Opinion: Three super short shows to binge watch over break

Rex Santus

Happy holidays, Kent Staters. This is my last column. Dry your tears, please, you’re embarrassing all of us.

I realize not everyone has streaming services such as Netflix or HBO Go, but if you do, I got you covered. Nothing to do this winter break? Hahahaha, not anymore. Here’s three of my favorite shows that you could feasibly watch in one mostly motionless day.

‘Enlightened’

HBO canceled “Enlightened” after just 18 episodes. Shame on you for watching “The Walking Dead” and “Dexter” instead of this, plebeians. Just kidding, I didn’t start ‘til after the series’ too-short run, either, so I’m part of the problem. But it’s not too late!

The whole thing’s on HBO Go. Amy Jellicoe (Laura Dern, perfect) returns to work at the hyper-capitalist company that caused her to have a nervous breakdown. She’s fresh from a new-wave rehabilitation camp, determined to be “an agent of change,” e.g. she’s very into self-help books. It’s a truly unusual and funny (and sad) show.

‘Spaced’

In the grand tradition of British sitcoms, “Spaced” ended after about a dozen episodes for some reason. Before “Shaun of the Dead,” Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and company had this show, which is a surrealist series about two 20-something roommates obsessed with ‘90s- and turn-of-the-millennium pop culture. (Think stuff like “Resident Evil” video games and “Terminator 2.”)

This beaut’s streaming on Netflix, and I’m still upset that Jessica Hynes (then Stevenson, who stars as Daisy) doesn’t play a bigger part in the group’s newer projects. Better days, I suppose. Note to Edgar Wright.

‘Top of the Lake’

This Netflix-streaming miniseries is a gem. Directed by Jane Campion, the A+ auteur who helmed “The Piano” (super weird) way back in 1993, this is a pretty grim undertaking. But if you’re into this stuff, it’s way better than AMC’s “The Killing.”

What’s the plot, you ask? Robin Griffin (“Mad Men” ’s Elisabeth Moss) is investigating the disappearance of a 12-year-old pregnant girl. Yep, you’ll plow through this in, like, six hours. Best opening-credits sequence, too.

Contact Rex Santus at [email protected].