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What to Watch During Your Coronavirus Self-Quarantine

You’re staying home and you need a distraction. We’re here to help.

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From left, “The Good Place,” “Bluey” and “Knives Out” are among our recommendations for what to watch.Credit...From left, Justin Lubin/NBC; ABC Kids; Claire Folger/Lionsgate

It is a bad time. It is a time of isolation and self-quarantine. Schools, museums, movie theaters, bars, restaurants: all closed. So you’re home, and you need a distraction. Let us help. Stay safe.

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Really, any episode of “Nailed It!” is going to be entertaining and pretty chill.Credit...Adam Rose/Netflix

We have several lists of the best things to stream that are updated every month with the newest titles. Make these your first stop. And subscribe to our Watching newsletter, to get TV and movie recommendations straight to your inbox several times a week.

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From left, Stephanie Beatriz, Andy Samberg and Melissa Fumero in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”Credit...Eddy Chen/Fox

Sorry, sorry. Let’s go broader. Here are some ideas organized by category or mood.

Something feel-good? Spend some time in the fictional world of “Schitt’s Creek.” Yes, the Rose family lost all their money, but now they’re learning how to function like regular people, and there’s something comforting about their struggles.

A laugh in dark times? The stakes are high in “The Good Place” — the fate of humanity hangs in the balance — and yet the ragtag team fighting to save us all are gloriously, painfully human (even though some of them aren’t, technically). This show strikes a great lowbrow/highbrow balance.

Oh, something mindless? The latest reality dating show sweeping the internet is Netflix’s “Love Is Blind,” in which strangers form relationships from one-person pods, and see each other only after they’re engaged. Beware, though: Despite the silly set up, you may find yourself emotionally invested.

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Ana de Armas and Daniel Craig in “Knives Out,” a murder mystery directed by Rian Johnson.Credit...Claire Folger/Lionsgate

That’s a big question! Well, first, you should consider starting with one of the following:

And here are some recent movies, including “Birds of Prey,” “The Invisible Man" and “Emma,” that have hit digital platforms very early, as a result of all movie theaters being closed for the foreseeable future.

Some of last year’s Oscar-nominated movies are now available to stream, rent or purchase, including:

  • The Irishman,“The Two Popes” and “Marriage Story,” on Netflix.

  • “Knives Out,” “Uncut Gems,” “Ford v Ferrari,” “1917,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “Little Women,” “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” are available for rent on iTunes, Amazon and other digital video platforms.

If you’ve always wanted to learn about world cinema but haven’t had the time before, subscribe to the Criterion Channel and watch the works of Fellini, Kiarostami, Truffaut, Bergman, Tati, Kurosawa, Denis, Varda, Renoir …

Family fare

Look, let’s be honest. It’s almost inevitable that many children are going to have more screen time over the coming weeks. It’s fine, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad parent, as our Parenting editor, Jessica Grose, recently explained in her newsletter, which you can sign up for here.

In terms of specific shows to watch, New York Times readers recommended their favorite kids TV shows, and Mike Hale, one of our TV critics, chose four recent kids shows you might want to check out.

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