Top COUPLES Shows
A list of the top shows you can watch with your significant other
I got the idea for this post after discussing shows that
could watch with her husband Jeff. It sparked a realization that those show categories also applied to ones I could enjoy with my husband Ariel. As an introvert and a TV analyst, I appreciate shows I can watch solo and reflect on long after the credits roll. Finding ones I can watch with Ariel that we both enjoy can sometimes be tough because we have different interests. Hence, the following public service post on shows for couples to watch together.For this endeavor, I've enlisted Carissa (who also goes by “C” and “CS” here), the funny lady behind
, and her husband Jeff, indirectly. So here's hoping the list we’ve collectively compiled helps you find your couples' shows so you, too, can be #couplesgoals. Sorry, it rhymed and I couldn’t resist.Let us know your top COUPLES shows and which of our picks resonate with you.
Sci-Fi Shows
Beth’s Pick: The Big Door Prize | 2023-Present | [Trailer] | Actors: Chris O'Dowd, Mary Holland, Ally Maki, Josh Segarra, Gabrielle Dennis
The Rationale for Why: It's a mix of sci-fi, mystery, and a relationship-oriented show. It asks the existential "what if" question of how your life would be different if you discovered your true destiny. Secretly, this show is all about its relationships though, so even though the big Morpho machine is shiny and alluring, it’s the characters that you show up for.
Honorable Mentions: Severance (psychological thriller of the Eternal Sunshine variety but its setting is in a repressive workplace, Silo (post-apocalyptic, dystopian Brave New World-type vibe), Hello Tomorrow! (Billy Crudup sells timeshares on the moon.)
CS: Hubby and I gave The Big Door Prize our 3-episode rule. Even so, we could not get engaged. Not remembering the name of the series every time we were ready to watch could have been an indicator. I couldn’t figure out what Cass, the wife, played by Gabrielle Dennis, saw in Chris O’Dowd’s character. Also, I didn’t see the chemistry between the two actors.
BL: I hear you on this. It takes a while for the chemistry to grow between Cass and Dusty, and O’Dowd is so awkward it’s mostly on him. Ok, Carissa, you’re up. What shows (or films) have been well received by you and Jeff in the “sci-fi” department?
Carissa’s Pick: Resident Alien |2021-present| |Trailer| Actors: Alan Tudyk, Sara Tomko, Alice Wetterlund, Meredith Garretson, Cory Reynolds, Levi Fiehler
Rationale for Why: Lighthearted sci-fi comedy about an alien who crash lands in a small town and takes over the life (and body) of a vacationing doctor. The alien’s mission? To wipe out humanity. Hubby loves sci-fi while I adore humor. This show has both. Plus, we’ve been fans of Tudyk since he starred alongside Nathan Fillion in Firefly.
Honorable Mentions: Poker Face– Sci Fi-ish. The lead character has the ability to know when someone is lying. Natasha Lyonne carries the show plus the series attracts celebrity actors in guest-starring roles. Orphan Black is an older show but we binged religiously. A woman witnesses the death of someone who turns out to be a doppelganger. She assumes her identity and discovers more clones.
BL: I love this choice. We watched it as a family show with our middle school-aged kids and all enjoyed the first season immensely. Then my kids got disinterested and now we just stare at the recorded episodes in our DVR. One day… Orphan Black is such a good show but I couldn’t get my husband into it. It’s ok. I binged it still. Tatiana Maslany played five different characters on that show! That’s mind-boggling.
Carissa, what category should we tackle next?
CS: Yes, Tatiana was amazing!
Ok. How about the shows where– you’ve-had-a-long-day-and-don’t-want-to-think. I propose a new genre…
<drumroll please>
Mindless Network TV Series
Carissa’s pick: The Rookie |2018-present| |Trailer| Actors: Nathan Fillion, Melissa O’Neil, Eric Winter, Alyssa Diaz, Mekia Cox, Shawn Ashmore, Jenna Dewan, Richard T. Jones…
Rationale for Why: Hubby and I are big fans of Nathan Fillion since he starred in the SciFi TV show, Firefly. He reprised his role in the movie version, Serenity. We missed his stint in Castle but decided to try The Rookie and it didn’t disappoint as a mindless, entertaining network TV series. It’s a cop drama with a lot of humor. Fillion had the celebrity for its premiere but is just one amongst an excellent ensemble cast. Plus, the women cops/detectives kick butt!
Honorable Mentions: Tracker just completed its first season. Colter Shaw, played by Justin Hartley, travels the country in his hip airstream, hired by private citizens to find a missing loved one. The casting of the gorgeous leads, Hartley and Fiona Rene, is indicative of the mindless network entertainment category. Elsbeth is a spin off character from The Good Wife. She uses her charm, humor and uncanny intuition to help solve crimes in NYC. Fun, mindless show.
CS: Beth? Have you and Ariel ever watched these mindless TV shows?
BL: I hear you on Fillion. I liked him in Castle, another ABC show! Admittedly, Ariel and I are snobs when it comes to mindless network TV shows. It’s not to say we don’t do mindless, it’s the network part that offends, but ok, the one that comes to mind is super ridiculous. It’s on HBO and a Danny McBride show.
Beth’s pick: The Righteous Gemstones |2019-present| |Trailer| Actors: John Goodman, Danny McBride, Wallon Goggins, Edi Patterson, Adam DeVine
Rationale for Why: Apart from the combined star power here, the show centers around a dysfunctional, over-the-top family running a mega-church in the South helmed by John Goodman, that’s a bit of a Succession gone wild approach. The adult children, played by Patterson, McBride, and DeVine are all vying to take over the church and pulling crazy stunts in the name of the father or the Father. It’s hilarious.
Honorable Mentions: Like Gemstones, Vice Principals (HBO) stars McBride and Goggins in yet another brilliant, witty comedic pairing of petty people. Goggins, by the way, last seen in Fallout and before that in Justified: City Primeval, is currently filming the latest season of The White Lotus so he is everywhere. Jody Hill, McBride’s writing partner, co-wrote Vice Principals. As a family, we watch Ghosts on CBS with our kids too. I don’t know that we’d watch this just for us. And also American Auto, which was canceled on NBC was very witty especially if you’ve ever worked for a big corporation or LOLed from The Office. It’s on Peacock now.
BL: I propose we move on to comedies since I’ve segued into proposing comedies in the mindless department.
CS: Ooooo. Will check out The Righteous Gemstones. Sounds fun. Also, we preferred the original Ghosts on BBC. You pointed out the fact that most shows chosen have male leads! Yikes. Looking forward to some comedy suggestions with lady leads.
Comedies
Beth’s pick: Conan O’Brien Must Go |2024| |Trailer| Actors: Conan O’Brien (and friends/fans, frequent collaborators, like Jordan Schlansky)
Rationale for Why: Watch the trailer and the Werner Herzog intro and you have all you need to know. O’Brien visiting select countries and dropping in on fans of his podcast (Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend) makes for conThe htinuous cultural humor, at Conan’s expense. Highlights were the Thailand and Argentina episodes, but it’s all good. There is not much Conan won’t do for a laugh in the self-deprecating department and for that his legion of fans (myself included) are thankful.
Honorable Mentions: SNL or Saturday Night Live is a staple for us. However, I generally watch the clips Ariel vets during the original 11:35 PM EST runtime, the morning after while watching CBS Sunday Morning. We both enjoyed the John Mulaney talk show pop-up, John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in L.A. during the Netflix is a Joke festival, although he a little less so. And lastly, Life & Beth with Amy Schumer and Michael Cera is beautiful and funny - a near-perfect dramedy.
BL: Carissa, any of these shows been a draw for you and Jeff?
CS: We will definitely check out Conan O’Brien Must Go. Have you seen Eugene Levy in The Reluctant Traveler? We love funny mixed with traveling. SNL hasn’t been on our radar for a long time. Love everything Amy Schumer. 🥰
Carissa’s Pick: Hacks |2021-present| |Trailer| Cast: Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Kaitlyn Olsen…
Rationale for Why: Hilarious lady leads! Funny women creators, Lucia Aniello, Jen Statsky (and Paul W. Downs– okay, a dude) were inspired by female comic veterans like Phyllis Diller. In this series, Deborah Vance, played brilliantly by Jean Smart, must invigorate her act in order to re-earn her prime performing time slots at a Vegas hotel. Jeff and I love the characters and jokes that are old school and are learning what’s funny to the Gen Z crowd.
Honorable Mentions: Jury Duty– this would have been my top pick but it was released in 2023 and it is unknown if there will be a second season. If you haven’t watched this brilliant show, close this email and do it now. You can thank me later.
BL: Hacks is a good call and thank you for getting some much-needed female representation in the mix here. I've started Season 3 and I can attest to this show only getting better. Jury Duty is also fantastic. It’s the sleeper hit comedy of the Summer of 2023 and beyond. I so enjoyed it.
Alright, C. It’s time to reveal our final category. I can’t believe we’re here. I’m going for broke here with my choice. It’s not sports, which if it were, would be Welcome to Wrexham which is more like a sports mockumentary feel-good Ted Lasso vibe, another show we did watch as a family.
Spy/Thrillers
Beth’s pick: Slow Horses |2022-present| |Trailer| Actors: Gary Oldman, Jack Lowdon, Kristin Scott Thomas, Rosalind Eleazar
Rationale for Why: Gary Oldman is good at playing spooks. Look at him in John Le Carre’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (one of the best films ever). In Slow Horses, as the leader of a division of MI5 misfits/rejects, Oldman as Jackson Lamb is pretty foul, but his brand of tell-it-like-it-is bravado and being there for his team, is notable. Be forewarned: No one is likable here. That’s not why you watch. But, the show is clever, well-paced, and well-acted.
Honorable Mentions: Tehran is an Israeli spy thriller series on Apple TV+ starring Niv Sultan as a Mossad agent who was born in Iran, and raised in Israel. It’s fast-paced, compelling and the first season is better than the second, which features Glenn Close, but both are solid. Bodyguard on Netflix is a show that was wildly popular when it came out and doesn’t get much recycling, but should. The tension between the bodyguard, played by Madden to protect and defend a government official, played by Hawes, whose views and policies run counter to his values sets up an entertaining cat-and-mouse dynamic.
CS: Slow Horses was too slow for us. Hehe. We love Gary Oldman but we were bored. Tehran was fab. Good to know there’s a season two. Will check out Bodyguard.
Carissa’s Pick: Special Ops: Lioness |2023-present| |Trailer| Cast: Zoe Saldana, Nicole Kidman, Laysla DeOliveira, Michael Kelly, Morgan Freeman (is there anything he’s not in?)…
Rationale for Why: I have two words for you– Taylor Sheridan. Last year almost every show hubby and I binged on were created by Taylor Sheridan. (Also see an honorable mention below created by this genius.) Lioness is based on a real all women military unit. In season one the women must infiltrate a terrorist network. Haw bad ass can you get? It was renewed for a second season.
Honorable Mentions: Mayor of Kingstown (co-created by Sheridan) didn’t make it to number one because it’s a truly dark series but excellent. Mike McLusky, played by Jeremy Renner, is an unofficial mayor as he keeps the peace between the town jail, police and local gangs. It also stars Dianne Wiest. Amazingly, Renner is back for season three after almost losing his life last year. On the lighter side is Argylle; a movie about a best selling author who must unravel a global spy syndicate. There’s a big twist which I won’t spoil here. Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell make for a funny team.
BL: Aryglle? Ok, I might have to go to refute that choice. It looked promising from the trailer (Henry Cavill and I’m half way there) but somewhere 45 minutes to an hour in, this film came off the rails and lost all of us. Probably around the time the very predictable twist happened. But ok, enough about that.
CS: This was fun! Curious how our readers feel about our picks.
Let’s Discuss
Do you find that you relate more to the shows that Carissa’s recommended? Or the ones I’ve called out? Do you have other shows you watch and enjoy with your spouse/partner? Or have in the past? Share them here.
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Great read! My wife and I are LOVING Trying on Apple TV+ right now. The funniest, most life-affirming show.
It’s great that Melissa O’Neil got a higher profile TV role on The Rookie, but I would trade all of that show for a 4th season of the Canadian sci-fi series Dark Matter she starred in a few years back. Also, people, please stop recycling series names — now there’s something else out called Dark Matter. Was there a title shortage or something?
In the so-bad-it’s-good category of family viewing, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention La Brea, sort of a Lost: Los Angeles, and Coroner, which maybe is just stuck in a Canadian infinite loop. Sometimes you just need something to laugh at.