10 MORE BINGE-WORTHY SHOWS ON NETFLIX AND HBO

You guys have probably all been spending your summer outside, doing activities and interacting with nature.  You know how I feel about that.  So, I’ve spent a decent amount of my summer binging more shows on streaming services like Netflix and HBO.  I thought I would share some  of my newest recommendations for binge-worthy shows with you!

Netflix:

Agatha Christie – Poirot (13 series, but only 7-13 are on Netflix):  This show, especially the early seasons, is old.  You need to know that going into it.  While parts of it come off as dated, it’s still a great series based on Agatha Christie’s enormously popular books featuring her Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.  If you only watch a few episodes, be sure to catch “After the Funeral” (featuring a young Michael Fassbender) and the classic “Murder on the Orient Express.”

Shetland (3 series):  This is the series on my list that I have most recently watched.  In fact, I’m not even done watching the last season as of writing this post.  Nevertheless, I am confident in recommending the show as a solid binge-worthy series.  It is sort of a standard police procedural — the twist being that it is set on the Shetland Islands.  These remote islands lie in the North Sea between Scotland and Norway.  The setting is integral to the story lines, and the characters and accents are my favorite.  I do occasionally have to watch with closed captions on in order to catch all of what they are saying.

New Girl (currently only 5 seasons on Netflix):  I’m not sure why New Girl didn’t make it on either of my previous lists!  New Girl is one of my all-time favorite sitcoms.  I am not a huge fan of sitcoms, generally, so one has to be special for me to really get into it.  All of the main characters on the show are just freaking hilarious.  Sometimes my cousins and I have entire messenger conversations that are nothing but New Girl gifs.

White Collar (6 seasons):  Yes, I am one of the eleven people that watched USA Original shows.  I’m a stan for Psych, Burn Notice, Suits, and White Collar.  The premise of White Collar (that an FBI agent catches a notorious art thief/forger who, in exchange for being allowed out of prison, goes to work with the FBI agent to track down other white collar criminals) is pretty cheesy.  BUT, the two main characters are so charming and likable that I look past the far-fetched plot premise.  It’s a fun, easy “beach read” kind of show.

The Keepers (documentary series):  This one is the opposite of a fun, easy show.  The Keepers is a true crime documentary in the same vein as Making of a Murderer.  The doc follows two retired ladies who spend their freetime trying to put together the pieces of the unsolved murder of their high school English teacher.  Sister Catherine Cesnik was found dead in 1969, and the police still have no idea what happened to her.  The investigation ends up expanding to include another murder, as well as abuse and cover-up allegations against the Catholic church.  It’s not an easy show to watch, but it definitely is compelling.

The Crown (1 season, with more coming):  If you like period dramas, history, or are fascinated with the British monarchy, WATCH THE CROWN NOW.  The story is intriguing, the acting is wonderful (John Lithgow should get an Emmy), and the sets and costumes are breathtaking.  I would catch myself completely ignoring the show itself for long blocks of time because I was thinking about how much work went into the set design or the costuming.  This is a show I am sure I will rewatch.  And I believe Netflix is planning six or seven seasons in total, so there will be plenty to binge.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1 season):  I spent a lot of time watching Comedy Central when I was growing up, so MST3K was part of my youth.  I was super geeked that Netflix created new episodes so I can enjoy those snarky robots making fun of garbage movies all over again.

HBO:

Big Little Lies (1 season):  When I started watching Big Little Lies, I figured it would be a boring, soap opera-y kind of series.  WRONG!  The show about a handful of “power moms” in Southern California was so engrossing.  It’s hard for me to explain what is so good about the show without giving you any spoilers, so you just have to watch it for yourself.  And the acting talent in the show is amazing: Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, and more!

The Jinx (documentary series):  If you are any kind of fan of true crime shows, you have to watch The Jinx.  It. Is. Bonkers.  Robert Durst is a super rich New Yorker, who comes from a super rich New York family. In the early 80s, Durst’s wife goes missing and that precipitates a series of events that are the definition of the phrase “stranger than fiction.”  But the best/weirdest part of the series are the interviews with Durst himself.  He is so “off” that it’s both captivating and disturbing.  And then, in the last episode…. Well, you need to watch it for yourself.

The Young Pope (1 season):  This is a weird, quazi-artsy show, but I still enjoyed it.  The show centers around the election of a new, young pope (played by Jude Law).  The show reveals that the Cardinals elected Law’s character Lenny Belardo, an orphan raised by nuns, thinking that he would be impressionable and pliable as the head of the Catholic church.  They are wrong about this.  I can’t 100% tell you what the show is about.  I know there is symbolism going on, but I can’t totally nail it down.  It’s still worth a watch though, and if you understand it maybe you can explain it to me.

Have you watched any of these shows?  Which is your favorite?  If you have a favorite binge-worthy show that I haven’t mentioned, please let me know!  I am always looking for new series to try out.  Check out my previous lists too:

20 BINGE-WORTHY NETFLIX SERIES

TV SHOWS TO BINGE ON NETFLIX, HBO AND PRIME RIGHT NOW