30 things to watch on Netflix when you’re stoned

Hey there, pal! If you’re currently melting into your couch cushions and/or becoming one with your mattress, just scrolling for something cool to watch before you come down, then wow, you are in the right place.

You want a recommendation? We love giving recommendations. What a totally awesome and fortuitous situation we all are in right now.

Netflix has a ton of shows and films perfect for watching when you’re chilling out and getting high. Soothing, colorful, trippy, profound — you name the vibe and the streaming service has something for you. To get you started, we’ve combed through some of our favorite titles to enjoy while vegging out and described what mood they’re perfect for.

Have an awesome time, buddy. You deserve a list of the greatest things to watch on Netflix while high.

30. Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget

Credit: Aardman / Netflix

It took Aardman Animation a hot second to cook up Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, but don’t let that stop you. This sequel to 2000’s Chicken Run (which is still the highest-grossing stop-motion movie ever made!) is nearly as much of a blast as the original. And that’s really no surprise given Aardman’s portfolio of delightfully animated films, including modern classics like Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep.

True, the plot here is ultimately a bit of a rehash of the first movie, although there are some fun Squid Game shout-outs and the like. But what really makes Nugget essential stoner viewing is its stop-motion animation — the textural gorgeousness of every frame, every piece of putty that these artists fingers have sprung to such vivid life. It’s a technicolor circus of delicious chicken mania. — Jason Adams, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is now streaming on Netflix.

29. Pretend It’s a City

Depending on what kind of high it is you’re rocking, you may just want to get lost in conversation or listen as someone else regales you with tall tales. We’ve all been there! Well, lucky for you, author and iconic New York City personality Fran Lebowitz has made getting lost in conversation her career, and this seven-part docu-series directed by Martin Scorsese himself captures that freewheeling and funny conversation brilliantly. 

A rambling portrait of Lebowitz’s life and the city she’s loved slash contended with for several decades, she and Marty (who often appears on-screen talking directly with her) have a warm and hilarious rapport, and he draws out all her greatest material. Add the fact that Scorsese spends half the doc cackling so hard at Fran’s jokes that he seems to have imbibed a little himself, and it’s high times in the Big Apple indeed. — J.A.

How to watch: Pretend It’s a City is now streaming on Netflix.

28. Elvis

Baz Luhrmann films are whirlwinds of color and sound and visual chaos that often feel a bit like staring into a singing kaleidoscope. And his 2022 biopic of one Mr. Elvis Aaron Presley (starring an Oscar-nominated Austin Butler) is a perfect fit for Baz’s over-the-top rhinestone sensibilities. 

Charting the legend’s story from its humble backwater Mississippi beginnings to its spectacular Vegas grand finale, Elvis is a rollercoaster of sensations and sounds and gaudy excess, just the way the King would’ve had wanted. And if all else fails, zone out trying to figure out just whatever the hell it is that Tom Hanks is doing. — J.A.

How to watch: Elvis begins streaming Netflix on Dec. 31.

27. Malignant

In between making Aquaman films, writer/director James Wan took a little detour back to his home genre of horror to churn out this explosion of absolute WTF-ery. A throwback to the ’80s and early ’90s era of outrageous trash horror that seemed to throw every gag (in every sense of the word) at the screen to see what stuck, this 2021 movie follows a woman named Madison (Annabelle Wallis) who finds herself and all of the people around her being hunted by a psychotic long-haired killer. One with a fetish for leather dusters and a big golden knife. 

And from there, it’d be criminal to reveal Malignant‘s many wild twists and batshit turns. Right around the scene with the prison cell, even the most sober among us will begin to feel stoned out of their gourd, so hilariously ridiculous is this movie — all in the greatest possible ways, of course. — J.A.

How to watch: Malignant begins streaming on Netflix Jan. 1.

26. Meg 2: The Trench

Credit: Warner Bros.

It’s doubtful you’ll feel lost here if you missed the first Meg, which saw a wetsuit-wearing Jason Statham battling the gigantic prehistoric shark called a Megalodon. But if you did, here’s a catch-up: Jason Statham battled a gigantic prehistoric shark called a Megalodon. The end. And, spoiler alert, in Meg 2, he does it again! 

This time around, there’s a beach resort called Fun Island (yes, really) that’s in danger from the roving aquatic beasties — beasties which now also include a gigantic octopus, for some reason. That reason? Because a gigantic octopus is fucking rad, that’s why. 

Dumb as a wetsuit full of rocks, the Meg films are popcorn nonsense, and they know it. The sequel might show few signs of having been directed by the talented British weirdo Ben Wheatley (High-Rise, Kill List), but it’s a Meg movie through and through. And that’s plenty. — J.A.

How to watch: Meg 2: The Trench begins streaming Netflix on Dec. 29.

25. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Credit: Filmstore/Shutterstock

Unless your mother’s a hamster and your father smells of elderberries, you’ve probably laughed yourself into an eye-watering stupor at this 1975 comedy classic once or twice or thrice thousand times already. No ni’s about it! And yet somehow it sustains. Such is the brilliantly dumb lightning-in-a-bottle magic of the Monty Python gang, meaning Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin for good measure. Lampooning self-serious medieval epics with its ridiculous retelling of several mushed-up King Arthur legends, Holy Grail makes room for blood-thirsty bunny rabbits and Spamalot alike. With a herring! — J.A.

How to watch: Monty Python and the Holy Grail is now streaming on Netflix.

24. Cooked with Cannabis

Who among us hasn’t lost an afternoon staring at a cooking show, imagining what every dish tastes like? Netflix’s Cooked with Cannabis, hosted by “Milkshake” singer-turned-chef Kelis and cannabis cuisine expert Leather Storrs, adds a competitive edge to the art of weed cuisine as three guest chefs compete for a $10,000 prize. It’s a little low on stakes at times, but is a generally enjoyable watch with plenty of mouth-watering creations to gaze at. — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Cooked with Cannabis is now streaming on Netflix.

23. Burlesque

A good old-fashioned nonsense musical about putting on a show to save the club and, uhh, air rights? The gaudy Burlesque embraces its cheesiness in such an enthusiastic fashion that it’s hard not to fall under its ridiculous spell. Starring Christina Aguilera as a small-town waitress who moves to Los Angeles to fulfill her big singing dreams, and starring Cher – Cher!!! – as the owner of a burlesque club who takes the dreamin’ lil songbird under her wing, Burlesque (like Cher) knows exactly what it is and exactly why we’re here. And those things are bright colors and absolute silliness. And if we just happen to get to watch Cam Gigandet wiggle his cute little butt too, then so be it. — J.A.

How to watch: Burlesque is now streaming on Netflix.

22. Blown Away

Credit: Netflix

If you think glassblowing is mesmeric when you’re sober, then hold on to your couch cushions for this title. Blown Away, the surprise hit reality competition series centered on professional glass artists, combines the satisfaction of a How It’s Made segment with the fun and format of Top Chef. (Did we mention molten glass kind of looks like food?) It’s a killer binge you’ll knock out in no time. — A.F.

How to watch: Blown Away Seasons 1-2 are now streaming on Netflix.

21. The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Credit: Universal Pictures

We’ve already been playing Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. games while high as a kite for as long as we can remember, so the greatest compliment we can give the 2023 movie is that it doesn’t harsh our buzz in the slightest. There’s nothing like the terrifying Dennis Hopper in Koopa drag from the 1993 movie version here — just the simplest of pop colors and sounds, not to mention a kid-friendly story that’s so easy to follow you can feel fine getting lost in those pop colors and sounds.

 Our favorite plumbers (now voiced by Chris Pratt and Charlie Day) find themselves plunged from Brooklyn to the Mushroom Kingdom via a faulty pipe, and they must fight their way back, help Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) save the place, kick some Koopa (Jack Black) butt, yadda yadda yadda. It’s all just an excuse to hang our happy nostalgia on, to make us feel like we’re sucked into the games we grew up on (or are in the process of growing up on). As such, the movie wasn’t just a box office smash; it jumped high and hit that castle flag right where it counts.— J.A.

How to watch: The Super Mario Bros. Movie is now streaming on Netflix.

20. Absurd Planet

Nature documentaries are always strong contenders for when you want viewing that’s both relaxing and awe-inspiring. But Netflix’s Absurd Planet is an especially good choice for when you’re high. It blends absurdist comedy with pretty visuals, the occasional cartoon, and mind-blowing facts. (Fair warning, though, this show can be kind of cringe-inducing if you’re not high. Prep accordingly.) — A.F.

How to watch: Absurd Planet Season 1 is now streaming on Netflix.

19. Gravity

There hasn’t seemed to be a reason to revisit Alfonso Cuarón’s outer space action spectacle since it left movie theaters in 2013, because how could the home-viewing experience recapture the sensation of seeing it in IMAX 3D? Somehow, Cuarón managed to transpose the weightlessness experienced by Sandra Bullock and George Clooney’s astronauts — who’ve found themselves ricocheting around the nothingness of vast space after an interstellar collision strands them — onto us in the audience via his firm grasp of technical wizardry. 

And yet, it suddenly occurs to us that if anything could do it, being stoned out of one’s mind might be that very thing. That was what watching it really felt like at the time, anyway. Never have we seen an audience so unsure of how to put their feet back down on the ground again once the lights came up. We all tumbled out of that theater in a daze! And who doesn’t want that sensation again and again, now from the comfort of your own sofa? So, strap yourselves into your La-Z-Boys and set your bongs to blast; we’re joining Sandy Bullock among the stars, baby.  — J.A.

How to watch: Gravity begins streaming on Netflix on Jan 1.

18. Floor Is Lava

Credit: Netflix

Witness strangers yeeting themselves into oblivion with one of Netflix’s greatest reality shows. Floor Is Lava is exactly the show it sounds like, turning the beloved living room game into a full-scale obstacle course with a cash prize at the finish line. Great casting, fun set decoration, and the warm presence of host Rutledge Wood make this a fun binge to fall into while relaxing. — A.F.

How to watch: Floor Is Lava: Seasons 1-3 are now streaming on Netflix.

17. The Mind, Explained

Explore the nooks and crannies of your head’s ooey gooey center (too much?) with The Mind, Explained. In this 10-part docu-series narrated by Emma Stone and Julianne Moore, psychologists, doctors, and other experts discuss the mysteries surrounding our academic and practical understandings of consciousness. From dreams to drugs, this series is a great primer on all sorts of fascinating areas. — A.F.

How to watch: The Mind, Explained is now streaming on Netflix.

16. Paddington

If you’ve found something more comforting than the sound of Ben Whishaw talking about marmalade, then please, I beg of you — all of humanity begs of you — do share. Because I’m pretty sure the Paddington films were invented as a psyop to turn us all into grinning mush. To what end I don’t know yet. I don’t actually care. They can do whatever they want to me, as long as I get to keep hearing Ben Whishaw discuss marmalade.

While Paddington 2 is the slightly superior film (having a funnier villain in Hugh Grant), we’ll happily make do with Paul King’s original 2014 live-action animated mash-up. It sees the cuddly rain-slicker-wearing bear of Michael Bond’s stories (voiced by Whishaw) taken in by the Brown family (Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins) after finding himself lost in London, only to then run afoul of an evil museum taxidermist. As one does. That she is played with relish by Nicole Kidman is a bonus. As is the much marmalade loved along the way! — J.A.

How to watch: Paddington is now streaming on Netflix.

15. My Octopus Teacher

Credit: Netflix

Dive into one of South Africa’s bustling kelp forests with documentarian Craig Foster in the Oscar-winning My Octopus Teacher. Following Foster’s relationship with a wild octopus he befriended while swimming along the coast, this captivating movie examines humans’ connection to and responsibility for nature. — A.F.

How to watch: My Octopus Teacher is now streaming on Netflix.

14. Nailed It!

I don’t know about you, but competition shows tend to stress me out — even when sober. That’s why Nailed It!, now seven seasons strong, has always been more my speed. The baking contestants are brought onto the show specifically because of how outrageously untalented they are, and in the good spirit of camaraderie we’re all invited to openly mock their trainwreck concoctions once they’re unceremoniously unveiled. But it’s never mean-spirited. Everybody is in on the joke. And hosts Nicole Byer and the ever-grinning chocolatier Jacques Torres, along with a delicious variety of guest judges, foster an environment of effervescent goofiness, one hot mess at a time. — J.A.

How to watch: Nailed It! Season 1-7 are now streaming on Netflix.

13. Bullet Train

Our critic called this David Leitch action flick the most fun they’d had in a theater in the summer of 2022, and now you can surf this candy-bright thrill ride from the sunken-in comfort of your own sofa. What’s not to love? Especially because you can now fast forward past the couple of boring patches littered across this two-hour-plus flick, or pause and grab yourself some sugary snacks before the next inevitable whizz bang action scene arrives. And they keep on arriving.

Starring Brad Pitt as an assassin codenamed “Ladybug” who’s boarded the titular transpo to snatch a top secret briefcase before its arrival in Kyoto, Bullet Train offers a non-stop parade of over-the-top characters, each of them here to beat Pitt’s butt but good. Played by familiar faces such as Joey King, Andrew Koji, Bad Bunny, Zazie Beetz, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, and the greatest in show tag team twins Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry, this movie pops from explosive set piece to explosive set piece. It’s like John Wick as performed by Looney Tunes. — J.A.

How to watch: Bullet Train is now streaming on Netflix.

12. The Speed Cubers

Credit: Netflix

Few things are as charming as watching hobbyists celebrate their unique interests and tremendous talents. In just 40 minutes, Netflix’s The Speed Cubers introduces its audience to the mind-blowing world of competitive speed-cubing and finds a compelling, character-driven narrative at its core. Inspirational yet goofy, this short film offers an excellent bit of comfort content. — A.F.

How to watch: The Speed Cubers is now streaming on Netflix.

11. RRR

Kick-dancing off with an Oscar for Greatest Song for its show-stopping “Naatu Naatu” number, this Telugu historical action epic from director S.S. Rajamouli is three hours of non-stop, big-budget awesomeness that will grab you about the collar from its opening scene and not let go til the final credit has rolled. In between, you’ll see a man swing a motorcycle like a baseball bat and a riot of fierce zoo animals weaponized against the enemy army, among many many such spectacular visions. And it’s all in the name of making greatest friends-turned-enemies (Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr.) turn back into greatest friends again. The things some men will do to avoid intimacy! — J.A.

How to watch: RRR is now streaming on Netflix.

10. Maniac

Patrick Somerville’s limited series is without question the most thematically heavy title on this list. So if you want to keep things on the lighter side, make Maniac your last choice. That said, this compelling story of a friendship forged from an interdimensional drug trial is an excellent pick if you’re seeking something visually complex and narratively mind-bendy. Jonah Hill and Emma Stone give astounding performances that are both multidimensional and captivating. —  A.F.

How to watch: Maniac is now streaming on Netflix.

9. Have A Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics

Let’s be honest: The greatest time to hear someone discuss being high is when you are also high. Sting, Sarah Silverman, Nick Offerman, A$AP Rocky, and more share their experiences with psychedelics in this bizarre documentary from Donick Cary. Funny and thoughtful, Have A Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics offers equal parts entertainment and insight. As Sting puts it, “I don’t think psychedelics are the answer to the world’s problems. But they could be a start.” — A.F.

How to watch: Have A Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics is now streaming on Netflix.

8. The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience

A celebration of rap, comedy, and the Oakland Athletics, The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience is the surprise short film Lonely Island fans didn’t know they needed. Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer, portraying MLB players Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, unceasingly commit to the bit in a 30-minute tribute to the limits of sanity, reason, and acceptability.* — A.F.

How to watch: The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience is now streaming on Netflix.

7. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Credit: Netflix

Yes, there’s a lot of antifa going on in Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, it’s true. Set in WWII-era Italy, our favorite puppet-maker Geppetto is suicidally depressed after his son’s death in a bombing, so he creates the little wooden boy with the lie-sniffing nose to fill the emptiness in his life. Del Toro’s stop-motion masterpiece takes perfect aim at fascist forces, just as he did with the dark fairy tale Pan’s Labyrinth back in 2006. Walt Disney’s 2D-animated version of this story has been infamous for decades for giving kid’s nightmares — the donkeys, the donkeys! — and yet del Toro’s movie makes that cartoon seem positively sunny in comparison. 

And yet sometimes there is nothing more transfixing when you’re totally and completely baked than the sight of elaborately hand-crafted magic tricks, and as such, the stop-motion wizardry on display here in this monstrously detailed movie will truly blow your mind. The craftspeople who built this world were at the top of their game, and there’s not a single nook nor a single cranny where your eye couldn’t wander off and get lost inside every single frame of film. The “Monstro the Whale” sequence alone, my God! Your eyes will feast well on this beauty.  — J.A.

How to watch: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is now streaming on Netflix.

6. Midnight Gospel

Credit: Netflix

Duncan Trussell and Pendleton Ward’s The Midnight Gospel is one of many stellar adult cartoons to enjoy while high. Tuca and Bertie, Big Mouth, Bojack Horseman, they’re all great. Still, The Midnight Gospel goes further, farther, and faster in terms of visual interest, existential themes, and hypnotizing soundscapes. If you haven’t watched it yet, buckle up and prepare to be changed. — A.F.

How to watch: The Midnight Gospel is now streaming on Netflix.

5. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Look, we don’t put Scott Pilgrim vs. the World on practically every list we curate because we “want” to. We put Scott Pilgrim vs. the World on practically every list we curate because we have to. Edgar Wright’s 2010 triumph combines comic book aesthetics with video game pacing and superhero styling for a truly epic Canadian love story. It’s great to watch whenever, but extra great when you’re open to a “convenient subspace highway running through your head.” — A.F.

How to watch: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is now streaming on Netflix.

4. Fantastic Fungi 

Showcasing gorgeous time-lapse nature photography of toadstools and their brethren rising and shrinking like the living beings they very much are, Louie Schwartzberg’s 2019 documentary is the ultimate veg-out trip. Over a phantasmagoria of fungi footage (narrated by Brie Larson), environmentalists, scientists, and other experts are interviewed about the medicinal and (you know) extracurricular properties of these little alien creatures that dot our world’s dirt. By its end, this doc will truly convince you there be magic in them there ‘shrooms. — J.A.

How to watch: Fantastic Fungi is now streaming on Netflix.

3. John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City

Credit: Netflix

Watching any comedy special you love is a great option for entertaining yourself while high — and Netflix does have a mountain of options to choose from on that front. (Seriously, here’s 27 of the greatest comedy specials.) That said, John Mulaney’s 2018 special Kid Gorgeous at Radio City will always hold the #1 spot in our humor loving hearts. “There’s a HORSE. In the HOSPITAL.” — A.F.

How to watch: John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City is now streaming on Netflix.

2. A Trip to Infinity

If I’ve learned anything from watching Richard Linklater films, it’s that some people, whilst stoned, like to wax real deep on real big thoughts and jazz. Well, Jonathan Halperin and Drew Takahashi’s 2022 documentary about the search for the meaning of that really, really, really big number known as infinity (plus one!) is tailor-made to blow such minds. With insights from some of the greatest modern thinkers in mathematics, physics, and philosophy, the film goes even one step further, illustrating their concepts of enormity with trippy animations. It all adds up to one smoky after-hours-at-grad-school haze to groove on, man. — J.A.

How to watch: A Trip to Infinity is now streaming on Netflix.

1. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend

If you’re up for a more active viewing experience, consider diving into the delightfully weird Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend. This interactive Netflix special adds Daniel Radcliffe to the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt family as Ellie Kemper, Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski, Carol Kane, and Jon Hamm return for another killer Kimmy adventure. — A.F.

How to watch: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend is now streaming on Netflix.

Asterisks (*) indicate the entry comes from a previous Mashable list.