Binge-Worthy Netflix Shows

With the world in its current state of self-isolating and social distancing, we have been trying to find ways to occupy our time.  Of course, many of us turn to entertainment.  So I’ve compiled a shortlist of binge-worthy Netflix shows to keep you entertained.

On My Block

On My Block follows a quartet of bright, street-savvy friends who are just beginning high school.   Experiencing all of the triumph, pain, and fresheness of a new school, life long friendships are tested.   Monse, Ruby, Jamal and Cesar confront the challenges of adolescence and life in their predominantly Hispanic and black neighborhood, based in South Central Los Angeles in this coming-of-age comedy series.

Quick Thoughts

I adore this show and have binged it so many times and will continue to. I love the family-like relationship and bonds between the four friends and I find it incredibly hilarious. The episodes are only 30 minutes so it’s a quick and entertaining show to get through. Season Three just dropped back in April and great news for fans of this show, there will be a season four!

Money Heist

A criminal mastermind who goes by “The Professor” has a plan to pull off the biggest heist in recorded history — to print billions of euros in the Royal Mint of Spain. To help him carry out the ambitious plan, he recruits eight people with certain abilities and who have nothing to lose. The group of thieves take hostages to aid in their negotiations with the authorities, who strategize to come up with a way to capture The Professor. As more time elapses, the robbers prepare for a showdown with the police.

Quick Thoughts

I have mentioned this binge-worthy show before.  This has to be one of the most brilliantly written shows I’ve encountered in some time. This is a high stakes game The Professor and his band of misfit thieves are trying to pull off and you feel every tense and frenzied moment. From stupid mistakes to amazing triumphs at the viewer will vacillate between wanting to scream at the characters to wanting to hug or hi-five them. The characters are three-dimensional and the plot is so compelling and engaging. The Fourth season just aired and with the way it ended, I forsee a season five on the horizon! So excited! I’ve binged this one several times as well.

Tiger King

A zoo owner spirals out of control amid a cast of eccentric characters in this true murder-for-hire story from the underworld of big cat breeding.

Quick Thoughts

Another binge-worthy show currently on Netflix is Tiger King.  This show is a train wreck of epic proportions. And just when you think that it cannot get any more ridiculous, the following episode ups the ante. It is equal parts hilarious and tragic and leaves me wondering how and why these people exist and how I never had a clue. This show is not for everybody but I was fascinated. It is so outrageous that I couldn’t look away. I binged the entire series in one sitting and still ponder over this foolishness today. The myriad of memes, articles, and stories that have followed have only served to keep this going. It’s definitely entertaining. It seemed to have been so popular that Netflix has released a new episode.

Ozark

This drama series stars Jason Bateman as Marty Byrde, a financial planner who relocates his family from Chicago to a summer resort community in the Ozarks. With wife Wendy and their two kids in tow, Marty is on the move after a money-laundering scheme goes wrong, forcing him to pay off a substantial debt to a Mexican drug lord in order to keep his family safe. While the Byrdes’ fate hangs in the balance, the dire circumstances force the fractured family to reconnect.

Quick Thoughts

Jason Bateman as Marty Byrde and the ostentatious character, Ruth, makes this series for me. Though Marty has relocated his family to a resort town it can often look and seem gloomy which I guess is appropriate considering their situation. While Marty has the best of intentions of digging himself out of this hole he and his family find themselves in, events ensue that only seem to get them more and more entrenched in life. I appreciate that no matter how dire things seem, Marty seems to figure out a plan and keeps his cool in the midst of everyone melting down. Marty is constant and consistent and he is smart. I think because he is so unassuming people underestimate him, and it makes for an interesting cat and mouse game with the cartel. Season three was just released on Netflix and I imagine with the positive response there will be a follow-up season.

The Circle

“Big Brother” meets “Catfish” on this reality series on which not everything is as it seems. Comic Michelle Buteau hosts the show that features its contestants moving into the same apartment building. The twist is that the players never meet face-to-face during the competition, as each one lives in his or her own apartment. The contestants communicate exclusively through profiles created on a specially-designed social media app. This anonymity allows them to hide their true identities and portray themselves however they choose. Throughout the competition, the players rate one another, with the lowest-rated players put at risk of being eliminated, or blocked, from the game. The contestant who survives the contest and emerges the winner takes home the $100,000 grand prize.

Quick Thoughts

Lately, Netflix has been dipping their toes in the whole reality tv genre and I’m not mad. Included in my list of binge-worthy Netflix shows is The Circle, which premiered a few months ago and sees several contestants isolated in their own apartments and they can only communicate with each other through a social app called The Circle. Based on their interactions, each day they must rank each player from last to first and contestants who don’t make the cut are eliminated and soon replaced by a different player. But not all contestants are truly who they say they are. This show was a fun social experiment and very entertaining to watch. Not only are the interactions between the players interesting and oftentimes funny, but the host is hilarious! I truly hope they do another season of this show because I really enjoyed it. And in a time where we have to be isolated anyway, it’s the perfect time to watch this.

Wrap Up

Of course, there are so many more binge-worthy Netflix shows but these are ones I particularly enjoyed. For more suggestions check out links here, here, and here! I’ll be back with another binge-worthy post in the near future! I hope you all are consuming some great entertainment and are staying safe.