Culture

12 Series On Netflix To Binge Watch Under Quarantine

COVID-19 has revived the once tasteless phrase “Netflix and Chill” and given it a whole new sentiment.

By Amber Parker3 min read
12 netflix series to binge under quarantine
Netflix/MindHunter

While under quarantine, whether you are snuggled up on the couch with a significant other or getting some unfamiliar alone time, binge watching a series on Netflix is the most effortless entertainment we have access to these days. With many restaurants, bars, and social gathering places closed, it’s time to embrace the rabbit hole that is Netflix. No matter your viewing pleasure, we’ve got you covered. Here are some binge worthy time suckers to get you through this social isolation.

Romantic Comedy: New Girl

Netflix/New Girl
Netflix/New Girl

This is the perfect show to watch with a group of 10 or under. Or, if you don’t plan on having that many friends over, this is just what you need on in the background while cooking dinner, catching up on social media, or working on a puzzle (got to keep your brain sharp while in a crisis.) Zoey Deschanel offers quirky, relatable humor that’s perfect at a time like this. The show is centered around modern friendship and romance.

Because you watched New Girl, check out: Jane the Virgin, Friends from College, On My Block, That 70’s Show

Rom-Com Reality: Love is Blind

Netflix/Love Is Blind
Netflix/Love Is Blind

Love is Blind is American reality TV at its finest. This series follows single men and women trying to find love by relying on compatibility alone. The couples get to know each other through conversation but never actually see what their partner looks like until after they’re engaged. The premise is essentially to revolutionize our dating culture, but what really ignites the viewer's interest are the typical elements of reality rom-com production: the fishbowl of pre-selected limited options and the pressure of speed dating masked as genuine connection.

Because you watched Love is Blind, check out: The Bachelor, The Circle, Extreme Engagement 

Period Drama: Outlander

Netflix/Outlander
Netflix/Outlander

This series is an adaptation of the bestselling novels by Diana Gabaldon, and if you’re looking for an escape from reality, this show is just the trick. It follows a World War II British army nurse, Claire Randall, as she goes back in time. Just like a good book, you won’t want to put it down. Romance, action, suspense, history, drama - this show is one you and your boyfriend or husband can agree on. If only we could go back in time pre-pandemic...

Because you watched Outlander, check out: The Crown, Peaky Blinders, Cable Girls, Reign, When Calls the Heart

Comedy Drama: Gilmore Girls

Netflix/Gilmore Girls
Netflix/Gilmore Girls

Nothing really settles the nerves like a good dose of nostalgia. Just think, what would Rory and Lorelai do in a time like this? They’d hunker down on the couch to watch all their favorite movies with popcorn, pop-tarts, and a smorgasbord from which every restaurant still offering take out. Not only will this series take some serious time off your hands, but the mother-daughter duo will really lighten the mood.

Because you watched Gilmore Girls, check out: Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life, Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie, Virgin River 

Classic Comedy: The Office

Netflix/The Office
Netflix/The Office

Whether you’ve seen it once or a thousand times, does it ever really get old? If Michael Scott had it his way, the whole team would be on lockdown at Dunder Mifflin right about now. 

Because you watched The Office, check out: Parks & Recreation, Derry Girls, The Good Place, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Schitt’s Creek

Medical Drama: Grey's Anatomy

Netflix/Grey's Anatomy
Netflix/Grey's Anatomy

If this series was one you never got into because you’ve been living under a rock for the past 15 years, now is the time to finally put faces to the names McDreamy, McSteamy, McGeorge and the Dirty Mistress. The drama is centered around surgical residents becoming talented doctors while experiencing love, trauma, and death. Do yourself a favor though and stop at season 11 - you’ll thank us later.

Because you watched Grey’s Anatomy, check out: Call the Midwife, Private Practice, The Night Shift, Royal Pains

True Crime: MindHunter

Netflix/MindHunter
Netflix/MindHunter

If you’re a true crime junkie, this is the show for you. Based on the book by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker, this series focuses on FBI investigators as they interview serial killers to better understand their psychology in order to help solve ongoing murder cases. With all this free time on your hands, you’ll be submitting your own anonymous tips to your local crime stoppers task force. 

Because you watched MindHunter, check out: Unbelievable, Broadchurch, Narcos, Good Girls,  How to Get Away With Murder

Drama Thriller: You

Netflix/You
Netflix/You

While we are on the topic of psychopaths, this series will have you questioning whose side you’re on. Penn Badgley plays Joe, a handsome but creepy stalker who obsesses over his love interests. If there were ever a reason to set your social media accounts to private, this would be it. Watching a show like this at night while the whole world knows you’re home alone will really creep you out. 

Because you watched You, check out: The Sinner, Dirty John, Dexter, Elite, Bates Motel, Riverdale 

Fantasy Drama: The Witcher

Netflix/The Witcher
Netflix/The Witcher

Another favorite book adaptation, this series follows the legendary Geralt, played by Henry Cavill, who travels around the Continent slaying monsters while trying to fulfill his destiny of protecting his adopted daughter Ciri. This show will have you directing your angst from the Coronavirus toward the evils of this alternate reality.

Because you watched The Witcher, check out: The 100, Locke & Key, Raising Dion, Kingdom, Arrow

Science Fiction: Black Mirror

Netflix/Black Mirror
Netflix/Black Mirror

Don’t feel comfortable going over to the guy-you-met-on-Hinge's house yet? This series is perfect for a date via FaceTime. The episodes are not sequential, and they are bound to give you something to talk about. (Don’t knock it until you try it - desperate times call for desperate measures.) The Emmy-Award winning series features some brilliant actors and covers paranoia over technology, conspiracy theories, and exaggerated elements of modern life.

Because you watched Black Mirror, check out: Dark, Altered Carbon, Sense8, The I-Land, The Twilight Zone

Docuseries: Pandemic

Netflix/Pandemic
Netflix/Pandemic

Too soon? This docuseries covers what doctors, advocates, and scientists have been doing to prevent a global outbreak of influenza. Perhaps a bit morbid given our current scenario, but we know some of you won’t be able to help yourselves.

Because you watched Pandemic, check out: Babies, Dirty Money, 100 Humans, Cheer, The Mind of Aaron Hernandez, Night on Earth, The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez

Food and Travel: The Chef Show

Netflix/The Chef Show
Netflix/The Chef Show

We might not be able to travel or go out to eat, so why not torture ourselves by watching other people do it on tv? This series follows chefs Roy Choi and Jon Favreau as they travel around the world cooking exotic food. After watching, you’ll be craving not only a good meal but one shared with good friends.

Because you watched The Chef Show, check out: Ugly Delicious, Chef’s Table, The Great British Baking Show, Stay Here

Closing Thoughts

While Netflix has suspended filming until the Coronavirus pandemic is under control, they have plenty of series for you to catch up on in the meantime. If you think you’ve seen all Netflix has to offer, try this list of Netflix codes to narrow down the genres you are really looking for.