--- title: A Handy Guide to Picking Your Summer TV Binge description: How and what to binge canonical: https://time.com/3919071/summer-binge-watch/ author: Esther Zuckerman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-12T19:21:53.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T08:09:49.221Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: A Handy Guide to Picking Your Summer TV Binge og:description: From 'Orange Is the New Black' to 'Seinfeld' og:url: https://time.com/3919071/summer-binge-watch/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltba740a6a6e3559ab/69885451e20a8726e8a8bd09/oitnb_ps3_013_h1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: OITNBS3_7OCT14_WHILDEN_D0619.NEF og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A Handy Guide to Picking Your Summer TV Binge twitter:description: From 'Orange Is the New Black' to 'Seinfeld' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltba740a6a6e3559ab/69885451e20a8726e8a8bd09/oitnb_ps3_013_h1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # A Handy Guide to Picking Your Summer TV Binge by [Esther Zuckerman](https://time.com/author/esther-zuckerman/) ## Esther Zuckerman Zuckerman is a contributor for TIME. Jun 12, 2015 7:21 PM UTC  OITNBS3\_7OCT14\_WHILDEN\_D0619.NEF OITNBS3\_7OCT14\_WHILDEN\_D0619.NEFJoJo Whilden by [Esther Zuckerman](https://time.com/author/esther-zuckerman/) ## Esther Zuckerman Zuckerman is a contributor for TIME. Jun 12, 2015 7:21 PM UTC Netflix benevolently released the third season of _Orange Is the New Black_ early, and thus binge watching season is now upon us. If you want to sequester yourself this summer, the options are plentiful—from the new, like _Sense8_, to the old, like _Seinfeld_. TIME critic James Poniewozik has [dubbed](http://time.com/3896329/summer-tv-too-much/) it “the summer of our excess content.” For those who don’t know exactly what to tackle, here are some possible projects to undertake. But just remember—stay [healthy](http://time.com/3919074/binge-watch-orange-is-the-new-black/). **New shows**Chances are you might already be done with the third season of _Orange Is the New Black_, but there are other binge-able releases out there. Netflix has already let _Grace and Frankie_ and _Sense8_ into the wild, the former from _Friends_‘ Marta Kauffman and the latter from the Wachowski siblings. All our anticipatory energy, however, is spared for the July 31 reveal of _Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp_. The original cast members are back, and Michael Showalter also [told _Entertainment Weekly_](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/06/12/wet-hot-american-summer-prequel-netflix?hootPostID=35acb4c22d810a87f0cbcf689ef10471) who some of the new additions will be portraying: “Josh Charles, Kristen Wiig, and Rich Sommer play the preppy rival camp counselors at Camp Tigerclaw.” Fans of _BoJack Horseman_ will want to note that the second season will be available July 17. **Catch-ups**You could also make your summer show preparation for another summer show. Though they are two distinctly different shows, you may want to watch the first season of _True Detective_ before embarking on the second, which premieres June 21, just so you can get everyone’s Rust Cohle jokes. If you’re in a cable drama mood, there are two seasons of research and romantic entanglements in _Masters of Sex_ before the show comes back July 12\. However, if you’re looking for something that’s just a purely good time, watch the first season of USA’s _Playing House_, which returns on August 4\. Lennon Parham and Jessica St. Clair will make you a Jammer in no time. **Half-hour wonders**Want to binge in more easily digestible quantities? Take on a show with half-hour episodes. You’ll still get the satisfaction of finishing a season of a series, but you won’t have lost as much time in the process. Not to mention there are some great half hour options out there. Netflix has the Tina Fey-Robert Carlock joint _Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt_ that will have you crooning [“Peeno Noir”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6yttOfIvOw) and the aforementioned _Grace and Frankie_, a chance to see legends in action. Meanwhile, Amazon has _Transparent_, which is totally deserving of all of its [hype](http://time.com/3663170/golden-globes-2015-transparent-jill-soloway-leelah-alcorn/), and the underrated orchestra comedy _Mozart in the Jungle_. (Primary reason to watch _Mozart_: Gael García Bernal.) **Classics**Or maybe you should just call it “The Summer of _Seinfeld_.” The NBC classic starts [streaming on Hulu June 24](http://time.com/3890930/seinfeld-hulu/), so if you haven’t memorized every one of Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer’s escapades, you will now have the opportunity to do so. Even if you have, it’s probably worth a re-watch now that the show is easily accessible. The rash of _Gilmore Girls_ chatter around the show’s ATX Television Festival [reunion](http://time.com/3911714/gilmore-girls-reunion-amy-sherman-palladino/) might inspire you to take a trip to Stars Hollow, or you could also start preparing up for the [January return](http://www.fox.com/the-x-files) of _The X-Files_ by getting to know Mulder and Scully and their mysteries. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3919071/summer-binge-watch/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3919071/summer-binge-watch/"},"headline":"A Handy Guide to Picking Your Summer TV Binge","datePublished":"2015-06-12T19:21:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T08:09:49.221Z","description":"From 'Orange Is the New Black' to 'Seinfeld'","url":"https://time.com/3919071/summer-binge-watch/","keywords":["Television","Seinfeld","Orange Is the New Black","Masters of Sex","Gilmore Girls","transparent"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltba740a6a6e3559ab/69885451e20a8726e8a8bd09/oitnb_ps3_013_h1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Esther Zuckerman","jobTitle":"Zuckerman is a contributor for TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/esther-zuckerman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltba740a6a6e3559ab/69885451e20a8726e8a8bd09/oitnb_ps3_013_h1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"OITNBS3_7OCT14_WHILDEN_D0619.NEF","caption":"OITNBS3_7OCT14_WHILDEN_D0619.NEF","creditText":"JoJo Whilden","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3919071/summer-binge-watch/","name":"A Handy Guide to Picking Your Summer TV Binge"}}]}] ```