6 TV Shows to Binge While Sports Are Postponed

It's been one week since sports were essentially put on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic. The leagues and organizations were right in suspending and canceling activity. Though, it's clearly left those who routinely consume live sports lost and searching for replacements. Luckily, in 2020, there is a variety of thrilling content to binge-watch.

Here are six shows to turn during the hiatus of sports:

Breaking Bad (Netflix)

Presumably, at least some sports fans, even if it's a small number, are giving binging a try for the first time. Thus they must start where it all began. Breaking Bad is the epitome of binge-watching. The pulse-pounding, emotion-twister changed the meaning of "just one more episode" (often well into the night). Vince Gilligan's masterpiece consists of characters and storylines that were written into impossible corners, yet believably found ways out. Our deepest connections to sports emanate from the individuals. The unpredictability, the confusion, and the sentiment of their journeys. Breaking Bad's main character, Walter White, represents heroism, devastation, thrill, survival, intelligence, and sympathy. By the end of the first season, you'll be hooked on the distinctive universe of Albuquerque. - Bobby Burack

The Outsider (HBO)

The first — and maybe only — season of The Outsider ended last week and can now be binged in its entirety. Richard Price's supernatural mystery is a Shining-level Stephen King adaptation. It's True Detective meets It meets Twin Peaks. The acting, particularly from Ben Mendelsohn and Cynthia Erivo, is off the charts. As riveting and distracting from the rest of the world as The Outsider was over the course of 10 weeks, it was meant to be (and should be) watched in a weekend. - Burack

The Stranger (Netflix)

A show like this, with a mediocre plot and cliche character arcs, shouldn't work. But it does. That's partly due to how difficult it is to go back to live programming when a mystery-drama with complex clues resides on a streaming service. The eight-episode head-scratcher is not meant to watch over a period of time — it's a fast-paced binge. Channeling the inner detective skills you've adopted from true crime podcasts will have you immersed in The Stranger for two or three days, max. Beneath all the shady activity, bizarre reactions, and red herrings, there are poignant and relatable elements incorporated in the plot. The story delves into the ripple effect poor decisions have on those closest to us. If you are looking to replace some of your rooting interests and are attempting to find a villain to hate on, give The Stranger a try. - Burack

The Good Place (Seasons 1-3 Netflix, Season 4 Hulu)

Unlike my coworker Bobby, I tend to drift towards lighter content when the world is collapsing, and The Good Place is exactly the type of clever, well-written sitcom we all need right now. The premise (Kristen Bell as a trashy Arizona woman who finds herself in heaven by mistake) is simple enough, but the plot contains twists and turns that shock you while making you laugh. Half-hour episodes, 13 episodes per season, and four seasons, it's the type of show you can finish in three days and not even realize it. Michael Schur, who helped create The Office, Brooklyn 99, and Parks and Rec, is once again at his best creating intricate and comedic storylines while giving everyone a philosophy lesson, but in a fun way. The show came to its conclusion in January, which is devastating for the fans, but for the uninitiated, it means you can watch everything come full circle in the span of days. Or hours, if you're inclined. - Liam McKeone

BoJack Horseman (Netflix)

With that being said, there is a certain masochism in digging into the dark parts of the human psyche during such times, and there's no better show that does that with a blend of comedy and introspection. BoJack is our protagonist, a talking horse who is 20 years past his prime as a Hollywood megastar attempting to come to terms with his own mortality and fading fame. The writing is unbelievably good for a show featuring talking animals, with a new joke to discover on each rewatch. It also tackles the worst parts of a person (or, in this case, a horse) through a series of self-induced disasters that just keep getting worse and worse. You'll laugh, you might cry, and you'll come away feeling like everything might be okay -- or not. BoJack Horseman isn't an easy show to watch right now, but it's one of the best shows of the year, and perhaps the best Netflix has ever produced. - McKeone

Sherlock (Netflix)

If you haven't already enjoyed Benedict Cumberbatch as the enigmatic and brilliant Sherlock Holmes, there's no time like when you're locked indoors for the foreseeable future. Each episode runs about an hour and a half, so you're really just watching a series of mini-movies instead of a standard TV show, but it's an all-immersive experience that will permit you to briefly forget the world around us. Martin Freeman is a treat as Cumberbatch's beloved sidekick, Dr. Watson, and if you enjoy that quick-witted Brit humor, you're in for a treat. Sherlock isn't as long or time-consuming as the shows above, but the quality doesn't suffer as a result. - McKeone