14 shows to stream right now while you're stuck at home
Enno DeRoos and his daughter Gabrielle watch TV in their living room in Oyster Bay on Nov. 29, 2011. Credit: Jeremy Bales
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So many hours — but what to watch?
From transporting dramas to escapist adventures, this is the best of streaming right now.
Watch these and wash your troubles (and some time) away:
"Poldark" (Amazon Prime) This may be the most perfect show to binge. Something about those sweeping Cornwall vistas, or perhaps the sweep of Aidan Turner's (Ross Poldark himself) hair. Who knows! But the show is a pleasure, so's the cast. It's about a British soldier who returns from the war in the colonies only to find his true love has married someone else. Cue the soap bubbles.
"Outlander" (Starz) If you've never watched "Outlander," then there is no time like right now. Start from the beginning and as night turns to dawn, you will still be watching and saying "Sassenach'' over and over, in a semi-comatose daze.
Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser and Caitriona Balfe as Claire Fraser in Starz's "Outlander." Credit: Starz / Aimee Spinks
"Seven Worlds, One Planet" (BBCAmerica.com, with your Altice password, or Prime) Can't go wrong with any BBC Natural History Unit documentary, as the pleasing voice of Sir David Attenborough drones on, and the glory of the planet floats by. "Our Planet" on Netflix is terrific too.
"Wild Alaska" (Netflix) Preppers are probably on their way to Alaska. Watch this beautiful three-parter and see why.
"The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" (Amazon Prime) But not all three seasons. In fact, ignore the disappointing (and grating) third. The show didn't just jump the shark then but it did jump the tracks. The second season is for you, and it is indeed flawless.
Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actress Rachel Brosnahan in "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Season 2" Credit: Amazon Prime Video
"Bob's Burgers" (Hulu) If "Bob's" doesn't make you forget about the long lines at Costco, then nothing will. And if you are in the mood for animated series, definitely do not watch "Rick and Morty." It's funny, sure, but does seem to confirm that the end of the entire universe may in fact be near.
"The Durrells in Corfu" (Amazon Prime) With Keeley Hawes as Louisa Durrell, who transplants her family to the dreamscape of Corfu in Greece, this baby will not just put you to sleep, but make you smile as you slip into a pleasing comatose state.
"The Good Fight" (CBS All All Access) Better than "The Good Wife," and yet still unheralded and underappreciated. But we're not just talking quality here — we're talking binging. Go with this.
"Bosch" (Amazon Prime) With Titus Welliver, Jamie Hector, Amy Aquino, and Lance Reddick in this series based on the indelible character created by crime novelist Michael Connelly, this is one of the purest and most pleasurable bingables in all of TV. (Yes, there's some violence, but not all that much.)
"Star Trek Picard" (CBS All Access) I just happen to think that when a great actor returns to a great character then it is incumbent on us to witness the special event. But "STP '' isn't just a pleasure, it's also a bit soporific. To be expected: The captain is back, but he's lost a step (if not hair, which he never had any of in the first place).
Jonathan Frakes as Riker, left, and Sir Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard, of the the CBS All Access series "Star Trek: Picard." Credit: CBS/Aaron Epstein
"The Wire" (HBOGo or Now) Come on! What have you got to lose? Critics keep telling you this is the Best Series Ever. Prove them right! Or wrong! But what's so great about "The Wire" in this moment of our discontent is that immersive quality: You are drawn in, shot by shot, scene by scene, into a world that comes fully alive. Even better, it explores this world in a way that's never been done before or since. "The Wire" won't put you to sleep, but it will wash your cares away or at least put them in perspective.
"Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" (Netflix) You don't really have to know the original series to fall under the spell of this one (although it would help). After "Twin Peaks: The Return," this might be the best reboot out there. Bonus points for not a single mention anywhere of "pandemic."
"Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" (Hulu) This is a wonderful series. You should watch even if you aren't bingeing. But it is a perfect quaranbinge.
"The Blue Planet," "Blue Planet II" (Amazon Prime) Yes, you will have to pay $1.99 per episode (even with a Prime membership) but it's a lot cheaper than a martini and better for you. "BP" and "BPII" in fact are the perfect binges: They will submerge you into a place of perfect equipoise. They are Zen TV at its Zeniest.
