Twitter

Where to Stream:

Ozark

'The Big Cigar' Episode Guide: How Many Episodes In André Holland's Apple TV+ Drama?

'The Official Netflix Cookbook' Is Perfect For Foodies Who Want To "Netflix and Cook" Before They "Netflix And Chill"

'Liaison' on Apple TV+: How Many Episodes In Vincent Cassel And Eva Green's Thriller?

Golden Globes Winners List 2023: Where To Stream All Of The Winners

This week, so many people will be traveling home for the holidays and reconnecting with family members both immediate and extended. But in-between football games, servings of stuffing, and passive-aggressive remarks from your uptight aunt (“This is the way we make potatoes in this house, Aunt Jean!”), people are gonna be talking about one thing: TV.

Television is the great uniter, as everyone has time to kill at home and a hankering for new stories. Even though Facebook has the Baby Boomer generation in its thrall, your parents and relatives still have a television on while they’re scrolling through the feed. And Thanksgiving, a.k.a. IRL Facebook, is the time for cousins and in-laws to bond–or battle–over pop culture.

That’s why we’ve come up with this list of the five shows that are most likely to come up in conversation, ranging from streaming shows to major network hits. Along with every show, we’ve included information about streaming the shows if you want to catch up before Thursday, as well as a “crash course” comprised of summaries, informative pieces, and hot takes previously featured on this site. And if all that fails, we’ve included a show that you could easily pivot the convo to if you find yourself lost.

If you want to go into Thanksgiving fully informed (or at least informed enough to fake it), then spend your travel time with this guide.

'Ozark' (Netflix)

Plot (via Netflix): “A financial adviser drags his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where he must launder $500 million in five years to appease a drug boss.”
Stars: Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Sofia Hublitz, Skylar Gaertner, Jason Butler Harner
Number of Episodes: 10 hourlong eps streaming on Netflix
Who Will Wanna Talk About It: Your parents love crime stories, don’t they? If they’ve got a Netflix account, then odds are they’ve made their way through this summer’s sleeper hit and will probably want to have way-too-frank discussions about the show’s grisly happenings. Parents, am I right?
You Could Change The Topic To: Netflix’s Mindhunter

Crash Course:

Where to stream Ozark

'The Good Doctor' (ABC)

Plot (via Hulu): “Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, relocates from a quiet country life to join a prestigious hospital’s surgical unit. Alone in the world and unable to personally connect with those around him, Shaun uses his extraordinary medical gifts to save lives and challenge the skepticism of his colleagues.”
Stars: Freddie Highmore, Nicholas Gonzalez, Antonia Thomas, Chuku Modu, Beau Garrett, Irene Keng, Hill Harper, Richard Schiff, Tamlyn Tomita
Number of Episodes: 7 hourlong eps available to stream on Hulu
Who Will Wanna Talk About It: You know what else your parents love? Procedural dramas! The tried-and-true case-of-the-week TV formula has worked consistently from the dawn of the medium, and that’s still true today. The runaway success of ABC’s The Good Doctor proves that, as it’s become one of the most-watched (if not the most-watched) new show of the season. It’s a safe bet that your aunts and in-laws also love this one, so it will probably come up in-between servings of turkey and pumpkin pie.
You Could Change The Topic To: NBC’s This Is Us

Crash Course:

Where to stream The Good Doctor

'The Good Place' (NBC)

Plot (via Netflix): “Due to an error, self-absorbed Eleanor Shellstrop arrives at the Good Place after her death. Determined to stay, she tries to become a better person.”
Stars: Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, D’Arcy Carden, Manny Jacinto
Number of Episodes: 21 half hours, the first 13 (a.k.a. Season 1) are on Netflix. Only the 5 most recent episodes of Season 2 are on Hulu, so you might have to hit up iTunes to get the first Season 2 eps.
Who Will Wanna Talk About It: Considering this show’s pedigree (it comes from the same brain behind Parks and Recreation) and the involvement of Veronica Mars herself, your siblings and cousins will most likely be freaking out of this comedy’s deep mythology and constant twists and turns. This show is forking hilarious, but it’s also the rare sitcom that begs debate, discussion, and theorizing.
You Could Change The Topic To: NBC’s Great News

Crash Course:

Where to stream The Good Place

'The Orville' (Fox)

TCDTHOR EC006 — 20th Century Fox Licensing/Merch

Plot (via Hulu): “From Emmy Award-winning executive producer and creator Seth MacFarlane, THE ORVILLE is a live-action, one-hour space adventure series set 400 years in the future that follows The Orville, a mid-level exploratory spaceship. Its crew, both human and alien, face the wonders and dangers of outer space, while also dealing with the familiar, often humorous problems of everyday life.”
Stars: Seth MacFarlane, Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, Scott Grimes, Peter Macon, Halston Sage, J. Lee, Mark Jackson
Number of Episodes: 10 hourlong episodes, all waiting for you on Hulu.
Who Will Wanna Talk About It: If you have uncles and aunts that loved Star Trek: The Next Generation back in the day, then odds are they are digging Seth MacFarlane’s big budget Star Trek fanfic The Orville. Bad reviews haven’t been hindered positive word of mouth at all. Just look at that 21% critics score and 93% audience reaction on Rotten Tomatoes!
You Could Change The Topic To: CBS All Access’ Star Trek: Discovery

Crash Course:

Where to stream The Orville

'Stranger Things' (Netflix)

stranger-things-2-episode-1-madmax — Photo: Netflix

Plot (via Netflix): “When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one strange little girl.”
Stars: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Noah Schnapp, Joe Keery
List of Episodes: 17 hourlong chapters, all on Netflix.
Who Will Wanna Talk About It: Considering how popular Stranger Things is, don’t be surprised if everyone under the age of 50 is hip to this coming-of-age/ supernatural/ mystery/ action series. But you might be able to impress your nieces and nephews with your own growing-up-in-the-’80s (or early ’90s) stories, especially if they involve Dungeons & Dragons or carrying pockets full of quarters to an arcade. If you spent the ’80s in the Upside Down, maybe wait and bring that up on Black Friday.
You Could Change The Topic To: Netflix’s Marvel’s The Defenders