Do you and your significant-other battle to find something to watch online that you both can enjoy? Does payday seem too far away and you need something to keep you entertained? Don’t fret, Abdul Malick and I are serious series bingers and we’ve found quite a few that we’ve loved, despite me being a hopeless, girly romantic and him being an action junkie. Almost all of these listed below we’ve watched pretty much from Season 1, Episode 1 until their very end and loved it together!
1.GAME OF THRONES
Seasons available: 7 seasons with around 10 episodes each.
Episode length: Between 40 mins and 1 hour 10 mins.
Here’s the deal: I know almost everyone has watched this, but there are a surprising amount of people who haven’t, so I’m here to tell you that if you haven’t, then you NEED TO START. I only started in 2017, and I remember after the first three episodes I still was NOT convinced, in fact I was incredibly grossed out. However, once I got into it I could. not. stop. I can’t wait for the next and final season coming this April! I’m not even going to bother with giving you a synopisis of it here because so much happens. ALL THE TIME. Just watch it.
2.MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
Seasons available: 5 with around 23 episodes per season
Episode length: roughly 40 minutes.
Here’s the deal: Remember Agent Phil Caulson from Marvel’s Avengers movies? In this series spin-off he leads a secret team of agents battling Hydra in the shadows of course. Every episode and every season is as captivating as the last, there are as many girls kicking butt as there are guys and if you love action and a bit of sci-fi, you’ll be hooked from early on.
3. MARVEL’S DARE DEVIL (available on Netflix)
Seasons available: Technically there is season 1 and 3 with around 12 episodes per season that is Dare Devil only. Season 2 is actually called Marvel’s Defenders and is a separate once-off mash-up of four heroes from other Marvel shows, namely Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist’s Danny Rand.
Episode length: roughly 40 minutes
Here’s the deal: Matt Murdoc is blinded as a child and in that way his other senses are heightened to a point that takes his abilities beyond the average man. Lawyer by day, he becomes a super hero by night and is quickly pulled into bringing down Hell’s Kitchen’s kingpin, Wilson Fisk. There was something about the show that didn’t make it one of my ultimate favourites but it was still highly enjoyable and I undoubtedly NEEDED to know what happened next!
4. MARVEL’S THE PUNISHER (available on Netflix)
Seasons Available: Two seasons with 12 and 13 episodes each.
Episode length: Roughly 40 minutes.
Here’s the deal: Ex-marine Frank Castle seeks revenge on the people who killed his wife and children, and as his quest unfolds, the story takes gripping turns as we discover exactly who is responsible for the tragedy. This show was incredibly gripping – we watched all of the episodes from season one in a day! I love Frank’s character because it feels a lot more real; he’s a murdering hero with a code. No capes or fancy costumes either, which I quite enjoyed. Season 2 was just as gripping and incredible as season 1. If you’re watching it for the first time right now, just know that we’re super jeal.
5. JANE THE VIRGIN (available on Netflix)
Seasons available: 4
Episode length: Roughly 40 minutes.
Here’s the deal: This comedic series is definitely a girly one but an absolute must-see. Jane is the 23 year old daughter of a young mom, and she vows to hold onto her virginity and be different to her mother. That plan goes out of the window when she is accidentally artificially-inseminated during a trip to the gynae. The father of the child happens to be her billionaire playboy boss. The show parodies Spanish telenovelas and involves many other twists, turns and mysteries, all with hilarious flair. We both can’t wait for season 5. Also, Rogelio is my spirit animal.
6. DYNASTY (available on Netflix)
Seasons available: 1 full season available and currently airing season 2.
Episode length: Roughly 40 minutes.
Here’s the deal: the modern take on the original and popular show also called Dynasty from the 80’s, if you loved Gossip Girl, you’ll love this one (it’s literally shot in a very similar way with the same kind of music score). It follows the dramatic lives of billionaire family, the Carringtons, and you know what they say; mo’ money, mo’ problems, and this family is not short when it comes to either. The fashion is also amazing (Crystal’s wardrobe is my favourite)! I was surprised by how much Malick enjoyed this one, I think it was all the flashy rich people vibes and the way they swindle each other in business that made things interesting for him.
7. REIGN (available on Netflix)
Seasons available: four seasons with around 22 episodes each.
Episode length: Roughly 40 minutes.
Here’s the deal: this show is Game of Thrones meets Gossip Girl, and is loosely based around the life of Mary Queen of Scotts and her life at French Court, with some events being historically-accurate and others being purely fictional and occurring for the sheer joy of TV drama. The costumes are not periodically-accurate, it’s more a regular couture show with a few homages to old French fashion, making the show more modern and enjoyable. Malick and I loved this show from beginning to end because it was equal parts action-packed as it was romantic and beautiful. I loved that the show was held down by three strong females, namely Queen Mary, Queen Katherine De Medici and Queen Elizabeth.
8. BLINDSPOT
Seasons available: Season 4 is currently underway!
Episode length: Roughly 40 minutes
Here’s the deal: A beautiful mystery Jane Doe is found alive and naked in a bag in the middle of Times Square with no memory of her name or her past. She is also completely covered in tattoos from her neck to her toes. One of her tattoos reads the name “Detective Kurt Weller”, and as a result she is delivered to him, an FBI agent, in the hope that he can uncover where she came from. Weller and his team soon discover each of her tattoos hold clues that unlock different tricky FBI cases and mysteries, all the while revealing more and more where Jane truly comes from and the bigger picture of what her tattoos will finally lead them to in the end. Jane also finds she subconsciously has highly trained combat skills despite her memory-loss, and often both messes up and saves the day. Seasons 1 and 2 are amazing, season 3 things seamed to drop off a little (although they ended up in Cape Town, which was cool!) but season 4 looks like it’s going to take things to a whole other level!
9. THE HANDMAID’S TALE (available on Hulu)
Seasons available: 2 seasons with about 12 episodes each.
Episode length: Roughly 40 minutes.
Here’s the deal: A part of America officially becomes overthrown by a patriarchal religious group known as The Sons of Jacob, who rename the land as Gilead. A ruthless, violent, totalitarian society with an extremely high infertility rate, all women are stripped of rights, while fertile women are forced into becoming sex slaves known as ‘handmaids’ with the intention of impregnation due to their “biological obligation” to bare children to society. The story follows Offred, one of these handmaids, and her rise against the system.
The first few episodes have a verym very slow start and seems to drag out, but things get better and incredibly gripping. We’re currently awaiting season 3 with bated breath, it’s going to be next level for sure.
10. ARROW (available on Netflix)
Seasons available: Season 7 is currently underway. Each season has around 23 episodes.
Episode length: Roughly 40 minutes.
Here’s the deal: Billionaire playboy Oliver Queen is presumed dead for five years after a boating accident, but it turns out he was stranded on a deserted island in Asia known as Lian-Yu. He hides what really happened to him during that time, but upon his return to his hometown of Star City, he has acquired an array of combat skills, particularly archery, and by night he seeks to right his wealthy family’s wrongs, because as it turns out, they were involved in a lot of shady business. The first three seasons in particular are absolutely fantastic, then after those seasons things go a little downhill. We hoped it would get better, in the way that it was so great in those first few seasons, and it looks like we’ve finally given up now in Season 7, however, I still highly recommend those first three to four seasons for a good binge, because it really was incredible. Who knows? Maybe you’ll enjoy the remaining seasons more than we did.
11. THE FLASH (available on Netflix)
Seasons available: Season 5 is currently underway, each previous season has around 23 episodes.
Episode length: Roughly 40 minutes.
Here’s the deal: If you’ve started watching Arrow, you may remember a brief appearance from Barry Allen, a geeky forensic scientist from neighbouring town, Central City. When Central City’s Star Labs builds a particle accelerator that fails and explodes, it releases dark matter into the city, giving many of its people an array of super powers relating to what they were doing at the time of the explosion. ANYWAY. Barry requires the power of super speed, and uses it to become the city’s hero, known as the Flash. He teams up with Star Labs to fight crime and evil meta-humans who are abusing their powers. Something fun that often happens is at least once every season of the Flash and Arrow, they have crossover episodes where they appear in one another’s shows in a continuing plot. Seasons 1 and 2 were incredible, season 3 was okay and season 4 was magnificent, but I may be biased also because the amazing South African Kim Engelbrecht plays the villain’s wife and her performance is everything. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
12. FRIENDS (Available on Netflix)
Seasons available: 10 seasons with around 23 episodes each.
Episode length: Roughly 20 minutes.
Here’s the deal: Okay so I’m not going to explain this because Friends is one of the most iconic and hilarious shows of all time and well, if you’ve been living under a rock, it’s about a group of friends living in New York. Abdul Malick and I started watching this from Season 1, Episode 1 a couple of months ago and it was the best decision ever! It’s a light and easy watch but still so good, funny, still so relevant and it never ever gets bad or boring. The 20 minute episode length makes it perfect for those times when you only want to watch something quick before bed or while eating a meal if that’s your thing. We finished all ten seasons about a week ago and we’ve been feeling empty ever since.
And that’s about it! Do you guys have any suggestions? Or did you love/hate any of these in particular?
xx