10 Shows to Binge While Staying at Home

If you’re suddenly spending a lot of time at home - and I hope you are - then you may be thinking of watching some television.The problem is, if you’re someone who watches a decent amount of television already, you might be out of ideas. This is where I come in. Now I can’t guarantee you haven’t seen these shows, but I’ve tried to pick ones slightly more under the radar.

1) Call The Midwife

Streaming service: Netflix

Seasons: 8

Complete? No (new season starts March 28 on PBS)

Brief summary: The trials of tribulations of a group of midwives in the late 1950s and 1960s London's East End.

Watch this show if: You enjoy a show about young women finding their place in the world, while helping save the lives of the women and children in their community. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll watch a lot of very realistic scenes of women giving birth (just a warning).

2) The Newsroom

Streaming service: HBO Go/HBO Now

Seasons: 3

Complete? Yes

Brief summary: The employees of a cable news station doing their best to produce a nightly news show with true journalistic integrity, while dealing with plenty of personal drama.

Watch this show if: You liked The West Wing (and Aaron Sorkin’s wit), and want to see real news events from 2010-2013 covered like they would be in a perfect world.

3) The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Streaming service: Amazon Prime

Seasons: 3

Complete? No (fourth season upcoming)

Brief summary: A late 1950’s housewife living on the Upper West Side turns to comedy when her husband leaves her for another woman. Turns out she’s rather good.

Watch this show if: You like to laugh a lot, and want to see a show with a Jewish woman and her family at the center. The seasons are also only 8-10 episodes long so you can get through it quickly.

4) Orphan Black

Streaming service: Amazon Prime

Seasons: 5

Complete? Yes

Brief Summary: A con artist decides to take over the life of another women who looks exactly like her. But then she keeps finding more...

Watch this show if: You like realistic shows with a hint of science fiction, featuring a variety of very different characters all played by the same actress (Tatiana Maslany). It does get more twisty as it goes on.

5) Bodyguard

Streaming Service: Netflix

Seasons: 1

Complete? Yes (for now)

Brief Summary: A British Iraq war veteran (Richard Madden from Game of Thrones) is assigned to be personal security detail for the Home Secretary of the U.K. He protects her (despite their clashing political views) while trying to solve a mounting conspiracy. And of course there’s that spark between them..

Watch this show if: You like dark, intense dramas, and aren’t afraid of learning a bit about the British political system. I’d recommend keeping subtitles on for this one, both due to the accents and the lingo. A six episode mini series - unknown if there will be any more.

6) Jane the Virgin

Streaming service: Netflix

Seasons: 5

Complete? Yes

Brief Summary: A hotel waitress in Miami finds out some shocking news - she’s pregnant. The problem? She’s never had sex, due to a promise to her religious grandmother.

Watch this show if: You want all the twists and turns of a soap opera, with discussions of important issues such as immigration.

7) Reign

Streaming service: Netflix

Seasons: 4

Complete? Yes

Brief summary: In the 1500s, Mary Queen of Scots is sent to French court to meet Francis, future King of France who she’s been engaged to since childhood

Watch this show if: You like royal shows like The Tudors or The Borgias, with plenty of palace intrigue, backstabbing and sex. And while obviously there’s plenty of creative license, it draws from real history a great deal - just be careful of spoilers when you scour Wikipedia!

8) Timeless

Streaming service: Hulu

Seasons: 2 (plus a TV movie)

Complete? Yes

Brief summary: A history professor is recruited for a top secret mission - traveling through time to protect history and stop the man who stole one of two existing time machines

Watch this show if: You love history, and want to see untold stories, especially from the perspective of women and Black men in those places/time periods. You should also love shocking twists that keep you on the edge of your seat.

9) One Day at a Time

Streaming Service: Netflix

Seasons: 3

Complete? No (new season starts March 24th on Pop)

Brief summary: A single mom - and Afghanistan veteran - lives with her two teenage kids and Cuban mother, balancing her home life with her job as a nurse

Watch this show if: You love hilarious sitcoms that can make you go from laughing to crying and back again in three minutes flat. This show tackles a ton of current social issues - including immigration, gender and sexuality, depression, PTSD, veteran’s issues, gun control, addiction and more.

10) Private Practice

Streaming service: Netflix

Seasons: 6

Complete? Yes

Brief Summary: Addison Montgomery (from Grey’s Anatomy) leaves Seattle to join a private medical practice in Los Angeles.

Watch this show if: You love Grey’s and want to know what happened to Addison after she left, or get some crucial backstory on Amelia. Or, even if you haven’t watched Grey's and want a great medical drama.

(apologies for the 2007 quality trailer - the actual show is completely HD)