What to Watch on TV - Netflix

Okay, I know I currently have another Netflix series in the works right now, but subjecting myself to truly terrible films takes a toll on the ole emotional well-being. I was going to write a review on LOL but I just about had a brain aneurysm, so I thought I'd hold off. That review is coming though, but it means I have to watch it again and that's going to take some psyching up to do. But, in the meantime, I thought I'd compile a list of shows on Netflix that are worthy of being watched. Some of these may develop into adult sized reviews later on, but this is what you're getting for now, deal with it. So now, in no particular order ...

1. Orange Is The New Black

When I find myself in times of trouble, Red comes to me speaking words of
wisdom, "Punch her in the tit."

Okay, if you haven't heard of Orange is the new Black, then I'm not sure what rock you've been living under, but it's time to get some WiFi down there and start watching it. Lady goes to prison is about as much as I'm willing to give you concerning the plot because I don't want to be held accountable for spoilery goodness. Boasting a wonderfully diverse cast, some of the best writing I've ever seen on TV and more than a few award nominations (and wins), the show has done pretty damned well for itself considering that it was introduced to the world as a Netflix original series that no-one knew how well it would do. Hell, move over Kevin Spacey and Jason Bateman, OITNB generated more viewers and hours in its first week than Netflix's other original series, Arrested Development and House of Cards. An excellent blend of black humour and soul crushing drama, OITNB is a show that needs to be watched and with both seasons on Netflix, now is the time to be watching it!

2. The Good Wife

The Good Wife is one of those shows that
makes me think I could be a lawyer.

The Good Wife is one of those shows that people assume is aimed at middle aged ladies to watch whilst they do their knitting, but I assure you that is not the case, and that assumption breaks my heart. It's an incredible drama circling around Alicia Florrick, a lawyer who now needs to get back into the game to provide for her family after husband Peter Florrick, the former States Attorney, lands himself behind bars at the heart of a humiliating sex scandal. It's so good. Everyone that I've recommended it to has loved it, and that's a lot of people because I recommend it to everyone. Good, diverse cast as well, especially age-wise; I find it's not common seeing older women in positions of power and that the writers aren't afraid to write romantic plots for because, "ew there 2 old 4 luv.", so Diane Lockhart is a wonderful figure to see. The plots are always excellent and I've never felt like they were rushed (or strung out too long), or that they were totally contrived or jumping the shark. The writing has always been on top of its game, with each season being stronger than the last. Unfortunately Netflix doesn't have the most recent season up, but hopefully that'll get fixed very soon.

3. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia 

This poster is so misleading.

The previous two shows I've recommended have been fairly...I hesitate to say serious because bother OITNB and The Good Wife have copious amounts of humour in them; let's go with mature. Okay, where the previous two shows have been fairly mature, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is not. All the characters are horrible, horrible people. Like, that's about as much as I can give you. It features around four friends who own a bar, and then later on, Danny DeVito, because why the fuck not? The humour is derived from the fact that they are terrible people and that in real life no-one would do the stuff that they do. I think that some of the characters can be a little inconsistent, because in some scenarios, one character is really stupid and the other is more responsible, and then in another situation, the roles will be switched, but it's not really that big of a deal. That's all I'm going to say for this one because otherwise I'll spoil episodes.

4. House of Cards

From what I know of Kevin Spacey's character,
this poster makes me uncomfortable.

I've already done a review of House of Cards for this blog, so I'll keep this relatively short so I don't end up repeating myself. Dark political drama/thriller, Kevin Spacey is unapologetically evil and it doesn't fail to shock me. It's incredibly political with, shock horror, a lot of political language, so as someone whose knowledge of American Politics is fairly limited, I do get a little lost sometimes when it comes to the plots, but I can usually muddle my way through. I've lost my way with House of Cards a little, I've not watched it in a while because the Netflix account I was watching it on has been cancelled, so I'm using a different account, so I can't remember what episode I was on. I'll need to get back into it soon.

5. Orphan Black

This poster never fails to disconcert me. Bravo.

Similarly to House of Cards, I have also reviewed Orphan Black previously, so again I'll keep this short to avoid repeating what I've already said. Great acting, especially from Tatiana Maslany, who is a creative force to be reckoned with and definitely someone to watch out for. Great writing too, very clever - takes a couple of episodes to really get the ball rolling though, so do stick with it. Unfortunately Netflix isn't entirely up to date in terms of seasons as season one is only available, but there is only two seasons so hopefully it should be getting added soon.

Honourable mentions:

Luther

Black Books

Black Mirror

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Misfits

The Booth at the End

Hope that's enough T.V watching to tide you through university to ensure you don't learn a thing! If I've missed anything, do let me know, I always love hearing recommendations of stuff to watch. Till next week!