CULTURE

Guilty Pleasures - Binge Worthy Entertainment

It’s winter, we are living through a pandemic and an election just happened - our closest companion right now could possibly be our tv. The good news is that in 2021 we have a number of streaming services, apps and cable connections to keep us binging all year… So let’s celebrate that! In the past we may have called these guilty pleasures (well, we still do) but now they are our trusted shows, podcasts, and movies that are giving us comfort and keeping us all connected.

Now, onto today’s list of what we are bingeing and what entertainment you might also enjoy. 

Guilty pleasures:

• Bridgerton (Netflix) - At this point this show needs no explanation. It has everything - colorful clothes, gorgeous people (we are looking at you Duke of Hastings), scandal, sexy moments and a nod to one of our all time favorites, Gossip Girl. Julie Andrews, can you narrate our daily lives?

• New Girl (Netflix) - We call this one ‘Old Faithful’. Schmidt never disappoints each season and we can easily say this perfect show is a go-to for happiness and laughter. It’s also made us oddly want roommates again?!

• Billions (Showtime) - Can Bobby Axelrod be our new spirit animal, please? The boyfriend got us hooked on this Showtime series and it kept us on pins and needles at the height of quarantine over the summer. The badassery of this show and the business moves made are ruthless. If someone asked us if we were obsessed with Billions we would reply with, ‘We aren’t uncertain.’

• Bates Motel (Prime) - Hands down one of the most cringe worthy shows that you can’t look away from. This Alfred Hitchcock inspired series really blurs the line between acceptable and unacceptable mother/son behavior, but the plot and continual craziness made us binge the entire series in two weeks. 

• Outer Banks (Netflix) - Living in cold wintery Chicago we needed this sun drenched beach treasure hunt. Again, the beautiful cast isn’t bad to look at and the mystery filled episodes kept us engaged and thinking of warmer days. We may have also googled ‘How to begin a treasure hunt’ after the season ended. Can you blame us? 

• Night Stalker (Netflix) - We still haven’t understood the fascination with listening to murder mystery podcasts and watching Cold Case Files, but it’s a curiosity that was definitely sparked with this limited docu-series. The serial killer story is extremely heartbreaking but you can’t look away as all of California searches for the Nightstalker in the 80’s.

• Anything Pixar (Disney +) - Happiness comes in the form of colorful, creative Pixar movies. Ratatouille, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo. We don’t plan on growing up any time soon. Sorry not sorry. 

• Unsolved Mysteries (Netflix) - Easy. We loved this back in the 90’s and Netflix got us hooked again. It may also be extremely binge worthy because while watching there is a chance you might notice someone or some story from your hometown. This may or may not have happened to us (palm to face).

• Scared To Death (podcast) - Are you into scary stories that induce chills? We’ve been listening to this podcast since its creation and it is the perfect ‘background noise’ storytelling that helps us get through a work day. Two to three stories are told by comedian Dan Cummins to his wife Lynze. It’s scary, it’s cute, and we genuinely might be addicted to it. (Thank you Amy and DJ Underwood for the rec.)

• Barefoot Contessa (cable/on demand) - We are visual creatures. Combine food, the beautiful East Hamptons, gorgeous home interiors and a chambray top, out pops Ina Garten and her perfect light hearted cooking show. We don’t technically like to cook, but to watch Ina blissfully make dinner for Jeffrey in her perfectly coiffed kitchen brings us so much joy.

We hope you are staying cozy at home while finding your new favorite guilty pleasure show, movie or podcast (basically anything that keeps you replying yes to 'Are you still watching?').

Have a favorite guilty pleasure that we didn't list? Tell us, what are you bingeing right now?