With each of Australia's best streaming services competing for your hard-earned bucks, a key factor in your decision-making process will likely come down to TV show selection — a good streaming service should provide a large library of binge-worthy shows, after all.
As the name would suggest, Binge offers just that, with a catalogue that boasts some of the greatest TV shows of all-time. Simply put, if a service's worth was measured in Emmy Awards, Binge would take the crown in a heartbeat.
From older classics to new favourites, Binge's wide-ranging content line-up delivers something for everyone. Need more convincing? Here's a list of incredibly entertaining (and addictive) TV shows that are worth subscribing to Binge for.
New classics
True Detective: Night Country
The anthology series True Detective took the world by storm with its first season, which starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as detectives on the trail of a serial killer who dabbles in the occult. Though that season was showered in awards and praise, it's been unable to reach those same heights again in its following seasons. However, it seems the world is ready to embrace the show again after a long hiatus, and the buzz is already strong for its latest season, True Detective: Night Country. This time, the always-excellent Jodie Foster teams up with Kali Reis as the pair attempt to solve the mysterious disappearance of eight scientists from an arctic research lab in a remote Alaskan mining town.
Succession
Fresh off a string of Emmy and Golden Globe wins, Succession is the kind of highly-addictive show that was made for binge-watching. It follows the morally reprehensible Roy family, owners of the Fox-inspired media empire RoyCo, as they fight amongst each other for control amidst the declining health of the family's patriarch (Brian Cox). Normally, these kinds of despicable characters would be tough to watch, but the show's darkly comedic writing and biting wit make it a joy to behold.
House of the Dragon
Did Game of Thrones' rushed finale leave you wanting more? You're in luck, because House of the Dragon brings us back to Westeros roughly 200 years before the events of that series, giving us some insight into how the realm ended up in such disarray. Similar to the show detailed above, House of the Dragon throws us into a battle for succession within House Targaryen at the height of its reign. Unable to produce a male heir, King Viserys (Paddy Considine) names his daughter Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock / Emma D'Arcy) as his successor, leaving his spurned brother Daemon (Matt Smith) to take matters into his own hands.
Watch House of the Dragon on Binge
The Last of Us
Arguably the best live-action adaptation of a video game to date, HBO's The Last of Us zeroes in on what made the source material great, namely the relationship between its two leads, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal). Set in a post-pandemic world where civilisation has been destroyed by a parasitic fungus, grizzled survivor Joel begrudgingly accepts the task of smuggling 14-year-old Ellie across the US through hostile territory. On their journey, Joel and Ellie must evade the infected, who appear as rampaging, zombie-like creatures, as well as murderous human extremists. Before long, Joel discovers that Ellie's importance is due to her immunity to the fungus, making her the world's only hope for a vaccine.
The White Lotus
One of the most addictive HBO shows of recent times, The White Lotus is an anthology series which follows the exploits of both employees and guests of a fictional luxury hotel chain. Each season takes place over seven days at one of the chain's locations (Hawaii in the first season, Sicily in the second) and follows a new batch of characters, with the exception of Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge in her most memorable role to date). A biting social satire, The White Lotus sees the lives guests unravel as their problems follow them to paradise, in turn affecting hotel staff in equal measure.
Watch The White Lotus on Binge
Mr. Inbetween
One of the best Aussie shows in recent memory, Mr. Inbetween is the brainchild of Scott Ryan, who first brought his 'hitman with a heart of gold' character Ray Shoesmith to the screen in the little-seen independent film, The Magician. Here, we follow Ray as he tries to juggle his professional life as a hired killer with his personal life as a father to his daughter Brittany and carer to his disabled brother Bruce. That may sound like a typical story, but it's brought to life through Ray's darkly hilarious observations and incredibly dry Aussie sense of humour.
The Great British Bake Off
Need to decompress after a stressful day? There's no better way to do so than with an episode of The Great British Bake Off, a show in which contestants (occasionally celebrities, as seen in the clip above) take part in low-stakes baking challenges which produce some lovely looking cakes and other confectionaries. Okay, so the results are not always pretty, but it's the effort that counts.
Watch The Great British Bake Off on Binge
Old favourites
The Wire
Arguably the greatest television series of all time, The Wire explores America's 'War on Drugs', presenting both sides of the struggle while raising questions about its effectiveness. We see first hand the socio-economic issues facing the city of Baltimore and what may drive innocent children to become street dealers and killers. On the flip side, The Wire also shows how administrative interference and governmental influence prevents the Baltimore PD from affecting any real change.
The Sopranos
The series that single-handedly lifted television into a new golden age, The Sopranos has the well-earned reputation of being a masterpiece. It follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), an Italian-American mafioso based out of New Jersey who's dealing with a number of personal issues, both at home and within his criminal enterprise. After unexpectedly blacking out at a family barbecue, Tony secretly seeks the help of a psychiatrist (Lorraine Bracco) who quickly points to the various stresses in his life, namely his domineering mother and his fear of work-related death.
Band of Brothers
Produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, Band of Brothers is a towering achievement in television production, rivalling Spielberg's own WWII film Saving Private Ryan in terms of scope and realism. We'd argue it's even more impactful, in that it recounts the real-life story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, and what its soldiers went through from training, all the way to V-J Day — complete with emotional interviews from surviving members. Trust us when we say that Band of Brothers will reach into your chest, grab your heart, and not let go. With a huge cast of familiar faces that includes Damian Lewis, Ron Livingstone, Tom Hardy, Michael Fassbender, Dexter Fletcher, Scott Grimes, Neal McDonough, Donnie Wahlberg and David Schwimmer, Band of Brothers is a must-watch for fans of premium television.
