I don’t feel great about opening every article with this same rough phrase and tone for the last few days; however, it is essential. This reality is a very trying time for many of us. It’s especially trying for those who are deftly trying to survive and risk their lives, either unknowingly or full consciousness of risks. For those who are a little more fortunate in health, you might find it hard to be at home for the next couple of weeks. I won’t lie, being inside 90% of the time isn’t fun, but there’s plenty you and I can do without human contact; separately, of course.

With that, I’m putting together some lists of things you can do while you are at home. Bare with me as Taylor is the one who usually does “list” articles when it comes to the site, so don’t expect me to be as concise or for this to be that tripe Buzzfeed (and other places I avoid like a plague) plop out daily. I don’t care what your Patronus says about you and the friends you keep, though if you are an owl, stop it and stop it now you pervert! Ok, jokes about things I do not understand aside, let’s list fantastic TV shows.

Doctor Who

Shut up, I know I’m essentially promoting my series going back to review “New Who,” but there’s a reason I’ve done that. I’m weeks ahead, and we’re not finished with the first two episodes, but I’m finished with series 1. I wouldn’t be returning to the early series of the current run if it wasn’t, as Eccleston says, Fantastic! Yes, in some episodes such as “The Unquiet Dead” and “Father’s Day” I will complain about them not being made for me specifically; but everyone does that, right? Though none of that says why you should watch Doctor Who (2005-onward) now in 2020.

Doctor Who is a series, that yes, has large stupid rubber aliens in “World War Three,” but it is about humanity making it through countless battles with our own stupidity. Battles behind curtains battles up in space, and sometimes battles between ourselves, it is a show about human endurance in the face of adversity. If there is one thing we need when many are worried about our future and having to stay indoors, Doctor Who is possibly the best thing you could tell someone to watch right now. Often fun, sometimes a little crap and endlessly weird British humor filled with innuendo and references. What’s not to love?

Star Trek: Picard

Well, I wish I didn’t couple Picard with that whatever mess some American producer made Armando Iannucci’s sci-fi comedy into. If there is one thing many fans of proper sci-fi miss, it is the morality and depth of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine; two fantastic shows you should also watch. As Picard permeated Jean-Luc with all the characteristics of 2020, I had a moment of bliss as I forgot Discovery continued J.J. Trek. That alone is the power and love this slow and methodical show is given. Picking up where Jean-Luc needs to pick up the pieces of his life, it is a beautiful continuation of TNG.

To simply say how this show does better than others, there is a kid in one episode. If there is one thing Jean-Luc and I don’t care for, it is kids; loud, sticky, and annoying, I can’t stand them. Yet I’ve found myself saying Kestra was correctly raised by wonderful people that I won’t spoil, and then there is Elnor who was raised by the Romulan warrior nuns in Qowat Milat (way of absolute candor). It is fun, serious, philosophical, and Star Trek; I can’t get enough, and yet it ends this Thursday.

Ugly Betty

Before we went on our break at the end of December, I had a plan to cover this one in the Must See series I was doing (and want to return to). Then in January, as we were coming back, Silvio Horta, the writer and producer that brought the Ugly Betty from the Columbian show “Yo Soy Betty, La Fea,” died suddenly. Understandably I put that article on the back burner for now.

The concept is simple, a young woman who has dreamt of working for “Meade Publishing” applies and is hired on the spot by the top boss as she’s different. She’s not “ugly,” but in the world of fashion, she stands out like a gazelle in the lion enclosure; circled by wannabe models, her knit-wear makes her frumpy. She’s hired to work at “Mode,” a high-fashion magazine as the assistant to the editor-in-chief, a playboy heir to the Meade fortune who has slept with every assistant with a heartbeat. Amidst murder, resurrection, being bullied for being gay, a trans character, and immigration; for a comedy-drama, it touched hard issues in 2006.

GLOW

Put all the preconceived notions of wrestling out the window, because WWE doesn’t represent all of wrestling. GLOW is a scripted comedy-drama about the TV production of a women’s only wrestling show featuring women who’ve never wrestled. Between personal drama, proper character growth, and really letting go on some issues such as; single motherhood, being an actress in the 80s, sexuality, mental health, race, and more, no stone is unturned. When I did the “Must See” article on this one, I avoided some spoilers for the show for a good reason.

Friends have gone through the show several times, I’ve done so twice, and even those that don’t love wrestling seem to like GLOW. I know we’re running articles on The Witcher right now, and some of us would disagree on this, but GLOW is one of, if not, the best-scripted shows Netflix has produced. Not one for kids, but for sure is one that should be watched at least once.

The Witcher

We all knew this one was coming; it just had to. The books that inspired the games that led to the commissioning of a tv show that’s not called “The Hexer” from 2002. Instead, we’re talking about the American fantasy drama based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels and not the Polish fantasy series from 18 years ago. Critically acclaimed, showered in praise of fans and first-timers alike, you’d have to have lived under a rock for months not to have heard about it by now. If that’s the case, I should tell you there is a pandemic going on that canceled E3 and put more stress on GameStop.

The Witcher is a show about a Witcher known as Geralt, think a vampire hunter, but that vampire hunter hunts all the horrible beasts. In a timeline that’s as messy and confusing as the New York subway system, he crosses paths with a mage called Yennefer and a mighty young woman named Ciri. No, she’s not the one that adds things to your calendar on an iPhone, just the usual fantasy powers of screaming in a forest to take out an entire army.

Formula Racing

With mass cancellations of all sports, including those where the sportsperson sits down for two hours, a lot of people miss their sports. One I’ve covered previously has been F1, a single-seater racing series that’s popular, particularly in Europe. They have canceled races through May at present, though fans of single open-wheel seater racing might want to check out lower tier formulas that you can watch right now.

I’ve spoken on W Series before and how I’d rather women were sponsored into F1 (and other series) rather than making a smaller, lesser-known series to filter out women. That said, the entire first season is on the W Series YouTube channel, free to watch right now, with great races. The same is said of Formula E, the all-electric Formula with some former F1 faces. Meanwhile, Formula 1 races are currently being held virtually in F1 2019 (non-championship standing). There are lots of races to get watching.

Taskmaster

Oh God, no, not that awful over-produced American thing that just didn’t work. The UK series Taskmaster is a show with five UK celebrities of different backgrounds, all doing simple tasks in and around a house on the outskirts of London. “How stupid?” you might be asking, and that’s simply described with the second task of series 4, destroy the cake in the most beautiful way. One goes off and sticks it in the washing machine, another dissects it like Hannibal Lector, and a third presses it into the table and backs out the room.

If you’re in the US, all the episodes are being uploaded to the show’s YouTube channel with series 1, 2, 3, and 4 (linked above). If you’re in the UK, you can watch all current episodes on the UKTV Play site, with new episodes appearing on there a week before they air on TV. Nine whole series of comedians, actors, and whatever Frank Skinner is, it is comedy gold.

Citation Needed

Sticking with the UK and panel show-like things that only work now, Citation Needed is next, though it may contain language unsuitable for some. There are four English men, three of whom have to say “facts” within a Wikipedia article, the fourth is your host. It is endlessly hilarious to listen to the ramblings of Gary, Matt, Chris, and Tom as the former three have to guess what is in the Wikipedia article “The Big Lobster,” “The Flag of Mars,” “Sergeant Reckless,” or “Jack Churchill.”

Full of stupid puns, neverending loops of British references, and offensively back accents, it is just something to take your mind off of everything. Since then, the group has gone on to create the equally funny series Two of These People are Lying, continuing with a random Wikipedia article, but the roles are reversed. I can’t recommend this one enough.

Honorable mentions

I tried to avoid anything obvious like Game of Thrones or whatever anyone else would suggest. So let’s run down some others you should watch that doesn’t need as much of a set up: Westworld, Hunters X, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Mandalorian, The Good Place, Scrubs, Better Call Saul, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Community, Frasier, The Grand Tour, James May: Our Man in Japan, 2 Broke Girls, Desperate Housewives, Monk, Sons of Anarchy, Mr. Robot, Life on Mars (UK), Breaking Bad. Yet the list could go on all day.

Want a superhero show? Jessica Jones. Would you rather a mockumentary? Watch The Office (US). If you’re in the market for animated series, Futurama, Archer, or She-Ra and the Princesses of Power will suit you fine. As for YouTube channels: Adam Savage’s Tested, Tom Scott, and more are worth a look. I’ve given you far too many suggestions for you to say, “I’ve got nothing to watch while I’m stuck at home,” so go find some of them and give them a watch or, in some cases, re-watch.