Well, we’ve officially made it into 2021. I saw a lot of sentiment before the new year that seemed aimed at forgetting as much of 2020 as possible and heading forward into the greener pastures of this new year. I think that if last year taught us anything, it’s that sh*t can always get worse. Our lockdown didn’t magically end at midnight on New Year’s Eve like people were hoping and while it sucks still dealing with a pandemic, I’m just grateful the vaccine is being distributed and that we are hopefully on our way to a better stage of this situation. In the meantime, I’ll be using this continued lockdown and my little bit of time off of school to relax and put my Netflix account to work. Below is a list of 10 shows on Netflix that are my favourite to binge again and again, as the creature of repetition that I am.
- Grey’s Anatomy
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Grey’s is my guilty pleasure show. It gets laughed at by some for being a played-up, soapy drama, but damn I can’t seem to get enough of it. From bombs in bodies to in-hospital shooters, the excitement may not always be the most realistic, but it’s entertaining and packed full of grief and loss if you feel like a good cry. They currently have 16 seasons on Netflix with 40-minute episodes, so there’s plenty to catch up on if you’re a new fan, or to keep you busy for a while if you’ve already watched it and just want some background entertainment.
- The Office (U.S.)
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While I can’t speak for the original UK version, the American version of The Office is by far one of my favourite sitcoms. It can take some time to warm up to it, seeing as the first season’s humour is quite dry but trust me, they get their sea legs under them and end up with a sweet balance between dry and goofy comedy. If you try this one and enjoy it, I will also recommend checking out Arrested Development. It has a similar mockumentary type of feel and plenty of dry humour. Every time I watch it I notice more little jokes and details that flew under my radar the first time.
- Brooklyn 99
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This is a wholesome sitcom with a diverse cast. It follows a squad of detectives with the NYPD as they grow up and into a family. Of the seven main characters, only two are heterosexual white males, the rest of the main cast consisting of POC, women, and characters with diverse sexual orientation. With a diverse cast of characters that consistently challenge and subvert stereotypes, and well-intentioned humour, B99 is a well-rounded and enjoyable sitcom.
- Sons of Anarchy
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I’m not kidding, when my boyfriend showed me this show, it was so hard to stop watching once we started. Every episode is packed with action and as long as you can stomach the violence, racism, and misogyny of the biker world, I promise you it will be a wild ride. Almost Shakespearean in nature, the plot pulls you along right up until its climactic ending. The show runs 7 seasons long, with all the episodes lasting 40 minutes to an hour, so there’s plenty to get watching.
- Schitt’s Creek
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This is another wholesome comedy show that follows an extremely wealthy family who has been betrayed by their accountant and lost all of their money. As a result, they have to live in the motel of a tiny town that they purchased as a joke and come to terms with their new reality as they work on becoming better people thanks to those around them. This show definitely puts an emphasis on the value of family and loved ones, but also centers around a queer love story, providing better representation and a more interesting story than we’re used to seeing on these kinds of sitcoms.
- The Walking Dead
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TWD is another one that’s hard for me to put down once I get into it. It isn’t quite as action packed as SOA as there’s a lot more walking and slow dialogue, but it holds your attention when the pace picks up. This show follows Rick, who has just woken up from a coma to find himself in a zombie apocalypse, as he tries to find his family and find a safe place for them all to survive. Watch Rick’s character progression from man of justice to survivor and see the drama and violence unfold on the way.
- Jane The Virgin
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Similar to Grey’s, this is another soapy drama that’s best for when you want cheese and unbelievable drama. Like, surprise evil twin-level drama, amnesia, and of course, love triangles. This follows Jane, a religious Latina woman saving herself for marriage, as she somehow becomes pregnant despite being a virgin and must navigate the messy personal challenges that ensue. This show utilizes magical realism to blur between reality and fiction and bring a sense of wonder to Jane’s life, a style that is traditional to this type of entertainment.
- Archer
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This is an adult cartoon that, in my biased opinion, is on a slightly classier level than Family Guy and similar-style shows. Rife with political references (that I don’t understand but you might), this show follows Sterling Archer, an American spy, and his comrades as they complete missions and navigate their changing working conditions. With incredibly quirky characters and a great utilization of sarcasm and Archer’s other general douche-ness, this show has me laughing again and again despite not even understanding half of the jokes.
- Shameless (U.S.)
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This show follows the dysfunctional Gallagher family in Chicago as they grow up and try to survive and improve their conditions. Six children make up the bulk of this household, all of which need to find a way to contribute due to their alcoholic father and MIA mother. As the oldest, Fiona runs the house and does her best to take care of her younger siblings, who do their fair share of troublemaking. While the general conditions of the show don’t sound like they would make for a lighthearted or entertaining watch, its outlandishness is what gives it its humour, along with the quirky, shameless characters.
- The 100
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Let me tell you, this show gets crazier and crazier with every season. It begins with a society of humans living in an orbiting space station, which they’ve been on since a nuclear war wiped out life on Earth. They send 100 juvenile prisoners to earth to test whether the radiation has lessened enough for them to return as their ship’s life sustaining functions have started to malfunction. Essentially, the kids find out that some people did survive the apocalypse and the action that ensues is born out of a never-ending struggle to negotiate peace and companionship with warring groups of survivors. Incorporating themes of war, racism, and classism, it’s a relevant watch and the female-led cast including leaders and engineers definitely makes it a win in my book.