Long before Netflix came along, turning on the television for some background noise was a pretty common thing.
Even in the streaming era that rewards dedicated binge-watchers with a steady supply of new shows, there are still some series you can just put on while you’re doing something else.
The Watch With Us team has selected the five best Netflix background shows to watch, and what we’ve found shouldn’t be too surprising.
It’s the shows that make us laugh that often turn out to be the best background series.
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‘Arrested Development’ (2003 – 2006, 2013 – 2019)
Arrested Development actually has a special place in the history of Netflix. This was the first network show to be revived by the streamer during the earliest days of Netflix original programming. It’s a witty comedy that centers on Jason Bateman‘s Michael Bluth, the underappreciated son of George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) and Lucile Bluth (Jessica Walter). Michael is, to put it bluntly, the sane person in his family. His siblings, Lindsay Bluth-Fünke (Portia de Rossi) and Gob Bluth (Will Arnett), are both messed up in their own ways.
Almost everything circles back to Michael in some way, especially after George Sr. is imprisoned on multiple charges by the SEC. Michael’s attempt to save the family business and the family itself drives the early seasons. But the writing is so sharp that you can still follow each episode even if you’re just listening to it.
Arrested Development is streaming on Netflix.
‘Seinfeld’ (1989 – 1998)
Seinfeld may have been the last good thing that came out of the ’80s. It’s one of the all-time great TV comedies, and at this point, most of us have seen the episodes over and over again. Comedies tend to be ideal choices for background shows, and the dialogue on this series has so many iconic lines that the truly hardcore fans don’t even have to look up at the TV to identify the episode.
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Jerry Seinfeld kind of plays himself as he gets into comedic misadventures with his best friend, George Costanza (Jason Alexander), his ex-girlfriend, Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and the neighbor who never leaves, Kramer (Michael Richards). They can all be incredibly selfish at times, but they’re also hilarious. That went a long way towards making them TV legends.
Seinfeld is streaming on Netflix.
‘The Last Dance’ (2020)
For the sports fans among you, The Last Dance is the anthem of the ’90s. This 10-part documentary series follows the 1996-1998 Chicago Bulls as they embark on their final season together. But it’s also a comprehensive look back at the career of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and the legacy of the team.
The players and Coach Phil Jackson share the oral history of their march to another championship, interspersed with game clips and archival interviews. Jordan gets more of the focus than anyone else, and just listening to his voice is enough to take us backto the heady days of the ’90s when the NBA was ruled by the Bulls.
The Last Dance is streaming on Netflix.
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‘Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Gauntlet’ (2018)
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Gauntlet is technically the 12th season of the MST3K franchise, but Netflix has it listed as a standalone season. This show was created to spotlight some of the worst movies imaginable while making them watchable by offering running commentary from a guy trapped in space with his two robot pals.
For the current generation, Jonah Ray stepped into the leading role of Jonah Heston, as he joined Crow T. Robot (Hampton Yount) and Tom Servo (Baron Vaughn) as they hilariously riff on bad movies. Felicia Day and Patton Oswalt costar as Kinga Forrester and Max, the mad scientists who subject Jonah to this on-going experiment. The chosen movies live up to their reputation for being awful, but the only thing you need to enjoy this show is the running commentary by Jonah and the bots.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Gauntlet is streaming on Netflix.
‘Suits’ (2011 – 2019)
Do you know why Suits: L.A. failed so memorably earlier this year? It’s because the creative team behind that soulless spinoff forgot that the thing that made Suits so much fun was the interplay between Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) and his new associate, Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams). This is a legal drama that has just enough comedy to be one of the ultimate comfort shows.
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You could spend hours glued to the screen watching this series, but it’s still very enjoyable when only occasionally looking up to see if the office rat, Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman), has sniffed out Mike’s secret, and whether Mike has blown his chance with paralegal Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle). There are 134 episodes to choose from, and you can always start over again when you’re done.
Suits is streaming on Netflix.
To be considered “the best,” these films and series can be visually engaging, intellectually stimulating or simply just fun to watch, but the one trait they must have is that they are all, in some way, entertaining. We then check which platform they are streaming on and how you can access them as a subscriber. No algorithm nonsense or paid endorsements here — our recommendations are based purely on our love and interest for the films and shows we love.
