Sport is great and all, but when it elbows its way in and dive-bombs the standard TV schedule it can be hard to withstand. Luckily for any non-sports fans out there, we have your alternative TV guide to sort you out so that you can dodge all the football in peace.

All of the matches in Euro 2016 kickoff at either 2pm, 5pm or 8pm, which makes planning your alternative guide both difficult and easy - once you're prepared.

 

Big Brother

The easiest options to go to are your trashy reality TV delights and, luckily for you, there's plenty going on right now. TV3 and 3e are the home of 'Big Brother', depending on the day, with most shows broadcasting at 9pm depending on whether or not it's an eviction or a daily recap show. This year's housemates are truly bats and with the addition of a second house full of exes of the main housemates constantly stirring things up, it's only going to get even more bats.

If those daily updates aren't enough, Rylan Clark is also on hand with 'Big Brother's Bit on the Side' to help you parse through the events of the day and hear from other quasi-celebs and former housemates about what they think is going on.

 

Love Island

If you like your reality TV more hot and heavy with a splash of sunshine and ridiculously preened people, then UTV Ireland has 'Love Island, which claims to be about straight couples finding love but is basically your average Jersery/Geordie Shore type show but with people stuck with each other and fighting for love/lust and attention. It's basically the worst parts of society in one show, but it's damn watchable.

 

The alternative is to break away from the broadcast schedule completely and dive deep into the world of Netflix because it has your back whatever your tastes may be.

In fact, this summer, jammed as it is with sports of all different kinds, is the perfect time to start a new show or begin an old one on a schedule that you choose, and here are our top picks.

Orange is the New Black

Coming back for its fourth season, the little show that could has grown up and while it still has plenty of bite, its bark is just as entertaining.

If you're new to the show, it follows the all-female inmates of an a minimum-security women's prison, with the newest addition to the system Piper Chapman being our protagonist. And while you would think the show would follow her alone, it branches out to tell the stories of all the other in-mates and staff at Lichfield prison, in ways that shock and delight in equal measure.

If you're wondering why people binge-watch TV, it's because of this show.

 

House of Cards

The show that really started it all, House of Cards was Netflix's first foray into original programing and really put the streaming service on the map.

Starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, it's a shrewd and all-too-believable look at the greed and corruption behind the scenes in American politics (and equally that of other countries too), it will make you fear for democracy and scare you off ever entering politics for life. That said, it's also full of twists and turns and some stellar performances from its lead actors that will compel you to keep watching from the word go.

 

Marvel's Jessica Jones

Don't let the 'Marvel' turn you off, this is a superhero who hates the word superhero so if you do too, you're in for a good time. Marvel's Jessica Jones is Netflix's second and arguably better comic book adaptation thanks to it having buckets of self-awareness, sass and no fear when it comes to tackling darker topics and themes. Krysten Ritter is the titular Jessica Jones, a former superhero turned private investigator who opens her own detective agency after her brief stint as a superhero ends in tragedy, which translates to lots of self-medicating and being a general badass who somehow still ends up doing the right thing, just maybe sometimes the wrong way.

It's a fascinating and exciting twist on the Marvel world that everyone associates with The Hulk and Captain America and co., remaining grounded in real people's lives and examining the fallout of what having powers and being affected by them is. And while that sounds like it's a dry, dreary run, it's not. Thanks to a wry script and fantastic performances from nearly all involved, there's plenty of lighter, funnier moments in this too. A wild ride worth settling in for.

 

Vodafone now offer both TV and unlimited broadband, with all the channels and features you’d expect and Netflix at the touch of a button (Netflix subscription required). For more information please visit Vodafone.ie/TV