======= ======= ====== ====== ====== ===== ==== ====== ====== ===== ==== ======= ======= ====== ====== ====== ===== ==== ====== ====== ===== ====
I hear people complain about this often. For most, it is an absolute necessity to have something queued up on their television or computer when they’re done cooking a meal. No one wants to spend precious time searching through a seemingly endless list of shows and trying to pick one while food gets cold in front of them.
I call it “flyover television.” Those shows on Netflix that you’ve definitely watched but for whatever reason are comfortable tossing on once again to get yourself through the mediocre dinner you’ve just prepared after a day at work.
It’s best when selecting a TV show for an after-work dinner that the length does not exceed 30 minutes, and for the sake of your appetite, a comedy is the only way to go. With tv dramas and thrillers, there is always an off chance of someone getting killed in a gruesome manner, and no wants to be looking at that while they eat a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese on a couch that should have been replaced long, long ago. Keep it to shows that are easy to follow and light-hearted – something that you can half-watch while you shovel food into your mouth, bitch about how awful your job is to your roommates, and aimlessly scroll Instagram.
The Office
Recently Michael, Jim, Pam, and the rest of the Dunder-Mifflin team have been taking some flack on the interwebs. People coming out of the woodwork to express their disdain for a television show that will go down as one of the greatest of all time. Let’s cut the shit, okay? I love hot takes, but The Office is objectively funny. If you can’t relate to it on some level it’s because you’re trying not to.
I’m making an assumption here, but I feel like most everyone has seen all of them enough times that it isn’t necessary to watch the episodes intently. You can zone out while you’re looking at memes and not get lost when you focus back in with ten or fifteen minutes left in the episode.
Parks And Recreation
I actually blame Parks and Rec for a lot of the recent Office hate going around. People want to pit these two shows against one another because they have a similar format with the documentary style perspective, but I think it’s best to just admit that they’re both solid ass shows. In the same vein of The Office, you can zone in and out at any time during an episode and not really miss much in the way of plot or character development.
Frasier
I know I’m venturing into Will’s wheelhouse here, but Frasier is such a good show to unwind to after getting home from work. If you’re tired of the same old episodes from The Office or Parks and Rec, Frasier is the show for you. It’s incredibly funny in its own right (and I want to be clear that this isn’t a knock on Frasier at all) but it isn’t memorable in the way that The Office , Friends, or Seinfeld is. There’s also a very good chance that you haven’t seen Frasier before. There are no ridiculous characters in Frasier, and scandal is sparse throughout the 11 seasons of the show. I know from the outside looking in it appears to be a dull show, but it’s a surprisingly easy watch.
If you’re looking for something a little more out of the ordinary – a view into how the upper echelon lives – then this is the show for you. Save it for when you’re cooking something like a porterhouse with asparagus and make sure you’ve got a nice bottle of sherry to drink.
Vanderpump Rules
Oh my God. Pump Rules is a guilty pleasure of mine that I am in no way ashamed of revealing to anyone. It’s over the top and all of the drama is very clearly manufactured. Most every cast member on the show is so vapid, so self-absorbed, so drunk that the shitty parts of your life will pale in comparison to theirs. If it wasn’t for reality television, these people would most likely have died already from stupidity. This is a great show to watch after you’ve royally screwed up at work. It’ll put everything into perspective – at least you’re not a thirty-something fringe character working as a hostess at a shitty restaurant in L.A.
Seinfeld
Why Seinfeld is only on Hulu is a complete goddamn mystery to me. I’ve thought about getting Hulu several times just because they have Seinfeld but I haven’t been able to justify it. If you’ve got it, then you already know – Seinfeld is the top show to just “toss on” after a day in the cube. It’s better than every other show on this list combined and I don’t care to listen to arguments against mine.
I grew up watching Seinfeld with my dad when he would get home from work. NBC would air an episode at 5:30 p.m. before the local news began and then have another one on at 7 after Brian Williams got done with national news and it’s probably the reason I love Seinfeld so much now.
I realize that people probably have their own shows that they like to watch when they’re eating dinner, but if nothing else, this is just a solid ass collection of television that you can zone out to while you try and forget about the mundanity of everyday life. .
Image via Netflix
Respond
jduda@grandex.co
Modern Family Is criminally underrated. Writing is sharper than you think, and can easiely be appreciated while scrolling twitter i between bites.
Yeah it’s alright but it follows the “ahh we’ll all act selfish to start but we love each other when it comes down to it” formula far to much. You know how every episode will play out.
Cosign. The first few seasons were written for people who drive subarus with coexist stickers on the back, but the later seasons are solid.
It’s always sunny
You light ONE bitch on fire and everybody freaks out
That’s the epitome of mindless tv. Definitely fits the category.
Family Feud is the GOAT of dinner tv
You misspelled Wheel of Fortune, mate.
America’s Game, my ass. #NotMyGame
I’ve tried so many times to get into Frasier. Just can’t do it. Not in a world where Seinfeld exists.
My man.
37 Emmys to 10 Emmys. Just saying.
Unrelated, but daily reminder that Nic Cage has an Oscar.
Noc Cage is what I like to call a “3 standard deviation” person (3SD for short.) Whether it’s for better or worse he’s always 3 standard deviations away from average.
Although you gotta admit his salad in Con-Air was nothing short of a marvel
is How It’s Made still a thing? That was perfect, mindless, white noise gold.
Seconded, however a lot of this content moved to youtube
also, does that mean random videos on youtube can count for this discussion? if thats the case, dudeperfect, off the ranch and demolition ranch are must watches.
As a poorboy with no TV I generally just watch youtube videos with dinner, hopefully that counts.
verified, 100%.
True, but science channel has it on perpetual syndication or apple tv/roku/kindle firestick/whateverthefuckstreamingandconnectivitydevice can broadcast it.
Jeopardy is fine when you’re alone, but when I’m trying to impress my wife with useless knowledge I have to choke down my food before I blurt out the answer.
I’m a huge proponent of the documentary series type shows. Planet Earth, Blue Planet, Life, and Mission Blue. Just some chill ass David Attenborough narrations for this guy
Check out “extraordinary houses” on Netflix. Great Sunday scaries show
Idk what it is about British accents discussing New Zealand landscapes but it melts all my anxiety away, including my anxiety over never owning a home like that.
That’s my Sunday afternoon / evening chill sesh shows
Solid list but I’d like to submit a few more for consideration:
Friends
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
Fixer Upper
Veep is one of my favorites now. The insults about Jonah are unparalleled.
Every scene where Selena interacts with the Swedish Prime Minister is just perfect.
30 Rock and Bob’s Burgers are also great options. Sadly, 30 Rock is now only on Hulu.
Bob’s Burgers for the win, but I’m biased. I love Archer, and h. Jon Benjamin is hilarious. I saw him on the Archer Live tour a few years ago when it went thru Milwaukee.
Damn you, Dave. I love H. John.
I don’t get why everyone sleepin’ on Hulu
commericals
*
I pay $11 a month for commercial-free. Sure it doesn’t have as much selection as Netflix but its got all the ABC & NBC shows I watch
sup
Cause seeing the same ads 5 times in an hour long show is awful