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Mondays get a bad rap. The first day of the work week has become synonymous with doom and gloom and drudgery. It doesn’t have to be that way! Mondays can be full of laughter and adventure! Excitement and triumph! It all depends on what you watch…
We’ve compiled a list of 10 shows and films on streaming that will give your Monday — and your work week — a jolt. These are shows that will either help you blow off some steam by giving you a welcome dose of laughter or a burst of adrenaline to push you to fight back! There’s even a Sunday night gem or two that you might be missing out on in the Peak TV shuffle. Bonus: All of these titles are either trending or about to become super trendy.
Here are 10 amazing things to stream on Mondays.
‘Mike Birbiglia: Thank God For Jokes’
Netflix is becoming the place for great stand up comedy and Mike Birbiglia’s latest special is no exception to this rule. Birbiglia is a master storyteller who manages to weave wit and emotion together into a tapestry of hilarity. What really makes Birbiglia stand apart from his peers though is his indefatigable heart. That’s why he’s probably the best guy to get you laughing at the end (or beginning) of your Monday.
'Ultimate Beastmaster'
Netflix’s gonzo new reality series Ultimate Beastmaster is like American Ninja Warrior on steroids. Ultimate Beastmaster is a wild competition series that pits teams of athletes from around the world against each other and a killer obstacle course in the shape of a hulking leviathan. It’s mindless, it’s mental, and it’s a whole lot of fun.
‘Into The Badlands’
Carve out time in your Monday night viewing schedule to catch up on one of AMC’s up-and-coming Sunday night gems. The first season of Into The Badlands just hit Netflix (which by publication date means you have a week and change to binge it before the new season arrives on March 19th). This aggressively imaginative drama takes an old legend and drops into a raucous dystopian future where guns don’t exist and feudal American lords cultivate their own bands of warriors to keep the peace. The action is brutal and the visuals are awesome.
‘Time After Time’
ABC’s latest Sunday night drama, Time After Time is pure, unadulterated fun. Freddie Stroma plays a handsome and heroic version of sci-fi pioneer H.G. Wells who must travel in time to today to stop his best friend, Jack the Ripper, from killing New York women. Yes, it’s an insane concept, but it’s pure escapist glee. Watch it today and keep up with with the water cooler conversation about it. New episodes will land every week on Hulu the day after broadcast. (Yes, so new episodes will be on Hulu on MONDAYS.)
‘Black Sails’
It’s easier to watch Starz’s gritty, grimy, and sexy pirate drama than ever before. The first three seasons of Black Sails are now streaming on Hulu. This lush series pits real-life pirates in the same universe as literary legends like “Long” John Silver and Captain Flint. This bombastic series also features a handful of bold, beautiful, and dangerous heroines that are guaranteed to pull you in.
Stream Seasons 1-3 of Black Sails on Hulu
'Patriot'
Amazon’s latest whip-smart dramedy Patriot is breaking all kinds of rules. It’s part spy thriller, part weird family drama, part tense satire, and totally worth the watch. Michael Dorman plays John Tavner, a U.S. intelligence officer who must work at a piping firm in order to have the cover he needs to work as a spy overseas. Get hip to it now before it becomes the next big, buzzy thing.
'What We Do In The Shadows'
Taika Waititi is about to be a comedy king. The Kiwi auteur has been dazzling comedy nerds alike with his offbeat films for years — films like What We Do In The Shadows. Think of it as Spinal Tap meets Twilight. Waititi and his vampire friends let a documentary crew into their lives. It turns out that being undead comes with some of the same quirky frustrations as being alive.
'Crashing'
HBO’s latest original comedy Crashing (not to be confused with the British comedy of the same name streaming on Netflix) is a sweet, funny, and honest look at the everyday life of stand up comedians. Pete Holmes stars as a riff on himself. He’s an aspiring comic hitting mics and crashing on couches after he catches his wife in bed with another man. The show offers the rare realistic look at the life of a stand up comedian (which is equal parts humiliating and exhilarating). Note: HBO is offering the first episode for free at the time of publication.
The Shallows'
Blake Lively stars in The Shallows as a med student named Nancy (YES, NANCY) who books a beach vacation to escape the grief of her mother’s death. What she gets instead is a fight-to-the-death with a great white shark. This film is all sun, surf, blood, and butts. Not a bad escape from your dreary Monday. The film is available on VOD (and is currently available on Starz).
'Superior Donuts'
CBS’s newest Monday night sitcom Superior Donuts is something of a magical unicorn: it’s a multicam sitcom based on a Tracy Letts play. The show tackles class, race, and other sticky cultural divides with heart and humor. Catch up on CBS All Access and then live stream a new episode with the service at 9:00 PM tonight.
