New Netflix originals: shows like "Making a Murderer," "Narcos" and "Master of None," seem to be all anyone talks about. But there's a wealth of additional quick binges available for your brief viewing pleasure. The following shows either have only a couple short, easily digestible seasons, or they simply were in and out quickly with limited episodes. However you slice it, there's way more TV to quickly binge on than to waste your time finding a silly hobby, especially this time of year.
F Is For Family (Netflix)
![The Best Quick Binges on TV]()
Bill Burr is the creator, writer and voice of Mr. Murphy, a real man (albeit a cartoon) who does real man stuff and acts like real dads did before the world went all PC. Popular fatherly lines like "I'll put you through that f**king wall" and "I'll pull your tongue out through your goddamn neck" roll off the tongue of this throwback to your father. An ode to the day back when it was okay for him to use the belt, you know, just after he gave up everything he loved for a wood-paneled station wagon and your ungrateful ass, "F Is For Family" is right up there in hilarity with Netflix's "Bojack Horseman."
Summer Heights High (HBO)
![The Best Quick Binges on TV]()
Chris Lilley's best work was the one-off season at Summer Heights High School where he juggled the three lead roles of staple high school teens in the angst-driven mockumentary about a disillusioned theater teacher, an illiterate punk and a spoiled private school brat. Lilley transcends both age and gender as he delivers knockout one-liners and the breathtaking performance of three lifetimes.
Fargo (FX)
![The Best Quick Binges on TV]()
The 1996 Coen brother dark comedy turned TV series takes us to the Dakotas with Patrick Wilson as a young state trooper investigating a small-town case in its first season, along with Billy Bob Thornton. Garnering strong but quiet ratings before returning with a just-as-strong follow-up prequel season, the Emmy-awarding winning anthology series (won Outstanding Miniseries, Casting and Directing already) takes television to a whole new level with the help of Ted Danson, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons, 10 episodes at a time.
Bored to Death (HBO)
![The Best Quick Binges on TV]()
Jason Schwartzman, playing a struggling writer, and Zack Galifianakis, a fat, underachieving comic book nerd, are best buds experiencing the fallouts of life. As Jonathan Ames (not a coincidence, the real life author helped create the show) attempts to pen his second novel, he ends up moonlighting as a Craigslist detective, like the ones in the novels he reads, and slowly copes with the loss of lady while juggling writing, babysitting his boss (Ted Danson) and getting colonics with his pal, Ray (Galifianakis). The buddy/detective comedy ran three seasons with HBO, but this underdog may still get a movie deal yet.
Freaks & Geeks (Netflix)
![The Best Quick Binges on TV]()
Most of the quirky actors you see in comedies these days got their start in the one-season NBC series "Freaks & Geeks." James Franco, Jason Segel and Seth Rogen, among others, star in Paul Feig's coming-of-age show of mathletes, stoners and the rebels of high school. Fans will also enjoy "Undeclared," the 17-episode college series by Judd Apatow with some of the same faces.
Transparent (Amazon)
![The Best Quick Binges on TV]()
Jeffrey Tambor is a divorced, single father of three with a secret, and nobody seems to care. As his kids continue to be self-absorbed while dismissing a very "trans-parent" change with their father, other secrets unfold that allow his secret to come out. The Pfefferman family plays a very relatable family dynamic in a modern, chaotic, tech-driven and transgender-friendly time where all people see is the phone between them and reality. These two 10-episode Amazon original seasons break down that barrier and give some good old fashioned family drama some comedic light...Judith Light. And in the end, this dysfunctional family learns something from their lady dad.
Grace and Frankie (Netflix)
![The Best Quick Binges on TV]()
Lily Tomlin, already nominated for a Golden Globe and Emmy for the show, joins Jane Fonda in an cleverly created story for our time about two rival women whose husbands come out together, leaving their wives to start all over again. Ironically enough, the two rival women have to turn to each other to get through their little mess. Martin Sheen joins in this hilarious drama about love, loss and the funny wreckage that follows. The show was picked up for a second season for 2016.
Broadchurch (Netflix)
![The Best Quick Binges on TV]()
David Tennant and Olivia Colman play investigators in a small seaside town as a murder case involving a local, young boy begins. The detective duo has its own plot line as they are at odds against one another over custody of their case. Meanwhile, a small community grieves as members become part of the investigation and a trial begins to take place. The BBC show, now streaming on Netflix has two short eight-episode seasons with a third filming sometime in 2016.
The Affair (Showtime)
![The Best Quick Binges on TV]()
Noah Solloway is a breakthrough writer who leaves his family to pursue his dream and dream girl Ruth Wilson, but the mysterious death of his new woman's former brother-in-law becomes to talk of the town, and carefully laid-out flash forwards lead up to the incident as the lead suspect is none other than the writer who got rich by stealing their town's story and putting it on paper. The show recently wrapped its second season with a stunning ending, and season three is expected to be wrought with even more twists.
Mr. Robot (USA)
![The Best Quick Binges on TV]()
Winner of this year's Golden Globe for Best Drama TV series in its first season, "Mr. Robot" follows the double of a cyber genius (Rami Malek) who works as a programming engineer by day, but at night he works under a vigilante hacker organization that takes down the kind of people he works for: corporate America. This seesaw series of a modern day antisocial follows both ethic and moral grounds, having you root for the hacker while he brings down the man in the most secretive of ways that would make Bernie Sanders proud. The show also stars Christian Slater and Carly Chaikin.
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (Netflix)
![The Best Quick Binges on TV]()
David Cross plays a dim-witted, under qualified office temp who thinks he's fast-tracking himself into an overseas promotion, but his new job turns out to be a nightmare. The fact he's a compulsive liar and disillusioned half-ass only makes each decisions poorer with every passing attempt. The IFC show aired two short seasons and is back with a reboot, which we cannot speak for. Definitely check out the first season alone, six episodes of 2010 glory.
Fear the Walking Dead (AMC)
![The Best Quick Binges on TV]()
We're all mostly hate-watching "The Walking Dead" at this point, but its companion shows, which aired its first six-episode L.A. side plot was refreshingly put together, well cast Alycia Debnam-Carey and kept us coming back for more. Only thing is: It'll eventually tie into "The Walking Dead" so you'll probably have to hate-watch with the rest of us.
F Is For Family (Netflix)
Bill Burr is the creator, writer and voice of Mr. Murphy, a real man (albeit a cartoon) who does real man stuff and acts like real dads did before the world went all PC. Popular fatherly lines like "I'll put you through that f**king wall" and "I'll pull your tongue out through your goddamn neck" roll off the tongue of this throwback to your father. An ode to the day back when it was okay for him to use the belt, you know, just after he gave up everything he loved for a wood-paneled station wagon and your ungrateful ass, "F Is For Family" is right up there in hilarity with Netflix's "Bojack Horseman."
Summer Heights High (HBO)
Chris Lilley's best work was the one-off season at Summer Heights High School where he juggled the three lead roles of staple high school teens in the angst-driven mockumentary about a disillusioned theater teacher, an illiterate punk and a spoiled private school brat. Lilley transcends both age and gender as he delivers knockout one-liners and the breathtaking performance of three lifetimes.
Fargo (FX)
The 1996 Coen brother dark comedy turned TV series takes us to the Dakotas with Patrick Wilson as a young state trooper investigating a small-town case in its first season, along with Billy Bob Thornton. Garnering strong but quiet ratings before returning with a just-as-strong follow-up prequel season, the Emmy-awarding winning anthology series (won Outstanding Miniseries, Casting and Directing already) takes television to a whole new level with the help of Ted Danson, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons, 10 episodes at a time.
Bored to Death (HBO)
Jason Schwartzman, playing a struggling writer, and Zack Galifianakis, a fat, underachieving comic book nerd, are best buds experiencing the fallouts of life. As Jonathan Ames (not a coincidence, the real life author helped create the show) attempts to pen his second novel, he ends up moonlighting as a Craigslist detective, like the ones in the novels he reads, and slowly copes with the loss of lady while juggling writing, babysitting his boss (Ted Danson) and getting colonics with his pal, Ray (Galifianakis). The buddy/detective comedy ran three seasons with HBO, but this underdog may still get a movie deal yet.
Freaks & Geeks (Netflix)
Most of the quirky actors you see in comedies these days got their start in the one-season NBC series "Freaks & Geeks." James Franco, Jason Segel and Seth Rogen, among others, star in Paul Feig's coming-of-age show of mathletes, stoners and the rebels of high school. Fans will also enjoy "Undeclared," the 17-episode college series by Judd Apatow with some of the same faces.
Transparent (Amazon)
Jeffrey Tambor is a divorced, single father of three with a secret, and nobody seems to care. As his kids continue to be self-absorbed while dismissing a very "trans-parent" change with their father, other secrets unfold that allow his secret to come out. The Pfefferman family plays a very relatable family dynamic in a modern, chaotic, tech-driven and transgender-friendly time where all people see is the phone between them and reality. These two 10-episode Amazon original seasons break down that barrier and give some good old fashioned family drama some comedic light...Judith Light. And in the end, this dysfunctional family learns something from their lady dad.
Grace and Frankie (Netflix)
Lily Tomlin, already nominated for a Golden Globe and Emmy for the show, joins Jane Fonda in an cleverly created story for our time about two rival women whose husbands come out together, leaving their wives to start all over again. Ironically enough, the two rival women have to turn to each other to get through their little mess. Martin Sheen joins in this hilarious drama about love, loss and the funny wreckage that follows. The show was picked up for a second season for 2016.
Broadchurch (Netflix)
David Tennant and Olivia Colman play investigators in a small seaside town as a murder case involving a local, young boy begins. The detective duo has its own plot line as they are at odds against one another over custody of their case. Meanwhile, a small community grieves as members become part of the investigation and a trial begins to take place. The BBC show, now streaming on Netflix has two short eight-episode seasons with a third filming sometime in 2016.
The Affair (Showtime)
Noah Solloway is a breakthrough writer who leaves his family to pursue his dream and dream girl Ruth Wilson, but the mysterious death of his new woman's former brother-in-law becomes to talk of the town, and carefully laid-out flash forwards lead up to the incident as the lead suspect is none other than the writer who got rich by stealing their town's story and putting it on paper. The show recently wrapped its second season with a stunning ending, and season three is expected to be wrought with even more twists.
Mr. Robot (USA)
Winner of this year's Golden Globe for Best Drama TV series in its first season, "Mr. Robot" follows the double of a cyber genius (Rami Malek) who works as a programming engineer by day, but at night he works under a vigilante hacker organization that takes down the kind of people he works for: corporate America. This seesaw series of a modern day antisocial follows both ethic and moral grounds, having you root for the hacker while he brings down the man in the most secretive of ways that would make Bernie Sanders proud. The show also stars Christian Slater and Carly Chaikin.
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (Netflix)
David Cross plays a dim-witted, under qualified office temp who thinks he's fast-tracking himself into an overseas promotion, but his new job turns out to be a nightmare. The fact he's a compulsive liar and disillusioned half-ass only makes each decisions poorer with every passing attempt. The IFC show aired two short seasons and is back with a reboot, which we cannot speak for. Definitely check out the first season alone, six episodes of 2010 glory.
Fear the Walking Dead (AMC)
We're all mostly hate-watching "The Walking Dead" at this point, but its companion shows, which aired its first six-episode L.A. side plot was refreshingly put together, well cast Alycia Debnam-Carey and kept us coming back for more. Only thing is: It'll eventually tie into "The Walking Dead" so you'll probably have to hate-watch with the rest of us.