My Netflix Suggestions

Now that I’m in the middle of my first semester at college, I’ve come to the point where I need to relax and get away from homework for a little while. Don’t we all? As students, we’re starting to look towards the future, and it looks pretty bright: the holidays are coming soon… But not soon enough!! How are we supposed to soothe our school-related anxiety right now?

NETFLIX. THAT’S HOW.

In light of a recent argument with a friend because we couldn’t agree on something to watch on Netflix, I decided if she doesn’t like my suggestions, maybe my readers will. So, if Jenna’s reading this, thanks for the blog post idea! Although there are too many good shows I could recommend, here are a couple of my favorites for all of you…

CHELSEA

Chelsea Handler struck gold with this one. She moved her talk show over to Netflix this year, and now has the freedom to make her show literally whatever she wants it to be. With new episodes three times a week, Chelsea talks politics, goes to Mexico to learn about their culture, and has filmed dinner parties with friends and celebrities alike. With little to no restraints, Chelsea truly shows us herself in her curse-heavy comedy, her dog, Chunk (who constantly roams the set), and her unashamed honesty when she doesn’t know something, but wants to learn about. I love being able to watch a show that teaches me about climate change, our nation’s political issues, or about Chris Pratt’s new film, all the while making me laugh out loud.

THE OFFICE

How could I possibly forget the one show that defines my favorite kind of humor?  It’s true, the first two seasons are a bit rough, but if you’ve seen the whole series more than once (or twice) they become oddly close to your heart. Sappy, I know! This is a show that I can watch over and over again, or play as background sound, and still laugh every time. When a variety of comedic styles are put into one small office space, there’s a lot going on that no one wants to miss out on.  It’s the awkward silences, the strange looks to the camera, and the small insights on the character’s personalities that make The Office so normal, yet so special.

Side note: Parks and Recreation goes into this category as well. They aren’t the same thing, but their similarities are the reason why I love both so much. Really, I’m just trying to save you all from another rant about how much I love these two shows.

STRANGER THINGS

This one is a very recent obsession, because I’m not a big fan of thrillers, and therefore chickened out of watching it when the show first came out. Now that I have, I can say it’s the 70’s-supernatural-thriller-drama I needed in my life!! There are definitely some super creepy/scary scenes with monsters and evil scientists, but it’s equally thrilling and puts you at the edge of your seat. Winona Ryder is truly amazing as the shaken mother of a missing child, and Eleven, the girl with superpowers, is a straight-up badass with a sketchy past-  all the more reason to be into this show. If you liked Spielberg’s Super 8, you’ll fall in love with Stranger Things. Also, can we talk about how cool the theme song is??

MASTER OF NONE

Created by Alan Yang and Parks and Rec alum Aziz Ansari (who is also the main character, Dev), Master of None is different from anything I’ve seen before. It’s comedy in an offbeat sort of way that viewers aren’t used to seeing on TV – possibly because it so closely mirrors that of real life. Between the issues of careers, gender, relationships, immigrants, and race are moments of awkwardness and unpredictability that make its messiness so familiar. The imperfection of the characters and the plots make everything more real and relatable, and even with deep thoughts and drama there is a comedic approach. Above all this, the show is VERY diverse: as Aziz explained on The Tonight Show, he decided to have a “token white friend” in his show, rather than the other way around (Fez in That 70’s Show, for example). But the difference between Master of None‘s token friend and other show’s token friends is that this character is well-rounded, and without most stereotypes we so often find with any race other than Caucasian. Needless to say, I can hardly wait for season 2 to come out in 2017!!!

NEW GIRL

You can’t tell me the absurdities of this show don’t crack you up!!! I struggle with deciding which character is the funniest, because each of them have their own kind of humor, from Nick’s rambling sentences to Schmidt’s sarcasm and complaints. The plot idea – a quirky Portland girl moving into an apartment in LA with four guys- is pure genius. There isn’t much of a feeling of gender imbalance, and New Girl succeeds in bringing out the impacts Jess and the boys make on each other. Much of the focus in the episodes surrounds the idea that each party needs each other in some way, and makes the apartment-mates family. There are five seasons on Netflix, with season six currently showing on TV. GO WATCH!!

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Friends, Wet Hot American Summer, How I Met Your Mother, Amanda Knox, Louie, That 70’s Show

Comment below if you have any suggestions for me to watch- I’m always up for a good binge-worthy show!!

XOXO