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Netflix show recommendations…
My ultimate list! Of course there are tons of shows on Netflix and I haven’t seen most of them. These are my recommendations from the shows I have seen. They span many genres, though I’m sure they share some common denominator, aside from being shows available on Netflix that I really enjoyed. I’d love to hear if you found any gems from this list, just comment below.
Note: Two shows were removed from the list because I saw they weren’t available on Netflix anymore: Bates Motel and Dr. Foster.
1. Baby Reindeer
Baby Reindeer is a fictionalized account of a true story. And the main actor, Richard Gadd, is the person these events happened to in real life.
Donny is a 20-something bartender who would rather be on stage making people laugh, when Martha, an unhinged woman, inserts herself into his life. She becomes obsessed with him, coming into the bar to see him everyday, sending him thousands of odd emails and eventually waiting outside his house for him. But is he really powerless to stop her? Does he like the stalking in a weird way? And just what is her deal?
2. The Playlist
The Playlist is another fictionalized account of a true story, one where we learn about the founding of Spotify. In this retelling we got to see how things unfolded from the perspectives of 6 characters involved. This brought us deep into the moral and technical plight of redefining how accessible music should be, as well as the guts it takes to believe in your ideas.
The events unfolded in Sweden, giving the show a fresh authentic air, but the English lip sync might take some getting used to.
Spoiler alert: the ending left us wondering, if the world is pushing towards one direction, can we really resist? Or does the push of the majority sometimes create the definition of what’s fair?
Watch The Playlist on Netflix here.
3. The Good Place
If you’ve ever wondered about life after death (and who hasn’t?!) this show is for you.
Our main character, stunningly played by Kristen Bell, wakes up to find herself in The Good Place. Her life on earth is over and that’s when everything starts. It was so interesting to see was how they bleached this experience of religion. Like how do you talk about an afterlife without religion?! But they pulled it off so well here, an element that really kept me watching.
Watch on Netflix here.
4. The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem
The Ermosas are a family living in Jerusalem from the early to mid 1900s. Gavriel, the father, had fallen in love with Rochel, a woman he noticed in his family’s shop. But Mercada, his meddling mom, quickly married him off to Rosa, a determined-to-please orphan with better lineage.
Fast forward to now, he and Rosa don’t have the best relationship but are parents to three daughters, the first of which is Luna. Luna knows she’s gorgeous and assumes everything will go her way, so she says whatever she wants with a smile and a laugh…The nuanced relationships between the characters, especially over time, really got me into this show. Also, it was based on a book, so you know it’s good!
However: It was translated from Hebrew so the lip sync is a bit off but after a while you’ll get used to it.
Watch on Netflix here.
5. Crazy Ex Girlfriend
One of my all time favorites. Rebecca Bunch, a hot shot lawyer, bumps into her old summer camp boyfriend on the street one day. She decides to uproot herself and follow him to West Covina, California. She then tries to infiltrate his friend group and reconnect with him ‘by accident’.
All the characters shine. Heather, the deadpan perpetual student, and Greg, the sarcastic but lovable bartender who always seems to have one eyebrow up are some of my favorites, aside from Rebecca of course.
6. Ozark
Settle in with Ozark, you can’t go wrong! The performances were visceral, particularly those by the leads, Jason Bateman and Laura Linny.
I loved how these characters were laundering money for a Mexican drug cartel but you empathized with them and rooted for them every step of the way. They were trying their best to get out of a mess! I tend to avoid watching crime but Ozark was so well done it was definitely worth the gore.
See it on Netflix here.
7. The Kominsky Method
If I had known The Kominsky Method was a show about two old men getting even older I would not have watched it…but I’m glad I did!
It followed an acting coach, his craggy agent/best friend and their approach to life. The two men were cynical and self involved yet able to laugh at themselves. They, as well as their dilemmas, were quite nuanced. Like when Sandy internally debated whether to sleep over at his friend’s house to keep him company the day his wife passed away. He was really just not in the mood! The writing was top quality, a breath of fresh air. Overall, great show.
See it on Netflix here.
8. Maid
Alex, a young mother, has one foot out the door of an abusive relationship. But her life depended on him for so much for so long. Could she, would she, dare go out on her own, just her and her young daughter? All she has for support is her bipolar mother who lives in a van…
Maid was about desperation, survival, bravery, and feeling trapped. The characters were sharp, realistic, alive…probably because the show is based on a best selling memoir.
9. You
You brought us into the world of Joe, a book store manager, as he stalks Beck, a student writer. He falls in love with her and gets her to fall in love with him back. We’re in his head but we can’t decide if we liked him or not…we’re just not sure what he’s capable of or how far he’ll go.
Though he stalks Beck, the object of his desires, he doesn’t put her on a pedestal at all. In fact he’s condescending to her in his thoughts; I guess it’s easy to look down on someone when you’re literally looking at them through their living room window.
I stopped after the 2nd or 3rd season though, it became too much. But the first and second season were so well done, I just had to put You on my list of Netflix show recommendations.
10. Wentworth
Wentworth is another one of my all time favorites. I have not seen Orange is the New Black but I know it’s similar in the fact that it’s about a women’s prison; this one is Australian though. The show is essentially about survival when there isn’t a person in the world you can turn to.
The acting, plot and characters are gritty, complex and layered. Not gonna lie though, the show is terrifying and involves plenty of crime and gore. But I was able to look past that because, well, this was taking place in a prison…Also, I didn’t feel it was terrifying for the sake of being scary. There was more too it. And *slight spoilers* they weren’t afraid to kill off main characters which really raised the stakes.
See Wentworth on Netflix here.
11. Dead to Me
Dead to Me follows Judy, an artsy, emotional and immature woman, and sarcastic Jen who brims with pent up anger. They meet at a support group for those who have lost loved ones. But Jen soon finds out that Judy’s loved one never actually died–the two just broke up. In fact, Judy only joined the group to befriend Jen and ease her guilt from accidently running over Jen’s husband and driving off…of course Jen has no clue.
I liked the emphasis on the complexities of female friendship, and their distinct personalities really made the show: gruff Jen and anxious Judy who ‘chaos just followed’ as her ex put it. A bit of humor made the show a light watch instead of something heavier you’d expect from a show about a grieving wife and her guilt-ridden bff. Recommend!
See Dead to Me on Netflix here.
12. Alias Grace
Alias Grace was based off a book by Margret Atwood that was based on true events. Already two votes going for it.
It’s the 1800s and Grace Marks has been convicted of a murder but can’t remember any of it. She’s been sentenced to life in prison. Enter a psychiatrist determined to get to the bottom of it. Has she been wrongly convicted, can she really not remember it or is she pretending not to remember to seem innocent? Without much to loose, she decides to tell him her life story…
Alias Grace is on Netflix.
13. Jane the Virgin
Jane the Virgin was a lighthearted comedy-style drama. The show laughs at itself a bit, similar to Crazy Ex Girlfriend (also brought to us by the CW), with constant winks and nods at the fact that the drama here is a bit too perfect, telenovela style.
The drama at hand: Jane is determined to stay a virgin until marriage, but then gets accidentally artificially inseminated with a stranger’s child at her yearly gyno checkup.
Jane wants to do right by all, cares a bit too much about life and always seems to have her eyebrows up in surprise; frustrating and fun to watch at the same time. Jane the Virgin is perfect for when you want to watch something entertaining but not get too invested.
Jane the Virgin on Netflix.
14. Russian Doll
Russian Doll tells the story of Nadia, a woman trapped in a time loop. She wakes up and repeats the same day, her 36th birthday again and again. But why, what is the universe trying to tell her? She goes on a quest to figure it out, turning first to religious authorities. Then, she meets someone else stuck in the same time loop as her. She’s not alone! But why him of all people?
I liked this show because, while it did include supernatural elements like time travel (fantasy is a genre I avoid), they were rooted in reality. Anything supernatural was done with a lot of intention and held purpose.
Russian Doll on Netflix.
15. The End of The F-ing World
It was hard not to get drawn into this show straight from its opening lines. James, 17, is sure he’s a psychopath because he doesn’t feel anything. He thinks he’ll finally be able to feel something is he commits murder. Then there’s Alyssa, a girl in his school who’s upset with the world and hates everything. Like James, she doesn’t fit in. One day she goes over to him and said hi. Soon they decide to run away together, him with the intent to kill her 😮
Such interesting dynamics and opposing personalities played out on screen in The End of The F-ing World, a lot deeper than it appears at first glance. *Spoiler alert*: he isn’t actually a psychopath.
The End of The F-ing World on Netflix.
16. Stateless
Stateless is a mini series that’s partially based on a true story. It tells the story of an Australian detention center from 3 perspectives. There’s Sofia, a former flight attendant and dancer who wakes up to find herself in this refugee camp, a guard at the camp, and a family escaping Afghanistan’s taliban currently at the camp as well.
Sofia can’t remember how she got there or where she’s from, but all she wants is to go back to wherever that is (Germany, she thinks). Everyone else at the camp, on the other hand, is praying they won’t get sent back to their homelands and will be granted entry to Australia. I really enjoyed this intersection of perspectives on a complex situation.
See Stateless on Netflix.
17. How to Get Away With Murder
The show hooks you in right away with Annalise Keating, a lawyer and professor, explaining to her class how to get away with murder: it isn’t about truth, it’s about interpretation of the law. Early on, Annalise chooses 5 students from her class to intern at her law firm, the other main characters of this series.
What I liked about How To Get Away With Murder (despite its crime aspect) was its dark academia quality. The characters have this air of importance to them that thankfully didn’t feel too condescending, just entertaining. But don’t forget to remind yourself that they’re just normal people from time to time.
How To Get Away With Murder is on Netflix here.
I hope this list of Netflix show recommendations helped you choose your next watch. Subscribe to my receive an email when a new post is up, there are lots more movie and show suggestions to come.
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