These 28 Extraordinarily Bingeable Shows Are Perfect Parental-Leave Entertainment

So, you have big plans for your parental leave. Along with getting in major cuddle time with your newborn, you're hoping to catch up on a few household chores and possibly even sneak in a nap or two while your baby sleeps. But when the reality and exhaustion of parenthood kick in, you may find you want to do nothing but relax and watch TV — and that's perfectly OK!

After both of my babies were born, I was too tired to do anything. Even the simplest chore felt like climbing a mountain, and with my maternal alarm going off every 10 minutes, it was impossible for me to get any restful sleep. With no one else around to talk to and no energy to do anything productive, time seemed to slow down. But as it turned out, my maternity leave became the perfect time to catch up on all the TV shows I had been meaning to watch, especially during my frequent nursing sessions.

Luckily, in this beautiful era of streaming video, there's a variety of amazing content you can easily access with just a click of a button. So if you are a new parent and need something to keep you entertained during your parental leave, here's a list of binge-worthy shows to watch when you need a little break.

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Workin' Moms

When their maternity leave ends, four Toronto women must learn to juggle motherhood, work, and their personal relationships.

Watch it now on Netflix.

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Fleabag

Unfiltered, grief-stricken, and highly sexual, 33-year-old Fleabag is a little bit of a mess. Follow along as she tries to heal and live her best life in London.

Watch it now on Amazon Prime.

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The Letdown

When new mom Audrey joins a support group for parents, she befriends a quirky crew of new parents who are all struggling with various life challenges.

Watch it now on Netflix.

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Marvel's Hero Project

Marvel's Hero Project is proof that not all superheroes wear capes. The docuseries highlights inspirational stories of brave young kids who dedicate their lives to helping others. In each episode, Marvel celebrates the young heroes with a comic illustrating their journey and presents them with a sizable donation for their cause.

Watch it now on Disney+.

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Timeless

In this thrilling, action-packed adventure, a historian, a soldier, and a scientist are enlisted to follow and stop a time-traveling terrorist group who intend to alter history to their advantage. From the assassination of Abraham Lincoln to the launch of Apollo 11, the unlikely team find themselves in the middle of some of the most important moments in American history, and they must work together to make sure history goes the way it should.

Watch it now on Hulu.

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Good Girls

Starring Christina Hendricks, Retta, and Mae Whitman, Good Girls follows three suburban Detroit women whose personal lives are turned upside down, leaving them with very little to provide for their families. To gain financial independence, they begin working with a dangerous gangster and are forced to become mastermind criminals.

Watch it now on Netflix.

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Parks and Recreation

Leslie Knope, the deputy director of the Pawnee, IN, Parks and Recreation Department, works alongside her friends and colleagues to hilariously tackle everyday issues that arise at the office.

Watch it now on Netflix.

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The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

After Midge Maisel's seemingly perfect life is turned upside down, she attempts a career in stand-up comedy in New York City, despite the pushback from her friends and family.

Watch it now on Amazon Prime.

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Dollface

After being dumped by her boyfriend of five years, Jules Wiley (played by Kat Dennings) realizes how disconnected she's been from her female friends. With no one else to turn to, she tries to reconnect with her old squad but must face the fact that she doesn't know how to be one of the girls anymore. With her own vivid imagination telling the narrative, Jules has to relearn how to navigate the world of women.

Watch it now on Hulu.

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Insecure

Insecure follows 20-something Issa Dee (played by Issa Rae), a young woman who must juggle her personal and professional life through a series of setbacks while living in Los Angeles. With her best friend Molly (Yvonne Orji) by her side and a few hilarious private rap sessions, Issa is forced to face her own insecurities and tackle them head on.

Watch it now on HBO.

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Marvel's Agent Carter

Straight from the Marvel Universe, Agent Carter tells the story of Peggy Carter, a character who is first seen in Captain America: The First Avenger. Aside from being Captain America's one true love — the same one he goes back in time to be with in Avengers: Endgame — Peggy Carter is an undercover Strategic Scientific Reserve agent, and the show follows her adventures as she uncovers sinister plots and catches evil villains, all while navigating life as a woman in the 1940s.

Watch it now on Dinsey+.

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The Good Place

Starring Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, and Jamila Jameel, The Good Place tells the story of newly dead Eleanor Shellstrop — a self-absorbed snarky cynic who wakes up in heaven but soon realizes things aren't quite what they seem. With her new friends by her side, Eleanor learns way more about herself and the afterlife than she expected.

Watch it now on Netflix.

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Shrill

Empowering and hilarious, Shrill is centered on Annie (played by Saturday Night Live's Aidy Bryant), an aspiring journalist who is juggling life with her self-absorbed boyfriend, intense boss, and sick father. After a series of setbacks, Annie decides to take life by the horns and embrace everything about herself, including her body.

Watch it now on Hulu.

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Homeland

Homeland is a riveting spy thriller that centers on Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes), a bipolar CIA agent who has the ability to see things others can't. With the help of her mentor Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin), the somewhat volatile yet brilliant agent risks everything to find the truth and foil deadly terrorist plots.

Watch it now on Showtime.

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Modern Love

Starring big Hollywood names including Anne Hathaway, Dev Patel, Andy Garcia, and Tina Fey, Modern Love tells unique and compelling stories about love and relationships inspired by personal essays from the New York Times column "Modern Love." Unlike typical rom-coms, the show explores all types of love and relationships — romantic, sexual, self-love, platonic, and familial — and the real-life issues that come with them.

Watch it now on Amazon Prime.

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Gordon Ramsay Uncharted

Follow world-renowned celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey as he adventures through exotic lands, savoring new cultures and cuisines.

Watch it now on Disney+.

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Succession

The Roy family control a billion-dollar global media empire. But when their patriarch and CEO falls ill, his four kids sneakily, dangerously fight for control of the legendary company.

Watch it now on HBO.

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New Girl

Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel) is a sweet and quirky 20-something teacher who moves into an apartment with three men after finding the listing on Craigslist. The comedy follows the crew through their hilarious misadventures, relationships, and professional transitions.

Watch it now on Netflix.

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Carnival Row

In a Victorian-era, steampunk-style fantasy world filled with creatures like faeries, fauns, and humans, police investigator Rycroft Philostrate and his long-lost faerie love Vignette Stonemoss reunite on opposite sides of a deadly cultural war.

Watch it now on Amazon Prime.

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11.22.63

Based on Stephen King's gripping novel, the series follows Jake Epping as he discovers a secret time portal and sets out on a mission to go back in time and prevent the assassination of JFK.

Watch it now on Hulu.

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The Mandalorian

In this epic Star Wars series, the world is just getting settled into a new way of life after the fall of the Empire. While trying to make an honest living in this post-Empire world, a lone bounty hunter called The Mandalorian comes upon a surprising bounty, and rather than turn it in for money, he does whatever it takes to keep this new friend safe.

Watch it now on Disney+.

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Fuller House

Fuller House — a spinoff of the beloved '90s sitcom Full House — follows the hilarious misadventures of DJ Tanner (Candace Cameron Bure) and her sister Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin). Now adults and with kids of their own, the Tanner sisters are tackling new responsibilities, but luckily, they still have their neighbor Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber); their father, Danny (Bob Saget); Uncle Joey (Dave Coulier); and, of course, their beloved Uncle Jesse (John Stamos) to count on for support.

Watch it now on Netflix.

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Outlander

Married World War II nurse Claire Randall accidentally travels back in time 200 years to 1700s Scotland, where she falls in love with Scottish Highlander Jaime Fraser and discovers an adventurous new life she never dreamed of living in this romantic fantasy series.

Watch it now on Netflix.

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30 Rock

Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), the head writer for a New York-based sketch comedy show, is forced to hire an unpredictable comedian (Tracy Morgan) to star alongside her self-obsessed movie-star friend (Jane Krakowski). With the guidance of her controlling and often irrational boss (Alec Baldwin), Liz tries to secure the future of the show and hilariously tries to manage all the ridiculous egos around her.

Watch it now on Hulu.

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The Crown

Discover the politics, romance, and palace intrigue of the early life of Queen Elizabeth II in this loosely based historical series. Starring Claire Foy, John Lithgow, Olivia Colman, and Helena Bonham Carter, the award-winning show follows the events and relationships that surrounded the queen's life from her wedding in 1947 and onward.

Watch it now on Netflix.

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Sneaky Pete

Created by Bryan Cranston and starring Giovanni Ribisi, Sneaky Pete follows Marius Josipović, a con man who gets out of jail and finds himself in the crosshairs of a dangerous criminal. To stay under the radar, Marius assumes the identity of his old cellmate, Pete Murphy, and ends up living with Pete's estranged family.

Watch it now on Amazon Prime.

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Encore!

Encore! is a fun and inspiring docuseries that will take you back to your high-school days. On the show, Frozen and The Good Place star Kristen Bell travels around the country to reunite old theater classmates and helps them put on productions of musicals from their high-school days.

Watch it now on Disney+.

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Gilmore Girls

Meet the Gilmores, 30-something single mom Lorelai Gilmore and her witty and intelligent Ivy League-bound daughter, Rory. The duo navigate their small-town life and big dreams with their signature banter and eccentricities.

Watch it now on Netflix.