Although the lockdown itself is over, there is always the possibility of another one starting. There are a number of Covid related reasons why we may be confined to our houses, such as close contact, testing positive, or quarantining before getting the vaccine. During these times life gets boring, like super boring, and the only real forms of indoor entertainment are books, movies, games, and most importantly: bingeable TV. Many shows, sitcoms, and dramas came out right before and during the first COVID hit of March 12th, 2020. I have compiled a list here of my five favorite binge-worthy television shows for you, so stick around to read more!

The Queens Gambit

97% on Rotten Tomatoes

My Rating: 10/10

The Queen Gambit, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Thomas Brodie Sangster, and Harry Melling is a thrilling drama focusing on a young orphaned woman in the 60s. The show follows the main character, Beth (Anya Taylor-Joy), on her journey through adoption, addiction, and many more struggles. We join her throughout most of her life, as she meets friends and chess colleagues such as Benny (Thomas Brodie Sangster) and Harry (Harry Melling) and their fight to aid her in the best way they can. The show has gained extreme popularity and is even nominated for a Golden Globe this year, among other awards. This is definitely a “watch in one or two sittings” show and is available on Netflix. Overall, if you are interested in more dramatic and heart-wrenching shows, this is definitely one for you. 

The Good Place

97% on Rotten Tomatoes

My Rating: 9/10 

Every time I have participated in an icebreaker that asks the question “What’s your favorite show?” Someone, without fail, says The Good Place. This show itself is not recent, its last season being aired in 2019, but is still highly acclaimed especially by high school students. The show stars Kristen Bell, Jameela Jamil, Ted Danson, Darcy Carden, Manny Jacinto, and William Jackson Harper as their characters explore the afterlife in “the good place.” The main character, Eleanor, led a pretty horrific life on earth and somehow made it to Heaven due to a mess up in the Good Place system. She is led around by Micheal (Ted Danson) and Janet (Darcy Carden), meets her soulmate (William Jackson Harper), and her neighbors (Jameela Jamil and Manny Jacinto) as they all explore this seemingly wonderful place. This show is definitely binge-worthy, with lots of episodes for viewing pleasure in their four seasons. The show, like many other comedies, does start to go downhill at some points. However, it definitely is a right of passage to at least watch the first season (available on Netflix and Hulu), and who knows, from there you may actually really enjoy it. 

Julie and The Phantoms

93% on Rotten Tomatoes

My Rating: 9/10

Julie and The Phantoms was released recently on September 10th of 2020. Our main character, Julie (Madison Reyes), seemingly lives during the same year, although with no pandemic in sight. The show opens with Julie and her family planning on selling their house in order to rid themselves of the memories of her mom, who recently passed. In all this chaos of cleaning up, Julie plays an old CD that unleashes three ghosts of an old band by the name of Sunset Curve. These ghosts, Luke (Charlie Gillespie), Alex (Owen Joyner), and Reggie (Jeremy Shada), help Julie to get back into her love of music and join a band with them. The show has ups and downs, plot twists, drama, essentially everything you could love about a Disney-esque program. If you enjoy classic Disney Channel and Nickelodeon shows, this one’s for you. Although produced by Netflix, Julie and the Phantoms had that same energy of the shows many of us grew up within the early-mid 2000s.

Brooklyn 99

95% on Rotten Tomatoes

My Rating: 8/10 

Brooklyn 99 is an NBC comedy chock full of laughter and slapstick comedy that is sure to make anyone laugh. The show is produced by Andy Samberg, as well as him playing the leading man Jake Peralta. The 99th precinct of Brooklyn is a place chock full of interesting characters such as detectives, criminals, and other law enforcement that’s interactions on a day to day basis are sure to bring some chuckles. Jake, Amy (Melissa Fumero), Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz), Charles (Joe Lo Truglio), Captain Holt (Andre Braugher), and Terry (Terry Crews) take the audience on a whirlwind of adventures, from going to a friends wedding to capturing crooks, and just being together as a squad. Season 8 was due to come out in 2020, but because of the pandemic, it was delayed to this year, and thank goodness it was. The show came out and stated that after everything that happened with police brutality and BLM, the script for the new season had been chucked and the show will now be going in an entirely new direction in order to bar any insensitivity by making light of police officers. If nothing else, I suggest giving this new season a chance when it comes out to see where they took the show and how they tried to handle this obstacle.

Never Have I Ever

96% on Rotten Tomatoes

My Rating: 7/10
Written by Mindy Kaling, Never Have I Ever follows three high school girls on their journey of sexuality, religion, and relationships with both friends and family alike. Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) opens the show praying to her altar in hopes of receiving good grades, a boyfriend, and heightening her social life. We then go with her to her public high school, where she meets up with her close friends Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez) and Eleanor (Ramona Young) who are both very much stereotypical nerd-types. The show follows her highs, her lows, and her embarrassing moments as she tries to increase her popularity while also attempting to flirt with her crush, Paxton (Darren Barnett). This is one of the few new programs that stars people of color and was nominated for two Peoples Choice awards after its release. Personally, however, this show feels extremely awkward at some points and I definitely do not recommend watching it if you can’t take the second-hand embarrassment. Yet, at the same time, it also does not glorify high school like some other coming of age programs and may be just the right amount of reality check for anyone.