Binge-Worthy Series: Part 1

Ah, Netflix, it dawned the days of ‘binge-watching’. A lot of networks have taken the cue and created streaming services. There are few, (if any), networks left that don’t provide some type of streaming service or an OnDemand option.

This has made the amount of series to binge-watch VERY long.

There’s nothing better on a lazy Sunday than watching almost an entire sitting while doing the laundry. So – with all the series out there – which ones are worth binge-watching and where can you go to do so?

Since there are just so many fantastic shows out there – I’ve decided to break this down into quite a few posts. I’ll let you know the basis of the show – how many seasons it has (so far, or if it has ended) – what genre it falls under – where you can stream it – and, maybe a few other fun facts. 

Game of Thrones (HBO)

• 7 seasons – (only one left – *sad face*)
• Fantasy
• Available on HBO GO

If you haven’t already heard about GOT, you may have been living under a rock. This series is damn near everywhere. It’s an incredible fantasy series that takes place in George R. R. Martin’s fantasy world of Westeros. The series is based off of his book series ‘A song of Ice and Fire’. (The books are crazy good too, by the way).

It follows a ton of characters from various noble houses and the series immediately starts off with some risky business happening in the northern part of the kingdom. There are characters that range from “Awe, he’s awesome”, to “Man, I would actually kill that dude with my bare hands”. Yeah – the characters are pretty diverse and many are complex in a way we rarely get to see captured in a series.

There’s a good amount of violence and nudity as well as some pretty diabolical planning on the part of certain players in ‘the great game’. Seriously – if you haven’t watched it – watch it ASAP! (Unless you’re one of those people who think they deserve some sort of medal for not watching it – meh, you guys suck).

Stranger Things (Netflix original)

• 2 Seasons (so far)
• Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror
• Available on Netflix

This series is pure nostalgia of the 1980’s mixed with some really cool sci-fi and maybe a little dose of horror. Basically, there is a group of young friends – kids who enjoy spending hours on hours playing Dungeons and Dragons – (And take it super seriously). One of the kids goes missing. Everyone panics.

Without giving anything away: both the adults and the group of friends start searching for Will (the missing kid), and discover that the town of Hawkins may be linked to the supernatural.

The story flows great. The characters are awesome and it’s one of those shows you could watch in one lazy weekend, either alone, or with your significant other. It’s overall a great show. I was skeptical going in. I’m normally not into anything that is centered around children as the main characters. This series is an exception.

Both seasons were great. I really cannot wait for the next one – hopefully it will come out around Halloween again.

Supernatural (The CW)

• 13 Seasons and counting
• Sci-Fi/Fantasy
• A lot of seasons are available on Netflix, and on THE CW on demand

This is one of my favorite series, ever. If you have ever been interested in any sort of mythology, legend or anything related to the supernatural – this show has all of that. It would be hard to name a mythological creature, deity or legend that hasn’t popped up at least in one episode. (Some stay around a lot longer and are reoccurring)

The main character are two brothers, (Sam and Dean), who hunt down monsters. In the Supernatural universe, monsters are real – all monsters. Some aren’t even all that bad.

Supernatural hasn’t lasted so many seasons without good reason. I’ve never watched a show that simply just doesn’t get old. There’s comedy, drama, action and even some pretty emotional moments, (when Dean cries, we cry).

Spartacus (Starz)

• 4 Seasons – “Blood and Sand”, “Gods of the Arena”, “Vengeance”, and “War of the Damned”
• Action/Drama (some softcore porn, lol)
• Available on Netflix, (unsure if it’s on Starz’s streaming service, as I don’t have it).

I’ll never care what anyone says about this series – it’s amazing. Yeah, there’s an insane amount of nudity and people getting it on – but, dude – it’s based in Ancient Rome! If you can’t handle nudity and sexual situations – this series is NOT FOR YOU.

That being said, this entire series was so entertaining in every way. There are battle scenes that are visually spectacular, characters you hate to love and an overall great story line. Sadly, the man who originally played Spartacus in season one (Andy Whitfield), passed away. The change of the title character caused a lot of people to turn away from the show.

From beginning to end, (aside from the sadness of having the title character replaced), was fantastic. Not only are the battle scenes epic, but the interactions between characters are epic as well. Also, this show gets an A+ in it’s creative cuss words. There’s action on top of action – some steamy sex scenes – some seriously cringe-worthy scenes and some spectacular revenge scenes. Creatively, in my opinion, the whole thing was a masterpiece.

Dexter (Showtime)

• 8 Seasons
• Drama/Crime
• Available to stream on Netflix

Many people would say that this series really changed pace throughout the seasons but there’s no denying that the first three seasons of the series are binge-worthy. I watched it all the way through, (binge-watched the first season on DVD, before it was cool).

The show is about a blood-splatter analyst who works for Miami Metro PD: Dexter Morgan. He isn’t just an analyst though, he also happens to be a serial killer. Using the department’s resources and a strict ‘code’ given to him by his father Harry – he kills people who fall through the cracks of the judicial system, (mostly).

Dexter meets an array of interesting characters along the way, sometimes making exceptions to his code. He also juggles his interactions with everyone he works with, including his sister – Debra, who also works for the same police department.

The premise of this series was highly intriguing and the writers and show runners did a great job with the concept.

That’s all for now – but there are a LOT more series that are binge-worthy. Check out Binge Worthy Series: Part 2