School just started and I bet you’re already trying to figure out exactly how you’re going to procrastinate on your first assignment, but you don’t want to invest in a new 7 season show. Look no further than this list of five shows that you can binge watch quickly!
1. Sherlock
While the show is not finished, you have plenty of time to catch up to the nine episodes and one Christmas special that encompass all the canon for this modern take on everyone’s favorite consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, each episode is a full ninety minutes and takes plenty of time to flesh out each case using eye-catching effects at the same time as they build on the many characters Sherlock must interact with every day. Warning: showrunners are Steve Moffat and Mark Gatiss. Translation: there will be tears.
2. Galavant
This unique, self-described “comedy extravaganza” takes your typical knight’s tale but adds original music, way too many Game of Thrones references, and just the right amount of zany humor. The music is by Alan Menken, the same guy who wrote music for The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast, among other things; it is top quality music (though that theme song will never leave your head!). There are amazing guest stars like Weird Al and Ricky Gervais, and the main characters go through enough unexpected twists and turns and development to make you reach for the next episode. Though it was cancelled after two seasons, we can always hope for more, someday.
3. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
A Netflix original, this show tells the story of a girl, Kimmy, who was trapped in an underground apocalypse bunker for half her life, and when she is rescued she quickly realizes this is not the world she remembers. The show follows Kimmy as she has to deal with adult things like getting a job and navigating the world with the education of a middle-schooler (and the mentality of one too). It also follows the people whose lives Kimmy touches and changes in her unique way. There are currently two seasons, but knowing the success of Netflix originals, there will probably be more.
4. Torchwood
Love cop shows but wish they had more aliens? Look no further than Torchwood, the Doctor Who spinoff following the daily antics of the Torchwood branch led by Captain Jack Harkness (a DW fan favorite) as they track down extraterrestrial life and threats on Earth. There are two seasons of the regular show, a five-part season 3, and a usually ignored season 4. Unlike Doctor Who, this is not a family show and has plenty of language, sex, and serious themes – though it has plenty of humor to balance out the inevitable tears.
5. Firefly
Firefly is one of the most well-known of the binge-worthy shows because that is how it gained its foothold with a cult following and not forgotten to the mists of time – fans would order the series from Netflix back when it only did DVDs. Cancelled after only fourteen episodes, Firefly follows around Captain Malcolm Reynolds and his ragtag group of companions in their ship, Serenity, as they traverse our galaxy and avoid the government. Thanks to the determination of fans, a movie, Serenity, was produced to wrap up the story, since it was cancelled mid-season. Despite knowing the characters for a short amount of time, you are really drawn into their stories and will feel the outrage of cancellation anew, even fourteen years later.
Happy watching!
