If you have less than half an hour…Explained, Netflix

If even finding a spare 30 minutes in your day is hard, then this is an excellent solution, and you’ll learn so much along the way. With episodes that are just 15-20 minutes long, well-known actors narrate on subjects ranging on everything from the stock market to diets.

If you only have 30mins…After Life, Netflix

With only six half-an-hour episodes in each of the two seasons, this show from Ricky Gervais is all about quality, not quantity. It handles the subject of grief in a very touching and surprisingly uplifting way.


Normal People, BBC Three

The show that everyone is talking about – and with good reason. Beautifully shot and acted, there are 12 episodes in this adaption of Sally Rooney’s novel about first love, each just 25 minutes long.


Modern Family, Prime and Netflix

This mockumentary series about an extended family is the perfect antidote to quarantine-fatigue. A razor-sharp script and heart-warming storylines combine to make this potentially the most feel-good show on television (or streaming service). In classic American, prime-time-tv-show-style, there are endless episodes and series, but as each 30-minute episode has a unique storyline, you can dip in and out as you please without fear of getting lost.


Trying, Apple TV+

This brand-new British comedy about a couple going through the adoption process has just eight 30-minute episodes and a cameo by Imelda Staunton. Need you hear more?

If you have an hour…Ozark, Netflix

This multi-award-winning show has 3 series so far, with each episode lasting 50 minutes. If you’re on the hunt for a series to get obsessed with, this is an excellent choice.


Unorthodox, Netflix

There are just four episodes in this gripping mini-series (and a 20-minute documentary about the making of it that we highly recommend, too), which caters perfectly to the kind of binge-watching we’re into these days. Inspired by a true story of a young woman who leaves her orthodox Jewish community, its lead actress, Shira Haas, is a revelation.


The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Prime

You will not find a more empowering (or stylish) show. Fast-paced, witty and uplifting, this show will give you your money’s worth of escapist entertainment. With between eight and ten episodes in each of the three seasons, you will fly through this in no time. 


Unbelievable, Netflix

Another mini-series inspired by a true story, this may not be an easy watch, but it is gripping and important, particularly in this post-#MeToo era. There are eight episodes, so a manageable commitment and excellent fodder for conversation on your next virtual drinks with friends.

If you have an evening…Becoming, Netflix

Given the success of her memoir of the same name, Michelle Obama’s documentary about her life after the White House is guaranteed to inspire (also an excellent visual CliffsNotes if you never got around to reading the book itself). With rare interviews with her daughters, this is an easy way to fill an hour and a half.

For Sama, All 4

This documentary film collected numerous awards, including the BAFTA for Best Documentary. It’s a ‘love letter from a young mother’, filmmaker Waad al-Kateab, to her daughter, Sama, and their experience in war-torn Syria. It most certainly isn’t easy to watch, but it will put things in perspective.

Three Identical Strangers, Netflix and All 4

This documentary tells the story of identical triplets separated at birth and their extraordinary reunion years later. It will have you hooked from the first moment, with constant plot twists in a story that you simply couldn’t make up.