Binge-worthy Netflix shows to watch at home

Social distancing and self-quarantining have only proven to escalate the popular pastime among students: Netflix. 

While stocking up on items during the coronavirus pandemic, consider adding popcorn to the list. Here are new shows and seasons that are streaming in spring 2020 to binge-watch during extended time in front of the television.

“All American”

High school football player Spencer James moves from South Crenshaw to Beverly Hills, seizing the opportunity to play on a team that can take his career to new heights. To attend school in the Hills, he is forced to live with his coach’s family. The differences between the two towns and the quick transition create a struggle for Spencer, who is trying not to lose sight of his old identity while forging a new one.

This series started airing on The CW in 2018, but became available on Netflix in 2019. Season 1 proved to be a hit, but not as big as Season 2, which was released on Netflix on March 17. The show immediately climbed to the top spot of Netflix shows being watched in the U.S. today.

“Love is Blind”

For those concerned about finding love while social distancing, this show proves it’s still possible.

To find a connection based on personality rather than appearance, singles date each other through pods. These are rooms separated by a wall so that they can hear each other, but never come face-to-face. Couples who fall in love during this process get engaged within a week. It’s not until after the proposal that they can see the person they chose to spend the rest of their life with.

This reality show is a Netflix original that premiered in February 2020 and is currently the second-most watched Netflix show in the U.S. It became a quick obsession for viewers on social media with the creation of memes, and the goal of following up with the couples. The final episode of the season was a reunion that aired on March 5, featuring all the couples, whether they failed or succeeded.

“Cheer”

The nationally-ranked Navarro College cheerleading team from Corsicana, Texas, was followed in a docuseries as they competed to win their 14th national title. This co-ed squad includes students who felt like they didn’t belong, were lost in life or would possibly be in jail if not on the team. Through many injuries and setbacks, the cheer squad is united with the same goal that gives them something to fight for.

This six-part reality series premiered on Netflix in January 2020, and viewers have been actively engaged in the lives of its team members ever since. It invites the world in to watch as the squad grows and succeeds.

“Peaky Blinders”

The Peaky Blinders was one of the most powerful gangs in Britain in the 1920s led by war hero Thomas Shelby and his family. Following the Great War, the country is in a state of upheaval. Thomas knows that doing good business pays better than crime, and he utilizes that tactic to advance in the world.

This show is a co-production of the BBC and Netflix, and it’s fifth season aired in October 2019. Viewers have fallen in love with the authentic costumes and the setting of Birmingham, U.K.

“You”

Bookstore manager Joe Goldberg believes in love at first sight, and he would do anything for it. When he encounters graduate student Guinevere Beck, she becomes the subject of his obsession. Joe uses every tool he can to become close to her, removing any thing — or person — he deems a threat along the way.

The second season of this thriller aired on Netflix in December 2019, taking place in an entirely new setting with many new characters with the likes of Love Quinn and her brother Forty. Each episode got more unpredictable and crazy than the last, and by the lengths at which Joe went to “protect” his love.