The Best TV Shows to Binge and Where to Watch Them – June 2019

Hanh Nguyen

The threat of winter came and went, dying an ignominious death. That’s right. The massive final season of “Game of Thrones” is over now, and even though some fans are still bitter and demanding a blood price, most of us can move on and devote our brains and eyeballs to other TV. Yes, there is life after “Thrones.” The pack survives.

There’s no time like the present to start a new TV binge — whether it’s to fill the “Game of Thrones” void in your brain, to relax your brain from all of the prestige shows airing for awards consideration, or simply to catch up on all the shows you missed. Besides, what you binge now could be an opportunity to prepare you for some of the bigger premieres coming your way.

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For example, “Big Little Lies” is back for its second season despite the show having first arrived as a limited series. But hey, Season 2 has Meryl Streep, so we’ll allow it. The German series “Dark,” FX’s acclaimed period drama “Pose,” and AMC’s underrated “Lodge 49” are also returning soon.

Also, with so many platforms and more than 500 scripted shows, there’s no possible way to keep track of everything that’s coming to your small screen. Fortunately, IndieWire’s crack TV team is here to curate a list of shows that you may have missed, ranging from thrilling mysteries and outrageous comedies to animated gems and foreign-language dramas.

Many of these on the list are available on streaming services you may already have: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, or HBO Go. In some cases, a cable or other streaming subscription might be required, such as for YouTube Premium or Acorn TV. Fortunately, with a binge, subscribing for one month is enough to determine if that’s to your taste.

What makes for a good binge? IndieWire has created a rough guide for easily digestible binges that can be accomplished during a weekend or over the course of a few weeks.

Some criteria for IndieWire’s curated list of the best TV shows to binge:

  • Commitment: Fewer seasons and an easy entry point. First or second seasons are great for this. Comedies with shorter runtimes also work, but if a whole series has just finished, that might be a good time to start also. There are some exceptions, which are noted.

  • Tone: Lightweight often works best – we’ve binged “Black Mirror,” and our state of mind afterward was not pretty – but sometimes brisk, engrossing storytelling can offset heavier material.

  • Availability: It needs to be readily watchable somewhere.

With all this in mind, IndieWire has compiled the list, which can be accessed in the gallery above or simply click here.

Launch Gallery: The Best TV Shows to Binge and Where to Watch Them – June 2019

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