5 shows to binge watch when you don’t feel like doing anything
Some days we don’t want to do anything but lay in bed and watch episode after episode of our favourite show. During Ramazan that feeling increases tenfold so we curated a list of five dramas that you can binge-watch while you’re waiting for iftaar.
Fleabag
It has been a really long time since we have been as obsessed with a show as we are with Fleabag. The British comedy-drama, created and written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, is based on her award-winning one-woman show performed in 2013. It ran between 2016 and 2019.
It centres around a dry-witted and quirky woman referred to only as Fleabag, played by Waller-Bridge, who tries to navigate through life and her various encounters with people around her. She often breaks the fourth wall and looks straight into the camera to let us know what she is thinking right at that moment.
The show is an honest tale of a young woman living alone in London as she copes with tragedy and tries to move on. Over its two-season run consisting of a total of 12 episodes, Fleabag won six Primetime Emmy awards.
Fleabag is available on Amazon Prime for streaming.
Derry Girls
We recently came across the gem that is Derry Girls and now can’t stop randomly speaking with a fake Irish accent. The British teen sitcom aired on Channel 4 in 2018 and ran for three seasons. Inspired by the creator Lisa McGee’s own experiences, the show is set in Derry, a town in Northern Ireland during the years of nationalist conflict in the 1990s.
Even though its backdrop is violence and clashes, the show is a hilarious take on the lives of five teenagers who are trying to make a sense of the world around them while they attend a Catholic girls’ secondary school.
The main characters are Erin Quinn (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), her cousin Orla (Louisa Harland), their friends Clare (Nicola Coughlan), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell), and a boy, Michelle’s English cousin James (Dylan Llewellyn) find themselves in absurd situations but successfully make the audiences laugh and cheer for them.
The show also refers to actual real-life events like the 1994 IRA ceasefire announcement and the Good Friday referendum of 1998 and even shows footage of political figures at the time.
Derry Girls is perfect for you to watch alone or with friends. It is available on Netflix.
While You Were Sleeping
When you think of K-dramas, you might think of cheesy romance storylines. Even though we love all the lovey-dovey stuff the world of K-dramas has to offer, While You Were Sleeping was like a breath of fresh air when it first aired — but don’t worry it does have enough romance to make you swoon.
The 2017 drama revolves around Nam Hong Joo, played by Suzy, who has the ability to see tragic events before they happen. However, she mostly cannot stop them from taking place. Across from her parents’ restaurant lives Jung Jae Chan, a prosecutor played by Lee Jong Suk, who also gets the power to foresee bad events in the future.
The drama gains pace when Jae Chan foresees Hong Joo being framed in the future for the death of a police officer and begins to do everything in his power to prevent it from happening. The said police officer, played by Jung Hae In, not only survives but also gets the same ability. Yes, we know it sounds crazy on paper, but believe us when we say if there is one thing Korean dramas know how to do, it’s make far-fetched scenarios seem plausible and keep the audience hooked.
These three form an unlikely team to find out why they suddenly have this ability, protect their loved ones and take down the antagonist, the corrupt prosecutor Lee Yoo Beom played by Lee Sang Yeob.
While You Were Sleeping is the perfect blend of fantasy, romance and thriller. With 16 episodes, the drama also has some of the best original soundtracks including ‘I love you boy’ sung by Suzy and ‘When Night falls’ by Eddy Kim.
You can watch the series on viki.com
Business Proposal
Speaking of lovey-dovey stuff, how can we not recommend the more recent but similarly addictive K-drama Business Proposal. The drama aired in 2022 and has a total of 12 episodes, making this rom-com ideal for you to binge-watch.
Shin Ha Ri, played by Kim Se Jeong, is a single woman that works at a food company. She has had unrequited feelings for her long-term friend for years but learns he has a girlfriend now. While ranting to her ultra-rich best friend Jin Young Seo, played by Seol In Ah, the latter offers for Ha Ri to go on a blind date with the heir of a large business conglomerate, Kang Tae Moo played by Ahn Hyo Seop, in exchange for some money.
The intention is simple: go on the date and be so obnoxious that the guy rejects who he thinks is Jin Young Seo. But of course, the K-drama gods have other plans for our girl. Not to spoil the show too much, but things don’t go as planned and we end up with a marriage proposal.
The show is available on Netflix.
The World of the Married
If young love isn’t your cup of tea, then this psychological thriller will be perfect for you to watch. Released in 2020, The World of the Married is a remake of the popular British TV series Doctor Foster (2015).
The show is about an accomplished family doctor and associate director Ji Sun Woo played by Kim Hee Ae, who lives a picture-perfect life with her husband, an aspiring director, Lee Tae Oh played by Park Hae Joon and their son Lee Jun Yeong. The family is the epitome of a functional household but it all comes crashing down in a shocking reveal in the first episode. Yes, you read it right: the first episode.
It is a story of betrayal that takes the audience through a whirlwind of emotions as it tackles revenge, grief, forgiveness and healing. The show received the highest average rating for a drama on cable television in South Korea.
This one is so good that we don’t even want to write more about it because it would ruin the suspense. You must watch it yourself to experience to get a one-of-a-kind K-drama viewing experience. It has 16 episodes and is available on Netflix.
