Notable Life’s Guide For Your Long Weekend TV Binge

You know the scene. Minutes and hours have ceased to exist, and you’re honestly no longer sure where your body ends and the couch begins.

You have chip crumbs buried in the crevices of your clothes. The only time you moved was to collect your Uber Eats delivery, ignoring the obvious look of judgement escaping from the driver’s face as you scurried back to your spot on the couch, desperately clutching the bag of food to your chest.

Then it happens — your programming is suddenly, rudely interrupted by the dreaded inquisition “Are you still watching?” and you catch a glimpse of your shameful, weekend binge-induced reflection in the TV screen.

Don’t judge us, Netflix. We came here to BINGE, okay?

tv-bingeWhether it’s Netflix, Crave TV, Hulu or another online streaming service, our society has it made when it comes to the accessibility of popular TV programming. We refuse to even consider how many hours of our lives we’ve lost to A) Trying to decide what to watch on Netflix and B) Re-watching Friends and The Office episodes until we’re basically blind from screen-time. We don’t need that kind of negativity in our lives.

But with a surplus of options at the beck and call of our remote, comes an increasingly difficult decision process. After all, the decision of what show to binge next isn’t to be taken lightly. 

Luckily, our team at Notable has pieced together a list of our best TV show recommendations for your long weekend binge-watching needs — some that you already know and love, and some you may not have heard of (until now). Either way, we’ve got you covered with the best of the best.

Claire

 Adams:
The People vs OJ Simpson: Watching the OJ Simpson parole livestream for his kidnapping and robbery conviction (who knew that parole hearings could be live streamed?!) reminded me how incredible The People vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story is. If you were born in 1980, you were 15 when OJ was acquitted and will remember how the case laid bare America’s race relations issues, police culture, domestic violence, and the effects of money and celebrity on the justice system. The 10 part FX drama series takes us back inside the crime, the worldwide media circus that actually invented reality TV, and all of its political and cultural reverberations.



Carli Posner:
Scandal: To all my fellow Gladiators out there, if you haven’t seen the last 6 seasons of Scandal, grab your longest stemmed wine glasses and popcorn and settle in. Part political thriller, part dramatic soap procedural (with a healthy dose of heel and purse porn thrown in), Scandal is heading into it’s final and electrifying 7th season with Shonda Rhimes back at the helm, starting this Fall on ABC. Until then, Netflix has it handled.

Pam Silverstein:
Lost: One of my favourite motley-crew type of cast (well, second to the “The Office”). Love how the character’s backstories are slowly revealed over the seasons. A device we now see all the time in new shows (e.g. “Orange Is The New Black”).
Prison Break: If you can get past that they are using flip phones, it’s guilty pleasure fun.
Sons of Anarchy: Every season. Every character. The best. What’s also the best – the series finale. There wasn’t one storyline left unresolved. Thank you!

Ariel Bonneau:


Grace and Frankie: The combination of Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin squared off against their ex-husbands, turned gay lovers Sam Waterston and Martin Sheen is pure comedic gold.
The West Wing: Aaron Sorkin’s brilliance shines through a stellar cast of Alison Janey as the infallible CJ Craig, Martin Sheen as the President we all wish could be, and a very handsome Rob Lowe who plays sexy speech writer Sam. Not to mention the never-ending question of whether Donna and Josh will ever get their heads out of the sand and get together will keep you hooked all the way through.
Madam Secretary: #RelationshipGoals #Girlboss — enough said.

Josh

ua Seaton:
Sense 8: This is a must-watch show if you love anything Psy-Fi and have ever wondered if people’s minds could be connected.
Friends from College: This is basically my friends (and probably yours, too) in 10 years. Honestly one of the funniest shows I have seen in a long time.
Master of None: If you love Aziz Ansari and want to leave the city you live in to go live in Italy just to learn how to make pasta, this is the show for you (and me).

Vanessa

 Marziale:
Big Little Lies: This show changed me, I am watching the first season for a second time now.
Westworld: A great show with a really cool cross-over between new and old worlds.

Lauren Ramesbottom:
How to Get Away with Murder: I was clearly late to the game on this one but just tore through both seasons a few months ago in record time. This is one of those smart-mouthed, occasionally very sexy murder-mystery shows where you find yourself relentlessly continuing on to the next episode.
Casual: You can find this one on Crave TV. Rife with sarcastic, smart and occasionally dark real-life humour thanks to a cast of awkwardly compelling (and often rightfully f*cked up characters), Casual takes an endearing, awkward and edgy look at modern dating, family dynamics and life.
American Horror Story: If you’re a horror buff like myself, you can’t help but love this one. After all, solid horror series are generally few and far between, but Ryan Murphy is something of a sick genius when it comes to finding new ways to bring fresh horror and shock-value to this show each season. The last few weeks, the theme for the new season has finally been revealed (Cult) and let’s just say, the teasers look downright nightmare-worthy — in the best way possible. If you’re scared of clowns (like I am) viewer discretion is definitely advised.

Vith Sivaloganathan:


Top Boy: Based on two London drug dealers, this show gets you immediately hooked into the drama of two best friends turning on each other to duke it out for the title of London’s Top Boy.
Narcos: As many of you know, this one is based on the life of the iconic Pablo Escobar. I was literally glued to this series and can’t wait for Season 3 and 4.
Riverdale: I grew up reading the Archie comics religiously, so this show brings on pure nostalgia and the previews for the second season already have everyone talking. #TeamJughead

Sam

 Ladan:
Ozark: This is a new (Netflix original) show about an extremely financially fickle man who launders money for a drug lord, a decision which throws his life into a violent chaos when some money goes missing. Great acting (Jason Bateman and more), better writing, and amazing cinematography keep your eyes glued to the TV for every minute of an hour long episode.
Hot Girls Wanted – Turned On: What was originally a documentary about how porn actors become porn actors is now an entire series on the subject of what technology has done to sex culture in modern society. Each episode tackles a different stigma, stereotype, and issue within both the adult entertainment industry and people’s sex lives in general.

Patrick Ritcey:
Bojack Horseman: This is a show that, if you stick through the first season, will shake you to your emotional core. One minute you’re laughing your butt off, and the next you are at the verge of tears from the characters personal struggles. You expect it to be about as deep as  an average episode of Family Guy, but it becomes much deeper, heartbreaking and entertaining at the same time. 
Stranger Things:
 Do you love Steven Spielberg? Do you love Steven King? Do you love the classic horror/ science fiction from the 1980’s? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then watch this show. It pays homage to classic horror and science fiction story tellers but it stuff feels like it’s own thing. It is always great to see something this new and exciting! 

Brooklyn Nine Nine:
 Featuring a diverse and hilarious cast, this comedy series follows a team of detectives and their newly appointed captain. It’s the comedy series that helped fill the void after How I Met Your Mother destroyed me emotionally (after it’s horrible finale). 

Mikey Tachuk:
No Tomorrow:
 Basically, a crazy dude believes that the world is going to end, and a girl goes crazy for him in the process. It’s a really cute, funny, and underrated show!
Life with Derek:
 Admit it, I know you used to love this show too. A Toronto-produced Family Channel show showing good and bad of living with step siblings. 

There you have it. Binge responsibly, friends.