It’s the second most wonderful time of year: winter break. With all the tests, idiotic group projects, and busywork in the rearview mirror (for now), you are finally free from academic burdens.
As some of us head home to be with our loved ones or take this break to make some money, I have one last assignment for you.
It’s time to catch up on your “watch later” tab.
I get it. We all find an interesting show with the intent of watching it, but never do. For this holiday break, I decided to give everyone a present.
I have accumulated a list of shows, new and old, that should be at the top of your viewing list. The show’s genres range from dark comedies to award-winning dramas.
It’s important to note that these shows will be on different streaming platforms, so you may need to borrow a subscription from a loved one or friend.
But without further ado, it’s showtime, folks!
- Pluribus | 1 season (2025-?) | Streaming on Apple TV+
The main reason to watch this show is Vince Gilligan.
Gilligan is the creator behind “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul.” Although this show is set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, it is nothing like his previous hits.
“Pluribus” follows Carol Sturka, portrayed by Rhea Seehorn, the most miserable person on Earth. The world has been taken over by a mysterious virus that induces relentless happiness in the population, making the world into a hive mind.
Carol is one of the twelve unaffected. The hive wants to convert Carol, but until they can, their purpose is to make her happy.
Gilligan has perfected his writing and storytelling with this sci-fi streaming hit. This show leaves you with more questions than answers, which makes you jones for the next episode.
With the season one finale streaming on December 26th and a second season on the way, this series should be first up on your watch list.
2. Succession | 4 seasons (2018-2023) | Streaming on HBO Max
This is the greatest television show I have ever watched.
Everything down to the minute details is perfect. The writing manages to balance hard-hitting drama and comedy with ease.
Honestly, just listen to the theme song once, and you’ll be hooked.
“Succession” follows the Roy family, owners of Waystar RoyCo, a media and entertainment conglomerate. As the family patriarch’s health declines, his children grapple with their ambitions to be his successor.
Each character’s quest for power leads to betrayals, shifting alliances, and moral dilemmas. This show is a business major’s wildest fantasies on the small screen.
If you don’t take my word, let the 81 awards do the talking for me. These awards include 19 Primetime Emmys, nine Golden Globes, eight Critics’ Choice Awards, four Writers Guild of America Awards, and a Peabody.
If “Succession” were an athlete, it would be Michael Jordan, because it’s the G.O.A.T.
3. Veep | 7 seasons (2012-2019) | Streaming on HBO Max
We all know someone who is too into politics. These people make politics their whole mood. Their day is made or ruined by a simple news story.
Instead of arguing about each other’s political beliefs, why not laugh at them? “Veep” is a political satire comedy following Vice President Selina Meyer as she navigates the complex nature of the office while working with a bumbling staff.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars as Selina Meyer, an ambitious, self-absorbed politician whose biggest enemy is her own ego. Selina is constantly chasing legacy, power, and validation, usually with disastrous results.
The writing on this show is as sharp as a barber’s blade. The characters talk fast and insult even quicker, often using vulgar language that would make a nun faint.
“Veep” won a total of 17 Primetime Emmy Awards, including six consecutive wins by Julia Louis-Dreyfus for Best Actress in a comedy.
In February of 2025, Variety published the article titled “The 100 Greatest TV Performances of the 21st Century,” where it named Julia’s performance as Selina number 1.
Find out why she won all those awards by streaming this over break.
4. Psych | 8 seasons (2006-2014) | Streaming on Peacock and Prime Video
Wait for it…
Everyone and their uncle was on the “Suits” train. Why not check out another USA Network hit?
“Psych” is a detective comedy series that follows Shawn Spencer, a crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department. Shawn uses his heightened observational skills and impressive memory to convince the police that he solves cases with psychic abilities.
Shawn works with his reluctant best friend, Burton “Gus” Guster, to solve the cases of the week. This is the comfort show you have been missing all your life.
The show had an impressive run and spawned a three-movie follow-up. “Psych” should be binged with someone else so you can experience the weekly contest the network had during the show’s original airing.
The game is simple: “Spot the Pineapple.” In each episode, you try to catch the pineapple hiding in the background. Sometimes it’s easy, like being on pizza, and sometimes it’s a blink, and you’ll miss it.
This game lets you put down your phone and fully immerse yourself in the television screen. I remember watching this show with my family, yelling “pineapple” at the television every time we found it.
Get ready to yell “pineapple” with friends as you binge this series.
5. The Penguin | 1 season (2024) | Streaming on HBO Max
Our parents had “The Sopranos.” We have “The Penguin.”
“The Penguin” is connected to the 2022 film “The Batman.” Unlike the film, this is a hard-hitting TV-MA crime drama.
The story follows Oz Cobb’s rise to power in Gotham City’s criminal underworld. “The Penguin” fleshes out Gotham City in a way most films only dream of doing.
This show shatters the stigma that superhero shows can’t craft meaningful stories and is a deep-dive character study of one of Batman’s most notorious villains.
“The Penguin” makes you root for this deceiving monster. It is full of twists and turns that helped it score nine primetime Emmy Awards, including one for Cristin Milioti for portraying the cunning Sofia Falcone.
My only warning is this show is DARK, and once the finale ends, it’ll leave you blankly staring at the television.
6. The Studio | 1 season (2025-?) | Streaming on Apple TV+
This show was made for people who love movies.
“The Studio” is a love letter to everything in the movie industry. This comedy satire follows Matt Remick, played by Seth Rogen, the new head of Continental Studios.
Matt is a cinephile at heart and struggles with the corporate goal of increasing the number of IP-driven blockbusters while maintaining quality films that are dear to his heart.
The show features a dynamic cast and many celebrity cameos. Although it sometimes relies on cringeworthy comedy, the episodes’ fast-paced beat keeps you fully engaged and laughing hysterically.
“The Studio” was created by Rogen, written by Rogen, and, in some cases, directed by Rogen. It won 13 Primetime Emmys, breaking the record for most wins for a comedy series in a single season.
Of course, more seasons are on the way, so you should definitely check it out.
7. The Pitt | 1 season (2025-?) | Streaming on HBO Max
Is this what you, medical students, want to do with your lives?
No, thank you.
“The Pitt” is a medical drama, but with a twist. The show spans over an intense 15-hour shift at an emergency department in Pittsburgh. Each episode lasts one hour in the shift.
Now, I personally don’t like medical dramas, but this right here is gold.
Noah Wyle stars as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch. Robby leads a team of interns and residents as they face a variety of medical emergencies.
The show perfectly captures the soul of the healthcare field. It is a TV-MA show; all the medical emergencies are not sugar-coated.
“The Pitt” won the 2025 Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series.
With the second season coming out on January 8th, it would be a great time to catch up on season one.
8. Landman | 2 seasons (2024-?) | Streaming on Paramount+
“Landman” is a true modern-day western.
It stars Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris, a landman for an oil company set in Texas.
Taylor Sheridan created the show, and it shows. If you like some of his other hits, “Yellowstone,” “Tulsa King,” and “Mayor of Kingstown,” then you’ll love “Landman.”
Tommy is basically a middleman in the oil business. He deals with leases, negotiations, and the fallout from workplace accidents.
The show highlights the gritty nature of the oil business.
Tommy must also balance a family life that I can only describe as weird. If I had a family like Tommy’s, I would want to drink too.
So if you want to watch bizarre family drama tangled with the cutthroat nature of the oil industry, check out this hit.
9. Andor | 2 seasons (2022-2025) | Streaming on Disney+
This is a Disney+ show that feels like it should be on HBO Max.
“Andor” is the peak of Star Wars content, but it doesn’t feel like Star Wars.
Andor follows Cassian Andor’s five-year journey leading up to the events of Rogue One.
The show depicts the political and social realities of living under a tyrannical rule. It has a darker tone. Our heroes are not good people.
The show illustrates the sacrifices required to end oppression. For season two, I recommend watching three episodes at a time as intended.
Trust me, you’ll thank me later.
Don’t let the term “Star Wars” ruin your chance of watching this writing masterpiece. Andor won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.
10. Barry | 4 seasons (2018-2023) | Streaming on HBO Max
This one goes out to the School of Theater and Dance.
This dark comedy follows a hitman who travels to Los Angeles, joins an acting class, and realizes he no longer wants to kill people.
Bill Hader stars as Barry Berkman, our hitman turned actor.
Like “The Studio” for Rogen, “Barry” is Hader’s child. He helped create, direct, and write it.
This show gets the small details right that Hollywood usually misses, like realistic gun action.
“Barry” will make you laugh, and it will make you cry. It’s a modern-day Shakespearean tragedy and well worth watching.
11. Blue Mountain State | 3 seasons (2010-2011) | Streaming on Netflix
If you’re having a rough day and need a stupid laugh, “Blue Mountain State” is the show for you.
“Blue Mountain State” is a comedy series about a fictional university football team, the Mountain Goats.
The plot focuses on an over-the-top college experience revolving around coaches, players, and the school mascot. The show features everything you expect from a big university frat house: partying, sex, drugs, and hazing.
Even though this show is focused on football, you don’t have to know the sport to watch this show.
“Reacher” star Alan Ritchson shines as Thad Castle, a hyper-intense alpha male.
Find out how unpredictable and chaotic Thad is when you watch this ridiculous comedy series.
12. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia | 17 seasons (2005-?) | Streaming on Disney+ and Hulu
This show can be described as the anti-sitcom.
“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” follows the adventures of a group of friends who refer to themselves as “the gang.”
Mac, Charlie, Dennis, Dee, and Frank run Paddy’s Pub, a dive bar in Philadelphia.
Be warned, this show is not PC at all.
Even when the gang thinks they are helping, they aren’t. The show is about terrible people doing terrible things to others.
For example, the gang somehow managed to turn a priest into a drug-addicted hobo.
The show is the longest-running live-action comedy series and always seems to be elevating its craft.
If you love dark humor or want to know what the devil on your shoulder would say, watch this show.
