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The Morning Show's binge-worthy TV recommendations

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by Anna Reed

December 23, 2015

Here at The Morning Show we are lovers and appreciators of that little art form known as "television".

Some say we're in The Golden Age of television right now – where high-quality television is being offered virtually everywhere you look. If you're not a connoisseur, it could get overwhelming.

Fear not.

Jade, Sean and Anna are here to recommend the best of the best for you to sink your eyes into over whatever kind of holiday break you might be experiencing in the coming weeks.

Sit back, take a gander and then binge on, dear friends.

Jade's recommendations:

Making a Murderer — I just started this Netflix documentary and I sat down planning to try out an episode and then head out to run some errands. 6 hours later I had to throw the remote out of my hand to avoid watching another episode. The story of a man wrongfully accusted of a crime, released and then accusted of a more heinous crime is captivating and the twists are awesome in the oldschool meaning of the word, actually inducing awe. I pretty much had my jaw hanging on the floor and sat on the literal edge of my seat the entire time. (Available on Netflix, one season)

Mr. Robot — I started watching this on the flight back to Minnesota from Greece and was so good I actually bought the entire season to watch while I wasn't uncomfortably wedged in a square foot of hell for 8 hours. It's Fight Club meets the digital age with my favorite type of protagonist, the unreliable narrator. The morphine addicted lead, Elliot, is a genious hacker who gets pulled into a group of misfit gurus of the dark net to bring down the corrupt and unworthy (mainly encompassed in the capitalist conglomerate Evil Corp). You never know if Elliot is really seeing and doing the things you are seeing him see and do. (Available on Hulu, one season)

iZombie — If Joss Whedon (Buffy/Avengers) or Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) make anything I'm pretty much guaranteed to watch it. So, when Mr. Thomas made a new series about a med student who goes to a party, gets attacked by zombies, turns into one, realizes that when she eats brains she can see visions of the brain owner's life/death and then decides to use that power to solve their murders...well, I was already prepared to lose my entire weekend watching nonstop. It's a great mix of geeky Easter eggs, witty dialogue, angsty emotions, and criminal investigations. With zombies. (Available on Netflix, two seasons)

Archer — Maybe you just want to spend your entire binge with low commitment and fewer complex plots. How about just laughing nonstop and having to rewind to rewatch a joke that you missed because you were laughing too hard at the previous joke. Archer is a cartoon about a 007-esque international spy and his office mates. With H. Jon Benjamin (Bob's Burgers), Judy Greer (every comedy ever), Aisha Tyler (Friends), Chris Parnell (30 Rock), and Jessica Walter (Arrested Development) voicing the characters it is a nonstop laughfest -yes, I said laughfest. Plus, there are about 7 seasons so you can watch 'til your sides split open and your guts spill out, from laughing. (Available on Netflix, six seasons)

Gran Hotel (or Grand Hotel) — I have no idea why I decided to watch this series, but once I started I couldn't stop. It's basically a Spanish melodrama about a poor guy who is searching for his missing sister at a luxurious hotel where she was last seen working. He pretends to be wealthy and the daughter of the hotel owner falls for him. It's equal parts horrible, hilarious, and completely engrossing. It's basically Downton Abbey, but in Spanish. Please watch it so I have someone to talk to about it. (Available on Netflix, three seasons)

Sean's recommendations:

Luther — When it comes to the uncontrollable TV binge there's no better category than a crime procedural that stretches its cases out across multiple episodes. Being that Luther is a BBC show, the seasons are just a handful of episodes long and most focus on a single criminal that a team of London detectives are trying to catch. At the center of it is DCI John Luther, played by Idris Elba. Luther is a genius level detective with a troubled personal life. He's constantly bending the rules, but it is almost always for the greater good. He is relentless to a fault and often blurs the lines between professional and personal. The show is addictive, scary and incredibly well-produced. Plus, the show captures great moments of humor inside of the otherwise violent and disturbing world of catching serial murderers. (Available on Netflix, three seasons).

Lost — It's 2015, so you've likely decided whether you like Lost or not. But, while the whole world is on a high about JJ Abrams' recent turn as the director of the new Star Wars film, it's worth turning to some of his earlier work. Lost is far from a masterpiece, but if you are looking to binge beyond reason, the 1st through 3rd seasons of the show are just a series of unjustified cliffhangers that exponentially play off of each other. If you're watching for the first time, you might also believe that these cliffhangers will ultimately be explained and/or resolved. Spoiler Alert: They don't, but don't let that ruin a couple amazing days of ordering in takeout while watching people nearly starve on a desert island. (Available on Netflix, six seasons).

Frasier — When Frasier first aired from 1993-2004, Dr. Frasier Crane was an anomaly; a latte sipping, wine appreciating modern man with intimacy problems. Nowadays, his eccentric appreciation of quality ingredients, excellent music and peace and quiet have all joined the cultural mainstream and we are better for it. The show has aged well and the construction of episodes and themes can rival some of the more celebrated sitcoms of the 90s (I'm looking at you Seinfeld). So, kick back with a tossed salad and scrambled eggs and pretend you're a Seattle socialite for a couple hours. (Available on Netflix, 11 seasons).

Anna's recommendations:

Choosing just one show to talk about on the radio was one of the hardest tasks I've ever experienced in my life. So here are my top 10.

Transparent — A comedy-drama series that centers around a Los Angeles family and their lives following the discovery that the head of their family (Jeffrey Tambor) is transgender. This show is so good that it's hard for me to talk calmly about without yelling at the person I'm talking to. (Available on Amazon Prime, two seasons)

Fargo — A black comedy-crime drama based in the Midwest and inspired by the 1996 film Fargo. A beautiful pairing for season two is Minnesota Public Radio's Aw Jeez: A 'Fargo' Podcast. (Available on FX and iTunes, two seasons)

Friday Night Lights — A drama series about a high school football team in the fictional town of Dillon, Texas. You do not have to be a sports fan to become completely emotionally obsessed with this show. (Available on Netflix, five seasons)

Breaking Bad — A drama series about Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a struggling high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer, who turns to a life of crime, selling meth to secure his family's financial future before he dies. Do not watch this show if you have anxiety or a heart condition. (Available on Netflix, five seasons)

Broad City — A comedy series executive produced by Amy Poehler and starring Upright Citizens Brigade performers Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson as two friends living in New York City. This show is brassy, hilarious and irreverent. I devoured each episode as it came out. (Available on Hulu and Amazon Prime, two seasons)

Empire — A musical drama series starring Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson as the heads of a powerful family that owns Empire Entertainment. It's sort of like a wonderful, musical soap opera filled with backstabbing, intrigue and lots and lots of guest cameos. (Available on FOX and Hulu, two seasons)

Parenthood — A drama series centering around the Braverman family, which comprises an older couple, their four children, and their families. If you love to sad cry and happy cry, this is the series for you. (Available on Netflix, six seasons)

(And now, for my "girls" series)...

Girls — A comedy-drama series on HBO created by and starring Lena Dunham about a close group of twenty-somethings living in New York City. Loving this show is controversial, but I'm not shy about it. Not shy one bit. (Available on HBO, four seasons)

New Girl — A sitcom starring Zooey Deschanel, an offbeat teacher who moves into a loft in Los Angeles with three men. This show is delicious candy that is filled with a surprising and consistent hilarious bent. (Available on FOX and Hulu, four seasons)

Gilmore Girls — I know Jade would agree with me on this choice. It's a comedy-drama series about a woman and her 16-year-old daughter/best friend living in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. I've been through this entire series twice, and I'm happy to report that rumors have it the show will return as a limited series on Netflix. Let's all pray for a holiday miracle that this happens. (Available on Netflix, seven seasons)