For most of TV’s history, binge-watching wasn’t really a thing. You watched one episode of your favorite show every week, and if you really loved it, you eagerly awaited the next one. With the advent first of home video, though, and then of streaming, and of Netflix in particular, binging became the default way many viewers consume TV.
While binging a show is great for many, not all shows are meant to be consumed that way. Sometimes, you want to let an episode breathe so that you can fully understand it before moving on to the next. For the shows on this list, though, binging is the way to go. These are some of the most binge-worthy shows of all time.
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The Office (2005)
9 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer
Created by
Greg Daniels
Watch on Peacock
One of the most famously bingeable shows ever made, The Office follows a cast of co-workers who try to entertain themselves and one another as they do their jobs in small town Pennsylvania. Because it is so exceptionally well written and because it ran for so long, the show’s central characters began to feel like family, which made the show’s more emotional moments resonate just as deeply as its many silly ones. The Office‘s entire ensemble cast is funny, and few shows in history have been more primed for constant rewatching basically the second you’re done.
Lost (2004)
6 Seasons
Genre
Mystery, Action & Adventure, Drama
Stars
Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Terry O'Quinn
Created by
J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Jeffrey Lieber
Watch on Hulu
Binge-watching was just becoming a thing when Lost debuted, and the show met its moment perfectly. Following a group of survivors of a major plane crash who find themselves living on a deserted island, the show was dense with mystery and cliffhangers in a way that made you need to know what happened next. The show has a famously divisive ending, but one that has come to be more thoroughly appreciated in the years since it first aired. Whether you love it or hate it, though, Lost is undeniably compelling throughout its six season run.
Game of Thrones (2011)
8 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Action & Adventure
Stars
Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Created by
David Benioff, D. B. Weiss
Watch on max
Another show with an ending people hated, Game of Thrones is adapted from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, which exists as a sort of corrective to the high fantasy of the Lord of the Rings universe. The series follows the nobility of the kingdom of Westeros as they battle for power and discover that magic that was thought to be gone from the world has in fact returned. The show is often a hugely compelling political drama, even if its most assured storytelling doesn’t come in its later half. Another show filled with twists and some heartbreaking turns, Game of Thrones is one of the best shows on Max and will go down even smoother as a binge.
Stranger Things (2016)
4 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery
Stars
Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo
Created by
Ross Duffer, Matt Duffer
Watch on Netflix
Although not every season of Stranger Things has lived up to the first, the show’s careful ’80s pastiche has remained compelling throughout its time on the air. Telling the story of a group of kids who discover a supernatural threat living in their small Indiana town, the show knows how to propel viewers from episode to episode, and also gets the kind of budget that Netflix affords few shows these days. Thanks to a group of well-cast young performers, as well as mysteries in each season that remain compelling, Stranger Things is the kind of show you can put on in the morning and leave on all day, and one of the best Netflix has to offer.
Breaking Bad (2008)
5 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Crime
Stars
Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn
Created by
Vince Gilligan
Watch on Netflix
The arc of Breaking Bad is, despite all of its twists and turns, actually remarkably simple. The show follows a mild-mannered chemistry who becomes the worst version of himself as he starts to cook and then sell meth in the American southwest. From episode to episode, we track his descent, and the many moral lines that he crosses along the way. Because it’s so well performed and beautifully shot, though, Breaking Bad became one of the most beloved series of its time, and it’s one that is incredibly easy to binge your way through.
Veep (2012)
7 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale
Created by
Armando Iannucci
Watch on max
It’s hard not to be just a little bit cynical about politics these days, but that’s precisely why Veep is such a great show. The series tells the story of the first female vice president, constantly reminding viewers that politicians are just a particular kind of idiot. While this show has its moments of tenderness and heartbreak, it leads with a sharp edge about the way politics work, and how monumental decisions can be made for the dumbest possible reasons. Julia Louis-Dreyfus delivers a staggeringly great central performance, and she’s surrounded by a brilliant cast of consistently hilarious people.
Succession (2018)
4 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Comedy
Stars
Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook
Created by
Jesse Armstrong
Watch on max
A perfect four-season binge, Succession is one of the great shows of the 21st century. A loose adaptation of King Lear, the show follows the four children of an aging media tycoon who pits them against one another as they try to win his approval. The show is equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking. Just when you come to feel for these children, the show reminds you of their privilege, and of how little they care about the world around them or how their actions might affect it. Succession is brilliant and bracing, and features a half dozen amazing performances at the center of its whirlwind storytelling.
Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000)
12 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman
Created by
Larry David
Watch on max
Larry David’s magnum opus, Curb Your Enthusiasm is one of the funniest shows in the history of TV, and it’s funny precisely because the stakes are so low. The series follows Larry playing a version of himself as he deals with the many small annoyances that come with being alive. Larry David’s humor has always been observational, and when Curb is at its best, it’s pointing out the many small things that can ruin your life if you let them. Surrounded by a great supporting cast and frequent guest stars, Curb is so funny that you’ll never want to stop watching it.
Suits (2011)
9 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Stars
Gabriel Macht, Sarah Rafferty, Amanda Schull
Created by
Aaron Korsh
Watch on Netflix
The platonic ideal of a breezy drama, Suits tells the story of an incredibly intelligent man who pretends to be a lawyer without ever having gone to law school. While that premise doesn’t last through the entire series, Suits is essentially a legal drama in which the cases themselves are often less important than whatever is happening between the central characters. Featuring an attractive, solid cast (which includes future princess Meghan Markle), and consistently quippy dialogue, you’ll find yourself finishing several seasons of this in the blink of an eye.
The West Wing (1999)
7 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Stars
Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, John Spencer
Created by
Aaron Sorkin
Watch on max
If you’re longing for some high-minded political idealism, few shows are better than The West Wing. An Emmy juggernaut in its day, The West Wing remains a popular gateway for many who are just discovering what it means to be interested in politics. The series tells the story of a president and his staff as the deal with the tumult of the presidency, and because it was written by Aaron Sorkin, it features some of the greatest dialogue ever written for the small screen. Not every episode of The West Wing is great, but at its best, it’s better than almost anything else.
Abbott Elementary (2021)
4 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Quinta Brunson, Tyler James Williams, Sheryl Lee Ralph
Created by
Quinta Brunson
Watch on Hulu
Perhaps the best heir to The Office that we have yet seen, Abbott Elementary takes a fundamentally different view of the mockumentary format. The series follows a group of elementary school teachers who are doing their best to help the kids under their tutelage at a Philadelphia school. The show is funny in part because of the ways in which it understands precisely how hard it is for teachers to do their jobs in a system that seems designed for them to fail. There’s plenty of joy on the show as well, and a classic will-they won’t-they dynamic as well.
