5 Shows to Binge on Netflix Over Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend is upon us, and it’s time to break out the pool toys one last time while cooking up some delicious food on the grill. While you’re at it though, you’ll definitely want to have a great TV show to kick back with.

With Netflix, though, there are so many great shows available that it can be tough to decide which ones are best for bingeing on a relaxing long weekend.

Skip the complex shows, like LOST and Breaking Bad, because —although both fantastic shows — there are so many twists and turns that the viewer has to pay close attention.

On a weekend filled with mostly casual hanging out, you don’t want to queue up something that requires undivided attention for hours at a time — rather, choose something that’s enjoyable and intriguing without being too demanding.

Luckily, we’ve put together a list of shows that meet that those exact requirements.

Scroll down to see five shows you should binge on Netflix over Labor Day weekend

Once Upon A Time

Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla, Josh Dallas, Emilie de Ravin, Colin O’Donoghue, Jared S. Gilmore, Rebecca Mader and Robert Carlyle.

As it was previously announced, Ginnifer Goodwin (Snow White), Josh Dallas (Prince Charming), Emilie de Ravin (Belle), Jennifer Morrison (Emma Swan) and Jared S. Gilmore (Henry Mills) will not be returning for the next season on OUAT.

It’s been reported that the next season will see the show move in a new direction and the story will focus on the characters of Regina (Lana Parrilla), Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle) and Hook (Colin O’Donoghue).

It would be difficult to watch this entire series in one long weekend, but make sure you at least start catching up with the original characters in the first six seasons on Netflix before season seven debuts this fall and changes everything.

Parks and Recreation

Starring: Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Paul Schneider, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott and Rob Lowe

Parks and Rec only had its series finale two years ago, but the charming personalities of its characters has already made it a beloved and iconic series.

While everyone who started in the series has gone on to big things, the most notable success might be that of Chris Pratt, who has taken on roles in Guardians of the Galaxy and the Jurassic Park franchise that have made him unstoppable as a star.

If you long for the silly nature of Leslie Knope or Ron Swanson’s gruff likableness, then you can currently binge all of Parks and Rec on Netflix, and this is a perfect show to queue up for Labor Day weekend.

OZARK

Starring: Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Sofia Hublitz, Skylar Gaertner and Julia Garner.

OZARK was quite possibly the most anticipated new Netflix original for the summer, which stars Arrested Development’s Jason Bateman.

The series features Marty Byrde, “a man who relocates to hopefully wipe the slate clean from his dealings in the drug world.”

However, hiding from their problems doesn’t make them go away and so eventually the Byrdes are forced to confront their past and each other.

If you’re a fan of Bloodline or Breaking Bad, you may want to plan on checking this one out this weekend.

The Ranch

Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Debra Winger and Sam Elliott.

The Ranch reunites former That ’70s Show co-stars, Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson.

It’s described as taking place “on the fictional Iron River Ranch, Colorado; detailing the life of the Bennetts, a dysfunctional family consisting of two brothers, their rancher father, and his separated wife and local bar owner.”

A very interesting fact about the series is that all the episodes are named after country songs by Kenny Chesney, George Strait and Tim McGraw.

If you want good old-fashioned laughs to help get you through this long holiday weekend, make sure to check out this sitcom.

Spartacus

Starring: Andy Whitfield, Liam McIntyre, John Hannah, Lucy Lawless and Manu Bennett.

If you’re lamenting the season finale of Game of Thrones like so many others, this would be an excellent temporary substitute.

As you can probably guess, Spartacus “was inspired by the historical figure of Spartacus, a Thracian gladiator who from 73 to 71 BCE led a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic departing from Capua.”

The series launched in 2010 but after the first season ended the star, Andy Whitfield, was diagnosed with early-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

A prequel mini-series titled Spartacus: Gods of the Arena was shot in the mean time but after Whitfield passed away Spartacus was recast for the second and third seasons of the show.

All 39 battle-worthy, blood-soaked episodes of the show are available to stream on Netflix.