Television accessibility remains largely unaffected by the quarantine as of yet, so here are some possible shows to binge during these trying times. The list is ranked from least to most graphic in terms of violence and adult content.
Coming up next…
- ...Troy Bolton’s undying legacy: “High School Musical: the Musical: the Series” (Disney+): Incredibly cringey, romantic, musical, teen drama, rating: TV-PG, episodes: 10
- ...Fantasy Egg Hunts: “The Dragon Prince” (Netflix): Animated, high fantasy, visually pleasing, super cute, super sad, rating: Y7, episodes: 27
- ...Mind-boggling Q&A: “Brain Games” (Disney+): Science, interactive experimentation, no plot, rating: G, episodes: 67
- ...Fun family sit-com: “One Day at a Time” (Netflix): Funny, drama, cultural commentary, rating: TV-PG, episodes: 39 (new episodes airing March 24)
- ...Stunning insight into the design world: “Abstract” (Netflix): Documentary series, informational, thought-provoking, cultural commentary, rating: TV-14, episodes: 14
- ...A cringe-worthy retelling of King Arthur: “Merlin” (Netflix): Magical, Middle Ages, unrealistic and over-dramatized, guilty pleasure, super silly, rating: PG, episodes: 65
- ...Cop comedy in New York: “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (Hulu): Hilarious, ensemble cast, occasional political commentary, rating: TV-14, episodes: 138
- ...Everyone’s favorite space odyssey’s new installment: “The Mandalorian” (Disney+): Gritty main character, violence and death, a small green baby Yoda-species, rating: TV-PG, episodes: 8
- ...Thrilling parallel universes: “His Dark Materials” (HBO): Adventure, fantasy, creepy, mysterious, knockout cast, rating: TV-14, episodes: 8
- ...A female stand-up comedian in the 60s: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Prime): Hilarious, gorgeous design, girl power, adult content, rating: TV-MA, episodes: 26
- ...Unsettling puns unlocking unsettling plotlines: “Locke and Key” (Netflix): Magical, drama, creepy, death as a main theme, gripping thriller, rating: TV-14, episodes: 10
- ...More fantasy horror but Carrie-style: “I am Not Okay with This” (Netflix): Superpowers, horror, teen drama / angst, violent towards the end, rating: TV-MA, episodes: 7
(Note: the following series were incredibly difficult to scale because they are all graphic in their own ways. Although these shows are all excellent, younger audiences are discouraged from watching them.)
- ...Crime solving, but it’s personal: “Killing Eve” (Hulu): Dark humor, crime drama, killer’s perspective, snarky, rating: TV-14, episodes 16
- ...Groundhog Day gone wrong: “Russian Doll” (Netflix): Drama-comedy, frequent deaths, mental illness, adult content, rating: TV-MA, episodes: 8
- ...FBI psychological duo: “Mindhunter” (Netflix): Psychological thriller, manipulative, 70s, solving murders, graphic, rating: TV-MA, episodes: 19
- ...Immortal, “Blade Runner”-style detective work: “Altered Carbon” (Netflix): Sci-fi, futuristic crime mystery, moral dilemma, graphic, rating: TV-MA, episodes: 18
- ...All of the chaos and none of the consequences: “Westworld” (HBO): Western/futuristic, advanced robotics and artificial intelligence, moral dilemma, graphic, rating: TV-MA, episodes: 21 as of Sunday, Mar. 15
- ...Vigilante Nazi hunters: “Hunters” (Prime): Dark tone, gruesome murders, moral dilemmas, ethics of revenge, graphic, rating: TV-MA, episodes: 10
- ...Nuclear destruction at its worst moment: “Chernobyl” (HBO): Drama thriller, environmental destruction, governmental policies, 80s, rating: TV-MA, episodes: 5
- ...The degradation of gender equality: “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu): Dystopian drama, horrific graphic content, gender roles, political commentary, rating: TV-MA, episodes: 46
- ...Cannibalism dressed in expensive suits and decadent sauces: “Hannibal” (Prime): Psychological thriller, detective crime scenes, mental illness, graphic murder, rating: TV-14, episodes: 39
- ...All your favorite superheroes are drug addicts: “The Boys” (Prime): Action mystery, explosions, vigilante crime squad, hilarious, graphic in every way, character-driven, rating: TV-MA, episodes: 8