What To Binge Watch On Your Next Flight

The Americans (Season 1 & 2)

Set in Washington, D.C., during the Cold War, the show centers around two married KGB spies (Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys) trying to maintain their identities overseeing a complex network of spies and informants while raising a family. The period drama will keep you on the edge of your seat as you try to figure out where each character's loyalty lies, making any flight fly by. The show has three seasons, with seasons one and two available for download. Season four is set to premiere in March 2016 on FX.

Watch if you like: Homeland and 24

(Photo: FX Networks)

Boardwalk Empire (Seasons 1-3)

Based on the book Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City by Nelson Johnson about political gangster Enoch L. Johnson, the TV series will keep you endlessly entertained as you follow Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (Steve Buscemi) through his control of Atlantic City during Prohibition. You can download the first three of five seasons on Amazon Prime.

Watch if you like: Mad Men and House of Cards

(Photo: Home Box Office)

Downton Abbey (Seasons 1-5)

This British drama series begins with the sinking of the Titanic, which leaves the male heirs of Downtown Abbey dead, and the house facing an uncertain future. Follow the lives of the Crawley family on your next flight with all five current seasons available for download before the series finale premiers on January 3 2016.

Watch if you like: Sherlock and Parade's End

(Photo: Masterpiece)

Six Feet Under (Seasons 1-5)

This black comedy series is set over five years and follows the lives of the Fisher family, which owns a funeral home in Los Angeles. With the recent passing of its paterfamilias, sons Nate (Peter Krause) and David (Michael C. Hall) take over the family business. Each episode begins with a death, making each plot unique and revealing. All five seasons are available for download.

Watch if you like: Weeds and Shameless

(Photo: Home Box Office)

The Wire (Seasons 1-5)

Created by former police reporter David Simon, the show is based largely on his experience reporting on the narcotics scene in Baltimore. Each season focuses on a different political and social issue as plots unfold through the eyes of law enforcers, journalists, drug dealers, users, and their families throughout the five seasons. The award-winning show will be sure to keep you entertained for hours, as all five seasons are available to download.

Watch if you like: Breaking Bad and The Sopranos

(Photo: Home Box Office)

Vikings (Seasons 1-3)

Based on the sagas of Viking Ragnar Lothbrok, a well-known Norse hero, the show stars Travis Fimmel as Ragnar as he rises to power in Scandinavia as a Viking warrior and farmer. Catch up on all three seasons, downloadable on Amazon Prime, with season four premiering in February 2016 on the History Channel.

Watch if you like: Game of Thrones and The Tudors

(Photo: A&E Television Networks, LLC)

American Horror Story (Seasons 1-4)

The anthology horror series re-creates itself each season, making it the perfect show to binge watch, as each season is like its own miniseries. The first season, named Murder House, is centered in a haunted modern-day Los Angeles home. The second season Asylum takes place during the 60s in a Massachusetts insane asylum. The third season, Coven follows the story of a coven of witches in modern day New Orleans. The final season available to watch, Freak Show, takes place in Florida in the 50s and centers around a freak-show circus. Season five (Hotel) is currently airing on FX and will conclude in January 2016.

Watch if you like: The Walking Dead and Supernatural

(Photo: FX Networks)

The Newsroom (Seasons 1 & 2)

Watch the first two seasons of the three-season show and follow the inner workings of how a major news station reports breaking stories. Discover the staff's mistakes, relationships, and talent through each story as it breaks. Aaron Sorkin's suspenseful (and humorous) writing will leave you wanting more after each episode.

Watch if you like: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver and The West Wing

(Photo: Home Box Office)

Orphan Black (Seasons 1 & 2)

This sci-fi thriller follows Sarah Manning (Tatiana Maslany) and her dozens of clones as she discovers she is a clone after she takes the identity of one after witnessing their suicide. She then learns that police, the biotech company that created them, and a secret religious group want her and her fellow clones (spoiler: not all of them are good). Follow them on the run in the first two seasons of the show; season four is set to air on BBC America in spring 2016.

Watch if you like: The X Files and Grimm

(Photo: BBC America)

Hannibal (Seasons 1 & 2)

Binge watch the short-lived yet gripping psycho-thriller starring Mads Mikkelsen, based on some of Thomas Harris' (author of Silence of the Lambs) books. The show focuses on the relationship between FBI agent Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), who is investigating a serial killer in Minnesota, and a forensic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) who is recruited to help him. Disclaimer: being a psycho-thriller, some scenes are very gory. Seasons one and two are available for download, and the show's final season aired this year.

Watch if you like: Dexter and The Shield

More from SmarterTravel:

• Amazon Just Changed In-Flight Entertainment For the Better
• JetBlue to Stream Amazon Prime Video on Flights
• Best Airlines for In-Flight Entertainment

Ashley Rossi is always ready for her next trip. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @ashley_stravel for more advice on travel hacks and destination ideas.

(Photo: NBC Universal)