of my life this is concerns me) and really enjoyed all of them. If you have not binge watched "Stranger Things" (or watched it slowly, one episode per day or week like an adult. I try not to judge.), do so immediately. For those of you who, like me, have an unhealthy relationship with Netflix, here is a list of binge worthy shows that I have spent a considerable amount of time watching, listed in no particular order.
1. "Cleverman"
Found while avoiding my homework, this TV show is set in Australia and is part political drama, part coming of age, and part supernatural family drama. The Australian accents are what really drew me in, but there is a lot more to love. The show uses elements from Aboriginal myths and legends and mixes that with a tense political situation and family drama to make this gorgeous show that. I watched it in two days and have no regrets. Few regrets.
2. "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend"
In this show, a woman who has an impressive law career in New York City (but is secretly miserable) leaves it all behind to become a lawyer in a city in California. She says it’s because she wants to live by the beach, but it’s actually because an old boyfriend lives there. This show is a musical comedy, so if you’re into characters occasionally bursting into song, watch this show.
3. "Death in Paradise"
"Death in Paradise" follows an odd detective inspector who moves to the island of Saint-Marie in the Caribbean to head the police department. Nearly every episode is a cute murder mystery that all ties together nicely (so the opposite of Stranger Things! Maybe this will help you forget about your loss until next season comes out)
4. "Marcella"
"Marcella" is a dark series that follows a detective whose husband has recently left her for another woman. IT IS SO GOOD. I could not stop watching it. Every episode is really tense and I truly didn’t know what would happen next. Marcella is trying to find a serial killer throughout the series while dealing with a lot of other personal and work drama.
5. "Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries"
This show is set Melbourne in the 20s, and follows Phryne Fisher, a woman who runs her own private detective business. The setting itself is fun to watch, but it’s Miss Fisher herself that makes this show worth watching- she’s smart, good with a gun, and doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her- which is funny to watch in 1920s Australia.
6. "Wallander"
"Wallander" is another dark detective drama. The fourth season has just been released on Netflix and I am currently watching it- each episode is about an hour and a half long, so it’s like a bunch of mini movies. In my completely amateur opinion, based only on countless hours watching television, this show is beautifully filmed and the actors do such a good job. Also, Tom Hiddleston makes an appearance in several episode as Magnus, a young detective who is, frankly, a little annoying.
7. "Grace and Frankie"
This show is hilarious. It is about two women in their seventies, family friends who don’t really get along, whose husbands suddenly both suddenly leave them. For each other. Their husbands have apparently been having an affair for years. Grace and Frankie have nothing in common, but are forced to be roommates because of a legitimate reason as well as a very funny plot device. The supporting characters are just as real and watchable. There are two seasons on Netflix, and they’re both funny and completely binge worthy.
8. "Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23"
This comedy follows a naive girl who goes to New York City for her dream job, only to find that the company has gone out of business, her fiance is cheating on her, and she’s now broke and homeless. She finds a roommate with the terrible Chloe, played by Krysten Ritter before she was Jessica Jones. Chloe is generally a terrible human, which makes the show that much more interesting to watch. Sadly, there is only one season, but it is a memorable one.
9. "Malcolm in the Middle"
I know this show is kind of a throwback- the first episode aired in 2000- and honestly if you haven’t already seen it I’m judging you. "Malcolm in the Middle" is a masterpiece that follows the dysfunctional lives of a middle class family. Narrated by Malcolm, who is the middle child in a family with five kids, this show has clever dialogue and hilarious characters.
10. "The Good Guys"
This quirky show is about a washed up detective and his unwilling partner. It’s filmed like an ‘80s cop show, and stars Tom Hanks’ son Colin Hanks as Jack Bailey. I loved the style, and thought the show was cancelled too soon. There is only one season, and it’s all available on Netflix.
11. "iZombie"
I was skeptical when I saw the premise for this. A doctor is bitten and turns into a zombie while still being able to function normally. I still watched it, naturally, and ended up loving it. The main character, Liv, was really ambitious about her medical career before the incident that turned her into a zombie and her family is very concerned about her as she now spends all of her time working in the morgue because she needs access to fresh brains, and has broken up with her unreasonably attractive fiance.
12. "Sense8"
If you want to get your mysterious origin story fix after "Stranger Things", watch this show. It follows several different story lines in several different countries. A group of eight strangers have all found out that they have a mysterious connection that allows them to access each other’s memories and skills. They are trying to deal with this when they become aware that they’re being hunted by a mysterious organization set on exterminating them and people like them.
13. "Sherlock"
I almost didn’t put this show on the list because it’s already really popular, but I added it anyway because I love it. It is, obviously, a story about Sherlock Holmes. It’s set in modern day London and has Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in it. Every episode is exciting and tense, and Cumberbatch’s Sherlock is very charming, in a sociopathic way. His words, not mine.