Safe Binge

Summer is officially here. You’ve made it. Now what?

We shouldn’t even have to answer that question. Dedicate your newly acquired free time for binging — on TV shows, that is!

Why hit the bars when there are back-to-back programs to imbibe? Renew your Netflix or Hulu Plus account, or create a new password (since you most likely forgot your old one) and let the summer-long marathon begin. Need some suggestions to kick off your online TV bar crawl? That’s where we come in.

“Orange is the New Black”: One Season

Post-millennial yuppie Piper Chapman finds herself doing time for a crime she committed back when she was younger and more adventurous. Now she finds herself haunted by her past in a bleak present. You’ll find her confronted by drug-addled religious zealots, a former lady lover, and inmates whose struggles are truly more complex and sympathy-inducing than her own. We’d like to think you’ve already plopped down and made this clever and insightful dark comedy a part of your repertoire. If not, take some time to watch this 13-episode series and be thankful the next season begins June 6 because the season finale is a doozy. Plus, since Netflix produces the show, it is specifically designed to be watched en masse.


“Cheers” : 11 Seasons

A show about a Boston bar filled with an eclectic and loveable gang? Be honest with yourself — you’re not going to find anything better on Kirkwood. This throwback series represents the pinnacle of multi-camera, live studio audience sitcoms. It received the Best Comedy Series Emmy nomination all 11 seasons, a record stat shared only with “M*A*S*H.” This show also marks a hilarious shift to comedies that focus on character development. The famous title song is as memorable as Ted Danson’s womanizing lead character, Sam. The writing is as sharp as Woody Harrelson’s character is dim-witted. This show will provide you hours of pleasure with many familiar and now-famous faces as well as a will-they-won’t-they relationship that predated Ross and Rachel’s on “Friends.”


"The X-Files": 9 Seasons
                                                                                                                   Speaking of sexual tension, you could enjoy the same and more with this sci-fi thriller series that is so ’90s your hair will start to part down the middle This monster-of-the-week style show is about idiosyncratic Fox Mulder and skeptical Dana Skully, a turbulent pair of agents who cover the FBI’s supernatural cases with pheromonal ferocity. Be sure to turn off your beeper while you watch this engrossing collection of 202 episodes inspired by myths and urban legends from around the world sure to creep you out. This show was wise to governmental plots before it was cool, so be prepared to develop Conspiracy Theorist Syndrome. You can even play a game in which you take a shot every time Gillian Anderson’s Agent Skully says the words “logical explanation.” Then again, that would probably be irresponsible. She says it a lot.


"Broad City": One Season

Maybe you just want to spend a day to knock out a whole season of a show? A comedy, you say? We’ve got you covered. Enjoy this web-series-turned-TV show about a pair of near-broke young adults (we use the term “adult” loosely) and their friendship as they live in New York City. While you might think this must be another anti-hero in NYC template that can’t offer anything new, you’d be wrong. This series, produced by comedy superstar Amy Poehler, features a lot of undiscovered talent, an adorable friendship and surprising, sidesplitting writing that passes the Bechdel Test with reefer-infused, flying-high colors. The first season is 10 30-minute episodes: an amount of time un-scientifically proven sufficient to create a butt-shaped depression in your couch.