As we’re all aware, the Coronavirus has taken over the world (that sounds dramatic but it’s true) and we’re being told to stay in our homes until further notice to avoid the risk of the virus spreading. So how should we be spending our time, cooped up indoors?
For some people, it’s reading more books, doing yoga, improving cooking skills, cleaning out closets. For others, it’s binge-watching TV shows and staying up late watching movies. Or maybe you’re finding a nice balance of doing it all! Thankfully, Netflix is adding movies (back) to their platform, Hulu is always spewing out new content, and Amazon Prime is giving you all-access to your favorite shows and movies that you can rent or buy or watch for free (with Prime).
Maybe you’ve seen it all before. Maybe you’re looking for something new. So here’s a master list of TV shows and movies you can binge on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime right now:
TV Shows on Hulu:
If you like 30-minute TV shows with dry humor, hilarious commentary, and oddball characters who work at a superstore (imagine a Target or a Walmart), then this is the show for you.
Could you imagine being on a flight, hitting a little bit of turbulence, and then when you exit the plane, you find out that your plane (and evidently all of the passengers on board) have been missing and presumed dead for the last 5 years? This show will take you on a wild ride…
After their parents are deported back to Mexico, the kids Emilio, Beto, Lucia, Valentina, and Rafael are forced to fend for themselves and figure out life and relationships without their parents. As a remake from the 1994 show, this Freeform version is covering the important topics that families and young kids are dealing with today.
In a Muslim community and a millennial generation, Ramy, an Egyptian-American living in New Jersey, is just trying to find who he is and what he believes in, both religiously and romantically. Ramy is a witty and personable coming-of-age story, and according to the New York Times, it’s a “quietly revolutionary comedy.”
Take yourself back to 7th grade in the early 2000s. Yeah, that’s right–braces, mismatched outfits, blue eyeliner, pin-straight hair, anxiety over first kisses, puberty, tests, boy-girl parties, and everything in between. This show will make you cringe but also bring nostalgia at the same time.
TV Shows on Netflix:
If you’re into fashion and designing and are obsessed with Alexa Chung and Tan France, then this is the show for you. Talented fashion designers from all over the world compete to be the next-big-thing and are faced with the challenges of working together, working separately, and stepping outside of their fashion comfort zone.
A wealthy and pampered family finds themselves broke and living in a small, practically deserted town (only because they bought the town as a joke years ago), learning to do life without the luxury they’ve always known. We love a good Canadian sitcom.
Imagine you’re looking for love and going on “dates”, but you can’t see the other person because there’s a wall separating you two. You have to make an emotional connection before you see them in person. And then, after two dates, someone proposes. What do you do?
Want to win money just for being yourself? Or, maybe being a catfish? This competition show is unlike anything you’ve seen before: each player lives in their own apartment, communicating with one another only through a specially designed app. By portraying themselves however they choose, they are always at risk of being blocked and eliminated from winning the cash prize. Circle, play the first episode!
This 6-part dramatic docuseries follows a college cheerleading team in Texas, capturing the ups and downs of everyday life and what it means to be a cheerleader. It shares intimate moments with the coaches and every person on the squad, including their personal challenges, fears, home life, and why they find joy in this sport.
Otis is just your regular socially awkward teen, who just so happens to have a mom who is a sex therapist. Navigating relationships, breakups, friendships, bullies, puberty, and everything in between, this British comedy series addresses the awkwardness of growing up and being horny. It’s understanding, funny, and relatable, and what more could you ask from a TV show?
Season 1 follows the investigation of a woman who, for unknown reasons, stabs another person while at the beach with her family. Season 2 follows the investigation of a young boy who unexpectedly kills his parents. Uncovering secrets, questions, and forgotten memories, this show will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Want to imagine what the world will look like in the future? Black Mirror is notorious for making you fear, and potentially avoid, any and all technology. Every season and every episode is different, but overall, the theme of each one is how we are subjecting ourselves to the impending doom of technology’s power.
To catch a criminal, you have to think the way they would think. This true-crime drama series follows two FBI agents who are working to catch a current killer. In order to do this, they have to do their research and visit notorious serial killers (including Ed Kemper, the BTK Killer, and Charles Manson) and go inside their minds.
TV Shows on Amazon Prime:
Based on Stephen King’s novel, this twisted crime series follows the investigation of a child who was murdered and the killer who didn’t really seem like a killer. But that’s not all–this “simple” story take a gruesome turn causing investigators to question everything they know, and an insidious supernatural force comes into question.
Miriam Maisel is your typical ’50s housewife: two kids, a handsome husband, an elegant apartment in Manhattan…and a true talent for stand-up comedy. She takes a step back from her comfortable life and finds a new hobby and a new joy in performing and making people laugh, all while juggling the hardships of her marriage, her difficult parents, and her womanhood.
*
Movies on Hulu:
Two high school seniors, known for being academic overachievers, are faced with the reality that maybe they haven’t really lived their best lives. So, they decide to cram four years’ worth of partying into just one night. Things take a wild, hilarious turn and you’ll be smiling and crying/laughing all the way until the end.
Imagine being a stay-at-home mommy vlogger who befriends another mom who is seemingly glamorous, successful, and beautiful. Now, imagine that mom mysteriously disappearing, and you, the mommy vlogger, decide to conduct your own investigation in her disappearance…and ultimately, uncovering secrets, lies, and stories from the past. Wild.
Movies on Netflix:
One night stands are typically supposed to be, ya know, a one-night-thing. But what happens when both people run into each other again, years later, and realize they can’t deny the mutual affection for each other (but physically and emotionally)? It’s hard to stay platonic friends with people you’ve hooked up with. This rom-com is super relevant, relatable, funny, and will make you question that one night stand you had years ago…
This 2009 rom-com is a cinematic masterpiece not only because of the incredible cast, but also because the storyline is relatable, personal, and inspiring. Dating can be hard. Trying to figure out why that guy wasn’t the one can keep us up at night. So why didn’t he text you back? Well…
High school sweethearts are one thing, but high school sweethearts who run into each other years later and rekindle that spark is another. This black and white film has it all: sadness, romance, nostalgia, familiarity, comfort. Do you think the universe brings people together? Do you believe everything happens for a reason?
Based off of a novel by Cecelia Ahern, this rom-com follows the lives of two best friends–Alex and Rosie–who are seemingly in love with each other since they were 5 years old but have never been able to get it right. They’re separated by an ocean, they find themselves in other relationships, and everything in between. It makes you wonder about soulmates…
This rom-com follows the life of a recently-dumped woman, about to move from New York City to San Fransisco. She gathers her two best friends and they embark on one last wild night in NYC. There’s tons of dancing, crying, laughing, and an inspirational, heartbreaking monologue about breakups, finding closure and moving on.
This documentary is unlike anything you’ve seen before. It follows the story of twins Marcus and Alex. Marcus loses his memory after an accident and he trusts his brother Alex to help him piece together parts of their lives growing up. As time goes on, we learn that Marcus is hiding a dark, painful family secret that he, eventually, has to tells Alex about. According to the director in an interview with Time, “it played out like a psychological thriller. And yet it was true.”
It’s 1973. A woman’s boyfriend becomes a prisoner of a Chile military coup, and she tries to rescue him, no matter what the consequences might be. This dramatic film stars Emma Watson and covers important topics of religious cults, politics, human rights (and human rights abuse), sex segregation, torture, and everything in between.
It’s the year 1630, in New England, when the youngest son of a family mysteriously disappears. With extreme paranoia that the oldest daughter practices witchcraft, the family tests her on her faith and loyalty. If you’re looking for a sinister, twisted, gory film to keep you up late at night, this is the one for you.
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile
We all know who Ted Bundy is and what he did. But this biographical film gives you a new perspective on what happened, through the eyes of Ted’s longtime girlfriend Liz Kendall. Starring Zac Efron as Ted and Lily Collins as Liz, it might make you look at people and your relationships a bit differently…
A music prodigy and a new star pupil find themselves on a dark, twisted path, uncovering trauma, fears, anxieties, and all things dark. If you’re into psychological thrillers with twists and turns, suspense, gore, and sinister themes, then this is the movie for you.
***
What are you watching, while you #socialdistance yourself from the world?
