Hot Takes: What To Binge Over The Holidays

For our last TVREV Thought Leaders Circle Hot Take this year, we thought we’d perform something of a public service: there are two full weeks of holiday this year. Time you will be spending indoors. With family. All trying to figure out what you can watch together.

So we reached out to people who actually work in the business to ask them their recommendations.

This list should give you plenty to choose from. 

First up is our TVREV Proximity columnist and Vertere Group Founder, Tim Hanlon who says The new "Letterman" FAST channel on Samsung TV Plus offers fans a unique binge-worth opportunity to relive some of the most iconic moments in late-night television history. Packed with classic interviews, sharp wit, and unforgettable comedy from David Letterman’s legendary career helming both NBC's Late Night (1982-93) and CBS' Late Show (1993-2015), the channel is a must-watch for anyone who appreciates timeless humor and groundbreaking TV. It’s a chance to rediscover why Letterman remains one of the most influential figures in entertainment.

Aaron Goldman, CMO of Mediaocean tells us that “Nobody Wants This” on  Netflix is a great show or, in Hollywood parlance, a delightful romp! Adam Brody and Kristen Bell are fantastic as Rabbi and "Shiksa" but Timothy Simons and Justine Lupe are true scene-stealers playing his brother and her sister. It's Shalom in the Home meets Broad City. What more could you ask for?

Raghu Kodige, CEO of Anoki, recommends Lessons in Chemistry on Apple TV+, noting that It combines intelligent storytelling, strong female characters, and a touch of nostalgia. It's a fascinating blend of science and fiction, and a thought-provoking exploration of gender roles and social issues. For the holidays, it's a perfect feel-good story with a touch of humor that you can enjoy alone or with everyone in the family.

Tony Marlow, CMO of LG Ad Solutions has two recommendations: Hell’s Kitchen and Mad Men, reminding us that It’s hard not to go with something food-related this time of year, and “Hell’s Kitchen” on LG Channels delivers a good mix of laughs and 'culinary drama'. Plus, it’s easy to pop in and out of episodes while juggling all the holiday chaos. For anyone with long-haul flight time, revisiting “Mad Men” could be a great option. It’s a masterclass in storytelling on so many levels, and sneaking in an episode or two - paired with an Old Fashioned, of course - feels like the perfect way to travel in style for the holidays. (MadMen is available on AMC+)

Cédric Monnier, CEO and Co-Founder of OKAST says “I’d recommend an older series that nicely—and sometimes harshly—captures the changes and challenges of the early days of the tech industry: Halt and Catch Fire. It originally aired on AMC.” (It’s now available on Philo in the US.)

Pedro Almeida, Eliana Soares and the team at Mediaprobe gave us two options: The Night Agent from Netflix and Only Murders in the Building which is on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in Europe. They note as you can imagine, the rationale for the recommendation has everything to do with emotional engagement and how the narrative is built from that point of view: we look for shows that make us laugh, cry, tense up or even want to throw the remote at the screen. These two options start by being highly engaging, drawing in the viewers in the middle with some highly emotional impact scenes, and then end up with engaging cliffhangers. Think of it like this: just as marketers have their favorite ads, we have our favorite TV shows. And yes, we can never fully take off our professional hats – but that’s what makes binge-watching so much fun!

Gavin Douglas, CEO of Drawbridge Labs recommends Severance for people looking for something to binge over the holidays. Created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller (yep), it's available on AppleTV+ and Amazon Prime.  I'm recommending it because “Severance” is the dystopian office drama we never knew we needed. Imagine if “Black Mirror” and “The Office” had a baby raised on microdoses and corporate jargon. Set in a world where workers literally 'sever' their work and personal memories, it’s a chilling satire on tech culture's obsession with "work-life balance" and AI-driven productivity. As the e-commerce empires and AI overlords make even your Roomba seem sentient, “Severance” feels disturbingly relevant. Watch it and thank the algorithm gods that you still know what your living room looks like. For now.

I’ve known Mapmeister Evan Shapiro of ESHAP for about 15 years, but was surprised by his recommendation of Portlandia. Not because he recommended it, but because he exec produced it originally. Recently someone convinced me to go back and binge it again. It’s been years. It holds up! (He is also the reason the show was shot in Portland. “Oaklandia” might not have had the same ring.) It is available on (among others) The Roku Channel, Philo and Amazon Prime.

Zach Frost, Director of Program Management at CCR Media, relates that he just finished watching “Nobody Wants This” on Netflix starring Kirsten Bell. Great show with tons of humor, but also plays into how hard relationships can be with people of different backgrounds. Definitely something you can have on in the background to get some laughs in during the holiday season!  That is two votes for this show, just something to bear in mind!

Christopher Simon, EVP Head of Agency Partnerships, Paramount Advertising reports that he highly recommends Tracker. Justin Hartley delivers a standout performance in the leading role, making it an enjoyable and captivating experience each week. It’s a show that even my 15-year-old son loves, and we have a great time watching it together—who would have guessed?” Currently in its second season, Tracker is available on CBS and Paramount+ for streaming.

My TVREV partner Jason Damata is a big fan of Ted Danson’s new vehicle A Man On The Inside, from Netflix, which he says may be the most important series of 2024 because it explores the under-covered issues of aging while demonstrating how funny and vibrant aging people can be. Recommended slow binge over a couple weeks so each episode can sink in.  

Last but not least, I have two recommendations for you. Babylon Berlin is a German series loosely based on a series of novels by Volker Kutscher about a detective in Weimar-era Berlin that I had read and loved many years ago. The series, which cost more than anything ever shot for German TV is visually stunning and deftly weaves the political chaos of the era and Nazi ascendency into the broader crime story. Obvious overtones in today’s world. The series even has its own original music created for club scenes. You can watch the first three seasons on Netflix, and all four on MHz in the US. And while it is available dubbed on Netflix, I’d recommend the original German with subtitles. And will probably judge you if you go dubbed.

If you have kids, Liberty’s Kids is an amazingly well done animated series about the American Revolution told through the eyes of three young apprentices to Ben Franklin, who is voiced by Walter Cronkite. They have assembled a stellar voiceover cast: Dustin Hoffman, Billy Crystal, Annette Bening, Tom Poston, Andrew Rannells, Ben Stiller, Maria Shriver, Michael York, Aaron Carter, Warren Buffett, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Douglas, Liam Neeson, Whoopi Goldberg, Norman Schwarzkopf, Ralph Fiennes, and the biggest surprise of all: Sylvester Stallone as Paul Revere! All 40 episodes are available on a range of services including YouTube, which, let’s face it, is where your kids are going to watch it regardless.

Bonus: if you go to 01:16 on the Liberty’s Kids trailer above, you will hear something you have often read on TVREV.

Wishing you all a joyous holiday season and a happy and healthy new year!!