11 shows to binge-watch during summer's TV drought

(Image credit: Christopher T. Saunders/HBO)

published 3 July 2015

Battlestar Galactica (Buy on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video)

Battlestar Galactica may have started its life as a cheap 1970s rip-off of Star Wars, but the reboot, which aired from 2004 to 2009, is a much darker and deeper show than the kitschy original. The basic plot is the same: The last remaining survivors of Planet Earth bounce through the galaxy in search of a new home, trying to elude the Cylons who exterminated nearly all of humanity. But don't be scared away by the science-fiction premise: The show also addresses profound subjects such as death, power, and the ultimate fate of the human species. The last few years have seen a tsunami of post-apocalyptic novels and movies, but Battlestar Galactica shows why the hook is such a compelling one. When you have to reconstruct civilization out of a few scraps, how do you do it? Can you afford democracy when your survival is perpetually at stake? Perhaps most existentially, is humanity even worth saving? Battlestar Galactica may be a bit grimmer than the usual show you crank through five episodes at a time, but once you start watching, you'll be hooked. —Paul Waldman, contributing writer

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If you love gangster shoot-em-ups, American history, and the beach, look no further than Boardwalk Empire for a series that rolls all three into one solid show. Set primarily in Prohibition-era Atlantic City, Boardwalk follows the ups and downs of Nucky Thompson, who's one part politician, one part gangster, and an all-around opportunist. His perpetual scheming introduces viewers to a slew of unsavory strivers and low-lifes, and even fictionalized historical figures such as Al Capone and Warren G. Harding. The shifting allegiances, not to mention the sprawling network of mobsters that stretches from Chicago to Harlem to Havana, can sometimes become confusing, which is why this show is best binge-watched: Take too much of a break and you might forget who has run afoul of Nucky most recently. —Marshall Bright, digital production assistant

If, like me, you came of age resenting Nickelodeon's golden years, when slime and bizarre talents reigned supreme, don't let that discourage you from Bob's Burgers. While occasional fart jokes pepper its five seasons, the masterful, vivid characterization of the central Belcher family makes the animated show a delightfully wacky stand-out. Sitcom personalities too often fall victim to stale, played-out tropes, but Bob's Burgers' layered characters keep developing, episode after episode. Tina (Dan Mintz), a refreshingly horny, pubescent girl who writes erotic fan fictions about unicorns and zombies, and Louise (Kristen Schaal), her criminally villainous little sister, have garnered critical praise for their unique portrayals of female adolescence. But mom Linda (John Roberts) is the real treasure. Unlike most sitcom mothers, who remain one-dimensional placeholders, Linda is her own person. She loves show tunes, eagerly plays pirates with her son Gene (with real knives), and narrates dramas about the raccoons that live outside the family's restaurant. At 20 minutes per episode, Bob's Burgers is the perfect show to try out — you may just find that this slightly absurd, always warm family is your new favorite. —Stephanie Talmadge, digital production assistant

A summer binge-watch show should be chosen carefully. Each episode should be short, so you can put it on hold if you get the sudden urge to head out and enjoy the sun. The show's tone should be light and fun, but not so frothy that it's a waste of your time. With that in mind, allow me to suggest the under-appreciated comedy Bored to Death, which ran for three brief but terrifically entertaining seasons. Jason Schwartzman stars as Jonathan Ames, a wine-swilling, semi-professional writer living in Brooklyn. When he's unexpectedly dumped by his longtime girlfriend, he follows in the footsteps of literary detectives like Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade by drunkenly posting a Craigslist ad offering his services as an unlicensed private eye. Before long, Jonathan is tackling a string of low-rent cases — a cheating girlfriend, a stolen skateboard, even a dognapping — with the help of his schlubby cartoonist buddy Ray (Zach Galifianakis) and his rich, freewheeling editor George (Ted Danson). Jonathan's various cases make up the backbone of Bored to Death, but the series' greatest strength is in the sheer pleasure of hanging out with three guys navigating life in Brooklyn. Sunny, strange, and uniquely literary, Bored to Death's breezy charms are the perfect fit for a lazy summer Sunday. —Scott Meslow, entertainment editor and film and television critic

Summer is a good time to loosen up a bit and try out a series you might otherwise overlook. Netflix has the perfect offering in The Fall, a BBC2 sex-crime drama set in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The show stars Gillian Anderson as Superintendent Stella Gibson, who is on the hunt for the serial-strangler Paul Spector, played by Fifty Shades of Grey's Jamie Dornan. The acting is first rate: Anderson and Dornan are both damaged and icy as they go about their high-stakes dance. The Belfast location is exotic for a crime drama but never abused for its explosive history. The camera leers at victims and perps in a way that is simultaneously sexy and shameful, provocative and nauseating. It is hard not to feel slightly implicated by your enjoyment of the characters and their chase — which is why The Fall is perfect for a time of year when you're letting a few things slide already. —Michael Brendan Dougherty, senior correspondent

In a television landscape dominated by rote detective serials and gory monster shows, iZombie cherry-picks the best of both genres and adds a novel twist. The protagonist is Seattle doctor Liv Moore (hey, it's based on a comic book, so roll with it), played by Rose McIver. Liv wakes up in a body bag with a craving for brains after a catastrophic boat party. Once she figures out how to, shall we say, ethically source the gray matter she needs, each brainy feast brings visions of the dead person's final moments. As a newly minted "psychic," she uses this ability to help the police solve murders while spending her free time on the trail of other zombies who don't share her moral compass. Fans of creator Rob Thomas' Veronica Mars will recognize the same clever writing and careful plot development here. iZombie has already been picked up for a second season this fall, so get caught up on the first episodes now. —Bonnie Kristian, contributing writer

Unlike many of today's offerings, Rectify doesn't pull you in with cliffhanger endings or a fast-talking ensemble cast. No — the pacing, tone, and cinematography of the Sundance series, which returns for its third season on July 9, all evoke the languid sensation of lying in a hammock on a sun-soaked summer day. Rectify takes the grim reality of newly exonerated Daniel Holden (Aden Young) — who spent 19 years on death row for supposedly murdering his girlfriend before new DNA evidence turned up — and spins it into a thoughtful exploration of what freedom and incarceration really mean. While the topics are heavy, Rectify carefully trains its gaze on the humanity in every character — from Daniel, to his stubborn sister Amantha, and even to the conflicted sheriff involved in Daniel's case. If you're hoping for an instant rush of a drama and shocking twists, you might want to look elsewhere — Rectify has little interest in pushing a main character in front of a train for dramatic effect. But there's something deeply compelling about watching its characters truly live, breathe, grieve, and contemplate. —Samantha Rollins, news editor

There's nothing more entertaining than watching geniuses, both good and evil, duke it out through manipulative mind games. If you're a sucker for a good mystery and the occasional brain teaser, BBC's Sherlock will awaken your inner sleuth. Sit back, get confused, then let the iconic (and comically bromantic) detective duo of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson do the work. With charming, fast-paced dialogue, the brilliant but boyishly blunt Holmes and his begrudging, romantically challenged sidekick Watson are revamped in a modern-day London setting, one that still echoes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories. Each hour-and-a-half episode feels like its own complete movie, which either means it will be easy to pace yourself or you're in for one heck of a Netflix binge. Warning: There are only three seasons available thus far, and the fourth isn't slated for release until 2017. The wait will burn more than expected. —Kelly Gonsalves, editorial intern

I know, nothing says summer like rain, office politics, and the English. But if we render these elements into slightly different form — the pervasive gloom of a crumbling empire, the desperate scheming of its best and brightest, Sir Alec Guinness — we begin to see what makes this famous BBC miniseries from 1979 such compulsive viewing in any season. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, adapted from John le Carre's classic spy novel, is the story of the hunt for a Soviet mole code-named Gerald. It is also the story of how Guinness' George Smiley emerges from exile to take control of MI6, the British spy agency that is referred to, in tones brimming with both rue and longing, as The Circus. But most of all it is the story of the games we play obsessively — in life, love, and labor — even when we've stopped believing that our efforts amount to anything at all. —Ryu Spaeth, deputy editor

It's just a few sticks tied together. Just a few stick statues, scattered across the dense vegetation of the Louisiana backwoods. But then you realize the simple sculptures have turned the beautiful bayou into something impossibly sinister. That's how the first season of True Detective feels, with its lush scenery and a buildup lengthy enough to keep you constantly guessing about the series' central homicide investigation. Dark magic figures prominently, but you could drown in the twisting monologues of Matthew McConaughey's Detective Rust Cohle alone. Luckily, his partner on the case, detective Martin Hart (Woody Harrelson) brings levity with the lightest touch — an eye roll here, a quip there. The show can overwhelm with information; combine that with three timelines, and you may find it hard to keep track of who's done what — and when, and where. That's why True Detective is best binge-watched. Over a few days, its eight episodes feel more like an extended movie than a series, one you can follow all the way through the Louisiana countryside. —Kimberly Alters, social media editor

I won't mince words: The West Wing is the greatest show about politics in the history of television. Sure, it could get a little preachy (okay, a lot preachy), especially in the first season, before Aaron Sorkin learned to restrain himself. And yes, the show jumped the shark at the end of season four when the vice president resigned in a sex scandal and then the president's daughter just happened to get herself kidnapped by terrorists a couple of days later, leading Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen), a Democrat, to temporarily hand over the presidency to the Republican speaker of the House (played by John Goodman). Season five (the first without Sorkin at the helm) was inconsistent, but the show came roaring back in seasons six and seven with the presidential contest between Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and Arnold Vinnick (Alan Alda) keeping things sharp and fresh to the end. That was the series' second peak. The first came during seasons two and three, when whip-smart, rapid-fire dialogue, engaging scripts, passionate acting, and a remarkably sophisticated understanding of how Washington works combined to create a nuanced world of political hyper-realism that was enormously gripping week after week. Watch any episode of House of Cards after spending time with The West Wing, and you'll be shocked at the stilted artificiality of Frank Underwood's fun-house version of the nation's capital, where everyone's motives are uniformly low and simple. The reality of politics — captured so brilliantly by The West Wing at its best — is far more interesting. —Damon Linker, senior correspondent

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