So you’ve fired up Disney+ this week to discover a brand new tab alongside the familiar icons for Pixar, Marvel, and the like — Star. What exactly is Star? It’s a brand new content hub, automatically included with your Disney+ subscription, that’s catered toward an adult audience. Currently, Star is available in Canada, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, and it features Disney-owned content from ABC, Hulu, FX, and Freeform, as well as content from ABC Signature, 20th Television, and more.
An expanded streaming library? Fantastic. Now comes the hard part, though … choosing what to watch. The world of streaming platforms has introduced a wonderful convenience to living rooms across the world, but often times consumers may find themselves caught in an endless purgatory of decision-making for their next big binge. To save you some time, Nerds and Beyond has done some of the guesswork for you and compiled a list of some of our favorite recommendations from Star’s offering of television series.
New Girl
Who’s that girl? It’s Jess!
New Girl follows the life of the offbeat and quirky Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel) as she moves into an apartment loft with three men in the aftermath of a break-up. What follows are years full of friendship, romance, life lessons, career changes, mistakes, and so much more. Though the show may start off revolving around Jess, you’ll soon find yourself attached to every other character in her life as well. Throughout the course of seven seasons, New Girl consistently provides viewers with side-splitting laughter while also crafting a story of a group of friends that ultimately has a wonderful sendoff when it all comes to a close. New Girl also stars Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Hannah Simone, and Lamorne Morris.
Scrubs
We’re taking things all the way back to the year 2001 with Scrubs. This beloved comedy-drama focuses on the lives of employees at (the fictional) Sacred Heart Hospital. Follow the ins and outs of John Michael “J.D.” Dorian (Zach Braff) and his fellow co-workers as they navigate the demanding, rewarding, heartbreaking, funny, difficult, and wondrous world of medicine. With nine seasons on the roster, Scrubs will keep you busy with laughter and tears. Scrubs stars Zach Braff, Donald Faison, John C. McGinley, Ken Jenkins, Sarah Chalke, Neil Flynn, Judy Reyes, and more.
9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star
9-1-1 is set in Los Angeles, California, and it follows the high-pressure experiences of first responders. The show mainly focuses on the firefighters of Station 118, a group of brave individuals who do much more than put out fires on a daily basis. What sets this show apart from similar series is the sheer amount of heart and laughter that’s interspersed with the drama. Viewers will find themselves equally invested in both the heart-stopping (and sometimes unbelievable, but often times taken from real life news stories!) emergencies and the personal lives of those doing the rescuing. 9-1-1, which is currently in the midst of its fourth season, stars Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, Oliver Stark, Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ryan Guzman, Rockmond Dunbar, and more.
Fans of 9-1-1 should also check out the spin-off series 9-1-1: Lone Star, which is set in Austin, Texas. Though the idea behind both shows is very much similar, Lone Star is a delight in itself. 9-1-1: Lone Star is currently in its second season, and it stars Rob Lowe, Ronen Rubinstein, Jim Parrack, Natacha Karam, Brian Michael Smith, Sierra Aylina McClain, Rafael L. Silva, Julian Works, Gina Torres, and more.
Love, Victor
Love, Victor follows high schooler Victor Salazar, whose family has relocated from Texas for fresh start in Atlanta, Georgia. Season 1 sees Victor adjusting to the new setting, dealing with his parents’ rocky and slowly crumbling marriage and facing his sexual identity. It is set in the same universe as the 2018 film Love, Simon, based on Becky Albertalli’s novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.
A large part of what makes Love, Victor worth watching is its characters. Each of the characters — especially Victor and his friends — bring something to the table, creating a dynamic and charming group to watch; each character is provided the space to shine. The show also approaches Victor’s sexuality in a way that provides validation to teens (and maybe even adults) who are questioning. The show includes a cultural lens that provides context not only for the Salazars, but how they approach homosexuality. As a whole, the show is a heartwarming, emotional, and often comedic ride worth taking.
Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds follows a group of Behavioral Analysis Unit profilers in the FBI that work to put the most prolific killers and criminals away by assessing their behaviors. Many crime procedurals don’t have the diversity that Criminal Minds does — whether that’s in terms of cases and killers or the character development of its core members, there’s a reason it’s a household name that has captivated audiences all around for over a decade. Criminal Minds stars Matthew Gray Gubler, Aisha Tyler, Kirsten Vangsness, Adam Rodriguez, Paget Brewster, Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Daniel Henney, and Thomas Gibson.
Bob’s Burgers
Bob’s Burgers focuses on the Belcher family — Bob, Linda, Tina, Gene, and Louise — who own a barely afloat burger restaurant. The show follows the family as they get into a variety of situations and adventures, from Bob finding new ways to boost his business, the kids coming up with wild schemes, and more.
If you’re looking for something goofy and lighthearted, Bob’s Burgers is the show to watch. Spanning 10 full seasons with an 11th currently airing, Bob’s offers the perfect escape from the stresses of life. It’s full of a plethora of humor that every character contributes, offers musical numbers throughout, and brings in recurring characters who always light up the screen. At the heart of the show, of course, is the Belcher family, who provide a wholesome (if not occasionally chaotic) picture of a healthy family dynamic. Bob’s Burgers is an excellent go-to comfort show, and one that has already created a strong and long-lasting legacy.
Bones
Procedural crime shows are a dime a dozen, but Bones is definitely one of the best out there, taking a unique perspective on catching the baddies by tackling both the investigative and forensic side of catching killers — with humor thrown in to boot. Bones follows oddball genius/forensic anthropologist Temperance “Bones” Brennan and suave FBI Seeley Booth, who, through the unlikeliest of partnerships, combine to make one of the best teams TV has ever seen. Seeing the scientific aspect of some of television’s craziest crimes get solved is truly a delight, something that can be attributed to the amazing cast and ever-intriguing plotlines.
Brennan and her team (“the squints” as Booth so lovingly refers to them) at The Jeffersonian bring something refreshing to the screen in this largely forensics-based show, with their penchant to gain clues from the tiniest of details while Booth balances out the dynamic with a healthy dose of action. With the titular dynamic between Booth and Brennan and lovable characters like resident artist/forensic reconstructor Angela Montenegro, “bug and slime guy” Jack Hodgins, and more, the show is certain to land a special place in your heart — and maybe make you seriously consider a career change.
Though there’s plenty more series worth binging to your heart’s content that can now be found on Disney+’s Star, this should hopefully give you a starting point for your next weekend or weeknight spent in front of the television. Happy streaming!
