37 shows you can binge watch in a single day on CBC Gem

There's never enough time to binge your fave show but if you have a day and all you want is to immerse yourself in a well written story, we got you covered with a big list of dramas, comedies and digital originals — each of which you can watch in a few hours or a single day, on CBC Gem. 

So check out the list, get your snacks ready and enjoy your day! And don't forget to bookmark this page so you can revisit this list whenever you have a day to spare on a good long-form story.

Let's start with a myriad of dramas

Whether you like historical dramas, melodramas and mysteries, or thrillers, action and fantasy, it's all here. Keep in mind that each episode is an hour long. And, if you're feeling like watching a comedy, you can find a few further down the list.

Britannia (9 episodes)

Many have compared it to the Game of Thrones and while it may have some similarities, Britannia definitely holds its own as a historical fantasy drama. 

It begins in 43AD as the Aulus Platius led Roman Army — determined and terrified in equal measure — returns to crush the Celtic heart of Britannia, a mysterious land ruled by wild warrior women and powerful druids who can channel the powerful forces of the underworld.

The good thing about this one is that the second season is coming to CBC Gem on June 5th so you won't have to wait too long for another Britannia fix.

Ordeal By Innocence (4 episodes)

Christmas 1954. Wealthy philanthropist Rachel Argyll is murdered at her family estate, Sunny Point. Her adopted son Jack Argyll is arrested for her murder but vehemently protests his innocence.

This is one of two Agatha Christie screen adaptations, another one being right below. There are other book adaptations by the same creators in this collection but you can only find these two on CBC Gem. However, each one is a standalone series that completes a separate book. 

The ABC Murders (4 episodes)

It's like an extended movie. The ABC Murders is also a dramatic series adaptations from Agatha Christie. You only need about four hours to complete this screen adaptation of her book of the same name which is her greatest mystery about a killer who's stalking Britain.

It's 1933 and an older and greyer Hercule Poirot (John Malkovich) receives letters threatening murder and the sender signs only as "A.B.C." When Poirot takes the letters to the police looking for help, he finds all his old friends have moved on.

The star-studded series sees Inspector Crome portrayed by Rupert Grint and Rose Marbury played by Shirley Henderson — both of whom starred in the Harry Potter series as Ron Weasley and Moaning Myrtle respectively — while Eamon Farren (Cust) and Anya Chalotra (Lily Marbury) have recently appeared in The Witcher as Cahir and Yennefer.

Alias Grace (6 episodes)

Based on the bestselling novel by Margaret Atwood, the six-hour mini-series tells the story of Grace Marks: a young, poor Irish immigrant and domestic servant in 1843 Upper Canada who finds herself accused and convicted of two heinous murders.

Fortunate Son (8 episodes)

War. Spies. Civil Rights. This drama about abuse of power and espionage follows the lives of the Howard family in 1968, as their lives are changed forever when the mother, Ruby Howard, helps Travis Hunter, a drug-addicted Vietnam war deserter with a troubled past, escape to Canada. 

Diggstown (2 seasons, 6 episodes each)

Diggstown follows Marcie Diggs, a star corporate lawyer who leaves her high-powered job to work for a legal aid clinic in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, after her aunt commits suicide following a malicious prosecution.

Along with her curious, do-gooder fellow crusaders who've got their own messy demons to slay, we see her fight the criminal justice system that shows no mercy to our most at-risk citizens. 

There's activism, perseverance, tears and all the feels. You also get to watch two seasons in one day as each season has only six episodes. Ok, so maybe you'll end up staying late to finish. Depends when you start.

Little Women (3 episodes)

In this coming-of-age story, Little Women follows the March sisters on their journey from childhood to adulthood under the guidance of their mother Marmee while their father is away at war.

Utopia Falls (10 episodes)

Hundreds of years in the future, in the last living colony on earth, a city called New Babyl, 24 teenage candidates are chosen to take part in an annual musical competition known as The Exemplar.

The Little Drummer Girl (6 episodes)

Based on John le Carré's best-selling literary masterpiece of the same name, The Little Drummer Girl is a passionate love story and a deeply immersive thriller that follows the story of Charlie, a fiery and brilliant young actress (Florence Pugh), who meets a mysterious stranger in Greece (Alexander Skarsgård) as he draws her into a high-stakes international espionage operation.

Wild Bill (6 episodes)

Bill Hixon has been America's top metropolitan police chief three years running. Fleeing his painful past and with his teenage daughter in tow, he settles in Boston, East Lincolnshire.

MotherFatherSon (8 episodes)

The family behind an influential media empire is struck by tragedy and the consequences could shake a nation. Richard Gere stars as a millionaire media mogul, Helen McCrory (Peaky Blinders) as his estranged wife and Billy Howle (Dunkirk, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) as their troubled son.

The Book of Negroes (6 episodes)

This six-part mini-series follows the harrowing journey of Aminata Diallo and her return home after being forced into slavery as a child.

Pure (6 episodes)

After discovering that a small but powerful clique within his Old Order Mennonite community is part of an international cocaine smuggling ring, newly appointed pastor Noah Funk must make a decision.

Madiba (6 episodes)

"Madiba," is the ancestral family name of Nelson Mandela's clan, and this series takes an intimate look at the early ties that shaped him, his close friendships, personal relationships, and political alliances.

Unspeakable (8 episodes)

A limited series about the 1980s tainted blood scandal in Canada, seen from multiple points of view.

Warigami (10 episodes)

Wendy Ohata has just made three startling realizations: One, she has a twin brother named Vincent; Two, she's a kami-jin — a descendant of ancient Japanese people who can turn paper into deadly weapons; And three, there's a kami-jin warrior named Sadako hunting her down for reasons she doesn't understand.

Looking for Alaska (8 episodes)

Teenager Miles enrolls in boarding school to try to gain a deeper perspective on life and after an unexpected tragedy, he and his friends try to make sense of what they have been through.

Vanity Fair (7 episodes)

Thackeray's literary classic is set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, and follows Becky Sharp as she attempts to claw her way out of poverty and scale English society.

The Oland Murder (4 episodes)

In 2011, multimillionaire Richard Oland of the Moosehead Brewing family was found bludgeoned to death. His son, Dennis, quickly became the prime suspect. It is a bewildering true-crime mystery that became a public obsession.

Baghdad Central (6 episodes)

Set in American-occupied Iraq in 2003 after the fall of Saddam's regime, this series tells the story of an Iraqi ex-policeman who embarks on a mission to find his estranged eldest daughter.

SS-GB (6 episodes)

The Battle of Britain has ended in victory for Hitler's Germany and the population of 1940s Britain struggles to adjust to life under Nazi occupation. Renowned London detective Douglas Archer is caught between his brutal new SS bosses and a ruthless British resistance movement while investigating what looks to be a black market-related murder.

Northern Rescue (10 episodes)

A family drama starring William Baldwin as a father who, after the death of his wife, uproots his three children from the big city to return to his hometown to take command of the local search and rescue service.

Trust Me (4 episodes)

Driven to desperate measures, nurse Cath Hardacre steals the identity of her best friend, an A&E doctor and begins a new life in Edinburgh as Dr. Ally Sutton.

Bellevue (8 episodes)

The past and present collide to unravel the murder of a transgender teen in a remote northern mining town, starring Academy Award winner for best actress, Anna Paquin.

Banished (7 episodes)

British convicts have been sent to Australia as punishment for their crimes. As they try to live their new lives, they have to live with the new rules. The soldiers also have to adjust.

Street Legal (6 episodes)

Lilly Rue, Adam Darling, and Mina Lee are the named partners and only lawyers of RDL Legal - three tenacious young lawyers whose mutual respect and admiration challenges Olivia and her usual method.

Time for comedic relief

Laughter is a great way to elevate your mood and just have fun watching something light while you also get those core muscles pumping. But, if you're looking for something shorter, scroll further down the list for our 5-15 minute digital originals.

This Time With Alan Partridge (6 episodes)

Knowledgeable, insightful, sophisticated. Alan Partridge is none of these. But, even after reaching his nadir of complete obscurity and medical addiction to Toblerone, this broadcaster bounces back.

TallBoyz (8 episodes)

Measuring in at a whopping 25'2" (collectively), this crew has quite the perspective to share. Nothing is off-limits or out of reach in this new sketch comedy of epic proportions.

In the Long Run (6 episodes)

Created by and featuring Idris Elba with an ensemble cast including Bill Bailey, this comedy is about family, community and what home really means. 

It follows the Easmon family living in 1985 London as their quiet life is disrupted after their relative from Sierra Leone moves in.

Hatching, Matching and Dispatching (7 episodes)

In outport Newfoundland, it is often left to one enterprising family to literally taxi the residents of the town from cradle to grave — offering wedding, funeral and ambulance services. 

A classic comedy starring 22 Minutes' Mary Walsh and Shaun Majumder, Kids in the Hall's Mark McKinney, and Murdoch Mysteries' Jonny Harris.

And a few short digital originals you can binge in a few hours

You'll find everything from comedy to drama to fantasy on this list of our short form digital originals.

Winston Rowntree's Peoplewatching (20 episodes, each 5-13 minutes long)

An animated web series that explores concepts such as self-loathing, depression, societal stereotypes, preconceived opinions and nostalgia. 

True Dating Stories (8 episodes)

Real people tell their wildest and most shocking dating stories while hilarious recreations bring them to life.

Hey Lady! (8 episodes, each 5-8 minutes long)

Don't ever tell a 75-year-old to go quietly into the night. Hey Lady! is a CBC Gem original comedy series about a wiry old gal with a whiskey voice and a bourbon appetite. This one packs a punch with star directors Adriana Maggs, Sarah Polley and Will Bowes. Written by Morris Panych.

Gary and his Demons (17 episodes, each 11-13 minutes long)

Gary and His Demons is an animated comedy about a cantankerous, aging demon-slayer who has nothing left to lose.

Riftworld (8 episodes each 4-8 minutes long)

A struggling journalist teams up with a dimension-traveling wizard who is stuck in our world without his magic powers.

Terrific Women (10 episodes, each 5-9 minutes long)

A comedy set in the '70s about two clueless and often inebriated feminists who co­-host their own late-night, local cable access television show.

My 90-Year-Old Roommate (22 episodes, each 4-12 minutes long

Joe (Paul Soles), a 90-year-old widower, is living alone when his misguided adult grandson moves in with nothing but a backpack, a box of condoms and a sense of entitlement. What could possibly go wrong?!

Hope you found something that tickles your fancy but just in case you're looking for something else or you'd like to engage with our content for the long haul, head over to CBC Gem where you can find everything from Schitt's Creek to Heartland, and so much more.