We’ve all said it. We’ve nodded along as our friends and co-workers gush about a series, pulled it up on our phones and panic-glared at the number of episodes, and then politely said “I’ll check it out when I’ve got the time!” knowing full well that we will never have the time. Well, times have changed...and suddenly we do have the time. So here are some options to bite the bullet with.
Doctor Who
Easy mode for butt-numbing bingwatchery would go to the revived series, which recently celebrated its 15th anniversary and wrapped up its 12th season. But go on, you have the time. Try the old stuff too! We’ve got some suggestions about where you might want to start in that regard, but depending on your tolerance for structurally unsound sets and questionable rubber monsters, you’ll find a lot to love.
Where to Watch: In a few months, it’ll be HBO Max. For now, Amazon Prime Video is probably your best bet for modern Doctor Who—but you’ll have to pay. It’ll also have some classic Doctor Who to purchase, but Britbox’s archives are much more complete.
Star Trek. All of It.
It’s like, almost a solid month’s worth of TV hours. You don’t have to watch all of it—but hey, we’re stuck indoors for ages, you can! Maybe pick one show and go from there. I will forever stan the original Trek, but if you’re not into your retro TV, basically any other series is at least worth diving into as a starting point. Even if you do that, you’re in for a good long haul.
Where to Watch: CBS All Access, which is currently running an extended free trial period.
Battlestar Galactica
Sure, the ending is decidedly dodgy. In fact...there are perhaps a few more things dodgy about Battlestar Galactica as it progresses across its long, despair-laden arc. But it’s still worth checking out one of the defining sci-fi series of the early aughts if you never have.
Where to Watch: Syfy just made it free to watch—with the movies, to boot—on its website this week, so...hop to it, Adama’s orders.
The Expanse
We’ve been on board with The Expanse from the first book, and have basically not stopped gushing about it since it made the jump to equally excellent TV. This is on the shorter side as far as time commitments go, given it’s “just” four seasons so far, but if you’ve been putting off getting on board despite our exaltation, get ready for one of the best pieces of sci-fi TV around right now.
Where to Watch: It saved it when it was canceled, so now all of The Expanse is on Amazon Prime Video.
Dragonball Z, One Piece, Naruto, or Basically Any Long-Running Shonen Anime
I mean, these things are hundreds of episodes long. In Dragonball’s case, approximately 80 percent of those hundreds are of shirtless men screaming at each other ceaselessly. A lot of it is dumb, mindless stuff you could put on in the background doing one of your other isolation hobbies. But it’s dumb, mindless stuff that is frequently hype as all hell. Not everything you binge has to be so fancy! Just enjoy some cool action and wild adventure for a very, very long runtime.
Where to Watch: We got a little vague here, but for the three mentioned: Dragon Ball Z can be found on Funimation, One Piece is on Crunchyroll, while Naruto is also on there and also available directly from Viz, for free.
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