For the first time in my life, I worked a Monday to Friday, 8-5 internship over the summer. In summers past, I worked part-time internships on top of outdoor jobs like being a camp photographer, or teaching swim lessons. So, what did this “adultish” type job teach me?
The real world kinda sucks.
To my surprise, you have to pick up hobbies and things to distract you from just how boring seasons of life can be. (Prayers that you will graduate college and find a job that fulfills you right off the bat.) But, just in case you aren’t immediately in your dream career, you can do what I did and join the Netflix/Hulu binge trend.
Side note: Please binge healthily. I also learned how to embroider and planned a wedding over the summer so I had things to do while engorging myself in the rabbit hole of episodes.
So, where to begin you ask. Here’s what I watched:
1. The Good Place (Netflix)
Basic Info: The show begins moments after Eleanor Shellstrop dies and winds up in “The Good Place”. Just minutes after she arrives, she realizes there has been a mix up. She hates her house, her soulmate and her neighbors. Why? She’s not supposed to be in the good place. Each episode that follows is Eleanors desperate attempt to keep her true identity a secret.
My Take: This show is at the TOP of my list right now. I was recommended this show by a co-worker, and I might not have made it through the first season if I wasn’t promised a spectacular end-of-season run of episodes. The first couple of episodes are a little slow as you get used the humor and character relationships, however the show does improve. The season finale is WORTH THE WAIT. At 22 minutes an episode (there are 13 in Season 1), it makes it a quick, funny watch. (BONUS: Season 2 just dropped on Netflix.)
2. Bob’s Burgers (Hulu)
Basic Info: This show follows of family of 5 as they hilariously attempt to over come the challenges of life and make their failing burger joint stay afloat.
My Take: Listen. I had heard a lot about this show before I started watching and had plenty of doubts, as should you. However, take it from someone with high expectations for comedies, this animated show is hilarious. Once you pick up on the awkward patterns of each character, the show is filled with gold nuggets of humor. It runs for 8 seasons on Hulu.
3. Wild, Wild Country (Netflix)
Basic Info: Essentially this documentary is wild from minute one to the end. A controversial cult leader builds a utopian city in the Oregon desert on the outskirts of a tiny town full of conservative nesters. Violence, controversy, public displays of sex (you read that right), intense worship rituals and murder are just few elements involved in this story from the early 1980s.
My Take: I have no idea how I started this show, but I was hooked once I started it. The episodes all run a little over an hour, so even at just six episodes, each one is PACKED with information and scandalous stories. I will warn you about the nudity and loud displays of worship if you’re planning on watching this in the library or just out and about. If you have the time, its oddly fascinating.
4. Dope (Netflix)
Basic Info: Filmed from the perspectives of dealers, users and the police, this vivid series offers a bracing look at the war on drugs. In just four hour-long episodes, viewers get an inside look at the realities of the drugs in America. Each episode features a different drug in a different major city. You’d be surprised what’s happening right under your nose.
My Take: This show was eye-opening and definitely worth the watch, especially if you enjoy filmmaking or journalism. The fact that these film crews were able to get access to such high profile law breakers and behind the scenes on life threatening deals just blows my mind. If you’re even mildly interested in anything related to this, it’s worth the watch. There are two seasons of four episodes on Netflix.
5. Queer Eye (Netflix)
Basic Info: More than a decade after the original series went off air, Netflix rebooted and revamped the show, featuring a new “Fab Five” of fierce af dudes from anywhere but Atlanta, Georgia, where the show is placed. Each episode features a different subject who needs some serious help in all departments of life. Together the Fab Five transform their hair, style, attitude for life, home and eating habits, all in one week, topped off with a final reveal to their family and friends.
My Take: Um, OMG? Yes? This show is absolutely INCREDIBLE. Not only does this show inspire, it challenges what it means to be gay and the negative connotations placed around the word, especially in the South. Not only is the Fab Five fierce as hell, but they also teach you so much about loving yourself and others. There are two seasons on Netflix with 8 episodes, running at about an hour each.
These shows are just the tip of the iceberg. Do you have show recommendations? Tweet us at @hcoklahomastate!