Procrastination through streaming: A Cadenza guide to binge-watching

With reading week and finals coming up, you’ll certainly find yourself in the library or a study room for hours on end reading notes, making flashcards and finishing up those final papers, but what better way to finish out the semester is there than starting a brand-new television show? Cadenza offers its suggestions for which shows you should binge-watch this week and continue watching all summer, so get out those laptops and Netflix/Amazon Prime/HBO GO passwords (or “borrow” your roommate’s) and get watching.

‘Bob’s Burgers’ (Netflix/Hulu Plus)

It’s understandable if you haven’t been paying much attention to “Bob’s Burgers,” but that needs to stop now. It’s a fantastic animated comedy that follows the Belcher family as it tries to keep its burger joint afloat. The first three seasons are available on Netflix, with the fourth streaming on Hulu Plus. It takes a bit for the show to pick up, but when it does, it’s golden. “Bob’s Burgers” calls to mind shows like “The Simpsons” or “King of the Hill,” but with more songs. Honestly, it’s worth watching this show just for the songs (there’s one about Thomas Edison electrocuting an elephant). Aside from the fantastic principal voice actors, the show brings in plenty of great guests like Kevin Kline, Aziz Ansari and Bill Hader. The characters are lovable (the twins Andy and Ollie are a personal favorite), and there are plenty of small recurring gags, puns and complex jokes. Mostly, though, “Bob’s Burgers” is just a show with a lot of heart that is easy to watch during those summer weekdays when you don’t leave the couch between breakfast and lunch.

– Noah Jodice

‘Comedy Bang! Bang!’ (Netflix)

“Comedy Bang! Bang!” is a talk show, but it neither pays attention to its guests nor covers relevant pop culture. In fact, I don’t know if it’s legal to call this a talk show. Each episode features a celebrity guest (usually a comedian) ranging from Jon Hamm to “Weird Al” Yankovic. Celebrities only get a few minutes of talking time before host Scott Aukerman and bandleader Reggie Watts get distracted. The show also features “guests” and “crew members” who are just comedians playing characters (the fantastic Paul F. Tompkins appears frequently). Strange concept pieces and nonsensical segments are everywhere, so don’t watch expecting any sense of structure. If you can handle the weirdness, the show is hilariously funny. There are only two seasons currently available on Netflix, but if you need more “Comedy Bang! Bang!” you can binge on the show’s long-running podcast.

– Noah Jodice

‘How I Met Your Mother’ (Netflix)

Although I must admit I haven’t gotten through the entire series yet, “How I Met Your Mother” is my go-to binge-watch; no matter what (early) season you choose, you are sure to get some great laughs from Barney Stinson’s carefully concocted womanizing strategies, Robin Scherbatsky’s amusing on-air moments as a news anchor or the interesting love triangle between Robin, Barney and Ted Mosby, the architect and center of the plotline. Based around the frame story of Ted explaining to his children in the year 2030 how he met their mother, the series explores the daily lives of a group of five young adults living in New York City. The show just ended its nine-season run last month so you’ve probably heard about it or seen a few episodes, but don’t let the questionable final seasons warp your view of the earlier ones. The dynamics of the eclectic group spending countless hours at its very own booth in MacLaren’s bar are perfect entertainment for hours of mindless binge-watching.

– Erica Sloan

‘Friday Night Lights’ (Netflix)

I can be a cold, cynical man when it comes to films and television. I’m the kind of person who meets any attempt at easy tear-baiting with a scowl and a lengthy rant about how manipulative art is the worst art. But Jason Katims and the other fine folks behind “Friday Night Lights” know how to earn their misty-eyed catharsis. In a world of prestige television ruled by rotten antiheroes, it’s utterly refreshing to spend five seasons with two leads—Eric and Tami Taylor—whose souls remain firmly intact throughout the show’s run. That’s not to say “FNL” is all rainbows and sunshine. Building a high school football powerhouse in the fictional, pigskin-rabid town of Dillon, Texas, is no small feat and requires moral compromises aplenty. While “Friday Night Lights” doesn’t shy away from Dillon’s less salient corners, it doesn’t wallow in them either. It’s the kind of show that, for 45 minutes (or five hours, if you’ve completely given your life to it like I did), renders the outside world irrelevant and can reduce the most hardened of hearts to rubble with a single exquisite episode. If you have an affinity for filmed storytelling at all, odds are you’ll fall right into “Friday Night Lights”’ 76-episode bear hug.

– Mark Matousek

‘The Good Wife’ (Amazon Prime)

There was a time before I recognized the greatness that is “The Good Wife.” I was young, naive and let the fact that it aired on CBS prevent me from giving it a shot. Stop being close-minded, world. “The Good Wife,” now in its fifth season, is probably the best drama on a network channel right now, and one of the best dramas, period. It balances being a legal procedural with a character-driven drama perfectly. It’s like “Law & Order” meets “Mad Men” with one of the strongest female characters on television, Alicia Florrick (played by Julianna Margulies). It somehow maintains an insanely high level of quality despite churning out 22 episodes a season, which gives you an added bonus of a lot of television to watch. The first four seasons are on Amazon Prime, and once you’ve watched all of those, catch up with the fifth season on CBS. And trust me, the fifth season is full of twists and shocking moments that made me scream more than “Lost.” And that’s a very high bar to clear.

– Georgie Morvis

‘The Newsroom’ (HBO GO)

This might seem like an obscure choice for binge-watching (or perhaps a cliche choice for a journalist), but in my opinion, “The Newsroom” is one of the most exciting shows on television. You’re going to have to steal someone’s HBO GO password, but it’s well worth the extra effort. The series, which is set in the recent past, follows the staff of the fictional ACN television network as it covers major news stories like the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street and 2012 election. The cast is also fantastic and full of big names, like Jeff Daniels and Olivia Munn as well as up-and-comers like John Gallagher Jr. There are multiple reasons why this summer is the perfect time to binge on this HBO series. For one, there’s been some controversy surrounding “The Newsroom” recently: critics have long complained that the script is overly idealized, pedantic and even sexist, and creator Aaron Sorkin’s recent apology over his treatment of news media has only added fuel to the fire. But don’t let the critics deter you! Plus, you might as well get caught up now because the show is returning for its third and final season this fall. (With only two seasons so far, it’ll be a quick watch.) “The Newsroom” may have its flaws, but it’s a fun way to get an inside look—albeit a fictionalized one—at the exciting world of broadcast journalism.

– Katharine Jaruzelski

‘One Tree Hill’ (Netflix)

If you need a way to waste your summer, just watch “One Tree Hill.” It’s a classic teen romance/sports drama and it will definitely take up a lot of your time. Personally, I’ve never watched it, but I have experienced the overwhelming consequences of watching this show through secondhand experiences. With nine seasons and about 20 one-hour episodes per season, watching the entire series would take over a week without stopping to sleep or eat (which is not too far-fetched for most fans). That being said, there must be something pretty damn good about it if people are truly this dedicated and obsessed with the show. So enjoy it, and make sure that you have enough discipline to leave your bed once in a while!

– Tyler Friedman

‘Parks and Recreation’ (Netflix)

“Parks and Recreation” was the first show I ever binge-watched, and let me tell you: it was well worth it. With six seasons just completed and the show going into its seventh (and probably final) season next fall, “Parks and Rec” has done it all—episodes about the flu, a tiny horse, “5,000 Candles in the Wind,” marriages, crazy ex-wives, woodworking, camping, Joe Biden, Michelle Obama, a three-legged dog and a pit. What more can you want? This incredible show is on my favorite network, NBC, and uses the same hilarious mockumentary structure as its predecessor, “The Office,” but “Parks and Rec” focuses on local government and has Amy Poehler as the head honcho, Leslie Knope. The series follows Knope throughout her career as she navigates small town politics and a plethora of crazy characters. The show also stars Adam Scott, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Rashida Jones, Nick Offerman, Retta and Rob Lowe, who help complete the perfect cast. Episodes are only 22 minutes long, and they are full of really smart writing and the funniest shenanigans. “Parks and Recreation” should be first on your list to watch this summer so you can be all caught up for the seventh season next year.

– Elena Wandzilak

Sign up for the email edition

Stay up to date with everything happening at Washington University and beyond.

Subscribe