All of us, at some point last year, most likely had to deal with long lengths of nothing. But can nothing be entertaining to watch? These shows, in no particular order, tried to answer that question. 

The World According to Jeff Goldblum – Disney+ Original

     Uhhh, is there going to be an episode on dinosaurs in your, uhhh, Jeff Goldblum documentary series, hmmm? No, no there is not. This series sees Goldblum going around talking about stuff he’s interested in but doesn’t know much about, including sneakers, denim, and ice cream. A fun element about the show is that while many times shows like this can have several moments that are scripted, here they made a big effort to make the show actually real. In an interview with Collider, Goldblum spoke on this, saying, “I don’t wanna pretend. Let’s not contrive anything. So, let the camera see me seeing it, when I see it.” The show only has one season now but has been renewed for another season. Maybe then we can have an episode about dinosaurs.

River Monsters: Season 8: Episode 5, “Invisible Killers” – Amazon Prime Video

     Is there anything that can stop Jeremy Wade, the “Wadeinator” himself? As we find out, apparently not. This is an entire episode, from a show about catching fish, where Wade simply flexes on everyone by telling us that over 30 years of going around the most remote places in the world, Wade has only once had one incident with a life-threatening parasite. That’s it, that’s the episode. I just feel like more people needed to know about this. 

James May: Oh Cook – Amazon Prime Video Original

     What happens when you hand a car journalist the tools to make food? A mixture of Spam and ramen noodles in something called “Spamen Noodles.” The only other experience May has had with cooking on TV was in an episode of Top Gear, when the show’s trio of hosts decided to power a blender out of a 6.2-liter, V8 Corvette engine. A stand-out factor of this show is that May has a professional cook waiting in a closet behind the kitchen, in case he needs help cooking something.

     It’s so much fun to watch because most of us have had, let’s say, troubling experiences with cooking, and it feels good to be able to see someone else struggle. Ironically enough, as of this article being written, Oh Cook is the only show on this list that has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. If you want to feel better about your cooking abilities, start here. 

Wahlburgers – Amazon Prime Video

     What are you doin’ out here, huh? What, are you making a TV show about the Wahlberg family or something like that? This is the definition of reality TV. Literally, nothing happens. Now, I’m going to say that one more time just so you clearly understand what I mean; literally, nothing happens. The show’s first episode is about which of the Wahlberg’s is their mother’s favorite, which probably depends on who’s making the most money. This is one of those shows that you see in the waiting room of a doctor’s office and never see again. Although, I do own a “Mom’s Favorite” t-shirt from the show, so I’m not sure what that says about me.