Just a bite: 14 succinct TV shows to stream this Thanksgiving

The A.V. Club serves up a cornucopia of TV recommendations you can consume in six hours or less

By Danette Chavez, Saloni Gajjar, William Hughes, Gwen Ihnat, Alex McLevy, Katie Rife, Cameron Scheetz, Matt Schimkowitz, Gabrielle Sanchez, Tatiana Tenreyro | November 24, 2021 | 4:00pm

TV Features Thanksgiving

Just a bite: 14 succinct TV shows to stream this Thanksgiving

Clockwise: Anna Paquin in Flack (Photo: Amazon Studios), Cassandra Ciangherotti and Julio Torres in Los Espookys (Photo: Jennifer Clasen/HBO), Faith Omole in We Are Lady Parts (Photo: Saima Khalid/Peacock), and Maya And The Three (Photo: Netflix) Graphic: Libby McGuire

Now that in-person interactions are back on the menu for Thanksgiving, The A.V. Club understands that we’re all a little less glued to our TVs. So, rather than recommend shows that will take up the entire holiday weekend, we’ve put together a list of 14 series, scripted and otherwise, that can be enjoyed in under six hours. (The time limit is mostly arbitrary, but it’s also roughly how long it takes us to decompress from family gatherings.) In this edition of our annual Thanksgiving streaming guide, you’ll find stories of demons and angels, teen punk rockers and warriors, scammers and faux-Ghostbusters—all of which you can watch in their entirety and squeeze in a nap before the next bout of revelry or grievances.

(HBO/HBO Max)

By the end of its first episode, primes its audience for some wacky case-of-the-week shenanigans, bringing together a sort of reverse-Mystery Inc. gang that uses prosthetics and other practical effects to craft homemade horrors on demand. But that gleefully ghoulish spin on the gig economy is just the show’s entry point, and, with a heavy dose of magical realism, Los Espookys evolves before your eyes into something stranger, sweeter, and bracingly unique. In all, its inaugural season is three hours of brilliantly constructed comedy television, making the most of every frame, every line of dialogue—even its subtitles are carefully considered to best drive home its off-kilter sense of humor. And it’s all in service of the central characters (Julio Torres, Ana Fabrega, Bernardo Velasco, and Cassandra Ciangherotti), a quartet so supportive of one another’s passions—and peculiarities—that you can’t help but fall in love. [Cameron Scheetz]

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