5 TV Shows to Watch While in Quarantine
By Tess Adelstein, CTC Secretary
Over the past year, all of us have had to spend so much time at home. We’ve all gotten the opportunity to try new things and discover new hobbies that we never thought we would enjoy. We’ve watched all of the movies and TV shows on our lists, listened to that new artists album more times than we can count, read every last book in our houses, and Zoomed our friends for weeks on end. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably run out of new activities to do to fill your time at home. That’s why I’ve decided to give you, the people of Camp Chi, a list of 5 TV shows to watch while our quarantine continues.
- The Good Place- This show is a comedy on Netflix created by Michael Schur, who also created The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Brookly-Nine-Nine. The show follows Eleanor Shellstrop, played by Kristen Bell, as she is welcomed to “The Good Place”, a very exclusive, Utopia-like afterlife, after she dies as a reward for living such a righteous life on Earth. She soon discovers that she was sent here by mistake and doesn’t actually belong in the Good Place, rather it’s counterpart, the Bad Place. In order to not get caught, she must hide her imperfect behavior from the architect of the Good Place, Michael (played by Ted Danson), while learning to become a morally better person with the help of other members of the Good Place. This is a 4 season comedy show that’s unlike anything you’ve ever watched before. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll get a better understanding and appreciation for life and the people you are surrounded by along with a better picture of the type of person you want to be.
- The Queen’s Gambit- This limited drama series on Netflix, that’s based on a real story, follows the main character Elizabeth “Beth” Harmon, played by the lovely Anya Taylor-Joy, through her childhood, growing up in an orphanage in Lexington, Kentucky after her and her mom got into a car crash, which her mom died in. She is taught chess by the janitor at the orphanage, Mr. Shaibel, and takes to the game very easily with the help of the tranquilizer pills the orphanage gives the girls. As Beth continues to get older and better at chess, she eventually gets adopted and decides to enter a chess competition and, to the surprise of many, wins it despite having no prior competition experience. She continues to enter competitions, making friends and enemies along the way, while also dealing with emotional instability and alcohol and drug dependency as she tries to become the greatest chess player in the world. It’s a super quick watch all based on a real story and by the time you finish it, you’ll be ready to go out and buy a book about chess and try to be the best chess player in the world, or at least your household.
- Freaks and Geeks- A classic TV show from the 90’s on Hulu follows Lindsay Weir, played by Linda Cardellini, and her little brother Sam, played by John Francis Daley, as they navigate life at William McKinley High School in 1980. Lindsay finds herself trying to move beyond her reputation of being a nerdy mathlete and starts hanging out with a new, rebellious group of friends, known as “the freaks”, which consists of Daniel Desario (James Franco), Ken Miller (Seth Rogan), Nick Andopolis (Jason Segel), and Kim Kelly (Busy Philipps). On the other hand, her brother Sam and his group of friends, “the geeks”, made up of him, Neal Schweiber (Samm Levine) and Bill Haverchuck (Martin Starr), as they try to fit in and navigate their way through the chaotic world of high school in Chippewa, Michigan in the 90’s. It’s a classic high school, coming of age TV show that sheds light on the social difficulties that high schoolers still experience today inside and outside of school.
- Santa Clarita Diet- Now this Netflix original comedy isn’t like anything you’ve seen before. This show follows Sheila and Joel Hammond, played by Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant, a seemingly normal suburban couple in Santa Clarita, California with their teenage daughter, Abby, played by Liv Hewson. One morning, Sheila wakes up feeling unbelievably sick, throwing up everywhere for no reason. As it turns out, she is actually undead and starts craving human flesh. Her and her family have to try and hide this while still being able to get her food to keep her “alive” and get to the bottom of what caused this very sudden change in Sheila. While this is a VERY funny show, it isn’t for everyone, so if you’re extremely squeamish or have a dislike for blood, I’d recommend watching one of the other shows recommended on this list instead.
- WandaVision- This Marvel television show, which takes place three weeks after the events of Avengers: Endgame, follow Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) while living the perfect suburban life in the 1950’s in the town of Westview, New Jersey, trying to conceal their true identities. As the show continues and begins to enter new decades, characters and viewers begin to discover that things in Westview aren’t quite what they seem. This is an amazing TV show concept and, in my opinion, one of the most unique things Marvel has produced. While you don’t have to have seen all of the Marvel movies before watching the show, it doesn’t hurt to at least google a little bit of context so you aren’t completely lost at the beginning. After each episode, this show will have you thinking, “What the heck did I just finish watching?!” (In the best way, of course)
These are just five of the many TV shows I’d recommend you to watch while we stay at home, counting down the days until school is out and we can go back to camp. Also when you’re at home, and not watching these shows obviously, you can always tune into the amazing programs CTC is working on or nominate your friends for a virtual Ruach award through the google form in our Instagram bio. If YOU have any TV show recommendations, don’t be afraid to DM us on Instagram:)