As reading week is approaching, you might be looking for some new shows to fill the void. I’ve put together a list of what I believe are the most binge-worthy Netflix series (currently… please don’t get rid of any of these shows Netflix). You’ll notice that my list is mostly composed of dramas which is partly because I tend to prefer dramas to comedies, but I also think dramas are more binge-worthy than comedies. The story arcs are longer, the characters are more complex, and you don’t get a good cliff-hanger in a comedy very often. I do try to add some humor in the mix so keep a look out for that.
- Scandal
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When you get into trouble, there’s only one person to call: Olivia Pope. Olivia is a professional “fixer” for the rich, the powerful and even the president of the United States. She makes problems go away before anyone even knows they exist. Her spectacular success is mostly due to her unbreakable rule to always trust your gut. No matter how careful you are, when you do damage control for a living, you’re bound to cause some damage to your own life. She and her crew eat, sleep, live and breathe crisis. Each week, as the team races against the clock to defuse intriguing new problems before they become full-blown disasters, they also have to deal with their own personal issues. These ‘gladiators in suits’ are sure to keep you on the edge of your seat for all seven of its seasons.
- Doctor Foster: A Woman Scorned
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This show is a BBC original that follows Doctor Gemma Foster whose life is about to be torn apart. She’s a talented family doctor at the heart of her community, and a loving wife and mother. But her world is fractured the moment she suspects her husband, Simon, of having an affair. Determined to discover the truth, Gemma unearths dark secrets that threaten everything she loves. As her life and the lives of her patients and family are thrown into chaos, only one thing is certain — Gemma is capable of a lot more than she had ever imagined.
- Sense8
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Sense8 tells the story of eight strangers: Will, Riley, Capheus, Sun, Lito, Kala, Wolfgang and Naomi. Each individual is from a different culture and part of the world. In the aftermath of a tragic death that they all experience through what they perceive to be dreams or visions, they suddenly find themselves growing mentally and emotionally connected. While trying to figure out how and why this connection happened and what it means, a mysterious man named Jonas tries to help them. Each episode reflects the views of the characters interacting with each other while delving deeper into their backgrounds, exploring what sets them apart and brings them together with the others.
- Safe
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After his teenage daughter goes missing, a widowed surgeon begins uncovering dark secrets of the people closest to him. Following the story of Tom Delaney and his missing daughter, we quickly find that no one around you is who they appear to be.
- How To Get Away With Murder
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Shonda Rhimes does it again with another smash hit. A sexy, suspense-driven legal thriller about a group of ambitious law students and their brilliant, mysterious criminal defense professor. They become entangled in a murder plot that will shake the entire university and change the course of their lives.
- Lie To Me
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Okay, fine, this one isn’t on Netflix, but it’s too good to pass up. This series is an American crime drama. Using the Facial Coding System and body language, The Lightman Group and Dr. Cal Lightman help solve crimes by studying the expressions of criminals and victims. Though there are skeptics, Dr. Lightman is determined to bring out the truth using his applied psychology and the interpretation of those micro-movements in the face and body that scream what we are really thinking.
- Jane the Virgin
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Jane is a religious young Latina waitress in a hotel in Miami. Her life takes a big turn for the unexpected when her doctor mistakenly artificially inseminates her during her checkup. Jane’s mother Xiomara, who became pregnant with Jane at a very young age, is scared that Jane will be destroying her life by deciding to bring the baby to full term. On the other hand, Jane’s traditional religious Latina grandmother, Alba, encourages her to do what she chooses. This whole show is full of quirky twists and turns in every episode which definitely makes it a perfect telenovela.
- Sex Education
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A teenage boy with a sex therapist mother teams up with a high school classmate to set up an underground sex therapy clinic at school. Following the lives of high school juniors, this show is informative, funny and very raw.
- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
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After being rescued from an underground bunker that she lived in for fifteen years, Kimmy Schmidt decides to move to New York City to have a normal life. She makes friends with her new roommate Titus and works as a babysitter for Jacqueline, the wife of a billionaire with many issues. Even though many obstacles are thrown her way, Kimmy makes the best of her new life while having to adapt to the new world around her. Kimmy is shown as a child in a grown woman’s body, is funny, and a definite crowd pleaser.
- The Final Table
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Teams of chefs fight to impress some of the world’s toughest palates as they whip up iconic dishes from different nations in this reality cooking competition. Each episode is centered around a specific country of origin for one of the competing chefs to shine. The competition is real, immensely difficult, time sensitive but very mouth watering. If you’re anything like me, this show will have you hooked from the first round in episode one.
Know any other great shows to watch? Let us know using the #HerCampusYorkU.