The 75 Best Netflix Shows and Original Series to Watch Right Now
1.Shadow and Bone
Created by: Eric Heisserer
Cast: Jessie Mei Li, Ben Barnes, Archie Renaux, Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, and Kit Young
If The Witcher and Game of Thrones had a baby and that baby grew up to be a YA series, you’d have something along the lines of Shadow and Bone. But even that feels reductive, because this fantasy series based on the novels by Leigh Bardugo is far deeper and complex than you might be expecting. The show takes place in a fantasy world that is populated mostly by humans, but also has magic-folk known as “Grisha.” Grisha are a somewhat ostracized group, so when an unassuming mapmaker not only terns out to be Grisha but a being known as the “Sun Summoner,” the world is upended. Mixed into this “Chosen One” narrative is a cadre of charming, compelling, and frankly sexy characters all of whom are just trying to make it through a harsh and unforgiving world. Give this one a couple of episodes and you’ll be hooked. – Adam Chitwood
2.Collateral
Created by: David Hare
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Billie Piper, Jeany Spark, Nathaniel Martelo-White, John Simm
In the era of #PeakTV it’s impossible to watch everything, but here’s a show that you can binge in a very limited amount of time and get maximum satisfaction in return: Collateral. The four-hour BBC-produced limited series hails from writer David Hare (The Hours) and director SJ Clarkson (Jessica Jones). Carey Mulligan stars as a confident and charismatic detective in London who’s tasked with investigating the murder of a pizza deliveryman, who may be an immigrant or refugee. A Robert Altman-like ensemble forms the tapestry of this story, but by the end of the four hours you’ll be in awe of how well all the disparate characters’ storylines fit together. This is a show that digs deep into issues of immigration and racial tensions in a post-Brexit England, but maintains a sense of joy and humor throughout so as not to drown the viewer in despair like some other British dramas. It’s immensely compelling, supremely satisfying, and Mulligan gives one hell of a lead performance that has colors of Fargo’s Marge Gunderson. And it’s only four hours! This is an incredibly easy recommend. – Adam Chitwood
3.Bridgerton
Created by: Chris Van Dusen
Cast: Regé-Jean Page, Phoebe Dynevor, Adjoa Andoh, Jonathan Bailey, Harriet Cains, Bessie Carter, Ruth Gemmell, Claudia Jessie, Ben Miller, Luke Newton, Golda Rosheuvel, Polly Walker, and Julie Andrews
If Gossip Girl meets Downton Abbey meets Pride and Prejudice sounds intriguing to you, the Netflix original series Bridgerton will absolutely be your jam. Based on the series of novels by Julia Quinn, the drama-romance takes place in the competitive world of Regency London’s high society, where a number of young girls are presented and tasked with finding a suitor. The stakes are raised when a mysterious woman named “Lady Whistledown” begins writing a column about the goings-on of the day, complete with gossip and preferences for specific pairings. Dramatic twists, intense love scenes, and even some hijinks ensue. This very well could be your next obsession. – Adam Chitwood
4.The Queen's Gambit
Created by: Scott Frank
Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Marielle Heller, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Harry Melling, Bill Camp, and Moses Ingram
You don’t have to be interested in chess to fall for the seven-episode limited series The Queen’s Gambit, because at heart the show isn’t really about chess at all. It’s an intensely dramatic story about a young orphan working through her trauma to find some semblance of joy anywhere she can, and the people she meets along the way. Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) is revelatory in the lead role of Beth Harmon, a young chess prodigy, bringing a cool confidence to the character while also nailing the nuances of her emotional complexity. Scott Frank, who writes and directs every episode, brings the 1950s and 60s to life in vivid fashion with stunning production design and gorgeous costumes, but it’s the way he captures the chess matches that really makes this thing soar. They’re thrilling and captivating not because of the specific moves, but because the show does such a great job of making you so invested in Beth’s story. And with seven episodes and a full-on ending, you don’t have to worry about this show being cancelled – it’s a complete story from beginning to end. – Adam Chitwood
5.Sherlock
Created by: Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss
Cast: Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Graves, Andrew Scott, and Louise Brealey
While innumerable adaptations of Sherlock Holmes have surfaced over the decades, with most network procedurals themselves owing a great debt to Arthur Conan Doyle’s source material, the BBC series Sherlockoffers one of the more fun and entertaining Sherlock twists in recent memory. The series puts the characters of Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Dr. James Watson (Martin Freeman) in a contemporary context, using the classic dynamic and detective genre as the foundation on which Sherlock is built. The series stands on its own, though, with the chemistry between Cumberbatch and Freeman giving us something electric onscreen, and the scripts by Moffat and Gatiss surprising viewers at every turn. Sherlock benefits from the fact that each episode is 90 minutes long (each season only consists of three episodes total), so while it’s technically a TV series, each episode feels like a feature film. Moreover, Moffat and Gatiss do their best to ensure that no one episode feels too similar to another, offering a great degree of diversity throughout the series. Smart, thrilling, and wildly entertaining, this is must-watch TV. – Adam Chitwood
6.GLOW
Created by: Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch
Cast: Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, Sydelle Noel, Brittney Young, Marc Maron, Britt Baron, Kate Nash, Gayle Rankin, Kia Stevens, Jackie Tohn, and Chris Lowell
The Netflix original series GLOW has one of the more original premises in recent TV history: It chronicles the life of a fledgling professional wrestling promotion called the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, as various aspiring actresses and generally women down on their luck audition and agree to take a stab at a wholly new field. Marc Maronplays the schlock B-movie director tasked with turning GLOW into a show, Alison Brie plays a theater nerd and aspiring actress taking it all way too seriously, and Betty Gilpin plays Brie’s former friend and soap opera star who becomes the centerpiece of the wrestling event. Season 1 is delightful, but Season 2 is one of the best seasons of a Netflix TV show ever made. It’s purely joyous, focused, character-rich, and wildly entertaining, and did I mention the bangin’ 80s soundtrack? – Adam Chitwood
7.Julie and the Phantoms
Created by: Dan Cross, Dave Hoge
Cast: Madison Reyes, Charlie Gillespie, Owen Patrick Joyner, Jeremy Shada, Booboo Stewart, Cheyenne Jackson, Carlos Ponce, Sonny Bustamante, Jadah Marie, Sacha Carlson, Savannah Lee May
You can always count on Kenny Ortega for a dose of feel-good fun. The filmmaker and choreographer behind beloved kids classics like Newsies, Hocus Pocus, and High School Musical flexes his always entertaining musical muscles once again with Julie and the Phantoms. Inspired by the Brazilian hit series Julie e os Fantasmas, the new Netflix Family original stars Madison Reyes as Julie and Charlie Gillespie, Owen Patrick Joyner, and Jeremy Shada as her titular trio of phantoms. Members of an up-and-coming band that had their dreams dashed when they died after eating some bad hot dogs (which should give you a sense of how the show treads lightly while dealing in the dark matters of death), the ghosts appear to Julie in her garage 25 years later, and through their shared love of music, they team up for a new and improved, if mostly ghostly band. Every episode features legit bangin' earworm songs and pop performances, tender coming-of-age drama, and that signature Ortega touch. The feel-good ghost musical is a must-watch for anyone looking for an instant mood-boost, as long as you're ok with having the songs stuck in your head. -- Haleigh Foutch
Watch Julie and the Phantoms Here
8.Ozark
Created by: Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams
Cast: Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Julia Garner, Peter Mullan, and Janet McTeer
The Netflix original series Ozark is frequently one of the streaming service’s most popular shows, and for good reason. Almost like a backwoods version of Breaking Bad, the series opens with Jason Bateman’s life falling apart. He and his family are forced to move from Chicago to the Ozarks to start a money laundering business after he discovers his longtime business partner has been dealing with Mexican drug cartels, and they owe an inordinate amount of money. Bateman’s life is spared when he promises to recoup by opening a vacation destination in the Ozarks, but as he and his family enmesh themselves deeper and deeper into the criminal underworld, the line between good and bad becomes further blurred. It’s pretty thrilling, packed with twists, and the performances are solid. It’s not as tight or as emotionally satisfying as Breaking Bad, but then again what is? As far as substitutes go, Ozark is solid. – Adam Chitwood
9.Schitt's Creek
Created by: Daniel Levy and Eugene Levy
Cast: Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Daniel Levy, Annie Murphy, Emily Hampshire, Chris Elliott, and Jenn Robertson
Imagine a less cynical Arrested Development crossed with an inverted Beverly Hillbillies, and you’re close to Schitt’s Creek—one of the most joyful shows on all of television. The Canadian sitcom tells the story of a wealthy family who loses everything when they’re defrauded by their business manager. The only thing they do own is a tiny, backwoods town the patriarch (Eugene Levy) bought for his son (Daniel Levy) as a joke gift back in 1991, and they’re then forced to move there and live out of a motel. They slowly begin to accept their new lives and even love their new town, despite their many, many quirks. The comedy is delightful, anchored by a phenomenal performance from Catherine O’Hara as the family matriarch, a former soap actress in denial about her social status. It’s also a delightfully forward-thinking series, as the son’s pansexuality is met not with scorn or judgment, but with full loving embrace. Hilarious, witty, and oh-so-sweet, Schitt’s Creek is the perfect show for when you need a pick-me-up. – Adam Chitwood
10.The Haunting of Hill House
Creator: Mike Flanagan
Cast: Carla Gugino, Michael Huisman, Kate Siegel, Mckenna Grace, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Elizabeth Reaser, Victoria Pedretti, Lulu Wilson, Timothy Hutton, Violet McGraw, Julian Hilliard,
Hush and Gerald's Game filmmaker Mike Flanagan delivers his most ambitious Netflix project yet (and that's really saying something when you're talking about someone who successfully adapted Gerald's Game) with The Haunting of Hill House. Inspired by Shirley Jackson's seminal ghost story, the series carries over almost none of Jackson's narrative (though occasionally too much of her prose), and focuses instead on the haunted lives of the withering Crain family. Bouncing back and forth between the summer the Crain's spent in the titular haunted mansion and the years of grief and family trauma they endured in the aftermath. Flanagan has proven in previous works that he's got a knack for upsetting visuals and well-composed scares, but his great success in The Haunting of Hill House is the way he ties the scares into a rich, intertwining tale of family tinged with tragedy. Led by a spectacular ensemble, the series veers between emotional revelation and moments of horror that give you full-body chills. It's the most moving and honest portrayal of mortality and grief this side of Six Feet Under, but it'll give you a whole lot more nightmares. — Haleigh Foutch
){kind=link}
0 Comments