WITH THE EVENINGS so cold and dark, we don’t blame you if all you want to do is curl up in front of the telly and stick something nice on.
To keep you from scrolling mindlessly through Netflix for hours, we’ve picked some of its more comforting options for your perusal.
1. Gilmore Girls
Duh! The new miniseries, Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life, will be available from Friday – so now’s the time to get catching up, if you haven’t been already.
If you’re unfamiliar: the show follows a single mother and her daughter living in the colourful, fictional town of Stars Hollow. Cosy as a pair of Penneys fluffy socks.
2. Master of None
Comedian Aziz Ansari’s comedy about an actor trying to make it in New York is a lovely way to spend a few hours. With episodes devoted to the themes of race, gender, and the life of immigrants, it’ll make you think as it makes you laugh.
3. The Crown
The most expensive Netflix original show to date, The Crown charts the life of Queen Elizabeth II with admirable detail. What is it about period dramas that’s just so damn comforting?
4. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
A police sitcom brought to you by the same man who wrote Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine was bound to pack a few laughs. The episodes are so short that it’s easy to just keep pressing play all night long. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
5. Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries
A crime show with a difference, Miss Fisher follows the titular lady detective as she flirts glamorously around 1920s Melbourne, getting sh*t done. And the costumes? Fabulous.
6. How To Train Your Dragon
Bear with us here. Sometimes you just want to watch a cute kids’ film, and How To Train Your Dragon is one of the cutest. Netflix is severely suffering with the lack of Disney/Pixar films on it at the moment, but this comes very close (you might even cry).
7. First Wives’ Club
Is there a better balm for the soul than watching Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler and Diane Keaton plot revenge against their rotten ex-husbands? We think not.
8. Big Fish
Directed by Tim Burton, Big Fish tells the story of a dying man trying to reconcile with his son by telling him unbelievable tales from his eventful life. If you’re looking for pure escapism, this is it.
9. RuPaul’s Drag Race
The pinnacle of reality TV, RPDR takes a bunch of drag queens and puts them through their paces under the beautifully made-up eye of RuPaul. So magnificently over-the-top that it’ll completely distract you from the real world for at least an hour.
10. Guardians of the Galaxy
One of Marvel’s finest efforts, in our humble opinion, is the tale of this rag-tag bunch of misfits on the run after stealing a powerful artifact. It’s funny and sweet, with a soundtrack you’ll be singing for the rest of the week.
11. Pride & Prejudice
The BBC miniseries, of course. Lush costumes and settings, that trademark Austen wit, and Colin Firth in a lake. Sounds like a great night in to us.
12. Freaks and Geeks
New to Netflix, this sadly short-lived show created by Paul Feig (of Bridesmaids and Ghostbusters fame) follows two teenage siblings as they navigate the perils of high school. Feels and LOLs in equal measure.
H/T Louise McSharry
