How many of us have become serious couch potatoes of late? Sometimes even turning down an invite to socialise just because you need to know what happens in the next episode. That’s what we call, binge watching. Episode after episode, hours whizz by and you’re probably still in your pyjamas, or perhaps you’ve showered but that’s about the only productive thing you did all day.
Meals? Oh yea chowed down quickly – you suddenly eat to live and TV on demand takes over. Now with Netflix available in Malaysia, everyone has been talking about “oh you gotta watch…” or, “did you see what happened in that episode??” or, “who’s your favourite character?” and the list goes on.
If you’re new to Netflix and feeling a little uncertain about where to start and which show you should dive into, here’s a few that we think are some of the top picks on Netflix right now (in no particular order). Enjoy!
1. Better Call Saul (this is especially for past Breaking Bad fans!)
Starring Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul takes fans of Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad back to the New Mexico desert for a look at Saul Goodman’s origin story. Before Goodman became the quirky, crooked lawyer Walter White played like a fiddle, he was Jimmy McGill, an aspiring lawyer who just couldn’t seem to keep his hands clean. The show is set six years prior to the events of Breaking Bad, and moreover, throws out the convention that a spinoff must pale in comparison to its source material. It also proves Gilligan and company remain at the top of their game.
2. Love
From the comedic brilliance of Judd Apatow comes Love, a Netflix-exclusive sitcom about what it’s like to really date in the 21st Century. Starring Community alum Gillian Jacobs and stand-up comic Paul Rust — who also co-created the show — Love centers primarily on these two stars as they attempt to facilitate a loving relationship despite their laundry list of differences. From the exhilaration of new love, the awkwardness of growing up, and everything else a new relationship throws at 20-somethings, Apatow pulls no punches with Love. Netflix has also already signed the show on for a second season, so something had to have worked, right?
3. Sherlock
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.
4. Mad Men
Set in New York in the 1960’s, Mad Men follows one of the city’s most prestigious ad agencies on Madison Avenue. The agency is doing well, but as the industry grows the competition begins to stiffen. The agency tries to survive in a time when everything, including the ad industry, is undergoing a radical shake-up. The two protagonists are the enigmatic Don Draper (Jon Hamm), a self-made executive who’s childhood seems to always get in the way of his happiness and ultra-terse Peggy Olson (Elizabeth Moss), a former secretary who works her way up the corporate ladder.
5. Breaking Bad
I recall once I had finished the series, I didn’t know what to do with my life. That sounds a little dramatic but I was so hooked onto the show that they became part of my life – it was as if I knew them so well! Walter White (Bryan Cranston) is a high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer. To secure his family’s finances before he dies, White uses his chemistry background to cook and deal premium blue meth. His partner is former student, and burn-out Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). It’s teeming with moral consequences and family issues, and fittingly, as addicting as the crystal meth Walt produces in his beat-up van in the desert.
6. House of Cards
Hands down one of the best political dramas since The West Wing. Huge kudos go to both Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright who embody the very essence of their characters and really make this a show to remember. The show revolves around protagonist Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey), the U.S. Senate Majority Whip who uses every political secret and inch of his clout to dethrone enemies and leverage his way to the top. His alliance with environmental lobbyist Claire (Robin Wright) is arguably one of the best alliances on TV, brilliantly showcasing just how the two characters are willing to go to beat their opponents and catapult — or destroy —approval ratings.
7. Bates Motel
While cable network A&E is best known for its bevy of reality shows, its foray into thrilling drama with Bates Motel is as impressive as anything in its lineup. The show follows the lives of Norma and Norman Bates some time prior to Norman’s infamous turn in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 classic, Psycho. After Norma’s husband passes, she sets out for the fictional city of White Pine Bay, Oregon with Norman where they purchase a small hotel to begin anew. As expected, things begin to unravel mere days after arriving at said hotel, with each move made by Norma and Norman setting the stage for the latter’s eventual fondness for butcher knives and showers.
8. Narcos
This is such an eye-opener, it shows you the extent of Pablo Escobar’s reach and power as a drug lord and just how must influence he had over a nation, its government, and the people. The latest Netflix-produced piece of content to grace subscribing TV sets is Narcos, a chronicled take on the story of Colombian drug kingpin, Pablo Escobar. With its fast-paced style of storytelling, brilliant acting, and the fact the show was filmed on-location in Colombia, the series appears to be yet another impressive win for the massive streaming company. Brazilian actor Wagner Moura plays the role of the iconic Escobar, while Boyd Holbrook fills the shoes of DEA agent Steve Murphy, the one tasked with tracking and killing Escobar. If you’re a sucker for such dramas as House of Cards or Breaking Bad, you’ll no doubt want to dive into the cocaine-filled world of Narcos.
9. Orange is the new black
Based on a true story, this Netflix original comedy follows Piper Chapman as she goes from comfortable middle-class living to an all-female prison as a result of a drug-related crime she committed a decade prior. The show is based upon the real-life Piper Kerman, who wrote a memoir based on her money-laundering years and subsequent time in jail. The drama is often funny, with hilarious interactions between cell mates, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t get heavy. Netflix currently offers all three seasons, with a fourth slated for summer 2016.
11. Arrow
Yet another television show drawing from the pages of popular comics, CW’s Arrow takes its influence from the DC Comics character, Green Arrow. Actor Steven Arnell tackles the lead as playboy billionaire Oliver Queen, who soon takes up the role of the Green Arrow to subdue crime in the fictional setting of Starling City. Netflix offers the first two seasons of this highly regarded show, while new episodes of its third season currently air on the CW.
12. Daredevil
The latest Netflix-produced show to strike gold, Daredevil brings the Marvel Universe to the small screen in a big way. While movie adaptations of Marvel’s blind lawyer-by-day, blind crime-fighter-by-night never quite lived up to expectations, Drew Goddard’s episodic version garnered near universal acclaim. Charlie Cox — who plays the iconic Daredevil — headlines an impressive cast which also features Vincent D’Onofrio and Rosario Dawson. Gritty, expertly produced, and packed to the brim with action, Netflix’s Daredevil is one you won’t want to miss.
13. Making a Murderer
Heralded as Netflix’s answer to the hit podcast Serial, Making a Murderer tells the tragic story of Two Rivers, Wisconsin native Steven Avery. After serving 18 years in prison for a horrific sexual assault and attempted murder crime he maintains he never committed, new evidence exonerates Avery, making him a free man. Now 41 years old and looking to clear his name, Avery sues Manitowoc County for a whopping $36 million in damages. However, shortly after filing the lawsuit, Avery’s name is once again tied to a grisly crime, this time in the disappearance and assumed death of photographer Teresa Halbach. Coincidentally, Avery faces the same people who wrongfully put him behind bars in the mid-1980s and yet again maintain his innocence in Halbach’s murder. Incredibly riveting yet downright infuriating at times, Netflix’s Making a Murderer is one of the most fascinating true crime documentaries you’ll find anywhere.
That should keep you occupied for awhile.
