Black Mirror
This modern Twilight Zone-esque show is the newest Netflix hit. A British TV network produced the first two seasons but for season 3 Netflix has picked up the series. Each episode features a completely different cast and completely unrelated story each more chilling and suspenseful than the last. It’s not quite a horror show but more of an on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller.
Shameless
Not a Netflix original, but one of my current on-Netflix obsessions. This Showtime series follows the adventures of a single alcoholic father and his 6 children. Father, Frank, spends most of his time at the bar. The Gallagher children, led by 21-year-old Fiona, manage to raise themselves in spite of Frank’s lack of parenting. Seasons 1-6 are available on Netflix right now.
Jessica Jones
This badass superhero is a flawless mixture of Veronica Mars and Black Widow. Krysten Ritter stars as Jessica Jones, a former superhero who runs her own private investigation agency. All episodes of the first season premiered on November 20, 2015. The series has a film noir atmosphere and tackles serious issues like sexual assault and PTSD. Netflix renewed Jessica Jones for a second season in January 2016, but it doesn’t look like it’s coming anytime before early 2018.
Luke Cage
Also from Marvel is the Jessica Jones spin-off, Luke Cage. Mike Colter stars as Luke Cage, crime-fighter with superhuman strength and unbreakable skin. The series comments on race, politics, and the Black Lives Matter movement. The third Marvel Cinematic Universe show to come out on Netflix, there are many tie-ins to the other shows and the Universe as a whole
Degrassi: Next Class
Everyone’s favorite pre-teen melodrama (or at least mine???) is not over and it never went away. After a successful 3 previous series in the 80s, Degrassi: The Next Generation ran on a combination of MTV, CTV, and TeenNick for 14 seasons. After being canceled by TeenNick, Netflix picked up the story, actors, and good old Degrassi Community School with Degrassi: Next Class. This 2-season continuation deals with modern issues like sexting, rape culture, and discrimination with the same somewhat awkward mood of the early teen years that the older seasons had. Also a bonus: there’s a high school reunion episode with all of the best of Degrassi: The Next Generation!
Master of None
Aziz Ansari. Enough said. He is hilarious. Starring Ansari, the series is about Dev, a 30-year-old actor trying to make it in NYC and it is a fantastic comedy. The episodes are pretty short so I watched the entire series in two days.