The hidden hits of streaming services

A goofy take on the zombie apocalypse, this comedy follows nerdy college student Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) and his Floridian travelling companion Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) on an adventure that makes quarantine sound fun. Heartwarming and full of big laughs, the 2009 original also has a 2019 sequel for twice the fun! — Madeline Brooks

Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Amazon

This dark comedy follows a troubled family on their road trip from New Mexico to California to bring family sweetheart Olive (Abigail Breslin) to a beauty pageant for 6 and 7 year olds. Dealing with suicide, teen angst, body image, divorce and death, this sharp social commentary somehow becomes heartwarming and will keep you laughing long after you’ve finished it. —  Madeline Brooks

American Vandal, Netflix

This comedic, sometimes-crude mockumentary follows a true-crime-style look at two ridiculous crimes (one per season) in an attempt to uncover the truth of the cases. The show follows the format of two high school documentarians who use graphics, string-boards, and confessional testimonies to try and solve the cases. It’s both funny and captivating and makes the viewer pay attention to try and solve the crime themselves. —  Sophie Clapacs

Booksmart (2019), Hulu

In this 2019 indie comedy release, two of the smartest girls in their graduating class go on an adventure. After realizing they’d used their last four years studying, they decide to compensate for their lack of peer acceptance on the night before graduation. The movie follows the girls’ party-hopping, trying new things, and getting the high school experience they never had up until the morning of graduation. —  Sophie Clapacs

Big Time Adolescence (2020), Hulu

In this epitome of a modern comedy, mostly innocent high schooler, Mo, becomes best friends with a college dropout and his sister’s ex-boyfriend, Zeke (Pete Davidson). Mo uses Zeke to navigate the parts of high school there’s no syllabus for and learns life lessons from his advice or mistakes. It gets funny and heartwarming, as Zeke’s advice steers into unorthodox territory. It’s the greatest answer to the cry for a coming-of-age film in 2020. —  Sophie Clapacs

Project Blue Book, Hulu or History Channel

This series is based on a real Air Force program that intended to investigate UFO sighting during the Cold War Era. It explores the cases of Dr. J. Allen Hynek, a professor, and his partner in the Air Force, Captain Michael Quinn. They work to debunk unexplained phenomena in the U.S., trying to rationalize everything with science. It’s discovered, however, that some things are just supernatural. With a compelling plot and intense dramatic twists, it has you on the edge of your seat as the story unfolds. —  Eloise Rich

Repertoire, Netflix

Repertoire is a typical stand-up comedy show by a British guy, but with a twist. The comedian James Acaster divided the show into four one-hour parts, each one themed around a different emotion, or color. Each one of the parts are vaguely connected, and are all wrapped up in the last part. His silly sense of humor and performance art make the story that he tells over the course of the series even more hilarious and intriguing. It is definitely a series worth following over the extra hours we have to spend during quarantine. —  Shay Wisdom

What’s up, Doc?, Amazon

An old movie not about Bugs Bunny or doctors, What’s up, Doc is a 1972 comedy starring Barbara Streisand that is way less popular than it deserves to be. The plot is a satire on a heist, but also follows a rom-com theme around the other star of the movie, played by Ryan O’Neal. The bubbly, absurdist comedy and lighthearted story is a good distraction from the stress of quarantine.  —  Atticus THacker

2012, Netflix

Remember when everyone thought the world was going to end in 2012 because the Mayans predicted it? This movie is about that. A series of natural disasters begins to take out the world while a man works to save his family. It feels timely right now, because we’re also in a global catastrophe with an uncertain ending. —  Katie Clark

Chuck (2007), Amazon

           Chuck is a family friendly comedy/action show which follows the life of an accidental spy. Chuck Bartowski, a Stanford drop-out who works in a department store’s nerd-herd, uploads a CIA file storage into his brain by opening an email one day. He has to learn to be an agent while balancing his less-than-impressive ordinary life. I watch it with my parents. — Zoe Hiemstra

Train to Busan (2016), Amazon

Not a typical zombie movie — this South Korean tragedy-thriller is about a girl and her dad on a typical train ride, when they hear news of a highly contagious zombie virus, which turns out was already spreading on the very train they were on. I always thought zombie movies were cringey and unrealistic, but this movie turned out to be quite thought-provoking, about morals and class inequality. — Caroline Chen

Country Music (Ken Burns) (2019), PBS

This is a long documentary series by Ken Burns about the origins of country music up until fairly close to the present day. Each episode’s about two hours long, and there are a good number of them, so it’s great for times like this when time is not in short supply for most of us.  —  Benjamin McAvoy-Bickford

Almost Famous, Hulu

Anyone is sure to love the movie Almost Famous, based on a true story. The story follows a 15-year-old boy, William Miller, interested in music journalism during the 1970s, the end of rock-and-roll. Miller is able to catch the interest of Rolling Stone magazine, and is sent on the road with the up-and-coming band, Stillwater, similar to many great rock bands of the time, such as the Eagles, the Allman Brothers Band and Led Zeppelin. On the road and in a completely new world, Miller is faced with the morally-loose time of the 1970s, learning a lot about life, love and what is truly important. — Kate Beisner

The Staircase, Netflix

      Kathleen Peterson, an affluent engineer and businesswomen of much influence in Durham died in a bloody death at the bottom of a staircase in her home. Her husband, Michael Peterson, called 911 and reported that his wife had fallen to her death down the steps. However, the local police department and medical examiner had a different conclusion: Mr. Peterson beat his wife to death. The Staircase is a docu-series produced by Oscar award winning filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade. It takes viewers on a behind the scenes look at the infamous murder trial, from the first days after the death of Kathleen Peterson in 2001 to his case appeal in 2011. This series seamlessly weaves interviews with Peterson, his defense team and family, as well as the state prosecutors along with on-the-ground footage of the crime scene, investigation and trial. I would definitely rank this series among my favorite documentaries I have ever watched, and highly recommend it to lovers of crime shows. —  Shelby Swanson

Community, Netflix

     Community is a fun, light hearted comedy series with an amazing cast, broken up into easily digestible 21 minute episodes.  With familiar actors such as Ken Jeong (Senor Ben Chang), Donald Glover (Troy Barnes), and guest appearances from John Oliver (Professor Ian Duncan), the series becomes that much more enjoyable. The five-season-spanning show follows Jeff Winger, a disgraced and disbarred lawyer who is attending Greendale Community College to get his degree legitimately, and the study group of seven that he forms as they navigate four years of college together.  While new ground isn’t necessarily broken with this series, the development of the seven main characters in such an amusing format makes it the perfect show to relax and enjoy while still experiencing elaborate character development. —  Guthrie Richardson

Peaky Blinders, Netflix

     With five seasons, and an upcoming sixth (which was put on hold due to Corona), Peaky Blinders follows the Shelby crime family in Birmingham, England. Starring Cillian Murphy as Thomas Shelby, the ambitious leader of the Peaky Blinders, the show begins in 1919 just after WWI as Thomas looks to expand the gang’s territory. Fun fact: the show is loosely based on an actual youth gang from Birmingham called the Peaky Blinders. — Sophie Streiff

Archer, Hulu

With ten seasons, Archer tells the story of a dysfunctional spy organization called ISIS. It follows the story of the Main Character/Lead Spy Sterling Archer, and his adventures on his various missions. While the show is not necessarily family friendly, it is a very good show to watch on your own or with a friend. — Paul Johnson 

Beastars, Netflix

This is basically Zootopia: the Anime, but much more mature than the Disney version. The story centers around an all-animal world divided into carnivores and herbivores where the main character, Legosi, a grey wolf, must break through social and biological barriers to have relationships with other species. Probably the most enjoyable thing about it is the world building, as it goes in depth about the experiences of different species in society. Note that this show has furry elements, and is CGI animated, which may be off putting to some people. —  Jenny Blass

Unorthodox, Netflix

Unorthodox is a four-part Netflix miniseries that follows Esty Shapiro in her journey to disassociate herself from her ultraorthodox Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn. Married off at the age of 18, Esty felt trapped in her overbearing community, so she decided to escape after learning something that would change her life forever. While Esty is a fictional character, the show is based off of Deborah Feldman’s memoir, which discusses her severing ties with her Hasidic upbringing. Unorthodox is the first Netflix show to have a primarily Yiddish dialogue, and is remarkable in that it portrays the Hasidic community in a non-judgemental light. The show explores the humanity of the community rather than demonizing it as many productions have done before. The show sticks true to the culture’s customs, its rules and regulations, as well as its spiritual and historical basis and traditional music and costume. Not only is the show’s directing and cinematography captivating, Unorthodox has a diverse cast and interesting storyline, starring Israeli actress Shira Haas, who is remarkable in her portrayal of Esty. —  Jonas Hattman

Joe Pera Talks With You , Hulu or adultswim.com

Joe Pera Talks With You first aired on Adult Swim, but don’t be fooled–you can watch this show with your parents, your little brother and even your grandma. Like the title suggests, watching the show is like having a conversation with Joe Pera, a middle school choir teacher who lives in a small town in Northern Michigan. He shares his wholesome passions of geology, breakfast foods, vintage sheet music and The Who while going about his everyday life, which is full of interesting characters. If you’re feeling stressed about anything, watching Pera’s peaceful life will make you feel a whole lot better. Each 11-minute episode filled me with happiness, laughter and a feeling of calm. —  Audrey Dezern 

Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken, YouTube

I clicked on this as a joke because I watched the first Super Size Me in middle school health class, but Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken ended up being an eye-opening and interesting documentary. Morgan Spurlock’s attempt to reveal the inequalities and injustices of the chicken industry was successful as I’ll think twice next time I think about ordering a fast food chicken sandwich. While it has funny moments, the film has serious tones that go into how family farmers have been affected by the greedy “Big Chicken” industry, which was compared to “Big Pharma.” His opening of a fast food chicken restaurant had me confused until the end, where he reveals his plan to help fix the problems he battled for the first 80 minutes of the documentary. — Ryan Murphy