Once in a while, a TV show comes out that is instantly re-watchable. The writing is great, the acting is fantastic, and it's filmed in a way that's interesting and relatable. These shows are timeless and tend not to include overindulgence or reliance on popular culture references. They let the characters do the talking, and the viewer picks up a little more about the plot each time they revisit them.
Binging tv shows is more popular than ever. Audiences want shows that are easy to throw on in the background in order to get the most bang for their buck from their streaming services. From drama to comedy, there have been many shows that fit this bill. Here are some of the ones that have a strong built-in fan base that never seems to get tired of watching them.
The Office is possibly the most re-watchable TV series ever created. Not only does it take a simple premise and turn it on its head, but it features characters and gags that never seem to get old. The show is centered around the Scranton, PA branch of Dunder Mifflin, a failing paper company with a zany boss named Michael Scott (Steve Carrell). Every day is mundane, but Michael's over-the-top antics keep the employees on their toes, for better or worse.
The Office is funny over and over again because the audience tends to pick up on more jokes every time they watch it. The banter between enemies Jim (John Krasinski) and Dwight (Rainn Wilson) is always engaging, and the chemistry between the two actors is immaculate. Carrell carries the show as Michael, and he delivers laughs every single episode.
Friends was a huge hit sitcom in the 1990s. It ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004 and won over the hearts of audiences around the world at that time. The show focused on a group of twenty-somethings in New York City, trying to navigate their jobs, love lives, and interpersonal relationships along the way. A lot of the series focused on the will-they/won't-they tension between Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), who clearly loved each other but took forever to hook up.
The show is very re-watchable because every episode was packed with jokes. So many lines fly by that the audience doesn't always catch them the first time around. Friends launched the careers of several other actors, including Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Courtney Cox, and Matt LeBlanc. Fans never get tired of seeing Ross, Rachel, Joey, Chandler, Monica, and Phoebe, but some enjoy speculating who could play those roles if Friends was recast.
Game of Thrones is as epic as a television show could possibly get. Based on the popular novels by George R.R. Martin, the series introduced viewers to nine families all battling for the lands of Westeros. The show ran on HBO from 2011 to 2019 and followed multiple characters, storylines, and subplots all at once, making it difficult to keep everything straight the first time you watch it.
GOT is a very addictive show. It featured excellent acting, stylish cinematography, and beautiful landscapes. The show also weaved in some intense battle scenes and great CGI, giving the audience very detailed dragons and other creatures.
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In many ways, Seinfeld was ahead of its time. While other '90s sitcoms relied on tropes and stereotypical characters to get laughs, Seinfeld was a show about "nothing" that used clever plot devices to pull the audience in. With a colorful cast of oddballs including Kramer (Michael Richards), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss), and George (Jason Alexander), each episode took a simple premise and turned it on its head.
Seinfeld is endlessly re-watchable because of how smart it is. It's based on Jerry Seinfeld's actual observational comedy, a brand he perfected and honed before the show even hit the air. The way each character reacts to even the smallest annoyances in their lives is hilarious to watch. Seinfeld also includes some iconic quotes that you can use to get a chuckle out of your friends again and again.
Mad Men is one of the coolest and most unique shows of the 2000s. It debuted in 2007 on AMC and revolved around a suave guy named Don Draper who is an executive at an advertising agency called Sterling Cooper. The show is set in the '60s and includes historically accurate costumes, settings, and clients, making it stylish, sleek, and fun to watch. Although Don is a tough, charismatic guy on the outside, he's hiding a deep secret that threatens to crumble his whole image and position at the agency.
Many fans consider Mad Men to be an incredibly accurate depiction of the golden age of advertising. It was a time when clients spend huge money on marketing campaigns all in an attempt to get more of people's disposable incomes in a post-war era. The show is easily re-watchable because of all the interesting characters, subplots, and twists introduced throughout its seven-season run.
It's hard to believe now, but The Simpsons was considered pretty edgy when it came out at the end of the 1980s. The show was one of the first animated series made with an adult audience in mind, crafting immature jokes and pushing the boundaries of good taste along the way. The family consisting of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie managed to get themselves into a pickle every episode, but like most cartoons, got out of it with a (mostly) happy ending every time.
To call The Simpsons groundbreaking is an understatement. Countless kids who grew up in the '90s repeated Bart's catchphrases, including "Don't have a cow, man!" and "Eat my shorts!" As of 2023, the show is still on TV in the midst of its 34th season. Although the jokes in The Simpsons aren't as fast and furious as they once were, the classic episodes of the show are highly re-watchable for their skewed take on modern American life. Extra kudos for all the cameos the show has pulled in over the years, including Michael Jackson, Stephen Hawking, Meryl Streep, and Ringo Starr, to name a few.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (or SVU, as it's commonly called) is another long-running show that never seems to get old. The program debuted in 1999 and focused on cases of an especially heinous nature, such as violent or sex crimes. Marika Hargitay plays Detective (now Captain) Olivia Benson, who is tasked with solving these crimes and bringing offenders to justice to gain closure for the victims. The show sometimes incorporates elements from real-life cases which makes it especially enthralling.
With 538 episodes, it's difficult for all the episodes of SVU once, let alone several times. However, it's a show that's hard to turn away from whenever it airs. The acting is incredibly strong and the details of each case are well-researched and thought out. Even after 24 years, the show was recently renewed by NBC for another season.
Like a fine wine, everything about Schitt's Creek gets better with time. The show started as a small Canadian comedy that debuted on CBC in 2015 and picked up steam as the years went on. After their business empire goes down the drain, the Rose family is forced to pack up their things and move to Schitt's Creek, a small town that dad Johnny (Eugene Levy) once bought for his son David (played by Levy's real-life son, Dan Levy) as a joke.
Every person in the Rose family has their own eccentricities, which the audience appreciates more the more times they watch the show. David is a fashionista with grandiose visions of what his life should be like despite his new humble surrounding. Johnny's wife Moira (Catherine O'Hara) is a diva with a celebrity complex. Johhny's daughter Alexis (Annie Murphy) is a spoiled brat who is lazy and doesn't want to work for anything she has. The whole group plays their parts for maximum hilarious laughs, ensuring that Schitt's Creek will live on in syndication for years to come.
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Breaking Bad works because it's centered around an unconventional premise and a strong lead character. Bryan Cranston plays Walter White, a mediocre chemistry teacher who's lost his lust for life and is barely making ends meet with his teaching job. He decides to team up with former student Jessie (Aaron Paul) to make and deal methamphetamine. Soon, Walter is diagnosed with lung cancer and he has to dive deeper into the drug trade to fund his treatment and other expenses.
The show was an instant hit when it debuted in 2008. Breaking Bad is fun to watch over and over again because it moves at a frantic pace and doesn't let up. The show is full of twists and you never quite know when Walter and Jessie are going to be found out. There are a lot more reasons you should rewatch Breaking Bad, one of them being that the details become more clear the second time around.
The Big Bang Theory is one sitcom that seems endlessly re-watchable. It's already been in syndication for several years, and it's hard to shut off once it's on. Johnny Galecki plays Leonard, a dorky guy who works at the local university. Along with his buddies Sheldon (Jim Parsons), Howard (Simon Helberg), and Raj (Kunal Nayyar), he explores his love of comic books, science, and women - the latter to no avail, most of the time.
With laughs packed into every minute, The Big Bang Theory is easy to throw on when you need a quick pick-me-up. Leonard's neighbor Penny (Kaley Cuoco) is always quick to throw funny jabs back at Leonard and Sheldon, and Sheldon's awkward nature makes for some pretty good comedy too.