10 sci-fi, fantasy and history shows to binge over Thanksgiving break
By Dan Selcke
The Queen’s Gambit
No one expected this period drama about a (fictional) chess prodigy to do as well as it did, but that’s the power of Netflix: there are so many subscribers that anything has the chance to blow up. Now millions of people have watched The Queen’s Gambit. Will you be among them?
Based on the novel by Walter Tevis, The Queen’s Gambit is set in the 1950s and ’60s. It follows orphan Beth Harmon, who overcomes poverty, drug addiction and emotional turmoil to become the world’s greatest chess player. The show has inspired a run on Chess sets (who ever would have thought that would be the hot toy of Christmas 2020), evidence of its powerful pull. At seven episodes and no follow-up on the way, it’s a pretty brisk watch in addition to an engrossing one.
Game of Thrones
C’mon, we couldn’t leave this one out. Why have Game of Thrones-but-no-dragons or Game of Thrones-in-space when you can have the real thing?
This HBO series ruled the airwaves over the past decade. It got people to take fantasy shows more seriously, delivered a seemingly never-ended stream of iconic moments (Ned Stark’s death, the Red Wedding, the Walk of Shame, etc) and became the most popular show in years. It also had tremendous special effects of a kind once thought impossible on TV, not to mention Emmy-nominated performance from a huge cast of actors it took from being unknowns to stars.
True, the show took its lumps in its eighth and final season, which a lot of fans thought rushed to the finish line and lost a lot of what made it work. But there’s still a lot of good in here. Especially if you haven’t watched it yet, a long lazy weekend could be the perfect time to see what everyone has been talking about.
Or if you’re more of a book person, we have you covered there, too:
Next. 10 epic sci-fi/fantasy book series to read through the end of quarantine. dark
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