Netflix shows to watch during self-quarantine

What if it didn’t matter if you died? Altered Carbon explores this existential question by plunging the viewer into a universe in which people’s consciousnesses can be embedded into new bodies, rendering them practically immortal. Starring Anthony Mackie, who plays Falcon in the Marvel movies, Altered Carbon just released its second season, and it’s the perfect science fiction narrative to give you food for thought during a pandemic.

Love Is Blind

If you like mindless reality shows, like The Bachelor or Netflix’s The Circle (where Black Mirror meets Survivor), you’ll enjoy Love Is Blind. Dozens of contestants look for true love in “pods,” where they sit across from one another but aren’t allowed to see each other’s faces. After falling in love “sight unseen,” as the show’s creators like to say, the couples test out their emotional connections in the real world. It does, in fact, result in a few marriages (with real marriage licenses), and, while the decisions of some characters are likely to drive you nuts, it has some more poignant moments.

Schitt’s Creek

Definitely one of the best sitcoms of the decade, Schitt’s Creek has five seasons streaming on Netflix. The plot is simple: After losing their fortune, the Rose family moves to the forgotten town of Schitt’s Creek to start a new life together. Basically, the show is what Arrested Development would be if its characters were likable. Its best moments are its one-liners, from matriarch Moira’s, “I would be pleased to RSVP as… pending,” to daughter Alexis’s signature line: “Ew, David!” It’s fun, immensely quotable, and long-running enough to sustain a serious TV binge.

I Am Not Okay with This

If you enjoyed Stranger Things, you might have noticed that every new Netflix show seems to be about kids in the ’80s and, honestly, that’s not a bad thing. As I Am Not Okay with This combines a modern setting with a retro aesthetic, it centers on Syd, a red-headed teenager with acne on her thighs, which is the least of her problems. When Syd discovers she can change reality with her mind, she has to learn to navigate not only her own adolescence — first love, the homecoming dance — but also a supernatural power that may be the key to understanding the death of her father.

The series really gets going in the last episode, making it more of a character-driven journey than an action-packed one. Starring Sophia Lillis (Syd) and Wyatt Oleff (her friend Stanley), both from the recent It adaption, I Am Not Okay with This is a 21st-century Carrie, just a little less dark.

The Office

Of course, if you don’t want to try anything new, there are always nine seasons of The Office to rewatch. Sadly, the show never got the chance to address the coronavirus outbreak, but you can imagine it going something like this: