'The Night Of,' HBO
As the specter of too many unscripted hours sprawls before us, the deep couch in the television room beckons. Sit down, good people. You've got the time. Spend eight hours with the HBO drama 'The Night Of', and be reminded of how capricious fate really can be. Life turns on a dime for Pakistani-American Naz (Riz Ahmed), and the cascade of consequences tars every inch of his life. Lawyer John Stone (John Turturro in a truly memorable role) does his best to stem the tide of slow-motion tragedy, and we watch—white knuckled—as the story unfolds. Cultural and political overtones make this series more compelling than your run-of-the-mill whodunnit, and while you may want to stop thinking about 'The Night Of' eventually, you might just find that you can't.
Kate Williams
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'The Bridge,' multiple services
Unsolved crime and existential mystery keeps us glued to the genre known as 'Nordic noir,' Scandinavian shows set in the bleak landscapes of the far north, where the social fabric promises to take care of everybody but there's still murder, mayhem and worse. One of the cornerstones of the genus is 'The Bridge,' a joint production of Swedish and Danish media companies. The premise: A body is discovered cut in half exactly in the middle of the bridge linking the two countries: Whose crime is it? The same idea has since been used in multiple other bi-national productions, including the Mexican-American version 'The Bridge' (the bridge is between El Paso and Juarez), 'The Tunnel' (right at the mid-point of the Chunnel linking England and France), even versions between Russia and Estonia, Germany and Austria, Malaysia and Singapore – it's clearly a fecund metaphor. Since this provides an almost unlimited reservoir of crime and mystery to explore, you can binge on 'The Bridge' for months.
Christian Kallen
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'The O.A.,' Netflix
The name is confusing. No, this doesn't have anything to do with the reality series, 'The O.C.' (about Orange County). This two-season Netflix mystery series is part teen drama, part science fiction, part mystery and completely mesmerizing. Actress Brit Marling stars as a young woman named Prairie Johnson who resurfaces after having been missing for seven years. She now calls herself 'The OA' and can see, despite having been blind before her disappearance. She recruits five strangers who are both drawn to and confused by her story of having been abducted and held captive for years in an elaborate basement cell. Bonus fun is seeing Phyllis (Smith) from 'The Office' in a completely different kind of role. And you will never look at Tai Chi the same way again.
Lorna Sheridan
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'Shameless,' HBO
We all have a family member who embarrasses us. If you want to feel 'normal,' compare yourself to the Gallagher family on HBO's 'Shameless.' Just when you think they can't sink any lower or be any more cringe-worthy, they top themselves. The father, Frank (William H. Macy) has a brilliant mind, but sleeps in the gutter… sometimes literally. Each kid has a problem and an endearing side, too. There are two more alcoholics, a teen mom, a criminal mind who loves the military, and a gay veteran who winds up in prison after blowing up a truck.
Anne Ernst
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'The West Wing,' Netflix
There are certain movies and TV series that we return to again and again, for comfort and maybe for a view of our better selves. Aaron Sorkin's witty, fast-talking, political drama 'The West Wing' is undoubtedly one of those. Set in the White House, it's an inside look at the private lives and political wrangling of a progressive federal government. We are reminded that it is possible for politics to be chock full of people who genuinely want to champion bipartisan cooperation, and who make every effort to do the right thing for the country. And though the administration is a Democratic one, the show was admired by Republicans, who saw many of their values embodied in the Democratic agenda. Among the many and varied characters are the president, Josiah 'Jed' Bartlett, an articulate, compassionate scholar who speaks Latin, quotes obscure scripture and has a passion for knowledge; press secretary C.J. Cregg, who handles the press with truth, humor and charm; and Sam Seabourne, deputy communications director, who accidentally sleeps with a call girl. The show was created for entertainment, not political proselytizing, so hunker down for all seven seasons, be drawn into an alternate reality, and learn a little about the political process.
Robbi Pengelly
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'Pandemic,' Netflix
The thought of watching a six-part docu-series on global disease outbreaks is a tough sell at the moment, but Netflix's 'Pandemic,' while admittedly terrifying, is also somewhat comforting in a strange way. The series – released in early February, as the coronavirus was starting to catch America's attention – follows several doctors and disease experts on the front lines of preparing medical communities to confront the 'not if, but when' reality of global pandemic. By tracing the histories of several widespread disease outbreaks in the 20th century – the 1918 Spanish flu took 50 million lives; bird flus are particularly nasty; bats are common culprits – 'Pandemic' offers needed perspective for those of us trying to wrap our heads around today's crisis. Primary takeaway: Things could be a lot worse; we'll get through this.
Jason Walsh
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