The 7 best Netflix series you can binge from now to Boxing Day.

After a pre-Christmas period that seemingly went on for decades, the big day is here.

But in between the Christmas lunch, mince pie break, pre-dinner snacks and other nutritionally unnecessary, but seasonally appropriate meals, that’s a lot of free time spent nursing a food coma.

Instead, might we recommend these seven Netflix titles that you can start and finish between Christmas and Boxing Day. From Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag-esque series to the fantasy saga tipped to be the next Game of Thrones, these shows will fill in the awkward silences when you just don’t have the energy to make small talk with Aunty Karen.

A Christmas miracle in itself.

The Witcher

How many episodes: 

One season with eight episodes with a runtime of 47 to 67 minutes each episode.

You can watch this in...

474 minutes or seven hours and 54 minutes.

Tell me a bit about the series...

Game of Thrones fans, lean in. Based off a book series written by Polish author, Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher is the suspenseful, dramatic and funny epic which will have you hooked from the first episode.

The series follows Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), a sullen monster-hunter who possesses magical ‘witcher’ properties, as he attempts to 'fulfil his destiny' to find Princess Cirilla (Freya Allan) and save the Continent from evil. He's also joined by a powerful sorceress, Yennefer of Vengerberg, Anya Chalotra, who has her own fascinating back story.

Just be warned, you will want to dive straight into season two as soon as the episode eight credits roll. However, you'll have to wait until 2021 for the next instalment.

Watch the trailer for Netflix's The Witcher. It'll have you hooked in two minutes. Post continues after video.

Home for Christmas

How many episodes: 

One season with six episodes with a runtime of 26-31 minutes each episode.

You can watch this in...

173 minutes or two hours and 53 minutes.

Tell me a bit about the series...

It wouldn't be a Christmas binge-watching list without a festive recommendation and Home for Christmas is a legitimately good Christmas series,  as opposed to many others which are 'this is so-bad-it's-bad'.

The Norwegian rom-com series follows Johanne (Elise Broch), a 30-year-old single nurse whose family keep hounding her about getting a boyfriend. Sick of their judgement, she accidentally blurts out at a family lunch that she has a boyfriend who she's planning on bringing to the family's Christmas Eve dinner. The only problem is, now she needs to find one.

Awkward dates, cringe-worthy dates ensue.

The Crown

How many episodes: 

Three seasons with 30 episodes with a runtime of 47-61 minutes each episode.

You can watch this in...

1,691 minutes or 28 hours and 11 minutes.

Tell me a bit about the series...

For festive bingers up for a challenge, while you can binge The Crown in two and a bit days, it's going to take a fair bit of will and stamina.

A fictionalised recounting of the life of Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family, The Crown finally dropped its third season in 2019 after a two-year wait. You'll probably already be familiar with the characters thanks to history classes, but the show brings these figures to life.

Don't F*ck with Cats

How many episodes: 

One season with three episodes with a runtime of 57 to 65 minutes each episode.

You can watch this in...

185 minutes or three hours and five minutes.

Tell me a bit about the series...

On December 12, 2010, Canadian man, Luka Magnotta shared a video titled: “1 Boy 2 Kittens” to YouTube. In the video, he suffocates two small tabby kittens to death and hides his identity with a hoodie.

Magnotta's act of cruelty launched an international online manhunt involving people from America, Paris, London and even Russia, who banded together to bring him down.

With interviews from the original internet sleuths, Don't F*ck with Cats documents how Magnotta was finally brought to justice and what the 37-year-old is doing now.

Virgin River

How many episodes: 

One season with 10 episodes with a runtime of 41-48 minutes each episode.

You can watch this in...

437 minutes or seven hours and 17 minutes.

Tell me a bit about the series...

After answering an ad looking for a nurse practitioner to join a small-town medical practice, Melinda "Mel" Monroe uproots her life from bustling LA to the remote Californian town of Virgin River. Although her intentions are two-fold: She wants to outrun painful memories and seek a fresh start, she realises it won't be as easy as she first thought.

If you loved Hart of Dixie, Virgin River will be right up your alley. It even stars Tim Matheson (AKA Dr Bertram "Brick" Breeland) who plays a near-identical role as Doc Mullins, a surly doctor who does not appreciate Mel's arrival.

Crashing

How many episodes: 

One season with six episodes with a runtime of 23-24 minutes each episode.

You can watch this in...

140 minutes or two hours and 20 minutes.

Tell me a bit about the series...

2019 was the year of Phoebe Waller-Bridge. If you also fell in love with Fleabag (because how could you not?), then watch some of Waller-Bridge's earlier work.

Based in an abandoned hospital-turned-discount-co-living space, Lulu (Waller-Bridge) reconnects with her former best friend, Anthony who is currently living in the hospital with his fiance, Kate. In doing so, she moves into the hospital where she meets its cast of extravagant residents; From Melody, a french artist obsessed with a middle-aged divorce, to Sam, a sex-obsessed 20-something who's questioning his sexuality.

As expected, the humour and dialogue is sharp, witty and laugh-out-loud hilarious and the characters are complex, flawed but painfully loveable.

Living with Yourself

How many episodes: 

One season with eight episodes with a runtime of 21-35 minute each episode.

You can watch this in...

215 minute or three hours and 35 minutes.

Tell me a bit about the series...

Cynical, burnt out and disillusioned, in an effort to better his life, Miles Elliot (Paul Rudd) undergoes an experimental spa treatment to 'fix' himself, but things do not go according to plan. Instead of bettering himself, he wakes up to find that he's been replaced by a new and improved clone.

Now, Miles must face the consequences of his mistake, while dealing with a thinking, feeling replicate of himself who also wants answers.

The best series to watch on Stan:

• The Other Guy - Two seasons with 12 episodes and a total watch time of 367 minutes (6 hours and 7 minutes)
• Sweet Bitter - One season with six episodes and a total watch time of 171 minutes (2 hours and 51 minutes)
• Growing Up Gracefully - One season with six episodes and a total watch time of 165 minutes (2 hours and 45 minutes)

The best series to watch on Amazon Prime Video:

• Fleabag - Two seasons with 12 episodes and a total watch time of 304 minutes (5 hours and 4 minutes)
• The Marvelous Mrs Maisel - Three seasons with 26 episodes and a total watch time of 1,398 minutes (23 hours and 18 minutes)
• Modern Love - One season with eight episodes and a total watch time of 253 minutes (4 hours and 13 minutes)

What are your favourite shows to binge? Did we forget any series? Tell us in a comment below.

Feature image: Netflix.