There’s no denying that we are all trying to find a way to stay safe and sane in the midst of the chaos taking place in the world right now. During this time of social distancing, a stressful election and plenty of cold weather, TV and in-home entertainment are extremely important outlets to help keep our minds distracted.
So, we surveyed some of our working-from-home PureWow coworkers to see what they are currently bingeing. Here, 28 recommendations for the best shows to watch right now.
Recommended by: Nakeisha Campbell, Assistant Editor, News & Entertainment
What they had to say: “Where do I begin? There’s Carton’s classic dance moves, Will’s roasting sessions and Hilary's epic one-liners. But more importantly, this show is a timeless masterpiece that tackles the importance of family, responsibility and maintaining healthy relationships.”
Where to watch: HBO Max
Recommended by: Rachel Gulmi, Associate Managing Editor, Branded Content
What they had to say: “Does this even need a comment?”
Where to watch: Netflix
Recommended by: Rachel Bowie, Director of Special Projects
What they had to say: “I will forever sing the praises of Ted Lasso on Apple Plus. It is like Friday Night Lights meets Parks and Rec. Jason Sudeikis, but also the rest of the cast, are a total delight! Also, just renewed for second AND third season!”
Where to watch: Apple TV+
Recommended by: Jillian Quint, SVP of Content
What they had to say: “I am hardly the first person to have discovered this show, but I find Schitt's Creek such a touching, quirky and inclusive 22 minutes to have in my day. It took me a minute to get into the first season, but boy am I cruising now.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Recommended by: Candace Davison, Executive Editor
What they had to say: “I have never seen The Karate Kid and had zero interest in it, and then my husband started watching Cobra Kai on Netflix and I got hooked. It's funny, gritty and reminds you that no bad guy is truly bad; just like the good guys aren't always so good.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Recommended by: Abby Hepworth, Associate Editor
What they had to say: “The Queen’s Gambit is wonderful! It’s so beautifully shot and the two actresses who play the lead (as a kid and then as a young adult) are both brilliant. It made me want to learn more than just the basic rules of chess.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Recommended by: Chelsea Candelario, Assistant Editor
What they had to say: “If you miss Game of Thrones, love sci-fi and have a thing for Henry Cavill (I mean who doesn’t?), The Witcher is such a great show to watch. It has action, supernatural elements (including dragons, at one point) and badass characters. Plus, there’s a song throughout the series [called “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher] that is so catchy I couldn’t stop singing it afterwards.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Recommended by: Nakeisha Campbell, Assistant Editor, News & Entertainment
What they had to say: “From Sinclair’s unapologetic quirkiness to Maxine’s boldness and sharp wit, it’s so easy to identify with these characters.”
Where to watch: Amazon
Recommended by: Alexandra Hough, Associate Editor, News & Entertainment
What they had to say: “There’s nothing quite like watching Jon Hamm walk down Madison Avenue as he leads a secret life.”
Where to watch: Amazon
Recommended by: Cristina Gutierrez, Senior Editor, Beauty & Branded Content
What they had to say: “There's no one like Kristen Bell and while it's quite different than Schitt's Creek, the humor reminds me of it a lot. I think if you like one you'll like the other!”
Where to watch: Netflix
Recommended by: Katherine Gillen, Food Editor
What they had to say: “Search party saved me in mid-June/July. It features extremely funny satire about millennial life and combines it with thriller-mystery twists and turns.”
Where to watch: HBO Max
Recommended by: Catrina Yohay, Associate Managing Editor
What they had to say: “I longingly gazed at Cillian Murphy’s piercing blue eyes and unreal acting chops for all five seasons, fiercely googling when season six will debut (FYI, it was delayed by Covid, but it’s a go). It follows a British mob boss as he rises from rags to riches and it has a killer soundtrack full of modern metal and old school rock and roll.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Recommended by: Philip Mutz, Executive Editor
What they had to say: “Lovecraft Country is one of the best shows on TV right now. I'm late to the game but it's terrific and terrifying (like, the monsters are really, really scary).”
Where to watch: HBO Max
Recommended by: Rachel Bowie, Director of Special Projects
What they had to say: “The content is light (telenovela-themed) but there are five seasons to wade through. And it was just rated one of the top shows of 2019 in its series finale year!”
Where to watch: Netflix
Recommended by: Phil Vuong, SVP, Finance
What they had to say: “One of the funniest sitcoms that nobody watched. Now you can stream it on Hulu, although there are only three seasons.”
Where to watch: Hulu
Recommended by: Philip Mutz, Executive Editor
What they had to say: “3% features action, intrigue and a vision of society that feels at once horrifying and not that far off from our current reality. It’s easy to become attached to these characters as they struggle to give themselves a better life—though most of them (97 percent to be exact) fail in the process.” P.S. you’ll need subtitles to follow along with this Portuguese series.
Where to watch: Netflix
Recommended by: Kara Cuzzone, Assistant Commerce Editor
What they had to say: “I'm rewatching this and have been blowing through it. There's something oddly comforting about a show set in pre-pandemic NYC, and following the twists & turns of Liza's career and love life is a great distraction from the world these days.”
Where to watch: Hulu
Recommended by: Sally Herrod, Director, Audience Development
What'd they have to say: “This is quite possibly the craziest story I've ever heard. A wild whodunnit to catch an internet killer. Three part docuseries about the best and worst of the internet in one show.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Recommended by: Ariel Pietrobono, Sales Marketing Manager
What they had to say: “Gen Z's answer to Lord of the Flies.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Recommended by: Rachel Gulmi, Associate Managing Editor, Branded Content
What they had to say: “It’s about a creepy guy who stalks a girl, dates her and maybe kills people in the process.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Recommended by: Rachel Gulmi, Associate Managing Editor, Branded Content
What they had to say: “Jon Favreau and Roy Choi cooking casually with celeb guests. What more could you want?”
Where to watch: Netflix
Recommended by: Katherine Gillen, Food Editor
What they had to say: “An exposé told from within a real-life West Hollywood cult. Lots of twists and turns!”
Where to watch: Amazon
Recommended by: Phil Vuong, SVP, Finance
What they had to say: “If superheroes were actually terrible people who abused their powers when the cameras are off. Pretty cool.”
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Recommended by: Ariel Pietrobono, Sales Marketing Manager
What they had to say: “Really dark story about rich teens and the secrets they are hiding.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Recommended by: Roberta Fiorito, Editor, Branded Content
What they had to say: “Sad, creepy and haunting, but visually arresting and truly eye-opening. It's a miniseries so you can ‘breeze’ through it.”
Where to watch: HBO
Recommended by: Phil Vuong, SVP, Finance
What they had to say: “Two words: Baby Yoda.”
Where to watch: Disney+
Recommended by: Sally Herrod, Director, Audience Development
What they had to say: “An outrageous, laugh out loud comedy about a family running a cashed up/dodgy church conglomerate. Written and created by Danny McBride.”
Where to watch: HBO
