Must-See Shows on Netflix

    With the semester rapidly coming to an end you may not be thinking about starting a new series on Netflix, but Thanksgiving break is a great time to relax, unwind, and start a new show! I am the worst at deciding something new to watch, so if you’re like me, or if you are just looking for something new, use this as a guide and try watching some of these terrific shows!

1. Stranger Things

Although Halloween has come to an end, Stranger Things season 2 just came out and is a must see! The show has a Goonies type feel to it (and if you’ve never seen the Goonies you need to watch that as well!). Set in the 80s and following a group of close friends, it has supernatural elements, twists and turns, and will surely have you wanting more after the first episode. There are 2 seasons and they both have under 10 episodes, so this isn’t like diving into Grey’s Anatomy or something else which could take over your life for months.

2. Orange is the New Black

Another Netflix original, Orange is the New Black follows Piper who is sent to a women’s prison for transporting drug money. Although the show begins with her as the main character, as it progresses it focuses on the other women in the prison. Each episode tells the story of one character and why she’s in prison while also showing the present, which is a crazy, dramatic, and fun.

3. Jane the Virgin

This show has consumed my life lately! It features Jane, a virgin, who is accidentally artificially inseminated (which you find out in the first episode but sorry for the spoiler). After this happens Jane’s life is turned upside down, and not just because of the accidental pregnancy. The owner of the hotel that Jane works at is the father, and his sister is the doctor who accidentally inseminated Jane, so you already know show comes with a lot of good, funny drama. In 2014 Gina Rodriguez, aka Jane, was the first Latina woman to win a Golden Globe for her performance in this show, so it’s worth it to give it a try!

4. Shameless

I’ll admit I haven’t seen this one, but everyone seems to love it. The dysfunctional Gallagher family begins with Frank, an alcoholic, and his six children, who are all just trying to get through life. The eldest daughter, Fiona, acts as her siblings caretaker. There is a fair amount of sexual content, cursing, and more vulgarity so you won’t want to watch this one with mom and dad.

5. Parks and Recreation

This show is hilarious, creative, and has the best cast of any show, ever. Chris Pratt, Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Aziz Ansari and more come together as Pawnee, Indiana’s Parks Department officials. The first season isn’t the best but it gets so much better from there, so give this one a watch if you haven’t already!

6. Gilmore Girls

Watch the Gilmore girls, Lorelai and Rory, in the small New England town of Stars Hollow, as they get coffee, gossip, and live like the coolest mother-daughter duo around. Lorelai had Rory when she was a teenager, so they are best friends and would do anything for each other. In the beginning of the show Lorelai and her mother Emily do not get along, but for Rory’s sake they agree to have dinners together once a week, and the drama begins there. The ups and downs of the Gilmore Girls will have you laughing, crying, angry, happy, and dying to watch more.

7. Master of None

Azis Ansari stars in his own show about a young Indian guy living in New York City, trying to make it as an actor. The show challenges the sitcoms already in existence and tackles subjects most tv shows don’t; race, gender, sexual orientation, and more. Said to be “mold-breaking, the most thoughtful and well-considered dating sitcom on television,” it is very funny, very cute, and only 2 seasons long so go watch it now!

    Those are some of the best shows I have seen, or have been told to watch numerous times. Others that are noteworthy are American Crime Story: People vs. O.J. Simpson, Lost, Bob’s Burgers, Friends, Breaking Bad, Scandal, Freaks and Geeks, Sons of Anarchy, Arrested Development, Sherlock, Peaky Blinders, How I Met Your Mother, and Dexter. Now depending on the types of shows you typically watch, take a look at these, maybe watch the first episode of a few different ones, and let the binge watching begin!

• Netflix