Ah, spring break. As the weather becomes much nicer and student responsibilities fade away, the compulsion grows to draw the curtains, stay inside, and watch hours of TV on end.
This week, you need not binge-watch those dark television programs about the trials of the human spirit, the likes of Mad Men or The Sopranos. It does not do favors for one’s mental health to marathon through The Wire or Breaking Bad. Be deliberate about what you binge-watch.
These not serious, do-or-die, recommendations that necessitate close patience and reverence; these are intended for indulgence and ravenous consumption. Consider these TV shows to be the Cool Ranch Doritos of television, not the immaculate buffet from Sundance Natural Foods; these are empty calories, not necessarily a balanced, healthy meal.
This week, the Emerald recommends some of the best television to binge-watch this spring break.
iZombie is one of those shows that you’ll find on Netflix that has an absurd, yet addictive, plotline. After the main character, Liv, gets bitten in a zombie attack, the trajectory of her life goes awry; her fiancee leaves her, she ends up working in a morgue and she’d (technically) dead. She satiates her undead cravings by feasting on the craniums of those who visit the morgue, which ultimately give her visions of her victims’ lives before their death. She uses this unique upshot of being undead and telepathic to solve the mystery of their murders. While a show called “iZombie” may seem like the kind of program you’d binge-watch in solitude, it’s sure to become your next guilty pleasure. –Jordyn Brown (@TheJordynBrown)
Rick and Morty is a sci-fi comedy show that doesn’t let any actual science get in the way of its hilarious and fast-paced plot. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, the show mixes in a perfect amount of crude, clever and dark humor as it follows the adventures of an alcoholic scientist named Rick and his timid grandson Morty. The viewer is softened by an endless barrage of slapstick humor, only to be sucker-punched with some genuine moments of sincerity. The average episode of Rick and Morty can offer an experience for all viewer types, both the relaxed and the observant, as one can turn their brain off and enjoy one hell of a ride, or keep their eyes peeled for all sorts of clues and hidden references littered throughout an episode. The show currently has 21 episodes across two seasons, but they’re enthralling enough to have you drooling for more before you’re even halfway in. –Mathew Brock
Comedy Bang! Bang! has long been the go-to podcast for people who are infinitely more on the pulse of the alt-comedy scene than you. It’s an old classic on the irreverent comedy scene and has spawned a fantastically absurd television show. Scott Aukerman’s twisted take on the talk show format incorporates improv, sketch and unforgettable character work into 25-minute chunks of bliss. Big name guests like Zack Galifianakis, Jon Hamm, and Amy Poehler stretch their comedy chops alongside a rotating cast of insane guests (played by the likes of Paul F. Tompkins, Lauren Lapkus and Andy Daly). Fans of comedy will lose themselves for days in four seasons worth of episodes, often with wildly ambitious bends (like a full musical episode fronted by Tompkins’ Andrew Lloyd Webber, one taking place entirely in the dreams, or a single-camera episode filmed after the show’s editors go on strike). –Chris Berg (@ChrisBerg25)
At first, Bob’s Burgers – especially if you start from season one – might look like another Simpsons-style adult animated family sitcom with more annoying voices and weirder animation than usual. But after four or five episodes, I began to genuinely love these characters. In five and a half seasons (four of them available on Netflix), Bob’s Burgers has done more with its characters than the Simpsons arguably ever has – even the women, whom the Simpsons always neglected but who are as developed and eccentric as the men on Bob’s. Any member of the Belcher family is likely to be your favorite, and the supporting characters are just as interesting (I’m still waiting for the inevitable Teddy spin-off series). Bob’s Burgers isn’t an animated sitcom for people who don’t like animated sitcoms. It’s an animated sitcom for people who love animated sitcoms, but wish they were just a little bit better. –Daniel Bromfield (@bromf3)