One of the rather interesting outcomes of this nearly year-long home imprisonment is that it has turned an entire generation of driven, high-achieving dynamos into couch potatoes. 

I personally know at least five such women, whose pre-quarantine lives used to revolve around work, with little time for entertainment, let alone themselves. They’re still working full days, albeit from home, but have somehow managed to devour everything that Netflix, Amazon Prime and Apple TV have had on offer over the last six to twelve months. So, what has changed? I know it’s definitely not work that’s being shirked.

Perhaps it is the relaxed state of mind that comes with not having to spend two hours a day on the commute to and from work. Or the freedom that comes with being able to lead 9AM meetings in pyjamas. I don’t know what it is, but I’m loving the fact that some of my closest friends  – who were always tightly wound-up from work – have been perfecting the art of vegetating on the couch recently.

I’ve done quite well in that department myself, to be honest. In the absence of parties, social engagements and previously standard activities like eating out twice a week, I suddenly find that I have some additional time on my hands in the evenings. Even more so at night, once the kids are asleep and I can sink my teeth into whatever guilty pleasure awaits me. On the screen, I mean. Ahem. 

I start with ‘guilty pleasures’ because Bridgerton is currently the rage among my group of school friends. They all happen to be power women in their early 40s, but one glance at our WhatsApp group chat and you’d think a bunch of giggly teenagers were texting. Most of the sniggers and colourful comments are with reference to His Grace ‘The Duke’. Yes, Bridgerton is a Netflix period drama, quite unlike any other I’ve seen. “It’s like Pride and Prejudice combined with Gossip Girl” wrote my friend Vivian on the group. 

The show is apparently based on a series of novels about aristocratic London families in the 1800s. Sounds like the kind of book I wouldn’t touch with a barge pole, but the banter on my childhood friends’ group coaxed me into giving the series a shot. 

Here’s my quick take: Don’t be fooled by all the surface prissiness, Bridgerton is hot, steaming hot. In fact, make sure there are no kids around when you’re watching it because those petticoats and corsets come off real fast. I’m not entirely sure if I liked Bridgerton for its drool-worthy Duke or its overt sexiness, but I absolutely loved the tongue-in-cheek narration, and the completely colour-blind cast. You have Lords and Ladies and Dukes and Duchesses of all ancestries and colours waltzing around the oak-panelled ballrooms and no one bats an eye. This is a world where British aristocrats in the 19th century are of black, Asian and Indian descent, history be damned. I loved it. And I also loved feisty little Eloise Bridgerton, hands-down my favourite character on the show. Eloise is a rebellious, spirited feminist stuck in the wrong era who is also whip-smart and yet endearingly naïve. Brilliantly written character played to perfection by Claudia Jessie. 

Verdict: 100% worth a watch.

Another couple of friends, unconnected to each other, highly recommended the TV series ‘Vikings’ which used to be on History Channel (I’m a bit flabbergasted by this and I’ll explain why) and is now on Netflix. My friend’s husband told me casually that “she only watches it for the good looking men and sex” and it turns out he might be right. There’s enough eye-candy on the show, if colossal Nordic men in armour, wielding swords and unleashing savagery are your thing.

There’s no denying the testosterone-laden smorgasbord but there’s also no denying the unpalatable levels of bloodshed, violence and barbarism. As the protagonist Ragnar Lothbrok himself says at the end of Season 1, “I’m blood sickened” – well, so was I. This is why I was surprised to find out that the series was a History original. 

I got through the first season mostly thanks to the really easy-on-the-eye Travis Fimmel and some astounding cinematography, but nine episodes in and I was done, thank you very much. 

Verdict: Watch the first 3-4 episodes to decide if you can digest the brutality and violence. If you can, go ahead and watch the rest.

The biggest disappointment on television of late was Firefly Lane. The Katherine Heigl-led drama promised to be a poignant and fun coming-of-age story. What it turned out to be was sappy, sloppy and slow. On the face of it, it is about two best friends whose lives have taken diametrically opposite paths. But to anyone watching an episode or more, it quickly becomes apparent that it is really about a very toxic friendship in which one woman bullies the other throughout their lives. That’s not what the show runners intended, but that’s what it is. 

I’ve always been quite a fan of Heigl, from her Grey’s Anatomy days to her starring turn in The Ugly Truth. (I know some people consider The Ugly Truth to be the worst romantic comedy of all time, but hey, I’m the person who’s all-time favourite movie is Die Hard, so don’t expect my RomCom tastes to be standard).

Firefly Lane however, does no justice to Heigl’s talent or in fact, even to its own trailer. I was hoodwinked by that trailer. The show is neither funny, nor fun, not moving and certainly not entertaining. In trying too hard it’s too saccarine sweet, almost as syrupy as Chesapeake Shores. No, I take that back. Nothing is as sickly sweet, vapid and boring as Chesapeake Shores. I don’t know why anyone ever made that show. 

And for the record, television news anchors are not coked-up party girls. I speak from experience.

Verdict: Don’t bother, for Firefly Lane. For Chesapeake Shores, don’t even think about it unless you’re a glutton for punishment. 

The second-best binge of the season was undoubtedly ‘The Test: A New Era for Australia’s Team’ a documentary series on Amazon Prime. It follows the Australian cricket team for about a year as they try to rebuild their reputation and their results after the ignominy of the ball-tampering scandal of 2018. Led by coach Justin Langer and captain Tim Paine, the team sees its share of ups and downs, trials by fire and trials by media alike, and finally achieves redemption.

This is absolutely brilliant television, brilliant documentary film making. It takes us, the viewer, into the heart of the dressing room so much so that one starts feeling part of the unit. To the extent where you almost find yourself rooting for the Aussies as they take on India, even if you are Indian. And even if you already know the result of that series. That’s how good it is. As my son Jai said when we finished the limited series, “Why did it have to end? Now what will we do?” 

Verdict: For any sports fan, not just cricket fan, this is a must watch. 

And finally, I must conclude with Cobra Kai, the very best TV series made in the last decade. You might think this is hyperbole, but if I reveal that I am currently rewatching Season 1 for the fifth time you’d be forced to think again. 

Those of you who know me and follow my social media accounts would already know that I am completely obsessed with this show. I tried watching Firefly Lane and I tried Vikings and I made the terrible mistake of trying Chesapeake Shores and I finally realised that a fifth viewing of Cobra Kai is still more entertaining than any of these other shows.

For those who’ve been living under a rock for the past year, this chart-topping Netflix show, which was originally on YouTube premium, carries on the story from the Karate Kid trilogy, some 30 years later. If you were a fan of the original movies (and which 80s kid wasn’t?) you will love the nostalgia, the throwbacks, the inside jokes and the fact that Ralph Macchio and William Zabka reprise their roles as Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. Equally compelling is the modern-day storyline and the teenage cast.

Then again, I probably don’t need to tell you that because the show has been a super hit on Netflix, second only to Bridgerton it seems, and this means everyone is watching it. I hope you are too, because it (television) doesn’t get better than this. 

Verdict: You don’t know what you’re missing if you haven’t watched this show. Come, join the cult.