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What is the most damaging decision that someone can make in terms of their university career? Is it to attend Fresher’s Week without condoms? Is it to drop out of University to work full time in Tesco? Is it to refer to everything you do as “banter” and yourself as “the archbishop of banterbury”? No. Although they will (in order) show you to be: Disease-riddled, stupid, and just the most annoying person ever. No, the worst decision you can make, as a young person, all bright-eyed and full of potential, is to get a Netflix subscription. Beware! As you will find yourself literally glued to your seat unable to move except to get more snacks or beer. Even when it’s two in the morning, and you have a nine am, you’ll say to yourself “just one more episode…”.
Although, that said, you may be a first year – in which case it’s not like it matters. You may as well watch every show. With that in mind, let’s have a look at the best time-wasters in the Netflix lineup. Say goodbye to your free-time.

5. Suits.

Although perhaps not the same quality as the others shows on this list (repeated elements like people dropping hard-hitting dialogue before striding out the room – start off as silly and slowly become annoying), Suits still has its place. If we’re looking at a list of time-wasting shows, Suits has the benefit of being utterly watchable. The plot essentially follows a college dropout as he fakes his way into a prestigious legal firm – maybe not the most thrilling description, but the show is a legal drama with a real sense of humour, and a fantastic soundtrack.

 

4. Peep Show

Peep Show first started way, way back in distant 2003, but it’s worth watching from the start – and with 8 seasons it should take a dedicated Netflix-er at least a week to get through. Peep Show, featuring the excellent David Mitchell and Robert Webb shows us the world from their point-of-view and allows us to hear their thoughts via voiceover. Not just an intriguing concept, Peep Show is one of the very best British comedies of all time. And when you’re in the same conversation as the likes of The Office or Monty Python, you know it’s gotta be decent.

 

3. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Imagine if Friends was set in Phily, and instead of a coffee house, they hung out at a bar, and instead of being a likeable group of friends, they were all horrible, self-centred people. If you imagine all that, you may have a vague idea of what It’s Always Sunny… is like. For example in one episode, two of the characters decide that the best way to get on welfare is to become drug addicts. After a decent first season, the show’s quality dramatically increases when Danny DeVito (RIGHT?!) joins the cast.

 

2. Breaking Bad

It’s one of the most talked about shows of all time, and one of the best made. The show follows Bryan Cranston’s Walter White as he goes from being a mild science teacher, who when he is diagnosed with cancer decides to produce and sell crystal meth – the show follows his progression into a drug kingpin. Baring in mind that before this Bryan Cranston was best known as the dad in Malcolm in the Middle, it’s a great testament to his acting ability.
One of the best things about Breaking Bad is that it wasn’t cancelled – that means you get to see the full narrative, from beginning to end, a rare thing nowadays. The show is full of fantastic moments, and is a real must watch on any Netflix-ers list.

 

1. Archer

The real mark of a great time-wasting show is if you can put it on, and finish an entire season in a day. And with Archer you can definitely do that. The show follows Sterling Archer, who is essentially a drunker, more arrogant and less competent James Bond as he works in espionage for his mother’s Spy agency. The fact the show is an animation allows some of the more insane aspects of the show to function, in season five (Archer Vice) the spy agency is shut down, and the cast become incompetent cocaine dealers.
The show is ideal binge-watching for a number of reasons, the short episode length being one of them. But beyond that, there are countless in-jokes and examples of self-referential humour that really lends itself to numerous episodes being watched in a short space of time.

So, I’m sure that whatever essay you’re working on can wait, why not watch just a couple episodes of the above shows… you know, see how it goes? And don’t blame me when you have no idea where the past week has gone.