The Witcher
High-end trash’ is one way to describe this fantasy adaptation. Henry Cavill brings serious star power as monster hunter Geralt of Rivia, and even though there’s a larger arc at work here that takes place over many years, the best parts of this eight-episode first season are Geralt’s monster-of-the-week-style tales, which usually feature a twist ending of some kind.
It’s not particularly challenging to watch, and it’s not trying as hard as Game of Thrones was to be ‘prestige’ TV, but that’s actually pretty refreshing. and look forward to The Witcher season 2, which is already confirmed.
Prepare to have ‘Toss a coin to your Witcher’ stuck in your head for the rest of 2020.
Seasons on Netflix: 1
Mindhunter
It’s based on John Douglas’ book of the same name and charts the life of an FBI profiler whose job it is to track serial killers. It’s set in the ’70s and later the early ’80s, and sees its trifecta of lead characters interviewing famous serial killers in often tense encounters.
Fincher is extremely hands-on, too, directing four episodes of season one and three of season two. Unfortunately, Mindhunter season 3 is on “indefinite hold”, but we’re hopeful for its eventual return, given that this is some of the director’s best work to date.
Seasons on Netflix: 2
Stranger Things
Leaning heavily on Spielberg, John Carpenter and Stephen King, the story revolves around a small town, a group of friends, a missing person and a dodgy science lab. Writing anything else would give away the myriad twists in a show that is full of brilliant creepy fun.
The third season hit last year and it was fantastic, and each subsequent set of episodes just deepens your investment in these kids’ stories and friendships. Season 4 of Stranger Things is on the way.
Seasons on Netflix: 3
Queer Eye
Need a dose of feel-good TV to help cope with today’s rocky political landscape? Check out Queer Eye, a show about being the best you with help from five of the coolest dudes on the planet. The show will get its fifth season in 2020 and we’re still loving the premise of taking people stuck in a rut and hoisting them to the self-respecting, self-loving person we all want to be.
Seasons on Netflix: 4
Dear White People
If you like your cultural analysis with a dose of humour, Dear White People is the show for you. Starring Logan Browning at the conflicted Sam White, Dear White People navigates the tricky grounds of race relations in America in the post-Obama-but-yet-not-post-racism era. Funny, clever and dripping in wit, Dear White People isn’t so much an attack on American ideals as it is a series about exploring, explaining, defending and deliberating the issues facing people of colour in the US.
Seasons on Netflix: 3
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
The long-awaited reboot of everyone’s favourite teenage witch is finally is easily one of the best new shows on Netflix. The first season arrived just in time for Halloween – offering 10 episodes of supernatural high school drama. In the show’s second season, which debuted in 2018, we got our chance to see how Sabrina is taking to her new life as a witch and her struggles with both her inner and outer demons.
Seasons on Netflix: 3
Russian Doll
Orange Is The New Black’s Natasha Lyonne stars in this dark comedy as Nadia, who keeps dying and reliving her 36th birthday party in a surreal time loop – much like Groundhog Day.
With its cynical and witty examination of living and dying, Russian Doll switches rapidly between laugh-out-loud hilarity and devastating sadness – it’s a must-watch. In June 2019, Netflix announced it had renewed Russian Doll for a second season, which is well-deserved.
Seasons on Netflix: 1
Riverdale
Now airing its fourth season, three seasons of the teen drama based on the infamous Archie comic book series are on Netflix in the US. The interpretation of the beloved characters is far darker and more mysterious than you’ll remember, revolving around the murder of a local boy while the characters attempt to navigate high school, relationships, and family.
Seasons on Netflix: 3
Orange is the new black
Orange Is The New Black has wrapped its seven-season run, and it’s a superb tale of life in a women’s prison. It was one of the first big Netflix originals, and it ran for so long simply because it was very popular.
That being said, the show is dark. Tensions and issues with the US prison system brought to the forefront and while the comedy from the first few seasons remains throughout, it’s slathered with a fair bit of drama.
Seasons on Netflix: 7
Breaking Bad
More addictive than the meth pushed by Walt and Jesse, Breaking Bad is brilliant binge-watching television. The initial plot is simple: a straight-laced teacher is told he has cancer and to make sure he leaves his family with the best possible life, he turns to drug making and dealing.
There’s a method to his madness as he ends up being pretty good at it.
Seasons on Netflix: 5