Here’s what to binge-watch when you’re hungover this Easter weekend

The four days off over Easter could be a fantastic opportunity: to do something meaningful, like see old friends, or go ‘for a walk’. But come Friday afternoon we all know where you’ll be: slumped across the sofa still recovering from a too-heavy Thursday.

Sure, you might be out every night at a different terrace party but until the alarm clock goes on Tuesday morning a good proportion of daylight hours are going to be spent at the altar of Netflix. Bearing this in mind, here are some binge-watching suggestions for this Bank Holiday weekend.

The one-day binge

Master of None (Netflix)

Total binge time: One season, 10 episodes, five hours

What is it? Comedian Aziz Anzari plays a fictionalised version of himself trying to make it as a successful actor. The idea of another TV show about a young single person trying to find success and love in New York City might seem trite but at its best this show is as clever and funny as Anzari’s stand-up.

Watch it if… You’ve spent all afternoon arguing with your friend over where to go for burritos.

Mr Robot (Amazon Prime)

Total binge time: One season, 10 episodes, 10 hours

What is it? This Golden Globe-winning thriller channels everyone’s hatred for the super-wealthy one per cent into a group of hacktivists seeking to redistribute wealth and change the world.

Watch it if… Your Uber driver ripped you off last night and you want to “fight the system”.

Transparent (Amazon Prime)

Total binge time: Two seasons, 20 episodes, 10 hours

What is it? A low-key comedy about a Jewish family whose father comes out as transgender does not sound like your usual hangover fare but there’s so much that is captivating going on here, not least in the family’s grown-up children who are all, in their own ways, complete fuck-ups. At its best, Transparent is like mood music.

Watch it if… You want to be reassured that, no matter what you do while drunk this weekend, someone is probably even more hopeless than you.

The two-day binge

Halt and Catch Fire (Amazon Prime)

Total binge time: Two seasons, 20 episodes, 14 hours

What is it? Mad Men in the 80s but with computers. OK, that’s a bit reductive but a period drama about the computer revolution 40 years ago isn’t the sexiest of sells. After a slow start though, this show is proving it can be as good as Don Draper.

Watch it if… You’ve been ordering an Old Fashioned ever since you saw how cool Jon Hamm is.

Luther (Netflix)

Total binge time: Four seasons, 16 episodes, 15 hours

What is it? If you somehow missed Idris Elba’s grim and dark London police detective before, now is as good a time as any to catch up. Watch as Londoner after Londoner is killed horrifically and be glad you double-locked the door when you got in last night.

Watch it if… Your ideal weekend involves not shaving and being horrible to everyone.

The Americans (Amazon Prime)

Total binge time: Two seasons, 26 episodes, 20 hours

What is it? Don’t ask how, but one of the best shows on TV right now is on ITV Encore. Fortunately, the first two seasons of this Cold War spy drama about KGB spies in America are available on Amazon Prime.

Watch it if… You’re finding Donald Trump so terrifying you’d actually rather be living under the constant threat of nuclear war.

The three-day plus binge

Archer (Watch Cartoon Online*)

Total binge time: Six seasons, 75 episodes, 26 hours

What is it? Yes, cartoons can be for grown-ups too. Sterling Archer is a secret agent with all of James Bond’s worst qualities: heavy drinker, serial womaniser, all-round dick to people. Don’t worry though, unlike Bond, Archer is frequently called out on his shit.

Watch it if… You’re intelligent enough to get jokes about Bartleby the Scrivener but also immature enough to find ejaculate funny.

Misfits (4oD)

Total binge time: Five seasons, 37 episodes, 28 hours

What is it? Rather than watch angry Batman fight angry Superman this weekend, stay in and catch up on the best TV show ever made about superheroes. Arguably, this show played just as big a role in defining a generation as Skins did.

Watch it if… You got a bit carried away the night before and nearly got in trouble with the police.

Bob’s Burgers (Watch Cartoon Online*)

Total binge time: Six seasons, 98 episodes, 33 hours

What is it? Remember how The Simpsons got really terrible? Bob’s Burgers is a worthy heir to what The Simpsons used to be. The Belcher clan of Bob, Linda, Tina, Gene and Louise are hands-down the funniest family on TV.

Watch it if… You’re eating a burger. If you’re not eating a burger, even seeing these cartoon burgers will make you want to be eating a burger.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia (Netflix)

Total binge time: 10 seasons, 114 episodes, 42 hours

What is it? The sickest, most depraved comedy on television. The best way to describe the gang of friends and family in Always Sunny is they’re the worst people on Earth but they think they’re as fun and relatable as the cast of Friends.

Watch it if… You need a comedy as black as the coffee you’re drinking to try and feel normal again.

Friday Night Lights (Netflix)

Total binge time: Five seasons, 76 episodes, 55 hours

What is it? A high-school drama about an American Football team may seem like the kind of thing only die-hard football fans would watch but the twists and turns in the lives of Dillon, Texas’s students are as good as any of the juicy plot developments in The OC or Dawson’s Creek. If you’re not crying like a baby by the end, you’re dead inside.

Watch it if… Your work won’t mind if you’re an emotional wreck on Tuesday.

*Google it – Probably not entirely legal, but loads of cartoons are available to watch for free.