Conjuring magical spells, being locked up in jail, producing chart-selling music, claiming a kingdom and fighting in the zombie apocalypse. You can experience all these things over winter break without leaving your home. All you need is a TV or computer monitor, a couch and a bowl of popcorn to binge-watch these must-see shows.
Once Upon a Time
All of your favorite childhood fairy tales with twists and turns packed together in one spellbinding show. “Once Upon a Time” is something you have to watch from the beginning in order to understand all its unique characters and their backstories. It follows protagonist Emma Swan, who is drawn to a town named Storybrook by her birth son Henry. Everyone in town is a fairy tale character from another world and is under the evil queen/mayor’s curse. Emma is the only one who can break it. By the end of every episode, your mouth will drop in shock.
Orange is the New Black
“Orange is the New Black” tells the story of Piper Chapman, a woman who is sentenced to 15 months in prison after being convicted of a decade-old crime of transporting money to her then drug dealing girlfriend. It’s based on the book by the same title of the real-life experiences of author Piper Kerman. The opening scene for “Orange is the New Black” is attention-grabbing, but it’s the raw emotion and laugh-out-loud humor of this Netflix series that will keep your eyes glued to the screen and your butt stuck on the couch for all three seasons.
Empire
“Empire” is a hip-hop soap opera about music mogul Lucious Lyon and how he must choose between his three sons who are battling for control of his million-dollar company, while his ex-wife Cookie schemes to get what’s hers. The show features celebrity cameos like Snoop Dogg, Courtney Love and Alicia Keys. It has humor, but it’s all about the drama. Between cheating, divorce, jail, gangs, guns and incredible acting, this show keeps you on your toes and begging for more.
Game of Thrones
“Game of Thrones” is based off the popular George R. R. Martin book series “A Song of Ice and Fire.” The story takes place in the fictional lands of Westeros and Essos and is about the struggle for the Iron Throne and the Seven Kingdoms that come with it. From beginning to end, each episode will keep you at the edge of your seat wondering what’s going to happen next, even for those who have read the books. An hour of quality programming might seem too much to ask for, but once the episode ends you’ll wonder why an hour-long episode seems so short because you’ll get sucked into all the bloodshed and tears.
The Walking Dead
Based on the long-running comic book series of the same name, “The Walking Dead” is about Sheriff Deputy Rick Grimes and how he leads a group of survivors in a zombie apocalypse. The show is nothing but drama. The theme song alone creates tension and excitement that makes you want to hide under the blanket before the zombies come out. This show is all about the blood and guts. It has dangling intestines, rotting flesh and beheadings. With plenty of enemies to dismember and zombies to be killed there is enough bloodshed to go around if you love to see gore.
American Horror Story
“American Horror Story” is a series that follows multiple story lines, characters and locations including an insane asylum, a witch coven and a freak show. Each season stands alone with stories different from the last. Close to the end of each season, if you watch an episode carefully, you might be able to detect a hint to next season’s theme. The show illustrates society’s worst fears and brings them to life.
Scandal
As the title of the show suggests, there’s lots of scandal going on in this drama. The show is about former White House communications director Olivia Pope and how she starts her own crisis management firm only to realize that, like her clients, she has some scandalous secrets of her own. There are murder mysteries, conspiracies and problems to solve. Each season gets better and more scandalous.
Modern Family
If you’re not all about the drama, “Modern Family” is the perfect show that will make your gut bust with laughter. The show is about three different families that are all related and face trials and tribulations in comedic ways. Subplots are a driving force in the show. Every episode follows several story lines with the characters that eventually come together in the end, much like classic sitcoms “Friends” or “Seinfeld.” Every episode is so full of hysteria that even the weakest episode can pull out a few laughs. It’s consistently witty, sarcastic and has the occasional slapstick, and it works incredibly well.
