11 Netflix Shows You Must Watch
Cuddle up with your blankie and make some hot cocoa, it’s time to binge watch our favorite Netflix shows. If you’re stuck in between series and need a show to watch, look no further; we have shows for every taste. These were some of our favorites, and we hope you enjoy them as much as we did.
1) The Office
Netflix Rating: 4.6/5 Stars
This show is just an absolute classic. It is a comedy that is set up as a documentary of a small paper company called Dunder Mifflin in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Throughout the show, characters like Michael Scott (Steve Carell), the regional branch manager who is a complete idiot, Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), Assistant to the Regional Manager (HUGE emphasis on “to”), a very conscientious worker who loathes his co-workers for slacking off, and Jim Halpert (John Krasinski), a salesman who spends all his time admiring the receptionist and harassing Dwight. The show lasted for nine seasons on NBC before it was released onto Netflix. The Office has won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical (Steve Carell) in 2011, and another one for Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical in 2010. It is one of the best comedies on the site, if not the best. The practical jokes Jim plays on Dwight, paired with the absolutely unpredictable actions of Michael in the first few seasons got me hooked. If you want a taste of what the show is like, watch Season 1, Episode 5, “Basketball.” That episode literally had me on the floor. The show also follows a few love stories along the way, and that finale is a tear jerker. It makes me want to watch it all over again (which I did...three times). Lastly, The Office has twenty minute episodes (except for a few in Season 4 and the series finale), so it’s a quick watch.
2) One Tree Hill
Netflix Rating: 4.1/5 Stars
This one is for you drama lovers out there. This show follows half brothers Lucas (Chad Michael Murray, left) and Nathan Scott (James Lafferty, right) throughout their high school and adult lives. Lucas grows up to hate Nathan because his father, Dan Scott, left his mother Karen in college after he found out she was pregnant. Dan then married Deb, a woman he met in college, and had a baby boy named Nathan. Nathan grew up with all the focus and love from Dan, while Lucas was merely an afterthought living with Karen. In the first episode, a cocky and arrogant Nathan is challenged by Lucas in a one on one basketball game to see if Lucas can join the basketball team. Lucas wins, and the everyone’s lives would never be the same. In an extreme turn of events, Nathan falls in love with Lucas’ best friend Haley, and things surprisingly workout for the two brothers. If you’re one to admire love triangles, an attractive cast, plot twists, and lots and lots of drama, this is 100% the show for you. I immediately became emotionally invested in this show. The characters are iconic, the acting is superb, and the moments are unforgetable. One Tree Hill also has one of the best examples of character development that I’ve ever seen (Nathan Scott), which made it a lock on this list. In an interview with James Lafferty after the show had concluded, he still remembered all of the Nathan and Haley moments shared on screen. That might actually be one of the best love stories I’ll ever remember.
3) Luke Cage
Netflix rating 2.54/5 Stars
If you like Marvel Heroes, Luke Cage is the show to watch. Mike Colter, who stars as Luke Cage, is a man with superhuman strength and bulletproof skin. In the beginning of the series, it shows him being accused wrongfully in his trial and he uses his super strength to break out of prison. After breaking out of prison, he decides to stop crime and save his borough of Harlem from criminal acts. This show has everything you would look for in a TV show. You will enjoy this series 100% if you are into superheroes stopping crime to protect their nation. This show can be watched with your whole family. The producers did a phenomenal job portraying a lesser known Marvel character in this Netflix Original.
4) Alias
Netflix rating: 3.9/5 Stars
If you’re like myself and enjoy action packed, drama filled crime infested shows, then this older TV series Alias is right for you. Jennifer Garner plays the role of Sydney Bistrow, the protagonist throughout the show that has multiple alias’ to perform many operations. Originally an active member of what she thought to be Special-Ops, SD-6 was actually a running criminal organization that was part of something bigger, the Alliance of Twelve. This series consists of 5 seasons which makes it a quick watch, along with the action packed, suspenseful episodes it provides to keep an audience intrigued. Sydney learns that SD-6 is actually a criminal organization and turns to the CIA for work. Working as a double agent in both organizations, Sydney used multiple alias’ to achieve many missions. Working alongside her father, Jack Bistrow and against her mother, Irina Derevko, Sydney’s missions grew harder as she learned the truth about her personal life. This show does a good job at keep the audience engaged, and it doesn’t fail to produce entertainment.
5) Dexter
Netflix Rating: 4.95/5 Stars
This show may not be presentable for kids as Dexter is a highly filled with gore. With a lot of suspense, murders, and sexual content, this original Showtime series is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat through all 8 seasons. It isn’t common to cheer on or support a serial killer, but Dexter Morgan, member of the Miami Forensic Department, is everyone’s favorite criminal. On the outside, Dexter is a loveable brother, boyfriend and friend to everyone he encounters during the day. During the night however, Dexter is one of the biggest serial killers Miami has ever seen, the Bay Harbor Butcher. The constant thrill of wondering if Dexter ever gets caught kept the blood flowing within me and out of Dexter’s victims. This 8 season series has plots for every season as Dexter acquires new targets through the code (for his dark passenger) in which is step-father created for him at an early age. With approximately 50 minute episodes, you will sure be rooted to the couch for a good amount of time. If you want to connect with your darker side and live with the thrill of constant fear of being caught, I suggest you give this show a watch, you won’t be disappointed.
6) Naruto
Netflix Rating: 4.9/5 Stars
This one is for all you anime fans out there. Naruto
Is a Japanese anime based on the popular manga that started in 1999 under the same title. The American corporation Viz Media has collaborated with American Shonen Jump to remaster the series in English. The series follows a young shinobi (ninja) named Naruto Uzumaki, an inadequate ninja who has the evil spirit on the Nine Tailed Fox sealed in his body. He resides in the Hidden Leaf Village, one of five Hidden Ninja Villages that produce shinobi as a system of defense. Naruto follows an epic storyline where you can see incredible displays of jutsu (ninja powers) that can be used to summon things like huge fireballs, water dragons, and even giant animals. The show is incredibly funny and although the character list is quite large, it is easy to remember who’s who and become attached to said characters. The main storyline is one to remember, and Naruto is one of the best of examples on how good anime shows can be. Unfortunately, there is a second part to the series, called Naruto Shippuden, that takes place two and a half years after the events of Naruto, and it is not on Netflix. Even if you aren’t the biggest fan of anime, I highly recommend checking this show out.
7) Stranger Things
Netflix Rating: 5/5 Stars
Stranger Things is a Netflix Original series that came out in 2016. Netflix is really a hit or miss when releasing their own shows, but they really nailed it with this one. This mysterious thriller is the perfect show if you want a quick series to watch. It will have you hooked after one episode. Currently there is only one season uploaded, but season 2 is anticipated to be released during 2017. If you’re into spooky, supernatural shows then this is a show for you. The show won the Golden Globe for Best Drama TV Series of 2017. Stranger Things is full of nostalgia, reminding us of classics such as E.T., The Goonies, and The Twilight Zone. It definitely has an ‘80’s throwback feel to it. The mixture of childhood adventure, a coming-of-age story, and a thrilling horror is what has most people hooked.
8) Orange is the New Black
Netflix Rating: 4.9/5 Stars This show is not only hilarious and wild at times, but it’s also eye opening to the truth behind incarceration in the United States. It’s based off of the true life story of Piper Kerman, a woman who spent a year in prison for money laundering and drug trafficking. In this series, Piper Chapman’s, who is ultimately playing the role behind the true story of Kerman, past catches up to her. Ten years prior, she had a relationship with a drug runner and it now finally is coming back to haunt her. Piper, an average mid 30 year old with a great career and a fiance, has her entire life flipped upside down. Originally she was only suppose to spend a year in prison, but things definitely don’t go as planned once she gets there. She must adjust to life behind bars fast, not only because it’s her only option but also because her past will continuously creep up on her at the worst times throughout this series. There are many interesting and eccentric people she meets along her journey through the corrections system, which make the show even more interesting. Viewers get to learn the past history of many other convicts and how they all ended up at Upstate New York’s Litchfield Penitentiary. Overall this show will have your eyes glued to the screen and wanting to know what fate Piper will have in the end.
9) Law and Order: Special Victims Unit
Netflix Rating: 4.4/5 Stars Personally, this is my all time favorite show. Law and Order has many spin offs, such as Criminal Intent, Trial by Jury, and Los Angeles, but SVU is definitely the top choice. Law and Order is a classic crime drama series that will keep you hooked and not able to turn Netflix off. Every episode is a new crime, but there is always a backstory developing with the main characters, such as Olivia Benson, Elliot Stabler, Fin Tutuola (whose character is played by Ice-T which makes the show that much better), and Nick Amaro. This show focuses on sexually based offenses, and even though they’re not true stories, they’re still very realistic and definitely reflect the horrors that go on in throughout our world. Some episodes are definitely tear-jerkers, so make sure to have a box of tissues close by. If you end up loving this show as much as any other fan, then the catchy theme song will be engraved in your memory forever… trust me.
10) Prison Break
Netflix rating: 4.1 /5 stars
Prison Break is an original American TV show that was aired on Fox from 2005-2009. Lincoln Burrows (left) is incarcerated at Fox River State Penitentiary after being accused of murdering Terrence Steadman, brother of the Vice President of the United States, Caroline Reynolds. Michael Scofield (right), a great structural engineer, commits armed robbery in order to gain access to Fox River to break out his brother, whom he feels is innocent. Lincoln Burrows is sentenced to death due to the accusation of the murder, which forces Michael to tattoo a map of the workings of the penitentiary on his body to use to escape the facility before he committed his crime. This series is relatively short, another 5 season series where the suspense keeps the viewer alive and interested. At the end of each episode, the producers leave the audience with great cliffhangers which makes the next episode much anticipated. At the end of season 1, what would become the Fox River Eight, escape the prison in one of the most intense episodes in the series. The Eight would end up performing one of the biggest escapes the prison had ever seen, with help of working hours in their prison industry privileges. Drama amongst the Eight would lead many of them to further turmoil later in the series. Each scurrying around the country in search of a large sum of money from one of the inmates, the escapees land themselves in another prison, the Penitenciaría Federal de Sona. Prison Break does not disappoint in that it is alway delivering content and leaving viewers longing to know what’s next.
11) Sons of Anarchy
Netflix Rating 4.5/5 Stars
Sons Of Anarchy is about a single father who plays the lead role Jax Teller. Jax Teller is a young man who find his loyalty to a his outlaw motorcycle club. The club is supposed to protect their town of Charming, California. However, the motorcycle club does more than protect their city. The club is an outlaw club who controls guns, drugs and women in and around the city of Charming. This show is a wild ride, literally. Sons of Anarchy is categorized in the genres of drama, crime, action, adventure, and thriller, which really reaches out to a broad audience. From the first episode, there is a lot going on, which made me hooked as I am a huge lover of the action genre. The crime aspect adds more risk and suspense to each decision the characters make. This show is definitely a must watch for any Netflix fan.
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