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Long before streaming services came along, TV provided ample choices for background shows when you just wanted something on.
The best choices are often shows that you’ve seen numerous times, or series that don’t force the viewer to watch intently.
In the age of Netflix, viewers have more freedom to choose the shows they want to watch and how closely they want to follow them.
For February, Halo and What I Like About You have been added to Watch With Us‘ best Netflix background shows to watch. You can find all of our picks below.
‘Halo’ (2022 – 2024)
The Halo TV series was originally on Paramount+, and it proved to be very divisive among the video game’s fans because of the changes made to the characters and the lore. It seemed like the show took its cue from The Mandalorian by sending Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 (Pablo Schreiber) on the run with a teenager, Kwan Ha (Yerin Ha), to protect her from a threat to her life.
Fans really wanted to see the intense sci-fi action from the video game’s future war between humanity and the alien Covenant, and there were times when the show delivered. That’s what makes this an ideal choice for a background show, since it allows viewers to ignore the parts they don’t like and pay attention when something interesting or exciting takes place.
Halo is streaming on Netflix.
‘What I Like About You’ (2002 – 2006)
There was a time when Amanda Bynes was one of the most popular young actresses in the industry, especially when it came to comedy. After graduating from back-to-back hits on Nickelodeon, Bynes landed the leading role on a WB sitcom called What I Like About You opposite Beverly Hills 90210 star Jennie Garth.
Bynes plays Holly Tyler, the teenage sister of Val Tyler (Garth), who takes Holly in as her roommate when their father moves to Japan for work. The primary reason to watch this show is the breezy comedic chemistry between Bynes and Garth as sisters who aren’t always on the same page with each other. It’s also not a show that demands your full attention at all times.
What I Like About You is streaming on Netflix.
‘Animal Control’ (2023 – Present)
Animal Control is one of the more recently released shows on our list, and it’s still running new episodes on Fox. The first two seasons are on Netflix, and they feature Joel McHale as Frank Shaw, the Senior Animal Control Officer in Seattle. Frank used to be a cop, but now his beat is a lot stranger as he works alongside Fred “Shred” Taylor (Michael Rowland), Emily Price (Vella Lovell), Amit Patel (Ravi V. Patel) and Victoria Sands (Grace Palmer).
This is the kind of show that’s not completely dependent on your full level of attention. The dialogue alone can keep viewers abreast of what’s happening. But you may want to look up from your screens when animals run amok. Those are the best parts of this sitcom.
Animal Control is streaming on Netflix.
February may be the shortest month of the year, but it won’t be a quiet month for drama shows on Netflix. Two fan-favorite Netflix originals are returning for new seasons in February, including the legal drama The Lincoln Lawyer. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Please enter a valid email. Subscribe By […]
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ (2005 – Present)
When Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) started her surgical residency at Seattle Grace Hospital in the first season of Grey’s Anatomy, few would have predicted that the show would become one of the longest-running dramas on television. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington), Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) and George O’Malley (T. R. Knight) were among the fan-favorites in the initial cast. All of them have since left this soapy medical drama, and even Pompeo is part-time at best now.
Die-hard Grey’s Anatomy fans have probably seen these episodes several times already, which makes them easier to play in the background. There are a total of 21 seasons streaming on Netflix, and a mostly new cast of characters to follow now. Even during a casual rewatch, there are definitely moments on this show that will bring your eyes back to the screen. The writers of this series have given it a lot of staying power, and it’s still ongoing on ABC even after its 20th anniversary.
Grey’s Anatomy is streaming on Netflix.
‘Arrested Development’ (2003 – 2006, 2013 – 2019)
Arrested Development actually has a special place in the history of Netflix. This was the first network show to be revived by the streamer during the earliest days of Netflix original programming. It’s a witty comedy that centers on Jason Bateman‘s Michael Bluth, the underappreciated son of George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) and Lucile Bluth (Jessica Walter). Michael is, to put it bluntly, the sane person in his family. His siblings, Lindsay Bluth-Fünke (Portia de Rossi) and Gob Bluth (Will Arnett), are both messed up in their own ways.
As one of the highest rating sitcoms of all-time, Seinfeld left a lasting legacy beyond its initial run. The “show about nothing”, which was co-created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, starred Seinfeld in the lead role alongside Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Michael Richards and ran from 1989 to 1998. Given his instrumental role […]
Almost everything circles back to Michael in some way, especially after George Sr. is imprisoned on multiple charges by the SEC. Michael’s attempt to save the family business and the family itself drives the early seasons. But the writing is so sharp that you can still follow each episode even if you’re just listening to it.
Arrested Development is streaming on Netflix.
‘Seinfeld’ (1989 – 1998)
Seinfeld may have been the last good thing that came out of the ’80s. It’s one of the all-time great TV comedies, and at this point, most of us have seen the episodes over and over again. Comedies tend to be ideal choices for background shows, and the dialogue on this series has so many iconic lines that the truly hardcore fans don’t even have to look up at the TV to identify the episode.
Jerry Seinfeld kind of plays himself as he gets into comedic misadventures with his best friend, George Costanza (Jason Alexander), his ex-girlfriend, Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and the neighbor who never leaves, Kramer (Michael Richards). They can all be incredibly selfish at times, but they’re also hilarious. That went a long way towards making them TV legends.
Seinfeld is streaming on Netflix.
‘The Last Dance’ (2020)
For the sports fans among you, The Last Dance is the anthem of the ’90s. This 10-part documentary series follows the 1996-1998 Chicago Bulls as they embark on their final season together. But it’s also a comprehensive look back at the career of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and the legacy of the team.
The players and Coach Phil Jackson share the oral history of their march to another championship, interspersed with game clips and archival interviews. Jordan gets more of the focus than anyone else, and just listening to his voice is enough to take us back to the heady days of the ’90s when the NBA was ruled by the Bulls.
The Last Dance is streaming on Netflix.
‘Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Gauntlet’ (2018)
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Gauntlet is technically the 12th season of the MST3K franchise, but Netflix has it listed as a standalone season. This show was created to spotlight some of the worst movies imaginable while making them watchable by offering running commentary from a guy trapped in space with his two robot pals.
For the current generation, Jonah Ray stepped into the leading role of Jonah Heston, as he joined Crow T. Robot (Hampton Yount) and Tom Servo (Baron Vaughn) as they hilariously riff on bad movies. Felicia Day and Patton Oswalt costar as Kinga Forrester and Max, the mad scientists who subject Jonah to this ongoing experiment. The chosen movies live up to their reputation for being awful, but the only thing you need to enjoy this show is the running commentary by Jonah and the bots.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Gauntlet is streaming on Netflix.
Jordin Althaus/NBC Suits and Suits LA might have the same premise, but they are drastically different shows at their core. That being said, there are some similarities between the two. The spinoff series — which premiered on Sunday, February 23 — introduced fans to Stephen Amell’s Ted Black, a hotshot lawyer who has his own […]
‘Suits’ (2011 – 2019)
Do you know why Suits: L.A. failed so memorably earlier this year? It’s because the creative team behind that soulless spinoff forgot that the thing that made Suits so much fun was the interplay between Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) and his new associate, Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams). This is a legal drama that has just enough comedy to be one of the ultimate comfort shows.
You could spend hours glued to the screen watching this series, but it’s still very enjoyable when only occasionally looking up to see if the office rat, Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman), has sniffed out Mike’s secret, and whether Mike has blown his chance with paralegal Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle). There are 134 episodes to choose from, and you can always start over again when you’re done.
Suits is streaming on Netflix.
Led by Senior Editor and experienced critic Jason Struss, Watch With Us’ team of writers and editors sees almost every movie and TV show from the distant past to the present to determine what’s worth your time and money. Our countless hours of multimedia consumption — combined with years of experience in the entertainment industry — help us determine the best movies and TV shows you should be streaming right now.
To be considered “the best,” these films and series can be visually engaging, intellectually stimulating or simply just fun to watch, but the one trait they must have is that they are all, in some way, entertaining. We then check which platform they are streaming on and how you can access them as a subscriber. No algorithm nonsense or paid endorsements here — our recommendations are based purely on our love and interest for the films and shows we love.
