10 Best Shows to Binge On Maternity Leave

After having a baby, there’s a period where you have no idea if it is AM or PM or what day of the week it is. You try to stay awake during late night feedings. That’s followed by trying to fall back asleep as fast as you can.

Ugh! It can be a tough time. But you know what helps? TV shows. 

Not just any TV shows will do though, oh no. There’s a balance between needing to be entertained enough to keep you awake, without the plot points and storylines going too deep. You need to be able to fall asleep, wake up an episode or two later, and still be okay to keep watching from there.

Since they tend not to be too heavy, I find the best two categories for this are either half-hour comedies or hour-long guilty pleasures. So here’s the list to help a mama out. 

The 10 Best Shows to Binge During Maternity Leave

Half Hour Comedies

1. The Office

Is it weird that something work-related made the list when you are supposed to be away from work? No, only because it’s The Office. Give me some awkward Michael Scott or a good Dwight Schrute reaction anytime. 

2. The Good Place

Who doesn’t love Kristen Bell? She is forking hilarious as Elenor Shellstrop, who, after dying, finds herself by mistake in the “Good Place”. As an impostor in the afterlife, she attempts to become a better person. 

3. Schitt’s Creek

Oh man. This show tickles my funny bone. A wealthy family loses everything and is forced to live in a town they had previously purchased as a joke, Schitt’s Creek. Used to being spoiled, they have to learn to adjust to normal life, and it is HI-LAR-I-OUS. 

4. Frasier

Even though the show is technically about cultured radio host doctor Frasier Crane, I think my all-time favorite TV character just might be his brother Niles. Niles delivers some of TVs funniest moments that will make for good company during your weird waking hours.

5. Friends

Is there anyone out there who hasn’t seen every single episode of this show? Anyone? Anyone?

That’s what makes it perfect to binge with the baby. You’ve seen it already. You won’t miss anything if you zone out, but odds are you still love it.

Guilty Pleasures

6. Grey’s Anatomy

I am someone who doesn’t tend to like medical dramas, but I still got ridiculously sucked into the world of Seattle Grace (later to be known as Grey-Sloan Memorial) Hospital. The bonus here is that there are about 100 million seasons. There’s a good chance this single show can get you through the entirety of your maternity leave

7. Gilmore Girls

I’m pretty certain most of us have seen this, loved it, and could watch it again. Plus, with all the maternal relationships happening here, it seems like a no brainer.

8. Riverdale

It’s a teeny bopper show based on characters from Archie Comics. Riverdale is set in a small town where there always seems to be big mysteries to solve, making it the perfect binge. 

9. Gossip Girl

The show follows the beautiful, wealthy, and young Serena van der Woodsen and her Upper East Side friends and family through scandal after scandal after scandal. I’m not even going to lie-I haven’t even finished this series. I don’t think it matters though. I can pick it back up at any time during any episode and figure out what’s going on pretty quickly. It’s the epitome of a guilty pleasure TV show, perfect for maternity leave viewing!

10. Charmed

I’m not talking about the reboot. I’m talking about the original from the late 90s/early 2000s where the wardrobe is chock-full of those fuzzy sweaters we all used to wear. It’s about three sisters who are witches and fight evil together. Yes, you read that right, witches fighting evil. It’s WAY cheesy but easy to love.  

What would you add to the list? 

Previous articleSide Effects of Having a Kid
Next articleI’m All Out of Touch
Lacey Hamilton
I am originally from northeast Oklahoma. I attended college at the University of Central Oklahoma and stuck around the Oklahoma City area after graduation. Now I am a breadwinning wife and mom. I have 3 amazing kiddos and 2 mini dachshunds. As a family, we try to live as low maintenance and stress-free as possible. Our home is full of playing, laughing, cooking, eating, swimming, praying, gardening, reading, napping, dancing, and hugging puppies.

2 COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here