7 binge-worthy Netflix shows to watch while you’re self-isolating

Don’t fear the quarantine bubble — these Netflix binges will pass the time easily if you can’t leave the house this week

We will admit that the coronavirus is no laughing matter. Covid-19 has swept across the world over the past month, and with two confirmed cases in Ireland so far this week (and more expected), everyone is on high alert in case of infection.

We’ve published plenty of advice about the myths and rumours of coronavirus; the health advice you should be following and what to do if you think you may be at risk. But after all of that, if you do find yourself having to self-isolate, the question remains — what am I supposed to do for two weeks to keep myself entertained?

The answer is, and will always be, Netflix. The saviour of many a sick day, a good old-fashioned Netflix binge is just the ticket to get you through a few days on the couch. Spread these series out over a few days each, and enjoy the time off as much as possible.

Love is Blind

The Netflix dating show that has taken the world by storm since it started last month. The premise of Love is Blind is unusual — basically, the 30 participants enter in the hopes of finding the love of their life. They take place in speed dating sessions, where they find out everything about the other person — except what they look like. They can only see their other half if they get engaged — after that, they live together, meet each other’s families and learn more about one another, until the wedding day a month later. Crazy emotions, crazy decisions, and crazy fights — trashy reality TV at its best.

Sex Education

Let me count the ways of how much I love Sex Education. The dramedy follows Otis, a typical teenage boy with a very atypical home life — his mother Jean is a sexual therapist, who, through her cringingly detailed conversations about sex, has stunted Otis’s own teenage passions. However, Jean’s profession has also educated Otis about sex way beyond the levels of his peers — and when an opportunity arises to put his knowledge to good use around school, he takes it. Sweet and empathetic, hilariously funny, with fabulous characters, this was one of my favourite new series of last year — I already can’t wait for season 3.

Next in Fashion

If a competition vibe is what you’re after, a personal favourite is Next in Fashion. Very similar to Project Runway, it’s true, but the outfits that the teams create on this series are stunning, and it helps that the judges and hosts are fashion royalty too. Queer Eye’s Tan France and Alexa Chung welcome guest judges like Prabal Gurung, Monique Lhullier, Eva Chen and many more to the stage to weigh in on the contestant’s creations. Perfect aspirational viewing when all you can wear is pyjamas for the week.

The Keepers

True crime documentaries are essential for a week spent in isolation, and Netflix has piles of them. They’re all brilliant, but a personal favourite, simply because of how it had me hooked from the beginning til the end, is The Keepers. On the surface, it looks like your typical murder mystery — Baltimore nun Sr. Cathy Cesnik was killed in 1969, and her murder remained unsolved for the next 50 years. But when we dig deeper into the motives of why Sister Cathy was killed, the plot thickens. It is believed that the nun was preparing to reveal the sexual abuse that was happening to teenage girls in the high school where she was a teacher, and that her murder was an effort to bury the heinous crimes that she knew about. Today, survivors of the abuse are working to uncover what really happened to Sister Cathy. A very difficult and harrowing watch, but absolutely a necessary one.

The Stranger

Another drama that has hooked audiences since the beginning of the year, The Stranger is a great watch for all the would-be detectives out there. The Stranger, adapted from Harlan Coben’s book of the same name, follows Adam Price, a small-town everyman whose life becomes derailed after a devastating secret and a conspiracy against his son all crash together on one night. Detective Johanna Griffin is handed his case to investigate, but when her own best friend is murdered, the question of who we can really trust begins to plague the town.

Cheer

A series about college cheerleaders may sound like a snore, but I promise you, by the end of episode six, you will be matt-talking with the best of them. Cheer follows students at Navarro College in Texas, the U.S’s top cheerleading programme, in the run-up to the national championships in Daytona. The series follows the gruelling training regime that students complete, the injuries, the emotional setbacks, and culminates in a dramatic performance at the Florida finals. These cheerleaders are no glorified dancers — the stunts are as real as it gets, and it makes for very addictive viewing.

Unbelievable

This Netflix original that aired last year lives up to its name. Inspired by real events, we begin with Marie (Kaitlyn Dever), a student who is raped one night in her own apartment when the attacker breaks in. Marie is obviously traumatised by the event, and throughout weeks of questioning, in which she is accused of making the story up, falsely confesses to lying about being raped. We fast forward three years later, where a similar rape is being investigated in another state by detectives Karen Duvall (Meritt Weaver) and Grace Rasmussen (Toni Colette), and questions begin to mount about how many times the attacker has struck. Prepare to be angry while watching this, but still a worthwhile watch.

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