30 Streaming Shows to Get Addicted to and Binge On All Summer Long
As all your favorite TV shows come to an end (some just for the season and others, well, forever), it's hard to know what to do with your couch time. Now that your DVR isn't filled with episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Empire, you're going to need something else to watch– and you can only handle so many episode of House Hunters International in a row. Whether you're still mourning the end of Downtown Abbey's dramatics or missing the laughs of Broad City, here are some a zillion suggestions for your summer of online binge-watching. Just don't blame us when you end up with a subscription to every streaming service on the planet by August.
If you miss New Girl, binge…
Happy Endings (Hulu)
Ah, Happy Endings, one of the best TV comedies ever, which was unfortunately canceled after only three seasons on ABC. The quirky buddy comedy trails the antics of six friends in Chicago, always finding humor in both the ridiculous and the heart-warming moments. It's got the specific idiosyncrasies of New Girl, as well as its overall sweetness (plus, the two shows share a cast member in Damon Wayans Jr.). There have been recent rumors of a fourth season and our fingers are perpetually crossed.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
After 30 Rock, Tina Fey created this Netflix original series, the story of a woman who is freed after spending her life kidnapped in a bunker. It sounds dark, but it's actually hilarious, and Ellie Kemper is a dream as the chipper Kimmy. The second season appeared earlier this year and gives even more insight into the absurdist characters who surround the lead. Bonus: Lisa Kudrow as Kimmy's mom.
The IT Crowd (Netflix)
British comedy The IT Crowd is not to be missed. The show's four seasons are set amongst the tech support workers at a large corporation and it really amps up the social awkwardness of its characters, which include Chris O'Dowd's hilarious Roy. Like on New Girl, you really root for the characters, even when they are being totally inept.
If you miss Grey's Anatomy, binge…
Call The Midwife (Netflix/PBS.com)
The East End of London in the 1950s is the setting for the BBC show Call The Midwife, a drama series about a group of midwives helping make childbirth safe for the poor community. If you miss the emotional medical cases and strong female characters of Grey's Anatomy, this show will offer a respite over the summer months. It has six seasons–not quite as many as Grey's–and will give you that same melodramatic feel and teary-eyed moments.
A Young Doctor's Notebook (Netflix)
If you've slept on this show you may be surprised to hear that it stars Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe. Both actors play the same small village doctor, who has comedic interchanges with himself as he deals with the struggles of being a physician at the beginning of the Russian Revolution. It's a limited series that currently offers two seasons and it's both strange and memorable.
Hart of Dixie (Netflix)
If you're looking for less tragedy and more pluck than Grey's Anatomy has to offer, check out Hart of Dixie, which stars Rachel Bilson as a charming big city doctor who relocates to a small town in the South. The show, which was sadly canceled last year, is cute and fun, more focused on dating drama than actual medical efforts, and Bilson is very likeable as Dr. Zoe Hart. Plus, cute boys.
If you miss The Good Wife, binge…
Damages (Netflix)
If you already miss Alicia Florrick (and her incredible wardrobe), try Damages, a five-season crime drama that ended in 2012. The series stars Glenn Close and Rose Byrne, both of whom star as high-powered lawyers. It's inherently a thriller, with crazy plot twists and surprises, and will have you on the edge of your chair at the end of every episode. Also: the clothes are on point.
White Collar (Netflix)
Before Matt Bomer was starring alongside Lady Gaga on American Horror Story he was playing a con man on USA's series White Collar. On the show, the FBI enlists Bomer's Neal Caffrey to help catch fellow criminals. It's compelling and you've got six seasons to get through, which should help ease the pain of The Good Wife's departure from TV.
House of Lies (Amazon/Showtime Anytime)
House of Lies follows a group of management consultants who have very few morals and will go to any lengths necessary to get the job done. Its fifth and final season is currently airing (farewell, old friends), and watching Don Cheadle's Marty Kaan manipulate his way through the show is reminiscent of the manipulative characters on The Good Wife. Because this one is on Showtime, however, House of Lies is far crasser, taking advantage of its pay-cable ability to show lots of sex.
If you miss Empire, binge…
Love & Hip-Hop (Hulu/VH1.com)
Reality show Love & Hip-Hop follows real life rapper wives who have supported their husbands' careers and now want the spotlight (sound familiar, Cookie?). It has three spin-offs, in Atlanta, New York, and Hollywood, and balances straight-up drama with a voyeuristic look into the lives of the rich and famous. The music isn't quite as good as Empire's, but the antics prove that the fictional series isn't stretching reality all that much.
Nashville (Hulu)
Nashville may have ended its run this week (tear!) but you can still enjoy four seasons of the country music drama. And we do mean drama.The show, like Empire, is a tumultuous, soap-like up and down and it will suck you in immediately. Plus, the music is seriously good, even if you aren't a country fan. And did we mention Connie Britton?
Being Mary Jane (Netflix)
The BET series Being Mary Jane, which comes back for a fourth season soon, features Gabrielle Union as a cable news anchor on the rise in her career. Her wardrobe is immaculate–although not as wild as Cookie's–and it's fun to live vicariously through her lifestyle as she searches for herself in Atlanta. It's a sweeter, nicer show than Empire, which may be much-needed after the insanity of this season and its finale.
If you miss The Walking Dead, binge…
iZombie (Netflix/Hulu)
The CW's quirky zombie series iZombie has a very different tone than The Walking Dead, but it will satiate your need for flesh-eating monsters all over the screen. The series, created by Veronica Mars mastermind Rob Thomas, follows a morgue worker who also happens to be undead. She tries to get a handle on her love life, career, and the hoards of zombies trying to take over Seattle and murder us all. You know, like any average twenty-something.
The Strain (Hulu)
Guillermo Del Toro's horror show The Strain will be back for a third season in August, but meanwhile you should binge through the first two seasons, which star our collective boyfriend Corey Stoll as Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, who works for the CDC. The show follows the doctor as he and his team seek the origins of a mysterious viral epidemic, which turns out to be an ancient strain of vampirism. It's really gross, so that should help if you really miss the head explosions on The Walking Dead.
Dead Set (Channel4.com)
British horror series Dead Set chronicles a zombie outbreak that takes place around the set of Big Brother. It's self-reflexive, pretending that the actual cast and crew of the reality show are shuttered inside the house as the undead awaken outside. It's a mere five episodes, which aired on sequential nights in 2008, but it's enough to fill you with fear that the zombie apocalypse might really be upon us.
If you miss The Americans, binge…
The Man In The High Castle (Amazon)
What if the Nazis had won World War II? That's the supposition offered in this Amazon series, which is based on a novel by Philip K. Dick. It follows various characters over various plotlines and has a thrilling, historical spy element embedded in the narrative. It may not have Keri Russell, but it's enough to keep you occupied while you wait for more episodes of The Americans.
Tyrant (Hulu)
Tyrant, which returns for its third season on FX in July, deals with a political crisis in the Middle East, often making it feel like a cousin of Homeland. It's also, at its core, a family drama, which gives it an added tone and helps ground much of the drama. It's gotten mixed reviews over the past two seasons, but it is definitely compelling enough to keep you interested into the new episodes.
London Spy (BBCAmerica.com)
Five-part BBC miniseries London Spy is a brooding slow burn, following a gay Londoner (played brilliantly by Ben Whishaw) who discovers his dead lover was a spy. He becomes embroiled in a high-stakes plot and is forced to reconcile whether his boyfriend was really who he claimed to be. It's deeply compelling and more emotional than you'd expect a spy show to be.
If you miss Broad City, binge…
Catastrophe (Amazon)
Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan's hilarious R-rated comedy series will help fill the Abbi and Ilana void. There are currently two seasons of the show, which follows an American man and an Irish woman who become pregnant after a one-night stand and decide to stay together for the kid. It's raucous, occasionally dark, and will make you fall deeply in love with both Delaney and London's Bethnal Green neighborhood.
You're The Worst (Hulu)
FX comedy You're The Worst follows two LA hipsters who love to drink, have casual sex, and generally act like complete messes. But as the show progresses, they learn how to do all those things together, making it the sweetest kind of anti-romantic comedy. Plus, the second season, which is notably darker, explores what it means to be depressed in a way most TV fails to do.
Grace and Frankie (Netflix)
If Abbi and Ilana hit menopause and fought more often, they'd be the two main characters in Netflix's original series Grace and Frankie (played lovingly by Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin). The show, which recently premiered its second season, follows two aging women who are forced to restart their lives when their husbands come out as gay. It's as poignant as it is hilariously ridiculous, and it's just more onscreen proof of why you need great girlfriends throughout your life.
If you miss Jane The Virgin, binge…
Ugly Betty (Hulu/Amazon)
You may have watched Ugly Betty during its four-season run, but if you didn't now is the time to get caught up. Like Jane The Virgin, the title character of Ugly Betty, played by America Ferrera, is sweet and sometimes naïve, a likable heroine you'll root for every step of the way. Ferrera plays a positive assistant at a fashion magazine who grapples with what it means to be beautiful. If you're ever depressed or in a bad mood, this is the sort of thing that will cheer you up.
The Fosters (Netflix)
The ABC Family series The Fosters sometimes gets written off as a teen soap, but it's far more interesting and complex. The show, produced by Jennifer Lopez, follows a couple who is raising a blended family of adopted, foster and biological children. It's obviously dramatic, but it's also heart-warming and has gotten a lot of positive accolades for its representation of gay characters.
Drop Dead Diva (Netflix)
Drop Dead Diva ran for six seasons, but most people somehow missed out on the comedy, which tells the story of a vapid model who is killed in a car accident and brought back to life in the body of an overweight lawyer. It is, again, about the meaning of beauty, but the show is also just totally entertaining. Plus, it features Margaret Cho in the cast, and she's always worth a watch.
If you miss Downton Abbey, binge…
Mr. Selfridge (Amazon)
PBS Masterpiece series Mr. Selfridge stars a post-Entourage Jeremy Piven as Harry Gordon Selfridge, the founder of London's famous department store Selfridge & Co. The show, now in its fourth season (with more coming), has the historical drama of Downton, as well as its mannered British tone. Plus, its ornate costumes will fill any void you feel now that you can't covet Lady Mary's dresses on a weekly basis.
Wolf Hall (Amazon)
Wolf Hall, a PBS Masterpiece six-episode miniseries, follows the intrigue and drama of King Henry VIII's court (the king himself is played by Homeland's Damian Lewis). It's very theatrical and surprisingly compelling for a historical series (think The Tudors), and Mark Rylance has gotten a lot of accolades for his performance as Thomas Cromwell. You'll definitely want more when it's over.
Peaky Blinders (Netflix)
Thank goodness for Tom Hardy, who appears in five episodes of the first season of Peaky Blinders. He'll be enough to suck you in and then you'll stay for Cillian Murphy's masterful portrayal of Thomas Shelby, an ambitious gang boss in early 1900s Birmingham, England. It's (sometimes) more violent than Downton, but just as dramatic. And if you get really sucked in, the British series is currently airing its third season in the U.K.
If you miss Quantico, binge…
Agent Carter (Hulu)
RIP Agent Carter, which was recently canceled by ABC. But don't let that stop you front enjoying its amazing first two seasons, which follow kick-ass Marvel spy Peggy Carter as she deals with plotting villains post-World War II. Played by Hayley Atwell, Peggy is an immediate favorite, always standing up for herself and taking names–so much so that she never needs the male characters to pull her out of jam. Thousands of fans have signed a petition for a streaming network to pick up the show, so fingers crossed.
Nikita (Netflix)
Based on a French film, Nikita follows a rogue assassin who wants to take down the secret organization that trained her as a killer. Starring Maggie Q in the titular role, the series, which lasted four seasons, has lots of plotting, quick-fire action and people who aren't who they say they are. Plus, watching young agents get trained is certainly reminiscent of Quantico's early episodes. (And, once you're done, make sure to watch the 1990 film.)
Dollhouse (Amazon/Netflix)
After making Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel, Joss Whedon made two season of Dollhouse, a futuristic thriller starring Eliza Dushku. In the show, a lab assigns different tasks to its "dolls," who then have their memories erased afterwards. Except that Dushku's Echo remembers everything, including the tasks that are less than enjoyable, and seeks to break free of the lab. It's awesome, despite a not-so-good ending to the second season, which was rushed when the show was canceled.
