You Need To Log Onto Netflix And Watch These Shows!

Netflix is a film and television mecca for those who are at a loss of what to do with their spare time. With a great catalog of movies and shows from around the world and with the integration of Netflix’s own original content, you will never be at a loss of something to watch. Here is a list of some of the best stuff Netflix has to offer and what’s in store for 2017!

Black Mirror

Speaking of future, Black Mirror is an anthology series that takes place “in the near future.” In the realm of speculative fiction, each episode focuses on the dark consequences of current and possibly real future technologies and sheds light on various topics, such as society’s obsession with living through screens and how it can be taken too far. The new technology that the show imagines is quite convincing and the way you see it unfold in modern society will make you think hard about the directions our current technological mindsets will take us.

The show was created by satirist Charlie Brooker and originally aired the first two seasons on Britain’s Channel 4. Netflix commissioned a third season in 2015 and now all three seasons are available to watch online.

3%

Another show set in a dystopian future, 3% is a Netflix original series that was produced in Brazil. The show depicts a divided world, wherein the wealthy people live in a societal paradise called Offshore. The not so fortunate, comprised of most of the population, live in poverty in the Inland. Every year, people from the Inland are given a chance to move to the Offshore, but only three percent of the impoverished make it if they can pass a series of tests.

The Brazilian-produced show is entirely in Portuguese, but if you don’t mind subtitles, you can catch all eight episodes of the first season online. This Hunger Games-esque series is quickly becoming a popular hit.

Chewing Gum

British sitcom Chewing Gum made its debut to the world when Netflix added the series in October 2016. The show’s plot focuses on Tracey Gordon, a shop assistant in her early twenties who wants to explore what the world has to offer, such as losing her virginity despite the dismay of her religious family.

The show features British actress Michaela Coel, whose original play Chewing Gum Dreams is where the television show takes its inspiration from. Coel’s performance on the show earned her a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) for Best Female Performance In A Comedy Programme and Breakthrough Talent.

The Get Down

In August 2016, Netflix released an original musical drama series called The Get Down. Set in New York City’s South Bronx in 1977, the show follows a young teen named Ezekiel who is growing up in the era that spawned the birth of hip-hop, block parties, and break dancing.

The show is the brainchild of Baz Luhrmann and Stephen Adly Guirgis and was made on a $120 million budget. The only noticeable name on the cast is Jaden Smith, who plays a supporting character, but this is to the benefit of up and coming stars Justice Smith, Shameik Moore, Herizen Guardiola, and Skylan Brooks. The second season of the show is set to be released sometime in 2017.

The Magicians

If you don’t frequent the Syfy channel, then you might be unaware of The Magicians, which is the next show you should probably add to your queue. The show focuses on Quentin Coldwater, who is enrolled at a magical college to be trained as a magician, in a magical world that is congruent to the real world. Users of Buzzfeed call it a cross between Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia.

The show premiered in December 2015, so its entire first season is already up on Netflix. After you finish binge-watching that, you can catch the second season which will premiere in January 2017 on the Syfy network.

Longmire

If westerns and crime drama are more your cup of tea, then you will want to check out Longmire. Originally on the A&E network, the series follows sheriff Walt Longmire who investigates the crimes that arise in fictional Absaroka County, Wyoming. The show is rife with action and crime, complemented with an air of murder mystery.

A&E only ran Longmire for three seasons before it decided to cancel the show, but in 2014 it became one of Netflix’s many revivals. Seasons one through five are now available online and the sixth and final season is set to premiere later in 2017.

The OA

Mystery science fiction seems to be a huge hit on Netflix and The OA is no exception. The show is about Prairie Johnson, an adopted blind girl who goes missing for seven years and mysteriously returns with her eyesight renewed. Each episode focuses on Johnson’s story unfolding, but only to a select few who Johnson enlists to help her rescue others who are in her situation.

Created by Brit Marline and Zal Batmanglij, the show debuted on Netflix in December 2016 and consists of eight episodes. The OA is currently one of Netflix’s most buzzed about shows, but many critics say that it is very similar to another mystery sci-fi thriller that premiered several months earlier…

Stranger Things

Stranger Things debuted in July 2016 and became an instant hit. Set in the fictional sleepy town of Hawkins, Indiana, the show focuses on the disappearance of a local boy named Will, whose friends go on a mission to find him. Meanwhile, the appearance of a mysterious telekinetic girl, named Eleven, makes things more interesting when she claims to know where Will is but has difficulty telling them anything about where she came from and where Will is.

The show stars acting veterans Winona Ryder and David Harbour, but the real stars are young actors Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, and Caleb McLaughlin who’ve been charming the public with their adorable red carpet appearances since the show took off. Netflix renewed the series for a second season and fans are anxiously awaiting its release for later in 2017.

Lovesick

Imagine contracting an STD and having to contact every single sexual partner you’ve had in the past (yikes). The humiliating scenario is the primary plot of the show Lovesick, which originally aired on Britain’s Channel 4 for one season. The show focuses on Dylan, the main protagonist of the aforementioned scenario, and his two best friends, one of whom is recently engaged but used to have a huge crush on Dylan.

The first season originally aired in October 2014 and after it was added to Netflix, the streaming service produced and released a second season in November 2016.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Many people are anxiously awaiting the premiere of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events in January 2017, scheduled appropriately on Friday the 13th. Fans of the original children’s novel series hope that Netflix’s version will do the series justice since the 2004 film version didn’t quite make the cut.

Neil Patrick Harris stars as Count Olaf, the newly appointed guardian of the Baudelaire orphans, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. The series is rumored to be dark and dramatic, which is how it should be according to the books, focusing on “mature themes like grief, loss, and disappointment with sardonic honesty.”

Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later

If you’re a fan of satire and hazy teen comedies, then Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later might be for you. The revival series is based off the 2001 film, Wet Hot American Summer, which was about the last day at a fictional summer camp in 1981 and the shenanigans and relationships of the camp counselors.

The series will bring back many of the original actors, including big names like Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Banks, Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Molly Shannon, Michael Ian Black, and more. In 2015, Netflix produced and released a prequel series that focused on the first day of camp, so here’s to hoping the sequel won’t be as awkward and unforgiving to the age of the actors today.

The Defenders

Marvel characters have certainly been making rounds, being rectified off the pages of comic books and made into realities through film and television. With the help of Netflix, we have had the pleasure of seeing superheroes Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron First come to life with their own original series.

Well, Netflix has certainly one-upped themselves when they announced that the year 2017 will see the premiere of Marvel’s The Defenders, in which all four superheroes come together to defend the streets of New York City. Each individual series were met with critical acclaim, so one can only hope that The Defenders will be just as epic.

Bill Nye Saves the World

Speaking of heroes, everyone’s favorite scientist, whose videos we grew up watching in elementary school, will be resurrected in Bill Nye Saves The World. Visibly older, but still just as cool and knowledgeable, Bill Nye has occasionally been popping up on the internet from time to time. Apparently, he still has some important stuff to teach us and thankfully, Netflix is giving him a platform to do so.

Bill Nye Saves The World will be in talk show format and will feature five different correspondents — Emily Calandrelli, Joanna Hausmann, Nazeem Hussain, Derek Muller, and Karlie Kloss — who will help Bill navigate topics of science, as well as politics, pop culture, and society. Needless to say, many people are excited for the return of Bill Nye to our screens. Science rules.

Easy

Easy premiered on Netflix in September 2016 and is a comedy-drama anthology series that highlights the very real and intimate intricacies of love and sexual relations. Written and directed by Joe Swanberg, the series features actors such as Orlando Bloom, Hannibal Buress, Dave Franco, Malin Åkerman, and Emily Ratajkowski.

The eight-episode series is set in Chicago with a group of characters whose individual stories have nothing to do with each other, but whose lives are in close proximity to each other — similar to movies like Valentine’s Day or Love Actually. Although the series isn’t quite as big as other Netflix offerings, it can be considered an underrated success because of its generally positive reviews.

Rectify

Rectify is an American drama series about Daniel Holden, a man who was convicted of the murder of his girlfriend. After spending almost 20 years in prison, DNA evidence surfaces that contradicts the accusation that Holden is guilty, so he is released from prison after his sentence is vacated. The series focuses on his re-introduction into society and whether or not he really did commit the crime.

Earning a positive Metacritic rating of 82 out of 100, the show is worth taking a look at. The show premiered on SundanceTV in 2013 and Netflix added the show to its catalog a couple years later. The series no longer airs on television but you can still catch all four seasons online.

Barry

This one is not a television series, but is definitely a Netflix must-see! Created by Vikram Gandhi, the drama is a biopic about President Barack Obama’s life during his early twenties as a student at Columbia University in 1981. The film stars American-Australian actor Devon Terrell, who seems to have Obama’s speech mannerisms down to a tee.

It is worth noting that the film focuses on a time when Obama was still referred to as “Barry” and is not yet the Barack Obama we know today. Barry struggles with his bi-racial identity throughout the film and we can see him starting to shift into the mindset of “Barack Obama,” although the film’s creator was careful not to foreshadow his eventual presidency.

Love

For fans of the works of Judd Apatow, you might want to check out the romantic comedy Love, starring Gillian Jacobs and Paul Rust. Dubbed a “down-to-earth look at dating” by IndieRevolver.com, the series explores the differing ways males and females approach romantic relationships.

Love can also be considered one of Netflix’s underrated successes as it has received generally positive reviews, mostly thanks to the impeccable performances of the cast. Having premiered in February 2016, the series has been available to watch for almost a year now if you haven’t already watched it. If you do end up liking it, you can look forward to a second season later in 2017.

Awake

NBC’s short-lived series Awake only lasted for one season in 2012, but thanks to Netflix, you can still catch all thirteen episodes online. Awake is a “police procedural fantasy drama” in which detective Michael Britten initially suffers a major accident. After the accident, Britten seems to live in two realities, one in which only his wife survived and the other in which only his son survived. The show follows his job as a detective as he tries to figure out why he is trapped in these parallel universes.

With a plot as interesting as that, it’s a wonder why NBC decided to scrap the show. Although it had positive reviews from critics, Awake suffered low viewership which ultimately led to its demise on television.

Dear White People

In 2017, Netflix will release Dear White People, a series that is based off the 2014 satiric indie film of the same name. The original film premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent. With accolades like that and a producer like Lionsgate to back it up, one can hope that the Netflix series will be just as successful.

Dear White People will be about a group of minority students who attempt to navigate a predominantly white Ivy League School. According to the Netflix blog, “Dear White People is a send-up of ‘post-racial’ America that also weaves a universal story about forging one’s own unique path.”

13 Reasons Why

Based on the 2007 novel of the same name by author Jay Asher, 13 Reasons Why will focus on a boy who receives a box of cassette tapes from his friend who recently committed suicide. Each tape is to be distributed to different peers to explain how they played a role in the friend’s eventual suicide.

Selena Gomez was originally set to play the lead role in a film version, but instead, she became an executive producer for the television series that is set to premiere on Netflix in 2017. 13 Reasons Why will feature young actors Dylan Minette and Katherine Langford in the lead roles.