The scene is set: your weed is rolled or packed, cushions are fluffed, your plateful of snacks is piled high and ready to be indulged — all you need now is something to watch.
Do you spend a half hour or more cruising down multiple streaming service rabbit holes or do you opt for broadcast television? Do you spiral into your YouTube suggestions or finish the video podcast you started last week? Either way, it sounds like a lot of work before you get to relax into your sesh.
We’ve been there too, which is why we rounded up not only our own favorite shows to watch while high, but those of our respective stoner squads as well.
From deep-cut sitcoms to unproblematic classics, to newer, buzzier watches, there’s almost certainly something on this list for all y’all. Plus, we went the extra mile and rounded up some of our favorite deep-stone cultivars we love specifically for spacing out and binge watching.
Comedies
Party Down
For anyone with food service experience, this is the holy grail of job site sitcoms. An ensemble cast with obvious histories in catering and odd-jobs, Party Down nails it to the most niche detail.
Watchers can drop in on any episode without missing out on larger story arcs, and since there’s an LOL moment every few minutes, it’s a perfect choice for Hollywood and/or food industry insider types, as well as stoners and comedy aficionados with about 25 minutes to kill.
Strain suggestion: 33 Bananas
This cross of OG Kush and Bananas reportedly delivers a super-stoney high that’s lightly sedative in the body, mildly euphoric in the head, and powerfully munchie on the downswing. Expect a piney perfume and lemon exhale.
I Think You Should Leave
Tim Robinson is a former SNL writer whose rogue series on Netflix features many sketches deemed too wild for Saturday Night audiences. The episodes are a very bingable 15-ish minutes long and contain 3 or 4 sometimes raunchy, sometimes absurd, always ridiculous skits.
Bonus: guest stars like Bob Odenkirk, Patti Harrison, and Sam Richardson make timelessly viral appearances that are extremely re-watchable.
Strain suggestion: 9lb Hammer
These jokes hit especially well for the stoned to the absolute bone, and 9lb Hammer is a dependably tranquilizing cultivar that delivers a reportedly silly-sweet euphoric head high. Expect a funky nose and earthy exhale.
High Maintenance
This sleeper HBO series follows a fixed gear bike riding pot dealer as he makes deliveries to a wildly diverse client list in New York City. The series plays out in vignettes that typically focus on sordid-lives-style of NYC cannabis consumers, with the dealer acting as a ribbon that braids each of their stories together.
It’s an easy series to drop into, with most episodes being completely self contained. Tune in for the deep-cut, stoner-only laughs, stay for the superb writing and charismatic backdrop of a pre-rec, pre-pandemic New York City.
Strain suggestion: Acapulco Gold
This cultivar has a reputation for delivering happy, peppy highs, so consider it a watch-party smoke that’s sociable, giggly, and reportedly spacey enough to enhance your overall viewing experience. Expect a funky nose and a dank, botanical exhale.
The IT Crowd
For fans of low stakes workplace comedies, this fan favorite BBC series is a must watch. It’s made from mostly bottle episodes that take place in the IT department (ie basement) of a nebulous fortune 500 style mega-corp. And in case you need a couple of TV trivia points, this is the series that broke the careers of both Chris O’Dowd and Richard Ayoade.
Strain suggestion: Afghani
This landrace strain reportedly delivers complex, deeply stoney highs that are blissful in both the head and body. Expect a sweet, funky, earthy perfume and commensurate exhale.
Martin
In 2023, we’re still using the catch phrases that originated on this 90s-era sitcom. Developed by Martin Lawrence, Martin ran from 1992 to 1997, essentially preserving a prime slice of 90s culture.
Phrases like “Damn, Gina”, “You so crazy”, and “You go girl”, are etched into the American consciousness because of Martin; furthermore, he plays excellently in drag. Revisit this program next time you want to feel your peak-of-civilization 90s fantasy.
Strain suggestion: Zaza
This cross of Scott’s OG and Gas Station Bob is the heady relaxer we can imagine Martin and Gina smoking together, reportedly delivering a heartwarming euphoria in the head and a cashmere soft body buzz. Expect a sour, gassy aroma and a lemon-pine exhale.
The Golden Girls
If it’s been a while since you contemplated the enduring popularity of Betty White, Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur, and Estelle Getty, now might be the time to reconnect with the ladies on the lanai. Well, after blowing an enormous smoke cloud, of course.
For its time, The Golden Girls was cutting edge. It dealt with all manner of taboo topics, and well past its seven season run, remains the gold standard for ensemble comedies.
Strain suggestion: Velvet Glove
Bred from a cross of GMO and Nookies, Velvet Glove reportedly delivers a warm, comfortably sedative body high and an airy, mellow head high — perfect for chilling on the lanai. Expect a funky fruit nose and a sweet earthy exhale.
Doctor Who
Cannaisseurs with a penchant for sci-fi already know how committed one can become to The Doctor, but curious stoners dipping their toes into science fiction should be warned: you may quickly be sucked in. And before you know it, you’re a time lord traveling the cosmos in a British police box and comparing anything that belies a spacious interior to a TARDIS.
Even those who don’t self identify as sci-fi nerds can get onboard with this long running, mind bending series made all the more fantastic when viewed hella stoned.
Strain suggestion: Timewreck
Get ready to cheer for your favorite Doctor. Timewreck reportedly delivers an enthusiastic high for an energetic watch party. Expect a skunky, lemon perfume and a dank, woody exhale.
Think Pieces
You
For stoners who want a bit more of a puzzle than a carnival, Netflix’s You is a compelling soap opera centered around a unrelentingly romantic sociopathic murderer whose sometimes cornball narration is the stuff memes are made of. Content warning: this series is violent, with women often on the receiving end. Though, if you can stomach the horror, the main character’s comeuppance in season two is a payoff.
Essentially, this is a great hate watch for anyone who’s ever been on the receiving end of an entitled, inauthentic, human catastrophe’s attentions — or anyone else who enjoys getting wrapped up in psychological thrillers when extremely stoned
Strain suggestion: The Gift
This therapeutic cultivar is a low THC, high CBD phenotype of Ringo’s Gift excellent for low-tolerance smokers or the canna-curious. Consumers report uplifting, blissful head highs and effervescent body effects. Expect a sweet, minty aroma and exhale.
Lodge 49
This esoteric, slightly dramatic, mostly surreal comedy is a fever-dreamy “fable” about a sad sack stoner’s entanglement with his local fraternal lodge and the eerie secrets beyond Lodge 49‘s threshold. It’s equal parts goofy, bittersweet, and California beach-weird; which, if you’re not familiar, is a specific flavor of weird uniquely satisfying to cannabis consumers the world over. Plus, even the more complex story arcs are space-cadet friendly, so smoke away.
Strain suggestion: Sweet Tooth
This balanced cross of Afghani Indica and Hawaiian Sativa reportedly delivers a mellow, long lasting, creative high. Expect a botanical perfume and a candy-sweet exhale.
Reality Bites
The Great British Bake Off
If soothing vibes are your cuppa tea, there are few scenarios more satisfying and cozy than this amateur home baker’s amicable competition for a big crystal dish and bragging rights.
Without a gargantuan cash prize to galvanize the competitors, the energy stays super genial, supportive, and — lucky for us viewers — instructive. Case-and-point: once, during an epic dab/Netflix binge, a mid-season episode taught me both how to make choux pastry and how to calm a manic British Grandma (a deep breath and a cup of tea).
Strain suggestion: Royal Cookies
Too on the nose? This rare GSC phenotype’s reported effects include a deep body stone and a refreshing, blissful head high. Expect an herbal nose and a sweet, nutty exhale.
RuPauls Drag Race
Any TV viewer who appreciates top-tier art and performance — from comedy to acting to dancing to creating show-stopping runway looks — should be engaging with this technicolor, life affirming, gender-euphoric reality program. The show even introduced a cis, male, straight drag queen on one recent season, and a lesbian drag king on another, shaping the conversation on masculinity, femininity, and gender expression in ways never before seen on primetime TV. Honestly, Survivor could never.
Strain suggestion: Purple Panty Dropper
Also known as PPD, this three-way cross of Purple Haze, Oregon Grape, and Matanuskan Mist is allegedly damn sexy, so prepare for big aphrodisiac energy from both the Drag and the weed. Expect a funky fruit aroma and grassy, berry exhale.
Ink Master
Not unlike the the Drag Race universe, Ink Master is replete with a wide variety of amazing artists at the top of their game, and even viewers with nary a drop of subdermal ink can appreciate the skill, talent, and commitment of many of these artists.
And of course, the contestants produce thrilling behind the scenes drama, made all the more thrilling by the sheer number of neck, head, and face tattoos many of them sport.
Strain suggestion: Sour Tsunami
Often bred as a therapeutic strain, this gently euphoric cross of Sour and NY Diesel can frequently be found as a 1:1 THC:CBD hybrid with a 10% cannabinoid average. Expect a gassy perfume and a funky lemon exhale.
Wildcards
Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities
Stoners in the mood for some lightweight spookery might enjoy this anthology series produced, and in a few cases co-written, by genre master Guillermo Del Toro. Watchers can go in for a penny or a pound, with the episodes lasting anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour. Prepare for jump scares lest you scatter your snacks, fumble your bong, or choke on your hit.
Strain suggestion: Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a hard hitting, long lasting, deeply relaxing cultivar that reportedly unfolds into a romantic, euphoric head high. Expect a pungent skunk in the nose and a sweet exhale.
Kiff
For twee smokers who’d rather get lost in a magical animated wonderland than deal with anything resembling realism, Kiff is an adorably easy-to-watch all-ages cartoon featuring Kiff the squirrel and Barry the bunny on chaotic adventures in their magical mountain town.
For fans of Adventure Time, this is an even breezier series that could be a great background watch for stoned crafting or sketchbooking.
Strain suggestion: Herijuana
Consumers report cushiony-soft body highs and blissed out head effects making for an altogether dreamy experience. Expect an earthy-sweet aroma and a grassy exhale.
