Wanting to know the best bits to binge on Netflix? We have you covered! There are a plethora of original series that Netflix keep churning out every year with more and more being added to their collection. We put together our top list of best original series on the streaming service for the best way to get through your summer. Also please note these are in no particular order, this is simply a collection.
Stranger Things
Some people don’t dig the vibes of Stranger Things, but of those that do over 50% of them (of the ones I know, in any case) binged season 2 when it was released on October 27.
The fact that Netflix releases an entire season at once means they know what’s up when it comes to their audiences needs and they know, as we know, that Stranger Things is just the right amount intriguing, with a certain ease in the familiarity of its visual appeal and genre, to keep a watcher hooked through 8 or 9 episodes in one sitting, depending on whether they’ve already got you or you’re starting at season 1.
Stranger Things is one of the most binge-worthy shows. Whether it’s the mystery, the quasi-superhero spin, the DnD enthusiasm or the desire to roll in a gang half as cool as Mike Wheeler’s, Stranger Things has the magic that makes it simply enthralling.
Bojack Horseman
There’s no way this show wasn’t going to make this list. Bojack Horseman seems like a weird concept; an animated show about a washed-up sitcom actor…who is also horse? But as the nature of animated shows skews more and more towards the absurd, the surly nature of Bojack and his mess of a life makes for very watchable TV.
If you’re ever down about how your own life is turning out, a Bojack binge is just what you need and any guilty feelings about it are wonderfully offset by a deft handling of character, comedy and the good use of Will Arnett’s voice acting.
Bojack is the sort of show that should make it onto the Netflix and Chill list, except for it being so watchable that it turns Netflix and Chill into a pure Netflix binge session.
Mindhunter
If you’re looking for something to tide you over between seasons of Criminal Minds, Mindhunter would be an excellent choice, but only if you have enough restraint to make it last that long.
Set in the 70s, and hadn’t we all forgotten what the looked like, it’s the origin story of the BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit) and criminal profiling. And it’s good. Anyone who loved Making a Murderer, who’s interested in psychology, or needs something to watch should give this crime drama a try, though be wary, it can suck you in real quick.
Good news though, the Netflix gods have smiled and aired the complete first season of this original series for you watch at your ‘convenience’ (definition: one after the other until there is nothing left but the void, in which case see above and below for more suggestions), because they know what we are.
The Good Place
Similar in tone and colour palette to Bryan Fuller’s ‘Pushing Daisies,’ The Good Place is a fun romp of 20 minute episodes set in a variation of Heaven called, you guessed it, The Good Place. Only Eleanor, delightful, selfish and crude (acted by Kirsten Bell) does not belong there and must undertake the arduous journey of becoming a better person, with the help of her long-suffering soul mate, in order to fool the system and stay.
Mornings, middays, afternoons and evenings can fly by with this series on, because 20 minute episodes feel like nothing when they’re as entertaining and fresh as this, although it may leave you with impressive cravings for frozen yogurt.
The Crown
This historical drama spans the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, with political intrigue, rivalry, and a dramatised look into the lives of royalty in England.
At ten episodes long in the first season, the second coming in December, it is well worth the binge and you’ll come away knowing a little more about the queen across the sea. Whether it is true, is another matter.
Not quite the sort of show suitable for large companies, if you’re alone or with a few good friends, with the only appropriate Pimms cocktails to hand (or Pimms and ginger ale if you’re not that swanky), popping this on will satisfy a night or two quite well, indeed.
Jessica Jones
Changing tack entirely, if you’re looking for a badass superhero detective show with high stakes, a strong female lead (though perhaps not the best role model), and have a mighty longing for David Tennant, though not as nice and you’ve come to expect, then Marvel’s Jessica Jones is made for you. It is also conveniently, very binge-watchable.
Mystery abounds not only in the character, but also in her past, the villain’s past, the villain and how in the hell everything will come out okay. Krysten Ritter owns every single scene as the titular Jessica Jones and if nothing else will have you coming back, she’s got you covered and will keep you flicking over the episodes when your resolve to keep going is getting wobbly.
Anne with an E
Based on Anne of Green Gables, this series is heart-warming and has beautiful visuals. Unfortunately, that means it is very hard to turn off.
Anne’s adventures, her winning characterization, and the world of this story are so immersive and well developed that it had me from the first moment. When all you want is the best for your favourite characters, you have to stick out to see if they get all that they deserve or even more.
Star Trek: Discovery
I wish there was more to say other than that it is Star Trek to quantify why you should watch this show and why you’ll probably watch it continually until there’s nothing more, but it is Star Trek and has Bryan Fuller’s name attached.
If you watch this show, if that’s your thing, you will WATCH this show. And there will be no regrets.
Slasher
Kinda gross, a little bit R-rated, a little bit mystery, a lot murderer-y, Slasher is everything that the Scream TV series was trying to be but better, with no meta in sight (thank god!).
Katie McGrath has come a long way from her days in BBC’s Merlin and it is unexpectedly thrilling to watch her try to solve her parents’ brutal murders, while copycats are cropping up all around her and dicing and slicing the town to bits.
It also leaves you with a solid need to know. In this case, the faster you know, the sooner you can watch something fun and not drenched in blood, like The Good Place.
Castlevania
It’s animated, has Richard Armitage voice acting, and has four episodes total.
The merits of this one are obvious.
(It is also surprisingly good, and by surprisingly I mean super).
List by MC Dunn
