Cult Shows: Most popular TV shows to binge-watch as you work from home

Here is a list of the most popular ones to binge-watch as you work from home.

By Reya Mehrotra

The internet erupted with joy and nostalgia when Friends Reunion released recently. With OTT platforms giving easy access to cult and popular shows of all time, many netizens are catching up on shows they never saw before. Here is a list of the most popular ones to binge-watch as you work from home.

The Big Bang Theory

The sitcom by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady ran between 2007 and 2019, with over 12 seasons. It starred Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Kunal Nayyar, Johnny Galecki, Laura Spencer, among others. The show won seven Emmy awards, while actor Jim Parsons won the Emmy four times. The show was filmed in front of a live audience.

Mash

The war comedy drama series was a favourite among the audience in the 1970s. It was an acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital and had 11 seasons (between 1972 and 1983). Mash was a spinoff of the feature film MASH (1970), which was, in turn, based on the novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker in 1968. Developed by Larry Gelbart, it starred Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, McLean Stevenson, Loretta Swit, among others.

Friends

The cult show, about the six friends (Ross, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, Rachel and Joey), became one of the most popular sitcoms of all times. It revolved around the lives of the friends and how their friendship develops and sustains over time. It first aired in 1994 and went on till 2004, with around 10 seasons. Created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, the show continues to remain popular, so much so that the Friends Reunion episode, released recently with huge fanfare, had loyal fans getting emotional.

The Simpsons

The animated sitcom by Matt Groening is a satirical depiction of American life, which plays out through the Simpson family. It has a wide ensemble cast with many supporting characters. The Simpson family lives in the Middle America town of Springfield. The show is the longest-running American animated series and sitcom. It was first telecast in 1989 and is still running. The seasons that aired in the 1990s are said to be the best ones.

The Office

The sitcom follows the lives of the employees of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in Pennsylvania. It ran between 2005 and 2014, and had nine seasons. Developed by Greg Daniels, it starred Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, among others. Carell even won a Golden Globe Award for his performance. The show won four Primetime Emmy Awards.

Game of Thrones

The fantasy drama, which first aired in 2011 and concluded in 2019, has its own huge cult following. Based on George RR Martin’s book series A Song of Ice and Fire, it is set in the fictional Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and the continent of Essos. Several simultaneous plotlines make its premise. It stars Emilia Clarke, Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, Maisie Williams, Jason Momoa, among others.

Sex and the City

The popular television series was adapted from the 1997 book of the same name by Candace Bushnell. It first premiered in 1997 and starred Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon. It follows four women best friends who confide in each other every detail of their lives. The series was so popular that it had two movies made on it starring an ensemble cast.

How I Met Your Mother

The sitcom was telecast between 2005 and 2014, and revolved around a group of friends living in Manhattan. In the show, it’s the year 2030, and Ted Mosby is recounting to his children the events that led him to meet their mother. Of the total 30 Emmy nominations that the show got, it won 10. The show was created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.

Brooklyn Nine Nine

The sitcom, set in the fictional 99th precinct of the New York Police Department, won many hearts and has garnered a loyal fan following.

The detectives of Brooklyn Nine Nine take their audience on humorous trips as they hunt down criminals and curb crime while bonding with each other. Created by Dan Goor and Michael Schur, it first premiered in 2013 and its final and eighth season is due this year. The show is also loved as it places a black gay man at the top position as an officer, talks about #MeToo, gender fluidity and several other issues.

Modern Family

The family sitcom by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan ran for 11 seasons between 2009 and 2020. It starred Ed O’Neill, Sofia Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, among others. The show was presented in a mockumentary style with the characters speaking to the camera in interview confessions.