With so many of us on holiday break or just suffering through the holiday hiatus from our favorite shows, that’s leaving us with a lot more time.
Sure, you can spend them with friends or family or even in the outside…or you can find a new favorite show to binge! The team at Entertainment Jolt came together to give you their top five plus two honorable mentions. That’s a total of twenty-one shows (and worlds) that you can delve into! Some are older shows, but still favorites…and some are quite current. See a show listed before that you’ve been pondering watching? Now’s the time!
Lisa’s (Founder/Writer) Top 5
There are so many shows I love that I know you all will love or already love. My newest favorite is The Crown. I’ve heard amazing things about it but I didn’t know how much I would like it until I started watching it. I knew a little bit about Queen Elizabeth II but this is so much more than just about her and the family. It also has stuff about the country I didn’t know even happened. I find myself going to google and actually fact checking and they are pretty much dead on.
Another favorite of my is This Is Us. Right from the pilot, I was sucked into this family and I want to learn about what happened to make them who they are. This is a favorite that will most likely make you cry in every episode so make sure you have the tissues right next to you
My list wouldn’t be complete without my guilty pleasure Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (which just started their new season last month), Gilmore Girls, and The X-Files. It doesn’t matter how bad the CGI looks on this show the story they have in this show overpowers that and makes it show that is worth watching. And let’s just say January 3rd (this Wednesday) can’t come fast enough!
- The Crown – Netflix
Follows the political rivalries and romance of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and the events that shaped the second half of the 20th century.
- This Is Us – NBC
Follows a unique ensemble, as their paths cross and their life stories intertwine, from sharing the same birthday, to so much more than anyone would expect.
- Gilmore Girls – Netflix
A dramedy centering around the relationship between a thirtysomething single mother and her teen daughter living in Stars Hollow, Connecticut
- The X-Files – FOX
Two FBI agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained, while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.
- Law & Order True Crimes: The Menendez Murders – NBC
When the Menendez brothers were tried on national TV for brutally killing their parents in Beverly Hills, their story became a national obsession. Now, the first edition of this anthology series delves into the players, the crime and the media circus, detailing the day-to-day battles of the trial and unveiling the shocking truth of what really went down when the cameras stopped rolling.
Honorable Mentions
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – Bravo
A reality series that follows some of the most affluent women in the country as they enjoy the lavish lifestyle that only Beverly Hills can provide.
30 Rock – NBC
Liz Lemon, head writer of the sketch comedy show “TGS with Tracy Jordan”, must deal with an arrogant new boss and a crazy new star, all while trying to run a successful television show without losing her mind.
Diana’s (Writer/Graphic Desinger) Top 5
I don’t watch a lot of TV, but the TV I do watch has a lot to do with science, history, and superheroes, along with a little paranormal thrown in there for good measure. Currently, my favorite show to watch is The Curse of Oak Island, which, for history buffs like me, really packs a punch. Oak Island is steeped in myth, mystery, and dark lore and may just hold a massive treasure trove that brothers Rick and Marty Lagina are on a quest to find. I love all the historical artifacts they’ve already dug up, and each episode turns up yet another mystery to be solved. It’s a fantastic show if you like history and treasure hunting.
One of my other current faves is Mythbusters. I’ve been a fan of the show since its inception, and have watched it religiously for the past fifteen years. This year, though, Adam and Jamie have been replaced by Brian and Jon, the newest duo to host the show and bust the myths. They’ve managed to bring new life to Mythbusters, and while I’m partial to Adam and Jamie (and probably always will be), it’s great that they’re carrying the torch into the new season. If you’re into science and Hollywood special effects, this is the show for you.
To round out my list, you’ve gotta have the superhero shows like The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Agents of SHIELD. They’re a great escape after those long, boring days at work. But I have to show some love to the honorable mentions: Ghost Adventures and Fringe. I’m very much into the paranormal, so of course the GAC had to make it on my list of binge-worthy shows. And Fringe is an oldie, but a goodie. While it finished its run in 2013, you can still catch episode reruns on The Science Channel.
- The Flash – The CW
After being struck by lightning, Barry Allen wakes up from his coma to discover he’s been given the power of super speed, becoming the Flash, fighting crime in Central City.
- DC’s Legends of Tomorrow – The CW
Focuses on time-traveling rogue Rip Hunter, who has to recruit a rag-tag team of heroes and villains to help prevent an apocalypse that could impact not only Earth, but all of time.
- Mythbusters – Science Channel
A weekly documentary in which two Hollywood special effects experts attempt to
debunk urban legends by directly testing them.
- The Curse of Oak Island – History Channel
Rick and Marty Lagina, two brothers from Michigan with a life-long interest in the mystery of Oak Island, renew efforts to discover the legendary treasure with sophisticated machinery.
- Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD – ABC
Phil Coulson heads an elite team of fellow agents with the worldwide law-enforcement
organization known as SHIELD (Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division), as they investigate strange occurrences around the globe. Its members — each of whom brings a specialty to the group — work with Coulson to protect those who cannot protect themselves from extraordinary and inconceivable threats, including a formidable group known as Hydra.
Honorable Mentions
Ghost Adventures – Travel Channel
Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley, and Jay Wasley investigate the scariest, most
notorious, haunted places in the world.
Fringe – Fox
An F.B.I. agent, is forced to work with an institutionalized scientist and his son in order to rationalize a brewing storm of unexplained phenomena.
Shannon’s (Editor/Writer) Top 5
My current favorite is Killjoys, which I never thought I’d actually like from the original promo. To my surprise, not only do I love the show…but I fell in love at the pilot (which really never happens for me). The casting is great, the characters are amazing, and the relationships are beautiful and real. Dutch is just absolutely amazing and gorgeous and badass. Her relationship with both Jacobi’s brothers (especially Johnny) is one of my favorite parts of the show. I have certain episodes that I can just watch alone over and over again.
Sense8 I actually fell in love with a couple before I even watched it. On of my favorite vidders had put out a video on them. I love shows and stories about characters and this has such diverse characters and I think people can really find themselves in each of the main characters in some way.
Outlander, Torchwood, and Longmire were shows I never expected to get so attached to. All three of these shows have outstanding characters and fun plots. Outlander makes you want to come next and from what I’ve been told they’ve done a good job adapting it from the books. Torchwood is a spin-off from Doctor Who and I just adore Captain Jack and Gwen! Longmire is really just fun because of how quirky the characters are, but at the same time it can be incredibly dark as the characters develop and the relationships between characters change.
Arrow and Supergirl are my favorite two shows from the DCTV set on the CW and definitely ones where I must watch the same night. They both have great characters and beautiful relationships. Plus, superhero’s are always awesome and they show you don’t have to wear a mask or wear a cape to be one!
- Killjoys – Syfy
In the Quad, a planetary system on the brink of a bloody interplanetary class war, a fun loving trio of bounty hunters attempt to remain impartial as they chase deadly warrants.
- Sense8 – Netflix
A group of people around the world are suddenly linked mentally, and must find a way to survive being hunted by those who see them as a threat to the world’s order.
- Outlander – Starz
An English combat nurse from 1945 is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743.
- Torchwood – BBCA/Starz
The members of the Torchwood Institute, a secret organization founded by the British Crown, fight to protect the Earth from extraterrestrial and supernatural threats.
- Longmire – Netflix
Walt Longmire is the dedicated and unflappable sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming. Widowed only a year, he is a man in psychic repair but buries his pain behind his brave face, unassuming grin and dry wit.
Honorable Mentions
Arrow – The CW
Spoiled billionaire playboy Oliver Queen is missing and presumed dead when his yacht is lost at sea. He returns five years later a changed man, determined to clean up the city as a hooded vigilante armed with a bow.
Supergirl – The CW
At 12 years old, Kara Zor-El escapes doom on planet Krypton to find protection on Earth with the Danver family, where she grows up in the shadow of her foster sister, Alex, and learns to hide the extraordinary powers she shares with her cousin, Superman. Now an adult living in National City and working for media mogul Cat Grant, Kara finds her days of keeping her abilities a secret are over when super-secret agency head Hank Henshaw enlists her to help protect the city’s citizens from threats. Finally coming into her own, Kara must juggle her new responsibilities with her very human relationships.
What shows are you thinking about binge watching? I see a few that are already on my list and some that I definitely need to rewatch! Tell us below which have become new favorites for you!
