Spring Break is the time to hang out with friends, catch up on your sleep and, most importantly, watch all of the TV shows on your “to watch list.” Whether they are shows you have been meaning to watch but have not had the time for or shows you have never considered before, Spring Break offers the perfect chance to watch them all. Here are several suggestions of series to watch over break.
Political shows often have arc-based plotlines that are unsuitable to out-of-order viewing, requiring the watcher to see them all in a row, and these two are no exception. Aaron Sorkin’s epic White House drama “The West Wing” is arguably one of the best political dramas of all time. Spanning seven of the eight years of the Josiah Bartlett (Martin Sheen, “Apocalypse Now”) presidency, “The West Wing” provides politics, drama and comedy for everyone. The show also provides something that is often lacking in other long-lived dramas: The last season is just as good as the first. You can see all seven seasons of “The West Wing” on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
A relative newcomer, Netflix’s “House of Cards” is quickly becoming the “West Wing” of today, winning awards and breaking boundaries as an Internet-only powerhouse. The political maneuverings of Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey, “American Beauty”) are so slight and mischievous they will make you question whether the real Washington, D.C. operates the same way. Both seasons of “House of Cards” are available on Netflix.
There have not been many drug-based shows to last more than a season, but the ones that do last long. “Breaking Bad” may have just ended, but not everyone jumped on the bandwagon while it was still on the air. AMC’s meth-drama is perfect for those who have yet to see this gem. Based around high-school chemistry-teacher-turned-drug-dealer Walter White (Bryan Cranston, “Argo”), the show questions what the average person is capable of if backed into a corner. All five seasons of “Breaking Bad” are available to watch on Netflix.
Given the state of the marijuana debate in this country, “Weeds” may be the perfect show to watch over break. Revolving around the suburban housewife drug dealer Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker, “Angels in America”), the show follows her life as her husband dies and she struggles to maintain her upper middle-class lifestyle. Finding drugs to be the only way to make the money she is used to, Botwin begins to sell marijuana to her friends and neighbors. All eight seasons of “Weeds” can be found on Netflix.
Most popular shows last at least five seasons if not more, but some are cancelled before they can finish what they started. Of all the cancelled shows on Fox, “Firefly” has one of the largest and most vocal fan bases. Despite winning an Emmy, Fox cancelled the show after airing only 11 of its 14 episodes. Set on the spaceship Serenity, the show follows the ship’s crew as they try to make their way in the “verse.” As a member of the extremely small space-western genre, “Firefly” is one of the best sci-fi shows ever made. The 14 episodes can be seen on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu Plus.
While Fox cancelled “Firefly” partway through the first season, it gave “Arrested Development” more of a chance, letting it run for three seasons. Netflix commissioned an additional season that was released last May. While it may have lasted several years, the show’s comedy held up until the end. Based around the Bluth family as it struggles to deal with the arrest of its patriarch, “Arrested Development” will certainly keep you laughing throughout all of break. The four seasons can be found on Netflix, while three can be found on Amazon Prime and Hulu Plus.
While these certainly are not the only shows you could watch over break, they do represent some of the best shows in their varying genres. Whether you enjoy political dramas or suburban drug dealers, Spring Break is going to be a productive week, at least in terms of television.
