13 Shows You Need To Binge-Watch In 2017

Start your year off right. Watch some damn good shows.

1. Westworld

HBO

You know how sometimes a show like Lost or Game of Thrones comes out and you kinda pass on it at first but then EVERYONE starts talking about it so you start watching it and get really into fan theories and you think to yourself, "Why didn't I watch this show sooner?" Westworld is one of those shows.

It takes place in a western-themed amusement park in the future, populated by robots with incredibly advanced AI. The guests are free to interact with these AI "hosts" as they wish — team up with them and go on quests, have sex with them, murder them for no reason — and the hosts' memories are wiped at the end of the day. But what happens when the hosts start becoming aware of their situation?

Westworld already premiered and airs Sundays at 9 P.M. on HBO. You can binge it through HBO Now.

2. The Mick

Fox

When you hear the words "network sitcom," you probably hear horrible echoes of tame jokes and canned laughter in your head. Luckily, even though The Mick is on a network, it's anything but a network sitcom.

It stars Kaitlin Olson and was created by some of the minds behind It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, so already the edgier cable comedy influence is strong. Olson plays Mickey, a woman who ends up having to look after her wealthy sister's three privileged children when their parents get locked up for white-collar crimes. Considering that Mickey usually spends her time drinking, conning, and generally avoiding any kind of responsibility, being a legal guardian isn't exactly her first choice.

The Mick will premiere on Jan. 1 following an NFL Sunday doubleheader, then will continue in its regular time slot on Tuesdays at 8:30 P.M. You'll be able to binge it on Hulu once it becomes available.

3. Broad City

Comedy Central

Broad City is an old show by now — it will be entering its fourth season in 2017 — but it's so damn good that it deserves mentioning again. Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer have created a show that is so smart and so juvenile at the same time, and hilarious the whole way through, all while tackling important women's issues in a very real way.

The Season 4 premiere date hasn't been announced yet, but Seasons 1–3 are all available on Hulu for your bingeing purposes.

4. Atlanta

FX

You might know Donald Glover from Community or by his rap persona, Childish Gambino. Either way, Atlanta is the next project of his that you absolutely need to see: It's thoroughly engaging and funny right from the excellent first episode.

Glover plays Earn, a new father who decides to work with his cousin, an up-and-coming hip hop artist, as his manager. Things quickly become more complicated than Earn expected.

Atlanta just finished up its first season on FX, so it might be a while before it's available on Netflix. For now, you can binge it on FX's site if you have a cable login.

5. Archer

FX

If you haven't started watching FX's best animated comedy already, you're missing out. The show, which follows the antics of what might be the world's worst spy agency, features some of the best comedy voice talent in the biz: H. Jon Benjamin, Aisha Tyler, and Chris Parnell, to name a few.

This one has been running for a while and will enter its eighth season in 2017. You can binge Seasons 1–6 on Netflix.

6. Insecure

HBO

There's a reason why Issa Rae, who was plucked from the masses on the internet to create and star in this HBO comedy, was able to turn her award-winning web series into a premium cable show. She's just really damn funny.

Insecure follows Rae and her friend Molly as the two navigate what it means to be a modern black woman who perhaps isn't as self-assured as she could be.

Insecure is currently in its first season and can be binged on HBO Now.

7. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

youtube.com

This CW comedy is now in its second season, and it's somehow even better than the practically perfect first season. Though it might seem like a fluffy musical comedy at first, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend gets super real on topics like relationships, mental illness, and addiction. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll dance while laughing and crying.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend airs Fridays at 9 P.M. on the CW. Season 1 is available to binge on Netflix.

8. One Mississippi

Amazon

One Mississippi is partially autobiographical, which will alarm you when you see what happened to LA comedian Tig Notaro. In the course of a few months, Notaro came down with a serious bacterial infection, lost her mother in a random accident, and was diagnosed with breast cancer.

It sounds like it would make for a depressing show, but Notaro finds humor — no matter how dark or dry — in everything. The show is hilarious, strange, and touching it its own odd way, as it follows Notaro's experience living back at home with her brother and stepfather.

The entire first season is available on Amazon.

9. Fleabag

Amazon

Phoebe Waller-Bridge created and stars in this short first season based on her one-woman show. Like One Mississippi, Fleabag finds humor in some dark, dark places (Waller-Bridge's character spends the season dealing with her best friend's suicide), and does so brilliantly. The show benefits from Waller-Bridge breaking the fourth wall and directly addressing the audience with sharp, timely commentary on what it's like being a woman.

The entire first season is available on Amazon.

10. The Crown

Netflix

The Crown takes you inside the lives of the royal family around the time of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. Similar to how The King's Speech took a very personal approach, The Crown focuses mostly on the relationships within the royal family and between prominent figures of the time, and less on large-scale politics.

The entire first season is available on Netflix.

11. This Is Us

NBC

NBC's new drama might not sound like much just based on its concept, but it manages to pack a lot into a very simple premise. The show follows families with a common thread tying them together, each with their own difficulties to tackle. Interestingly, each episode tends to offer a major twist ending, a rarity in down-to-earth dramas. It's from the writer/director of Crazy Stupid Love, so if you enjoyed that, you'll almost definitely enjoy this.

Episodes from the first season are available on Hulu, and more will be airing on NBC.

12. One-Punch Man

Madhouse

Every once in a while, an anime comes along that is so delightfully goofy and fun that you can't pass it up, even if you don't watch anime. One-Punch Man is one of them.

The show follows a man, Saitama, who trains so hard to become a hero that he is able to defeat any enemy with just one punch. The problem is, being that strong is incredibly boring for Saitama, who got into the hero business "for fun." It's one of the more original anime series in a while, and works for both anime fans and newcomers alike. Bonus: no awkward fan service!

The entire first season is available on Hulu.

13. Luke Cage

Netflix

Yes, Luke Cage is another Marvel superhero show. But it feels more like an intricate crime drama that happens to have a superhero in it, rather than your usual superhero fare. Luke made his first appearance in Jessica Jones, so you might want to watch that first if you haven't yet.

The entire first season is available on Netflix.

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