Shows to watch on Netflix during COVID-19

For your viewing pleasure

Many of our favourite entertainment pastimes have been closed down, postponed or outright cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. As a result, most of us are staying home during this pandemic and have more time to catch up on all the TV shows we haven’t had time for. Here are a few binge-worthy shows on Netflix you should definitely start to keep you entertained while in isolation mode. 

Good Girls 

The crime-filled dramedy follows three suburban Michigan mothers having a hard time making ends meet. The three decide to pull off an unlikely heist by robbing a supermarket, only to discover they’re in for more than they originally bargained for.

Dynasty

This drama follows the trials and tribulations of the two wealthy feuding families, the Carringtons and the Colbys. This modern-day reboot based on the 1980s soap opera of the same name is more diverse in comparison to the original. It’s also been called ‘the sexiest and most progressive-minded take’ on a prime-time soap, yet.

RuPaul’s Drag Race

Created by RuPaul Charles, RuPaul’s Drag Race is a reality competition series where 15 contestants compete in weekly challenges and are eliminated until America’s next drag superstar has been crowned. Each episode follows a format which consists of challenges, a thematic runway walk, a judging panel featuring celebrity guests, a lip-synch battle and ends off with the elimination of a contestant. 

Dead to Me

A powerful friendship blossoms between two women, Jen and Judy, who meet in grief therapy. Jen (Christina Applegate) is a recently widowed real estate agent trying to come to terms with the loss of her husband who was killed in a hit-and-run, while Judy (Linda Cardellini) grieves for her fiancé, who died of a heart attack. The two women face their losses differently as Jen finds herself in a dark place while Judy maintains a positive outlook — which brings the two together. As Jen looks more into her husband’s secret life and the cause of his death, a major plot twist is revealed.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (CAOS)

Do you remember the sweet 1996 family friendly show Sabrina the Teenage Witch? Well, this 2018 show is its terrifying little sister. Based on the Archie comic book series of the same name, CAOS follows the life of half witch/half human Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka), as she navigates her way between her mortal teen life and her family’s legacy within the Church of Night.

On My Block

A coming-of-age show about four best friends navigating their way through high school in a rough inner-city Los Angeles neighbourhood. The four funny and street-smart teens deal with the danger of gangs, unexpected romances and end up solving a mystery along the way. It’s a heartwarming emotional roller-coaster.

Anything created by Shonda Rhimes

Whether it’s Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal or How to Get Away with Murder, please do yourself a favour and get into one or all three of these shows. After binging these programs, you’ll walk away as a certified surgeon, a presidential ‘fixer’, a criminal defence lawyer or even just a satisfied Netflix watcher. Either way, isolation is a great time to play in Shondaland.

Sex Education

The British comedy drama centres on an inexperienced, socially awkward high school student, Otis (Asa Buttefield) who lives with his mother, a sex therapist. After unitentionally giving sexual advice to a student, he joins forces with a social outcast/bad-girl, Maeve (Emma Mackey) to set up an underground sex therapy clinic. The two deal with their fellow students’ weird sexual problems as well as their own.

The Fosters

The Foster family is a multi-ethnic family made up of two mothers and their biological and adopted children. While living in sunny Southern California, the family deals with the complexities of the foster care system while navigating issues of racism, sexuality and immigration. The compelling one-hour drama highlights the power and the importance of family.

Black Lightning 

Based on the character of the same name, Black Lightning is a high school principal named Jefferson Pierce, who retired from his superhero persona Black Lightning years ago after seeing the effects it had on his family. However, after noticing the rise of crime and corruption in his city of Freeland, Ga., he is forced to become a vigilante again in order to protect his family and his beloved community.

Jane the Virgin

Loosely based on the adaptation of the Venezuelan telenovela Juana la Virgen, this romantic dramedy follows the life of a 23-year-old Latina virgin, Jane Gloriana Villanueva. Jane, who becomes pregnant after being accidentally artificially inseminated by her gynecologist, manoeuvres through life as a new mother, an aspiring writer, a daughter and more. As the series evolves, viewers get to enjoy the independent plotlines of her family members.

Umbrella Academy 

On Oct. 1, 1989, 43 women around the world gave birth simultaneously, despite none of them showing any sign of pregnancy until labour began. Seven of those children are adopted by an eccentric billionaire named Sir Reginald Hargreeves, and are turned into a superhero team he calls “The Umbrella Academy.” The series revolves around the dysfunctional family of superheroes who reunite to solve the mystery of their father’s death and the threat of an impending apocalypse.