Originally posted March 19, 2020. Check out my updated list, 25 MORE Binge-worthy TV Shows to watch during the Coronapocalypse.
I don’t know about you but with all the news about the Coronavirus I’m feeling very stressed and anxious and could use a little escape to give my brain a rest.
I am a voracious reader, but I also love to binge a good show now and then, so I thought I would share a list of my favorites shows. Some of these are new and some are older shows you may have missed, but they are all binge-worthy!
Let me know in the comments your favorite binge-worthy show!
25 Binge-worthy TV Shows to watch during the Coronapocalypse
Based on characters created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg, this series follows Lucifer, the original fallen angel, who has become dissatisfied with his life in hell. After abandoning his throne and retiring to Los Angeles, Lucifer indulges in his favorite things (women, wine and song) -- until a murder takes place outside of his upscale nightclub. For the first time in billions of years, the murder awakens something unfamiliar in Lucifer's soul that is eerily similar to compassion and sympathy. Lucifer is faced with another surprise when he meets an intriguing homicide detective named Chloe, who appears to possess an inherent goodness -- unlike the worst of humanity, to which he is accustomed. Suddenly, Lucifer starts to wonder if there is hope for his soul.
In the sitcom "Schitt's Creek," a wealthy couple -- video store magnate Johnny and his soap opera star wife Moira -- suddenly find themselves completely broke. With only one remaining asset, a small town called Schitt's Creek, which the Roses bought years earlier as a joke, this once-wealthy couple must give up life as they know it. With their two spoiled children in tow and their pampered lives behind them, the Rose family is forced to face their newfound poverty head-on and come together as a family to survive.
What would you do for love? For a brilliant male bookstore manager who crosses paths with an aspiring female writer, this question is put to the test. A charming yet awkward crush becomes something even more sinister when the writer becomes the manager's obsession. Using social media and the internet, he uses every tool at his disposal to become close to her, even going so far as to remove any obstacle --including people -- that stands in his way of getting to her.
Created by Bill Dubuque ("The Accountant," "The Judge"), this drama series stars Jason Bateman as Marty Byrde, a financial planner who relocates his family from Chicago to a summer resort community in the Ozarks. With wife Wendy and their two kids in tow, Marty is on the move after a money-laundering scheme goes wrong, forcing him to pay off a substantial debt to a Mexican drug lord in order to keep his family safe. While the Byrdes' fate hangs in the balance, the dire circumstances force the fractured family to reconnect.
Oscar-nominated actor William H. Macy stars as Frank Gallagher, a single father of six who spends much of his free time drinking at bars. The Gallagher children -- led by oldest daughter Fiona (Emmy Rossum), who takes on much of the child-rearing responsibility due to her mother's absence -- manage to raise themselves in spite of Frank's lack of parenting and unusual parenting style when he does choose to act like a father. The drama is an adaptation of the BAFTA Award-winning British show of the same name.
Dexter Morgan is a Miami-based blood splatter expert who doesn't just solve murders; he commits them too. In fact, he's a serial killer -- but he only murders the guilty, so he feels justified with his lifestyle choices. His policewoman sister and his cop co-workers have no idea Dexter lives a double life; however, adoptive father Harry knows his secret, and does, in fact, help Dexter hone his "skills." It's a unique brand of justice for which charming Dexter feels a psychological hunger.
Jen's husband recently died in a hit-and-run, and the sardonic widow is determined to solve the crime. Optimistic free spirit Judy has recently suffered a tragic loss of her own. The ladies meet at a support group and, despite their polar-opposite personalities, become unlikely friends. As the women bond over bottles of wine and a shared affinity for "The Facts of Life," Judy tries to shield Jen from a shocking secret that could destroy her life as she knows it. The dark comedy -- which explores the weirdly funny sides of grief, loss and forgiveness -- features a cast that includes TV veterans Christina Applegate and Ed Asner.
In this neo-noir social thriller, Oscar winner Renée Zellweger stars as Anne Montgomery, a woman of extreme wealth who makes young scientist Lisa a steamy proposal. Lisa is on the verge of a breakthrough that would save the lives of millions of kids, but she needs funding to go through with the trials and eventually bring her technique to the market. Other venture capitalists have turned Lisa down, but Anne makes her an unexpected offer -- one that comes with a twist. In order to give Lisa the money, Anne wants to spend a night alone with Lisa's husband, Sean, a former professional athlete. If the couple agree to the terms, Lisa will get the funding but can never ask her husband what happened during his time with Anne, who believes that human attachment is a weakness and Lisa will only succeed if she focuses all of her attention on her work.
For as long as they can recall, Grace and Frankie have been rivals. Their one-upmanship comes crashing to a halt, however, when they learn that their husbands have fallen in love with each other and want to get married. As everything around the ladies is coming apart, the only thing they can really rely on is each other. This Netflix original re-teams Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin ("9 to 5") as Grace and Frankie, respectively, bringing their chemistry to the small screen. It's a casting reunion on a grand scale, as Tomlin is reunited with her co-star from "The West Wing," Martin Sheen, who plays Grace's husband, Robert. And Fonda is back with Sam Waterston, her co-star from "The Newsroom," who plays Frankie's husband, Sol.
Con artist Maddie is as beautiful as she is dangerous. Over the years, she has left a trail of unwitting victims who become tormented upon realizing that they have been used and robbed of everything -- including their hearts. Her latest assignment threatens to be derailed, though, when she meets Patrick, a potential love interest. Further complicating Maddie's work are three former targets -- Ezra, Richard and Jules -- who realize they have been scammed by the same woman and team up to track her down. When the men choose to embark on the quest, they don't realize that they must face their own truths and find new versions of themselves along the way.
Widowed suburbanite Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) starts growing and selling marijuana to make enough money to support her family after her husband's unexpected death leaves her in big debt. Nancy has associates in her pot-growing business, which include Andy, who is her brother-in-law, and pot-smoking City Councilman Doug Wilson. Then there's the business of trying to keep the whole thing secret from people like her neighbor Celia.
Starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere follows the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and an enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. Based on Celeste Ng’s 2017 bestseller, the story explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger in believing that following the rules can avert disaster.
Rescued after 15 years in a cult, Kimmy Schmidt decides to reclaim her life by venturing to New York, where she experiences everyday life with wide-eyed enthusiasm. On a whim, she rents a room from Titus, a gay wannabe Broadway actor, who makes ends meet as a street performer in Times Square. The unlikely pair find they're well-suited to help each other out, with Titus reintroducing Kimmy to modern life, and her providing him with the inspiration that you should never give up. Together they'll make it through whatever life throws at them.
In this contemporary version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective stories, Dr. John Watson is a war vet just home from Afghanistan. He meets the brilliant but eccentric Holmes when the latter, who serves as a consultant to Scotland Yard, advertises for a flatmate. Almost as soon as Watson moves into the Baker Street flat, they are embroiled in mysteries, and Sherlock's nemesis, Moriarty, appears to have a hand in the crimes.
It's the late 1950s and Miriam "Midge" Maisel has everything she has ever wanted -- the perfect husband, two kids and an elegant apartment on New York's Upper West Side. Her seemingly idyllic life takes a surprising turn when she discovers a hidden talent she didn't previously know she had -- stand-up comedy. This revelation changes her life forever as she begins a journey that takes her from her comfortable life on the Upper West Side through the cafes and nightclubs of Greenwich Village as she makes her way through the city's comedy industry on a path that could ultimately lead her to a spot on the "Tonight Show" couch. The series was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino ("Gilmore Girls").
Piper Chapman is a public relations executive with a career and a fiance when her past suddenly catches up to her. In her mid-30s she is sentenced to spend time in a minimum-security women's prison in Connecticut for her association with a drug runner 10 years earlier. This Netflix original series is based on the book of the same title. Forced to trade power suits for prison orange, Chapman makes her way through the corrections system and adjusts to life behind bars, making friends with the many eccentric, unusual and unexpected people she meets.
Adapted by Heidi Thomas from the best-selling memoirs of Jennifer Worth, this drama series is a moving, funny, colorful look at midwifery and family in 1950s East End London. It follows newly qualified midwife Jenny, who joins an eccentric, lovable community of nuns who are nurses at Nonnatus House. Jenny is surprised to find herself at a convent -- she thought she was being sent to a small private hospital -- and is initially daunted by her surroundings, most notably the formidable Sister Evangelina and the unconventional Sister Monica Joan. But Jenny gradually begins to find her way and develops incredible friendships among the nurses, as they are drawn into the lives and homes of the women and families they treat.
Newest season begins March 27th: https://www.pbs.org/call-the-midwife/
Mild-mannered high school chemistry teacher Walter White thinks his life can't get much worse. His salary barely makes ends meet, a situation not likely to improve once his pregnant wife gives birth, and their teenage son is battling cerebral palsy. But Walter is dumbstruck when he learns he has terminal cancer. Realizing that his illness probably will ruin his family financially, Walter makes a desperate bid to earn as much money as he can in the time he has left by turning an old RV into a meth lab on wheels.
Author Tom Clancy introduced the character of Jack Ryan in a series of books before Ryan headed to the big screen in several films. Now the former U.S. Marine is featured in an episodic series for the first time, with John Krasinski portraying Ryan in this Amazon original thriller that centers on Ryan as an up-and-coming CIA analyst. He is thrust into a dangerous field assignment for the first time and uncovers a pattern in terrorist communication. That launches him into the middle of a dangerous gambit with a new breed of terrorism that threatens destruction on a global scale.
Giovanni Ribisi plays the role of Marius, a con man who tries to leave his old life behind by assuming the identity of his cellmate, Pete. While Pete's family doesn't have reason to suspect that he is not their long-lost loved one, they are a colorful group with their own secrets and lies that could make life as dangerous as the world Marius was hoping to escape. Marius must find a way to keep his lies from backfiring as he deals with unexpected situations that come his way. Executive producers include Graham Yost and Bryan Cranston.
A single-camera comedy, starring Mindy Kaling, that follows a skilled OB/GYN navigating the tricky waters of both her personal and professional life, as she pursues her dreams of becoming the perfect woman, finding the perfect man and getting her perfect romantic comedy ending.
After Abby McCarthy, author of self-help books and guru to people with family issues, states that she and her husband have separated, her career screeches to a halt. The revelation puts America's once-favorite girlfriend in free fall. Acclimating to being single in her 40s, she turns to friends for advice, including entrepreneur Phoebe, who has an odd relationship with her ex. For the divorce, Abby hires Delia, an associate of her friend, Lyla. The "Girlfriends' Guide" book series inspired the dramedy -- Bravo's first original scripted series.
Inspired by Sophia Amoruso's best-selling book, this series follows the rise of Amoruso's multi-million dollar fashion empire, Nasty Gal. Britt Robertson plays the starring role of Sophia, a rebellious, broke anarchist who decides to start selling vintage clothing online. As her passion -- and retail fashion empire -- begins to grow, Sophia unexpectedly becomes a businesswoman, who starts realize the value (and difficulties) of being the boss of her own life. Alongside the likes of Charlize Theron and Kay Cannon, Sophia Amoruso serves as an executive producer.
This Netflix-original comedy-drama is inspired by Norman Lear's 1975 series of the same name. This time around, the series follows the life of Penelope, a newly single Army veteran, and her Cuban-American family, as they navigate the ups and downs of life. Now a nurse, Penelope is raising two strong-willed children. When faced with challenges, Penelope turns to her "old-school" mother, and her building manager, who has become an invaluable confidant. The series offers a contemporary take on what life looks like in both good and bad times, and how loved ones can help make it all worthwhile.
A dry-witted woman, known only as Fleabag, has no filter as she navigates life and love in London while trying to cope with tragedy. The angry, grief-riddled woman tries to heal while rejecting anyone who tries to help her, but Fleabag continues to keep up her bravado through it all. Comic actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge stars as the titular character on the series, which is based on Waller-Bridge's 2013 one-woman show of the same name.
Heather says
I have watched almost all of these! I have the others on my list!
Bri says
You got all the best ones on this list! I can’t pick my fav. Prob Mrs. Maisel though! Love that show!
Gervin Khan says
Nice lists. I have seen some of these and they are really good but will add some to my watchlists. Thank you!
Lynndee says
Thank you for the list! The hubs and I binge watched Outlander. We’ll have to check some of those out.
Marysa says
We have seen a lot of these, and we are currently watching Schitt’s Creek. So good! It is nice to have some downtime to binge watch shows.
Rosey says
I have seen two of these. I didn’t know K.Washington was in a series. I migth watch that one!
Ghanashyam K says
I have watched some of these and I must say this is a great list! I’m planning to finish the rest of these in the coming months.
Ching says
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this post. I can never figure out what to watch! Can you do one for movies too please?
Nikki Wayne says
We have already watched Lucifer and You on Netflix. I can’t wait for the next Season on You. Love this list.