17 shows to binge watch while you’re sitting in isolation

Alright gang, the world is in unprecedented territory.

A plethora of events, activities, gatherings – you name it – are cancelled or postponed. It’s a scary world out there, which can really only mean one thing: don’t go out.

Even with the springtime weather on the horizon, let’s look to the bright side. And we’re talking TV, tablet, and phones: the literal bright side.

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It’s time to binge watch TV shows.

Stock up on popcorn, chips, comfy clothes, and maybe even some hooch or the laughing lettuce. Here are some great Netflix, Disney Plus, and Amazon Prime options to keep you distracted from the mayhem.

With so many choices to binge on, we’re going to stick to the non-depressing variety of shows because of you know what.

This is the good kind of isolation.

Netflix

The Office

This one seems too easy but come on, these are trying times and if anyone can put a smile on your face, it’s Michael Scott. Plus, The Office has some really heartfelt moments that just might cause you to squeeze out a couple of tears as well.

With the über popular show scheduled to leave Netflix for good in January 2021, now might be the last time for a final re-watch. And, if you’ve never seen it before, shame.

Arrested Development

From one Michael to another, follow the level-headed son of the Bluth family who takes affairs into his own hands after his father’s imprisonment. Full of hilarious characters and whacky interwoven plots, this somehow loveable dysfunctional family might be what this dysfunctional world needs right now.

Breaking Bad

Being regarded as one of the best shows of all-time is no small feat.

Follow Walter White’s wild transformation from high school chemistry teacher to complete badass as he turns to selling methamphetamine in order to secure his family’s future.

Besides powerful character development throughout the show and cast, Bryan Cranston’s acting might be powerful enough for you to stop caring about the madness of the real world and succumb to his.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Jake Peralta, an immature, but talented NYPD detective in Brooklyn’s 99th Precinct, fumbles his way through being a cop amidst a hilarious cast of characters.

The world is a tough place right now, but Andy Samberg’s Peralta can easily get you smiling again.

Schitt’s Creek

Anytime a TV show can find a way to get a swear word into its title, you know you’re in for something good.

The show stars a couple of hilarious Canadians in Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara and follows a rich video-store family and their sudden downfall to becoming broke, leaving their pampered lives to regroup at, you guessed it, Schitt’s Creek.

It’s a timely show to binge on considering we’re not too far away from a differently spelt but similarly pronounced type of creek.

Friends

Since hanging out with groups of friends in real life might be a tad tough these days, dive into the lives of Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, Ross, and heck even Gunther.

Friends had an immensely popular 10-year run from 1994 to 2004, and considering they’re all coming back for a reunion special in May, now might be the perfect time to rekindle this special friendship.

That ’70s Show

This popular comedy, which revolves around a group of teenagers and their coming of age in 1970s Wisconsin, has held up pretty well considering it started in 1998.

But since it was made to look like the 70s, it’s held up even better still and your nostalgia will kick in during a re-watch.

Black Mirror

Though it’s not exactly classified as cheerful, this anthology series explores a twisted, high-tech multiverse where humanity’s greatest and darkest instincts collide.

Consider it this generation’s The Twilight Zone.

If you’re looking to let your mind shift to alternative issues in the world, Black Mirror is one of the most thought-provoking shows out there.

Disney Plus

The Simpsons

You could be in isolation for close to a decade and have enough of The Simpsons to go around.

The family has been an institution on TV for 30 years, inspiring catchphrases and jokes galore.

Plus, the show – over 635 episodes of it – has garnered an impressive reputation of predicting the future. Maybe some earlier episodes teased our current pandemic?

There’s really only one way to find out.

The Mandalorian

This “space opera” fuses an old-time Western with Sci-Fi and is placed smack in the middle of the iconic Star Wars universe.

The show follows a lone bounty hunter in the outer reaches of the galaxy and features Baby Yoda, who’s become something of a pop culture icon. If anyone can save us, it’s Baby Yoda.

Boy Meets World

Get lost in some ’90s nostalgia as you follow Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) while he navigates his life, friendships, love, and family and makes his way from middle school to college.

Seriously, though, how has Topanga not yet become a more popular name these days?

Gargoyles

Follow a clan of heroic creatures who pledge to protect modern New York City (’90s modern, that is) as they did in Scotland one thousand years before.

Stone gargoyles by night and warriors by day, you may never look at a statue the same again after this short-lived but heroic series.

X-Men: The Animated Series

Before the massive superhero movie genre burst onto the scene, the X-Men were saving the world on the small screen in animated form.

For a flashback to a mid-’90s Saturday morning, dive into the mutant team with the likes of Wolverine, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, and so many others.

We could actually use the X-Men right about now.

DuckTales

Besides being the first animated series Disney ever produced for modern TV, DuckTales follows the globetrotting adventures of Huey, Dewey, Louie, and their rich uncle Scrooge McDuck.

Plus, you’ll get to have that catchy theme song stuck in your head all day.

Amazon Prime

Curb Your Enthusiasm

TV doesn’t really get much funnier than Larry David, who stars as a fictionalized version of himself as an LA writer.

The Emmy-winning show centres around David, who isn’t a fan of, well, anything at all.

His hilarious pessimism might be straight up our alley right about now.

Parks and Recreation

Think about Parks and Recreation as The Office’s little sister. It follows the absurd antics of an Indiana town’s public officials office lead by the charming Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler).

Tack on Aziz Ansari, Rashida Jones, Rob Lowe, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, and the hilarious Nick Offerman and you might not leave your couch for a few days.

Veep

Veep follows the fictional former Senator Selina Meyer as she finds that being vice president of the United States is nothing like she hoped for.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s performance as Meyer is loveable, and it might be fun to imagine how she’d tackle the real world’s problems if she could.