Howdy, Folks! Now that we’re into our 1,179th day or so of social distancing (or at least, it feels like it) and many of you are probably already through all of your tv binge options on the various and sundry streaming services, we at the Pullbox thought we’d offer up our own fave bingeworthy shows, in the hope we can provide you with some new lockdown-killing material…
Here with our last set of tips is intern Clara, who went over and above with not five but SIX spectacular options for your pandemic-slaying pleasure:
1) Merlin (Syfy/BBC/Netflix) This UK television series from 2008 is a magical and comical retelling of the history of king Arthur. Although the story is primarily unrealistic, it offers interesting and funny concepts as king Arthur and Merlin travel through the fantasy-drama trials of Camelot. The series was ended in 2012 after five seasons when it was cancelled, and although the storyline was not overall complete, some people believe that the high point of the season seemed to leave the story yet untold and offered a good ending to the series.
2) The Office (NBC/Netflix) Well, if you haven’t heard of this nine season long US adaption of the original UK “The Office,” then you truly are in for a treat. Although a popular TV show, loved and hated, I have to say that it is worth the watch. Following the lives of the employees at a Dunder Mifflin Paper Company branch in Scranton, Pennsylvania, this interesting comedy series is filmed documentary-style throughout the show, offering an interesting perspective on the stories that lie within and among the characters. Although the comedy is – one might say, interesting – it does appeal to a specific audience.
3) Bones (Fox/Hulu) This show is a compelling TV drama following the partnership of FBI agent Seeley Booth and his crime-fighting partner, renowned forensic anthropologist, Dr. Temperance Brenan. As the unlikely pair work to solve murder cases throughout the show, their and other characters’ personal lives and relationships come into play, making for an at-times repetitive, yet compelling series that ended only after a whopping 12 seasons. Highly recommended for anyone who loves good mysteries, can overcome the look of a decomposing corpse, and who enjoy the intrigue of solving murder cases (along with some other mysteries).
4) She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (Netflix) She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, a critically acclaimed new TV show adaptation of the 1980’s cartoon, is a compelling and overall fantastic animated series for young and old, featuring a diverse cast and dimensional relationships between characters. Four seasons are currently streaming, but the fifth and final season is planned for released on May 15!
5) Supernatural (WB/Netflix) Once again, another popular series recommendation, but if you love “supernatural,” mysteries, and the idea of the warped worlds of heaven and he-double-hockey-sticks, then this show is for you. The story follows the lives of two brothers, who after enduring a massive amount of childhood trauma get dragged into the world of demons and ghosts (and angels, and monsters and…you get the picture). On a search for their missing father, the two get back into becoming hunters of the supernatural, but end drawn into a lot more than they bargained for. This cult-following series is so beloved that it has achieved an astonishing fourteen seasons! The fifteenth (and final season) started airing on CW in late 2019, but hasn’t finished recording episodes due to COVID-19, but will hopefully finish airing later this year and then be released on Netflix.
6) Santa Clarita Diet (Netflix) Do you like zombies? What about a zombie mom who is still fully functioning and working at a real estate business in Santa Clarita while somehow relating all of this zombie business to a town in Serbia? In this action packed and extremely comical rethinking of what it means to be a zombie, a family in Santa Clarita get to go through the thick of it. Throughout the series, it revisits the importance of love, family, trust, support, and balance, making it comical and completely fantastical, but keeping the points and plot of the story close to the heart (literally). Although it is a wonderful series, it was canceled after a third season, leaving it to end on a slight cliffhanger, but an overall good ending if you don’t watch the last five minutes and twenty seconds of the last episode.
And there you have it! We hope we were able to offer some good, boredom-defeating options, and that you all find your own, healthy ways to navigate this time. We’re all in this together, True Believers: separate in body, maybe, but united in spirit!
