Cubs: Five things to do without baseball; Coronavirus edition

(Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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(L-R) Jeffrey Wright, Thandie Newton, Evan Rachel Wood, and James Marsden (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)
(L-R) Jeffrey Wright, Thandie Newton, Evan Rachel Wood, and James Marsden (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival) /

Chicago Cubs: Not as good as live Cubs baseball, but close

Whether you have to watch The Sopranos for the 17th time or try out something new you haven’t even seen yet, there’s plenty out there for you to sink your teeth into. Whether you have streaming services or not, there are always shows to be watched online, through your local library, or even a friend’s DVD collection. Here are some places to start:

Westworld. The HBO show is precisely that- a show set in a world that’s western. Except, it’s more dystopian, science fiction, and existential than it is western. There are currently two full seasons with Season 3 premiering Sunday night. Anthony Hopkins is phenomenal. Thandie Newton is better. Evan Rachel Wood is best.

I haven’t even mentioned Jeffrey Wright, who plays what could be the most complex and simultaneously confused character in recent TV history. With a formidable ensemble cast, a great storyline, and anxiety about the present and future, you’ve got all the pieces for a good ol’ fashioned dystopian-western thriller. Oh, and Season 3 is supposedly going to highlight the dangers of human technological advancement- buckle up.

If you thoroughly enjoy the dystopian genre, Black Mirror might be right up your alley as well. While there are some thorns amongst the roses, there are plenty of compelling episodes to keep you interested. There are 22 episodes in this Netflix (originally Chanel 4 in England) oeuvre created by Charlie Brooker, and the first three in Season 1 is a great place to start. If you want more, some of the highlights include: Be Right Back, Nosedive, White Christmas, Shut up and Dance, and USS Callister. Many seem to like the (supposed) optimism of San Junipero, but it wasn’t for me.

The Wire. Another HBO masterpiece, this is a cultural phenomenon that must be seen by pretty much everyone. If you’ve ever wondered about how the inner workings of drug trafficking, politics, the media, or education slog along, check out this periscope into life on the streets in Baltimore, circa 2003, I still haven’t figured out exactly what I’m supposed to think about Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West). Nevertheless, you’ll come to your conclusions soon after watching it.

Honorable mentions:  Spartacus, The Punisher, Game of Thrones (minus the last episode or two), Stranger Things, Star Trek (every incarnation), Stargate: SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis, White Collar, Rome, Smallville, Breaking Bad, Star Wars collection, James Bond collection. Shows on my bucket list: Picard, The Mandalorian, 24, and Supernatural.