5 New Shows You Need to Catch Up on Over the Thanksgiving Break Before It's Too Late

From an ABC Family drama about a young woman with cancer to a seductive mystery on The Affair, we are strongly recommending you binge-watch these shows before it's too late

By TV Scoop Team Nov 24, 2014 8:00 PMTags
How to Get Away With Murder, Chasing Life, The AffairABC; Showtime

It's Thanksgiving week aka time to catch up on your TV!

We get it, you're busy. It's hard to give your full attention to a lot of shows these days. But with the holiday break, you finally have the time to catch up on a show or two. And with so many new series debuting this season, it's hard to pick one to commit to.

Don't worry, we're here to help! Each member of our TV team, all of whom have impeccable taste, has carefully selected one new series worth ignoring your family to binge-watch this week. 

From a cancer-show-that's-about-so-much-more-than-cancer to an intense whodunnit (or two!), here are the five new shows you should catch up on before it's too late...

Showtime

Kristin's Pick: The Affair (Showtime)
Where to Watch: Watch the series premiere right now.
Why: There's a reason this new Showtime drama scored #2 (above How to Get Away With Murder!) out of all the new fall shows, it's just crazy good. The brilliant format, which challenges all our ideas about memory, monogamy and culpability, is fierce and honestly, unlike anything we've seen before. (The story is told, at least in the beginning, from each point of view of an affair, and the major and minor differences in how they remember the exact same moments is fascinating.) Then there's a murder plot and well…This is quite honestly the first show since Lost that we are theorizing all day long about in our offices. So, a huge loss for productivity and a big win for TV. Yay! Plus, the sex scenes are, um, hot. So put the kiddies to bed and watch this dang show. 

ABC FAMILY/Tony Rivetti

Tierney's Pick: Chasing Life (ABC Family)
Where to Watch: ABCFamily.com has a few episodes to watch, and it's available on iTunes, Hulu and Amazon
Why: They just don't make ‘em like this anymore. Seriously, if you told me that a show about a young journalist learning she has cancer would become my new favorite rom-com and favorite family drama and favorite coming-of-age story. It's that good. Italia Ricci is one of the breakout TV stars of the year as April, our heroine who is equal measures vulnerable and strong, maddening and motivational. Add in an irresistible love triangle (Dominic, her sexy coworker, and Leo, a fellow cancer patient) and three generations of strong women in the Carver family, as well as a refreshing take on bisexuality, and you have no reason not to catch up on this gem before its Christmas special on Dec. 9.

ABC/Mitchell Haaseth

Chris' Pick: How to Get Away With Murder (ABC)
Where to Watch: ABC.com, Hulu and iTunes
Why: Two words: Viola. Davis. OK, that not enough for you? Well, how about the fact that it's a twisty and addicting mystery series full of hot, young law students working for Viola Davis? That certainly should've piqued your interested. Davis turns in a powerful performance episode after episode and the central mystery—a murder mystery—is juicy and full of shocking revelations. Plus, your new favorite TV character, Connor (Jack Falahee), is on this show. Gear up for the remainder of season one and find out what has everybody buzzing—and no, it's not just the gay sex!

CW

Sydney's Pick: Jane the Virgin (The CW)
Where to Watch: CWTV.com has episodes 2-6 to watch for free, and all 6 episodes are available on Hulu for free. It's also available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon.
Why: I'm going to be straight with you: I thought I was going to hate this show about a virgin who gets accidentally artificially inseminated (yeah, seriously). But this heartwarming rom-com/dramedy is fresh and funny, and even when Jane finds herself in some bizarre, wacky situation, the brilliant writers find a way to make it believable and actually relatable. From the extremely loyal and independent three generations of Villanueva women (Jane, her single mother Xiomara, and Xo's mother Alba), to Jane's recently discovered father (narcissistic-yet-sincere telenovela heartthrob Rogelio), to the two extremely attractive men vying for Jane's heart (her ex-fiance/detective Michael and her boss/the father of her baby Rafael), everyone's story is interwoven in clever and hilariously awkward ways. Chapter 7 airs tonight, and that means you'll have seven episodes to catch up on before Chapter 8 airs Monday, Dec. 1. That's one episode per day, and trust that each episode gets better and better as it goes on! 

Jack Rowand/The CW

Lauren's Pick: The Flash (The CW)
Where to Watch: The CW website has a few episodes, and the entire season can be found on Hulu Plus, Amazon, or iTunes. 
Why: I was not surprised to fall totally in love with The Flash. It's all the drama and awesome stunt work of Arrow minus the tiresome brooding and island flashbacks. Don't get me wrong—I love Arrow, but Barry Allen is often like a breath of fresh air. He's sweet and funny, and watching him and his team of equally funny and sweet (for the most part) characters figure out the ins and outs of his new abilities while simultaneously fighting interesting criminals is a great way to spend an hour every Tuesday. Even if you're not caught up on Arrow enough to enjoy the epic Arrow/Flash crossover happening on Dec. 2, you should hop on the Flash bandwagon before too many mysteries get solved. Also there's an evil gorilla coming up, and you are not going to want to miss that!