Binging is usually frowned up. Unless, of course, you’re binge-watching a Netflix series. Guiltily dressed in the same clothes from yesterday, with snacks sprawled across their laps, people around the world glue their eyes to their television sets for hours on end to scratch that insatiable series binging itch. Few things feel more satisfying than being deeply immersed in a series, yet nothing feels emptier than completing a massive series that caused you to invest part of your life, and all your emotions, into it.
What did people do twenty years ago when they wanted to watch their favorite shows, uninterrupted, for hours? VHS recordings? That sounds inefficient and annoying. It also leads me to believe that binge-watching shows is a relatively new activity. Something that millennials probably grew accustomed to from either purchasing shows on DVD, or watching The Fresh Prince reruns for hours at a time on late night television. No matter where it originated, binge-watching is one of the most rewarding guilty pleasures, and one that we encourage you to indulge in.
The Netflix catalog is immense. There are diamonds, and there are duds, buried within the seemingly limitless list of shows. Remember dealing with cable in the past? 999 channels and seemingly nothing to watch? That’s how Netflix can feel sometimes, but we got your back. Maneuvering through the list of shows was no easy task, but we have compiled a list of the best shows to binge on Netflix right now. Critically acclaimed series like Master of None and Mad Men are obvious selections, but silent hits like Ozark and international masterpieces like Peaky Blinders and Luther should have your respect and attention as well. In order from longest to watch to shortest, here are the ten best shows to binge watch on Netflix right now.
Mad Men
Seasons: 7
This critically acclaimed series had an unprecedented run on AMC before Netflix picked it up. Jon Hamm plays Don Draper, an intelligent and cunning creative director at the Sterling Cooper ad agency, whose biggest client is Lucky Strike cigarettes. The show centers around the advertising business in the 1960’s… a time where blatant sexism and racism were used. The personal lives of the show’s characters are also explored, giving viewers a decent dose of affairs, scandals, and plot twists. The term “mad men” was allegedly coined by the men that worked in advertising on Madison Avenue in New York City.
Sons Of Anarchy
Seasons: 7
Charming, California is anything but. The fictional city sets the scene for Charlie Hunnam, who plays Jackson Teller. Teller is tied up in a biker gang called the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club's Redwood Original (SAMCRO). His crew sells guns, and wars with rival Mexican and Black gangs in the area. Constant pressure from the feds and local authorities cause the Sons to make alliances, and enemies, that lead to twists and more deaths than you can count.This show will catch your attention with its Game of Throne-ish attitude towards main characters (don’t get attached to anyone).
Black Mirror
Seasons: 4
This Sci-Fi series will floor you in the first episode. Don’t get too attached to anything or anyone, because the series is an anthology. Each episode is set in an alternate universe that is similar to our own, except for advances in technology. Although none of the episodes are connected, they all share a dark tone in a Twilight Zone kind of way. Throughout the series, you will see several familiar faces like Daniel Kaluuya and Letitia Wright (Black Panther), Domhnall Gleeson (Star Wars: The Last Jedi ), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), and Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World). The less you know the better, just be prepared for endless twists.
Peaky Blinders
Seasons: 4
Cillian Murphy, who played the Scarecrow in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, stars in this English crime drama. The series is set in Birmingham, England in 1919. The Peaky Blinders gang, led by Murphy’s Tommy Shelby, attempt to take control of the city months after the end of World War I. Peaky Blinders starts on a small scale, then escalates to wide range criminal and political battle as the seasons continue. The story sheds a historic light on the United Kingdom and introduces one of the most comprehensive and entertaining criminal organizations on television.
Luther
Seasons: 4
It’s hard not to love Idris Elba. In this Netflix series, he plays John Luther, a detective who becomes entangled with an intelligent serial killer. The murderer, Alice Morgan, kills her parents and their dog, and she gets away with it despite the fact that Luther knows she’s guilty. She toys with Luther, and the two build a nemesis/ally relationship that explores the inner working of criminals. Elba is brilliant in this gritty crime-thriller, and if you’re a fan of his work, this is a must watch.
Master of None
Seasons: 2
Aziz Ansari created a masterpiece of awkward friendship, complicated love, and adulthood aspirations with this Netflix series. Ansari plays Dev, an aspiring actor in New York who chases him dreams throughout each season when he's not chasing relationships. It feels like Atlanta with an Indian twist and a more central plot. The series has earned three Primetime Emmys and one Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series (Comedy or Musical).
Better Call Saul
Seasons: 2
The spin-off to Breaking Bad is just as addictive as its predecessor. Saul Goodman, styled after "S'all good, man,” was still James Morgan McGill, an amateur lawyer. The corny-yet wise con-man that helped Walter White wash his money is shown six years before the events of Breaking Bad. Several familiars characters pop up, such as Mike, Gus Fring’s assassin, and Tuco, the deranged drug dealer.
Big Mouth
Seasons: 1
Nicholas Kroll, who was a contributing writer on Chapelle’s Show and played Rodney Ruxin on The League, brings this adult cartoon to Netflix. The show is basically teenage sexploration jokes with mild sci-fi elements. Think American Pie meets American Dad, except raunchier than both combined. Andrew Goldberg, who wrote on Family Guy, brings the same random humor, minus the talking dog.
Attack On Titan
Seasons: 1
Brutal is the best word to describe this one. Attack On Titan will satisfy your taste for gore and anime all in one sitting. In an alternate universe, monstrous and gigantic naked humanoid monsters appeared and devoured most of society. The last of the world’s population resides behind tall walls that protect them from the grazing titans… until a mega-titan appears and destroys the wall. People’s heads and arms get bitten off in grueling and epic battles that showcase some of the best anime action ever. If you’re into anime, and you need something to watch, look no further. And thank us later. (If you really love it, there's a Japanese live movie as well... super dope)
Ozark
Seasons: 1
Jason Bateman was amazing on Arrested Development, but he plays a completely different character in this Netflix drama. Bateman is Marty Byrde, a money launderer in Chicago. When his partner cheats a powerful drug lord out of his money, Byrde moves his family to the Missouri Ozarks for safety. Feeling desperate, Byrde and his wife devise a plan to launder money in the new community, but they come across local gangsters, law enforcement, and the wronged drug dealer, in this thriller.
