Here's what to watch over the holiday break!
2018 was a truly fantastic year in TV, but there's just so much to watch!
Thankfully, the holiday break offers a perfect time to catch up on binging the best of the small screen -- especially before the 2019 awards season kicks off with the Golden Globes on Jan. 6.
Whether you’re burnt out on all that celebrating, need to escape family madness for a few hours or just enjoying your down time while off from work, ET's intrepid TV team has you covered, with a breakdown of some of our favorite new shows, old favorites, series to catch up on before new episodes premiere and names you'll want to know come awards season.
Read on for all the best shows to binge this holiday break -- and where to find them!
New Seasons
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Awards darling The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel recently launched its anticipated second season and it’s as divine as the breakout freshman run. We’re always here for a show led by powerful, fierce women and you definitely get that here with Emmy winners Rachel Brosnahan and Alex Borstein leading the charge.
Where to Watch: The first two seasons are available on Amazon Prime Video.
You
It’s hard to keep up with all that’s on TV, so we completely understand if You slipped through the cracks. But now is the best time to catch up on the entire first season! If you’re in the mood for a twisty psychological ride (with a dash of screwed-up romance) over the holidays, then this Penn Badgley drama -- which makes the move from Lifetime to Netflix for season two -- is the one to binge.
Where to Watch: The first season of You is available on Hulu Live TV, with the episodes available on Netflix starting Dec. 26.
Timeless
The Time Team may have finished their final mission, but now’s the perfect time to curl up on the couch, snuggle up under a cozy blanket and live through Timeless' entire 28-episode adventure again -- or for the very first time! Led by Abigail Spencer’s Lucy Preston, the ragtag team of unlikely heroes travel to different historical moments in time as they try and save history. It’s a rollicking good time that the whole family can watch together.
Where to Watch: The entire series, including the two-hour Christmas special, is available on Hulu.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Nothing says holiday cheer like watching a teen witch try to navigate the path of her dark (often bloody) destiny while still trying to have a social life with her mortal boyfriend and friends. Fair warning: there are quite a few spiders in this and Salem the cat doesn’t actually speak. If this still makes you want to say, “Praise Satan!” then give yourself over to the Dark Lord and give it a try.
Where to Watch: Bewitch yourselves with part one of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (including the holiday special) on Netflix.
Great British Baking Show & Nailed It!
On your mark, get set… BAKE! Or completely eff up your dessert. We don’t really care. We just love the fact that there’s no skill or clean-up required to watch these two delicious shows.
Where to Watch: You can snack on both of these reality competition series on Netflix.
Old Favorites
Friends
Let's be honest – you're already binging this, so you might as well say, "How you doing?" to starting this glorious series all over again. Also, if you have it on in the background while you’re doing a little New Year's cleaning, Monica would be so darn proud.
Where to Watch: All 10 seasons are currently streaming on Netflix. (And don't worry, they're not going anywhere.)
The Office
“Bears. Beats. Battlestar Galactica.” If those four words aren’t enough of a reason for you to want to re-watch this comedy classic over the holiday break, well then we have a lot of questions for you. Number one: How dare you?
Where to Watch: All nine seasons of The Office are available to binge on Netflix, but honestly if you just want to watch the Christmas episodes, Mindy Kaling has you covered.
Charmed and Roswell
New reboots of your beloved teen dramas will continue to flood our screens in 2019. The good news? You can now binge the bewitching and out-of-this world series that started it all -- so you can chime in on social media when everyone inevitably pits the new shows against the originals.
Where to Watch: All eight seasons of Charmed are currently casting their spell on Netflix and all three seasons of Roswell can be probed on Hulu.
Veronica Mars
Get ready, Marshmallows! With new episodes of Veronica Mars headed to Hulu in the new year, this holiday break is the perfect time to catch up with the perky, pint-sized spy -- and all her high school and college hijinks -- before Kristen Bell brings the beloved character back to life for more investigative adventures in the sunny-yet-shady town of Neptune, California.
Where to Watch: Veronica Mars seasons 1-3, and the 2014 movie, are currently available on Amazon Prime Video before they head to Hulu in summer 2019.
Grey’s Anatomy
If you really have a lot of time over the holidays to devote to binge-watching one show, why not Grey’s Anatomy? Still going strong in its 15th season, the long-running medical drama still has everything you love in a soap: sexy hookups, devastating breakups and classic OMG moments. Plus, revisiting iconic Grey’s moments sure sounds like a fun adventure, doesn’t it?
Where to Watch: The first 14 seasons are available on Netflix, with current episodes of season 15 available on Hulu.
Alias
If you haven’t watched Jennifer Garner’s stellar spy drama, Alias, drop everything and run to your computer right now to right this wrong! Garner plays undercover spy, Sydney Bristow, who rocks colorful wigs and different personas like it’s her job. (Well, technically it is.) It’s J.J. Abrams at his best pre-Star Trek and Star Wars, so prepare yourself for a roller-coaster ride -- seasons three and four may be a tad tough to get through -- of emotions, heartbreak and Rambaldi-fueled conspiracies.
Where to Watch: The entire series is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Awards Contenders
Bodyguard
Late to the Bodyguard obsession? Sign into that Netflix account and press play over the holidays! The six-hour series, starring Golden Globe-nominated Richard Madden, is intensely satisfying with its shocking twists and turns. (We’re not kidding, you’ll be on the edge of your seat.) Like the main character, David Budd, you don’t quite know where things are headed and that’s exactly why you should go into it spoiler-free. Trust us, by the end of it, you’ll be wanting more.
Where to Watch: The first season is available on Netflix.
Killing Eve
Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer are so good in BBC America’s buzzy drama Killing Eve that there’s no reason not to jump on the bandwagon or rewatch the first season again and again -- just in time for the anticipated sophomore run to kick off in April.
Where to Watch: The first season is available on Hulu.
The Kominsky Method
In the Golden Globe-nominated The Kominsky Method, Michael Douglas plays a legendary acting coach and Alan Arkin portrays his best friend who loses his wife. The eight-episode comedy series is an endearing exploration into death, grief and getting older against the backdrop of the often overrated glitz of Hollywood.
Where to Watch: The first season is available on Netflix.
The Sinner
Jessica Biel showcased what she was capable of in the first installment of The Sinner, with a blistering performance as a woman who committed an unspeakable crime. In the follow-up, Carrie Coon followed suit with a memorable portrayal as the powerful leader of a cult. Bill Pullman, who serves as the intriguing common thread, was recently recognized with a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, so you know it’s worth your time.
Where to Watch: The first season is available on Netflix, with the second season on Amazon Prime Video.
The Good Place
If you haven’t haven’t already watched The Good Place, we have one question for you: What the fork is the matter with you?! This show has everything: froyo, lessons on morality, shrimp, and some of the biggest and most satisfying plot twists we’ve seen on TV. Stop being a little bench and just watch it already.
Where to Watch: You can catch the first two seasons on Netflix and then get caught up on the third and current season on Hulu.
Returning in the New Year
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Nine-nine! The beloved squad is moving to a new network after this summer’s cancellation-acquisition whirlwind, but it’s a safe bet that they’ll still be up to the same old hijinks. Catch up over the holidays before the Brooklyn Nine-Nine team sends Jake and Amy off on their honeymoon and bids farewell to snark queen Gina (departing cast member Chelsea Peretti) in the new year. Noice!
Where to Watch: The first five seasons are streaming on Hulu.
Game of Thrones
Winter isn’t coming anymore. It’s here – which means you need to bundle up and get to bingeing before the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones hits your screens spring 2019. Whether you want to refresh your memory with all of Westeros’ most shocking deaths, or finally see if you can get all those House names straight, it’s time to prepare for the beginning of the end.
Where to Watch: You can watch seven seasons of Game of Thrones by signing up for subscriptions on HBO Go, HBO Now, (or just steal your parents' password).
Schitt’s Creek
One of TV's most underrated comedies, Schitt's Creek is like a Canadian Arrested Development, with a totally quotable patter all its own. Watch as the uber-wealthy Rose family finds themselves broke and banished to a one-motel town, where they encounter a truly hysterical cast of characters. Enjoy a holiday binge all of their hilarious misadventures -- including a tour de force performance by comedy legend Catherine O'Hara.
Where to Watch: The first four seasons of Schitt's Creek are currently available to stream on Netflix, while season five and the Christmas special just premiered on Pop.
The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
It's a miracle! Kimmy Schmidt and all her friends are coming back above ground for the second half of the Netflix comedy's fourth and final season in January 2019, so catch up on all the adventures of the bubbly former cult member -- navigating her way through NYC life after losing 15 years in a bunker -- before Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne returns with new commandments from Gosh and Jeepers.
Where to Watch: All episodes of Kimmy Schmidt are currently streaming on Netflix, and the final seven episodes of the fourth and final season arrive on Jan. 25.
The Punisher
Frank Castle -- one of the last Marvel heroes still standing on Netflix -- is returning for a new batch of revenge in 2019, which means the bad guys of New York City's seedy underbelly had better watch their backs. Watch Jon Bernthal's pitch-perfect portrayal of the Punisher's tragic story and merciless vigilantism before his memento mori makes another terrifying appearance in the new year.
Where to Watch: Start the Punisher's journey with Daredevil season two before continuing with the first season of the standalone series, both on Netflix. Season two premieres on the streaming service in January.
Elite
If you're still longing to fill that Gossip Girl-shaped hole in your heart, Elite may be just what you're looking for. The buzzed-about teen drama features three working class friends who receive scholarships to Las Encinas, the most exclusive private school in Spain which, of course, leads to romance, intrigue and eventually, murder. XOXO, mis amores.
Where to Watch: Elite season one is currently streaming on Netflix, and season two is on its way!
Just for Fun
Superstore
Legends of Tomorrow
Undoubtedly the most fun (and bizarre) of The CW's DC Comics-inspired Arrow 'verse of shows, the Legends have come into their own in recent seasons as they travel through space and time, righting anachronisms, defeating supernatural forces of evil and channeling the totem powers of a popular '90s stuffed toy named Beebo -- among other wild adventures. (Seriously, in the season four premiere, they go back to Woodstock to fight a magical, murderous unicorn that can shoot hallucinogenic glitter from its horn. We couldn't make this stuff up, you just gotta watch.)
Where to Watch: The Legends' first three seasons are available to stream on Netflix, and you can get current with the fourth season on the CW app.
Suits and Quantico
Lovesick
If you've run through all your favorite rom-coms and are in the mood for something new over the holidays, try Lovesick. Starring The Good Doctor's Antonia Thomas, The Crown's Daniel Ings and British rocker Johnny Flynn, the series (which was unfortunately initially titled Scrotal Recall) tells the story of three friends, and their interweaving tales of life, love and yes, venereal disease. It's sweet, smart and totally infectious -- plus, it's an easy binge at just six to eight episodes per season.
Where to Watch: All three seasons of Lovesick are streaming on Netflix.
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
Anthony Bourdain eschewed almost everything about typical "chef culture," and Parts Unknown is a perfect encapsulation of that. In his long-running CNN show, the classically-trained chef traveled around the world, exploring under-appreciated culinary marvels and the cultures that shaped them. At the end of the year in which we lost one of the food world's most progressive and unique voices, what better way to pay tribute to his memory than a binge of the series that took him out of the kitchen and around the world?
Where to Watch: Seasons 1-10 of Parts Unknown are currently streaming on Netflix. Season 11 arrives on Dec. 25.
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