Now that university is closed and social events are cancelled in times of Coronavirus, we finally have some spare time to watch series for days. But given the circumstances, it is likely that you are almost out of new series to watch. The Estimator is here to prevent that from happening! Below, you’ll find some of our most recommended series/movies, to keep you entertained for some extra hours while in quarantine.
Designated Survivor
Did you enjoy watching House of Cards and are you in need of some new White House drama? Then Designated Survivor is what you’re looking for. The series starts off with a gigantic catastrophe, namely a bombing during the State of the Union at the US Capitol. The bombing kills the president and the entire government, except for one person: the designated survivor, Tom Kirkman.
Before that day, Kirkman was the rather unimportant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and suddenly he is the new President of the United States during a huge crisis. The series then revolves around his search for the bombers, while also getting acquainted to his completely new life. A lot of drama, betrayal and political problems follow, which will keep you on the edge of your seat during the full three seasons.
Scorpion
The main characters of Scorpion are all extreme nerds, so as an econometrician you’ll feel very much related to them ;) . Walter O’Brien, a true genius, leads a squad of misfits that all have their own unique gifts. The only problem is that no member of Scorpion, the name of the squad, is actually able to keep everybody doing the right thing. Then enters agent Cabe Gallo from Homeland Security, who desperately needs help and wants Walter to jump in. Along with Cabe, Paige enters. She is a waitress with a gifted son and she has much difficulty when communicating with him. Paige is there to keep everyone in place when helping Cabe.
In each episode, team Scorpion is challenged with another problem that is threatening the world. Next to watching the team build spaceships, hack into insane systems and mislead enemies, there is also much space for a good laugh. This is mostly because the characters all bring some special characteristics with them, which cause many funny situations in between saving the world. Scorpion is thus definitely worth watching!
Salvation
To be honest, the main storyline of this series is quite weird: a graduate student from MIT and a tech superstar find out that a huge asteroid is six months away from colliding with the earth, and immediately start working on preventing this from happening. Add a professor that goes missing, a government making insufficient plans to stop the asteroid and some love triangles and the story is complete.
The first part of the series mostly revolves around Liam (the grad student) and Darius (the tech superstar) trying to build a so-called electromagnetic drive, which involves solving some next-level problems. Later on, also the US government - even the President - gets involved, leading to violence and even attempted murder.
Although the story is somewhat far-fetched, the action and drama of this series will keep you engaged throughout. And for those interested: even if you don’t like the storyline, watching Liam solving equations is always a great idea, because he’s a cutie :)
Suits
Imagine being able to possess the ability to remember verbatim everything that you have seen or read for most of your life. That is how Mike Ross, who did not attend Harvard Law School nor attend any law school for that matter, managed to pass an interview at one of the most competitive law firms in New York. While the beginning of the season focuses on solving cases on a day-to-day basis, what happens when other people get suspicious and try to bring not only Mike Ross, but the whole firm down?
P.S Meghan Markle, who also starred in this show, invited many of her co-stars to her wedding a few years ago.
Lilyhammer
Need some dark comedy and crime meshed into one? Scandinavian shows are always a good bet. This Norwegian-American mafia show follows a mafia boss who is put in the U.S. witness protection program. Where could he possibly hide to get away from the criminal syndicate? The remote forests of Norway, of course. Or maybe not, if you are still prone to your old mafia ways and have a Norwegian police officer hot on your trails. Littered with different cultural allusions and sharp black comedy, this series will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you laugh simultaneously.
P.S. It’s called Lilyhammer because that’s how most Americans tend to pronounce Lillehammer.
Pushing Daisies
What if your crush died but you had the ability to bring them back? Nicknamed a “forensic fairy tale”, this show is unusual in every way. With quirky characters and an even quirkier storyline, this show does them justice with its unconventional direction.
Ned is a baker who can bring back the dead by touching them once, possessing a single Midas touch. If the revived person is alive for more than a minute however, a similar life form around them drops dead to restore the balance. When Ned saves his mother from an aneurysm, the father of his childhood crush dies as a result. Moreover if he touches them again, they die permanently. When a private investigator discovers Ned’s ability, he recruits him to bring back murder victims to enquire about the crimes. One of these victims turns out to be his old childhood crush...
Parasite
No summary for this one. Go watch and see for yourself. Don’t even watch the trailer