Knit to This
Knit to This: Combo Binges
Want uplift? Want unease?
For me, I want both!
These days, I find myself in a neverending Tilt-a-Whirl of what to watch.
Really, at this point there’s so much teevee on the teevee that it’s possible to curate the most bonkers pairings of shows.
Looking to get my laff on? Comedians on Netflix are good. Nate Bargatze and Leann Morgan keep it loose and funny.
Craving somebody else’s creepy world? That’s where The White Lotus, Succession, and all the other hero-free series are the thing, so at least I can say to myself, Well at least I’m not in Sicily with a hotel full of terrible people.
In a peanut-butter-and-chocolate move, I’m here to recommend the fine art of bingeing two series at the same time, a bite of Jif then a bite of Hershey’s.
I’m currently deep into my wildest whiplash since The Great Bachelorette + Alone Combo Binge of 2021.
I’m dosing myself with episodes of Severance and Ted Lasso.
Severance: A team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives.
Ted Lasso: An American football coach is hired to manage a British soccer team.
Fair warning: you gotta be fully caffeinated to deal with Severance‘s dystopic office space and people behaving weirdly.
And as for Ted Lasso, the all-time greatest feel-good series? I never watched it during the pandemic, but wow is it working for me now.
In search of more combo binges—please leave a comment!
PBS has some good shows. Endeavor and All Things Great and Small. These were worth the binge!
I’m in!!
Unfortunately, I have no combo binges to recommend. But The Pitt on Max is really, really good. Like ER but waaaay more real (and more gory). Ten episodes are out so far, with five more that will drop one at a time each Thursday. Maybe you could combine that with something sweet and peaceful?
I second the recommendation for The Pitt. It is once in a decade good.
We recently switched from Hulu to Apple TV having exhausted binge series on Hulu. A good pair on Apple TV is Dickenson (about Emily Dickenson) a lovely exploration of the poet and her family with a Bridgerton-like modern/of the time flair and Bad Sisters, a murder mystery surrounding a set of quirky Irish sisters, set on killing off one of the sister’s husbands. Another unlikely pair is Shrinking with Harrison Ford leading a group of psychologists who are in need of their own services and Pachinko a sumptuous visualization of the book of the same name.
Second the Bad Sisters!
Yes, Dickinson is fun, I’m watching it now. It’s a shame it’s only 2 seasons.
No combo but currently watching Astrid on PBS. 100% French so subtitles are your friend which takes a minute to get used to but but wow. It’s worth the watch and it gets better the deeper in you go so don’t give up too soon. (I skipped the two early episodes about haunting – no thanks)
Love Astrid, but have gone further into French with Cherif and L’Art du Crime. Crime in Paris with an art historian’s twist and fabulous indoor views of the Louvre.
Add Jeff Allen and you’ve named my 3 favorite comedians! Easy to listen to while I’m knitting.
Agree that The Pitt is just that good! We are pairing it with ER! Noah Wylie at the beginning and now. Being back in the ’90’s is a sweet time travel even though the pace is often frenetic. We’ve loved it when Dr. Robby (The Pitt) performs a procedure effortlessly that young Dr. Carter didn’t have the nerve to do and we saw these on the same day.
A good pairing, and by the way all things medical with interesting plots and characters are Doc on hulu and the already mentioned The Pitt on max. Have to say that both shows are great!
Astrid, on PBS. About a brilliant young woman who happens to be autistic and the woman who becomes her friend, Raphaelle, a detective. The stories are at least as much about the friendship, the strength of their caring, learning about their differences, as two fine minds working along with other fine minds. In French, subtitled. My French is really rusty, but I can understand much of it (unlike some rapid-fire French dialogue that eludes me). Anyway, I ADORE this series! I am NOT binging because I am dreading the end of this season’s new episodes and having to wait another year.
I recommend The Extraordinary Attorney Woo, a Korean show about an autistic attorney. It took me a few episodes to get into but then ended up slow rolling it bc I didn’t want it to end. I can’t recall which English language show I had paired it with. I wish I could find something great, now.
Man, on the Inside, a Ted Danson comedy set in a nursing home, and Never have I Ever, produced by Mindy Kaling and set in a high school. Both funny, both with heartfelt moments, both about 30 minutes per episode, perfect before bedtime binging.
Agree. I’m addicted to mysteries and thrillers but like cozy and light for a wind-down.
We accidentally fell into pairing Bad Monkey with Surface. We’ve kept our supper + show with our best couple friends most Saturdays since March 2020 (pod). After watching Deadwood, Mad Men, Perry Mason, and another couple series, we are now revisiting The West Wing. President Bartlett is a breath of fresh air, warm, funny, and wise.
Thanks. Bad Monkey was surprisingly entertaining. Despite some glaring flaws. (E.g., can we pair a man with a woman close to his own age, not 14 years younger & much hotter). I think everyone needs to start speaking up about this for so many reasons, not the least of which is work for actresses in their 50s.
Definitely Shetland and any Fair Isle knitting!
I’m waiting for my busy season to end so I can watch Sherlock on Masterpiece Theater (PBS). It’s an older series, but new on my radar.
I have to recommend Netflix’s You Can’t Ask That. It’s an Australian documentary series of episodes where real people from marginalized communities answer questions from the curious public. You will learn a lot and sometimes change your pre-determined beliefs. The episode on intersex people is very interesting. And will supply food for thought on the gender laws in America.
After watching a few too many dark series, have switched to binging Zoe Bakes on magnolia network and Frasier.
However, if anyone knows where I can find the original Miami Vice series I’d be totally into that!
I don’t know about a pairing, but I loved the Durrells in Corfu on Prime. A single mom moves her older, and quirky, children from England to Corfu where they live in an abandoned villa. The character development is a joy and the journey of the family’s integration into their new community is full of surprises. Stunningly beautiful too. I am also enjoying Hacks on Max, about two women, of different generations, pursuing their dreams. One is an aging Vegas comedian and the other is a young writer. The evolution of their relationship takes many sharp turns. I am also learning a lot about how the writer’s generation sees the world and us boomers.
I’ve been hesitant to watch The Durrells in Corfu because I enjoyed Gerald Durrell’s books so much when I was young and I wonder if the show could be nearly as good.
And, of course, All Creatures Great and Small is lovely.
The comments here are awesome! I love Ted Lasso, Hacks, All Creatures Great and Small, The Durrells in Corfu, and Sherlock. I’m looking forward to the others that were mentioned, especially Dickenson (I went to Hampshire College in Amherst, MA).
May I also offer up Doc Martin (all on Acorn, but many seasons on PBS and I know y’all have Passport). PBS Passport also has the original All Creatures Great And Small.
And don’t forget: Good Omens, Doctor Who, and Reacher
I am studying Romanian in my pursuit for citizenship there. Good Omens and some of the later Doctor Whos are in Romanian so they’re great to watch while I’m on my indoor bike trainer.
I’ll enjoy exploring some of these more humorous and gentle show recommendations – thank you! We’re about to start our 4th time through Ted Lasso because it’s comforting and we seem to pick up on something new each time.
I’m enjoying Indian Summers on PBS (of course, we have Passport!) and Designated Survivor with my husband (we’re late to the party, obviously, but so many of the themes are still relevant).
Recently accidentally paired Our Flag Means Death with Succession and while I would not have planned it, it turned out to be a fascinating way to illuminate positive versus toxic masculinity! 🙂
In general can rec both those shows – OFMD for delight and Succession for a kind of modern Game of Thrones soap opera/power struggle vibe.