When I finish a longterm TV show, I find myself sinking into a feeling of emptiness. To avoid sinking too deep, I quickly find another show to begin watching. However, instead of committing to another long show right away, I temporarily fill that emptiness with a simple 3 – 10 episode limited series or show, what I refer to as two day binges.
When it comes to two day binges, Netflix leads the pack. They have shows to fit all of your preferences. Some of my personal favorites include “Fool Me Once,” “Painkiller,” “The Watcher” and “The Queen’s Gambit.” Don’t worry I’ll also recommend some based on your personal preferences.
If you just got out of watching “The Crown,” which just wrapped up its final season, I’d recommend the limited series “Transatlantic,” which is set in 1940 Marseilles and follows Mary Jayne Gold and Varian Fry who use unconventional methods to help Jews escape as France becomes occupied with Nazi’s. Transatlantic is a great show if you’re interested in WWII and history in general. If you find yourself liking Transatlantic, I’d also recommend “All The Light We Cannot See” which is based on the novel by Anthony Doerr and has Mark Ruffalo. My next recommendation is from a completely different time period but still goes over a major moment in history. That show is “Painkiller,” this show is based on the opioid crisis and Purdue Pharma’s role in it. It’s definitely a must watch and a very educational series. If you are someone who likes to see history played out and aren’t satisfied with basic documentaries, these shows are great.
If you are someone who likes shows with lots of action and mysteries, and you just got out of watching shows like “Designated Survivor,” “Scandal,” and “Killing Eve,” you’d really enjoy the 10 episode series “The Night Agent” which follows white house agent Peter Sutherland who sits and waits to answer a phone that never rings, until one day it does and a whole conspiracy unfolds. The show has gained so much popularity that it has been renewed for a second season. Another great limited series is “Fool Me Once” which follows Maya Stern who just lost her husband. Right as she is trying to make sense of her life without him, he appears on the nanny cam. This show will keep you on your toes and leave your eyes drawn to the screen. I have saved the best for last with my final recommendation of “The Watcher”. This show is based on the true story of a family who was being sent cryptic and subtly threatening letters from an anonymous person. Things got serious as their house started being broken into. This show is a great watch. If you watch just 1 thing I recommend, let it be this. Overall all of these shows are great if you like suspense and shocking twists.
Some argue that the quality of Netflix’s original shows has gone down. I argue that what Netflix is lacking in original shows is made up for in their amazing docu-series. If you enjoyed watching “Dahmer” this summer and found yourself liking the movies “American Murder: The Family Next Door” and “Athlete A,” I’d recommend “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal,” which covers the death of a young teen girl Mallory Beach who died in a boat accident. The person driving the boat was Paul Murdaugh. What originally appears as an isolated incident spirals into many more deaths that the Murdaugh’s are associated with. Another great docu-series is “Sins of Our Mother,” which follows a once doting mom who had become a believer in extreme apocalyptic ideology. Lori’s isolation from her friends and family and odd behavior raised suspicions amongst her loved ones for a good reason. Some other honorable mentions include “American Nightmare” and “Keep Sweet Pray and Obey,”
I do understand that some of these recommendations may be a bit dark for some people so here are some more light-hearted shows. To the romantics I’d recommend “One Day” which is a flawless rom-com. My final recommendation is “The Queen’s Gambit,” which is a true rags to riches story of an orphan who is also a chess prodigy.
If you are getting bored of your current show or need something that is not too big of a commitment, all of these shows are great. Two-day binges are vital to keeping your mind fresh.
