The Ultimate First World Problem: What to Binge Watch

Instead of daydreaming about slouching on the sofa or fantasizing about being able to do absolutely nothing all weekend—remember those days?—lately our minds are fixated on getting out. Anywhere. 

But, until then...

Even if many of us have been able to transition to working from home, we still seem to have a lot of extra time on our hands. These unexpected days of confinement have given us the opportunity to do yoga, meditate (or learn how to!), read and kick back and relax with a big bowl of popcorn and a good movie or series.

It’s a fascinating time for visual entertainment enthusiasts. Through the rise of all these new streaming platforms, an overwhelming amount of amazing content has been produced to entice viewers into subscribing. Whether a critically acclaimed masterpiece or a feel-good comedy is your cup o’ tea, our recommendations will satisfy.

HBO

The American platform has always stood out for its quality in television productions and with the arrival of on-demand television services worldwide, it has managed to maintain the level of quality that has always characterized it. Successful series such as Game of Thrones, Westworld or Chernobyl are the proof that they know how to create new productions acclaimed by both the public and critics. Additionally, auteur series like Big Little Lies with Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, or The New Pope with Jude Law and John Malkovich are to be reckoned with. Two pillars of modern television, The Sopranos and The Wire are also included in HBO’s catalog, next to several external productions like the dystopian nightmare The Handmaid’s Tale and the nihilistic space adventure Rick and Morty.

Amazon Prime

Although one of the youngest streaming services, Amazon Prime is now one of the most complete platforms in the market, as it has a great variety of offerings. The recently released Hunters series—starring Al Pacino—highlights Amazon’s capacity as a production company. For lovers of the action genre, there’s Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, the story of a CIA analyst fighting a worldwide conspiracy, and The Boys, a wacky comic book adaptation whose first season was an immediate hit.

Phoebe Waller-Bridges’ Fleabag, a comedy drama about a young woman trying to cope with loss, make sense of life and find a lover who can satisfy her is a must-see this year, as is The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, the story of a Jewish-American housewife from the late 1950s who becomes a stand-up comedian in Manhattan.

Netflix

Netflix has been around the longest in Spain, offering the most extensive catalog of movies and series to date. If you are a regular, you already know that you can enjoy the end of one of the most critically acclaimed animated series of the last decade: Bojack Horseman. If you haven’t seen it, now is an ideal time to get immersed in this eccentric universe. A number of Netflix original series, set to be classics such as Orange Is the New Black and Better Call Saul are up for viewing as well. Lovers of the new version of Sherlock Holmes—also on the platform—will be happy to know that the creators of the English series have decided to brilliantly adapt another iconic literary figure: Bram Stoker's Dracula. If you are a documentary junkie, the recently-released, hard-hitting docuseries The Innocence Files tells the stories of a series of wrongful convictions and highlights the many ways in which the US criminal justice system can go so terribly wrong.

Disney+

The latest platform to be added to the mix is Disney+, but don't be fooled, the multinational comes with an incredible offering. At the end of March all the films released by Pixar in 2019, such as Toy Story 4 and The Lion King were made available for viewing. You can see all the films from the Marvel universe again, including the biggest box-office hit of all time: Avengers Endgame. You can enjoy all thirty seasons of The Simpsons, and you can enter the world of Star Wars again and begin the last series of the saga with The Mandolarian.