By Chad Alexander
My wife and I have no cable. We don’t want it. The reason: Netflix. Sure, Netflix gets most of its shows about a year after airing. However, most of the shows below are Netflix Originals, meaning that you need Netflix to access them. And believe me, there’s enough original content on Netflix now to make the below list a must watch.
In no particular order…
5: “House of Cards”
“House of Cards” stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright as Congressman Frank Underwood and Claire Underwood, respectively. The series revolves around Frank’s obsession with usurping control of the White House. The beauty of this show is how much back and forth there is in the Capitol, yet Frank always seems to have the upper hand, playing people at will like a giant chess match. It’s interesting to see how Frank can easily transform bad situations to make himself come out on top. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of political intrigue.
4: “Daredevil”
Trust what everyone is saying about “Daredevil.” For a superhero series, “Daredevil” goes beyond the cape and tights deal and dive into more social and personal issues that many comic book movies and series tend to shy away from. I really appreciate the character development in this show. If you like your series as a “get to the point” affair, you may be turned off by this show. However, the slow burn makes for some excellent storytelling, and the climax of each episode makes you click on the next one.
3: “Derek”
If you can’t love “Derek”, you must have no soul. Or, you don’t like sentimental, heart-wrenching dramedies about a lovable teddy bear who works in an elderly home with some other colorful and fun characters. Derek is the center of the show, but we see his compassion and love for those the series may focus on. There’s his estranged father, Hannah and her relationship with her boyfriend, and the lovely residents of the elderly home. The only compliant I have about the show is that the episodes come slowly, and there are only six/seven episodes per season.
2: “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”
Full disclosure here: I’ve only see the first episode of this wonderful show. I will say, however, Tina Fey has hit another home run with this one after her success on “30 Rock” (this show is quite similar, including some of the same actors.) I love Ellie Kemper as Kimmy Schmidt. It shows her talent beyond her notable roles in “The Office” and “Bridesmaids”, and I look forward to seeing her character grow. Her optimism despite being locked away for ten years by a lunatic fanatic makes the show awkward, yet hilarious.
1: “Halt and Catch Fire”
The only non-Netflix original of the list, “Halt and Catch Fire” benefits from AMC’s current investment in interesting stories, alongside “The Walking Dead”, and “Mad Men.” But don’t let it fool you into thinking that the show is merely enjoying the success of AMC. “Halt and Catch Fire” has done a phenomenal job of showing how screwed-up people deal with each other while trying to build the perfect PC. Joe McMillan (played by Lee Pace) assumes control of a Texas electronics company in the early 1980’s and manages both hardware guru Gordon (Scoot McNairy) and computing wunderkind Cameron (Mackenzie Davis), while managing his maniacal outbursts and other character quirks. It’s good fun if you are a fan of computing and deep character development.
Read more by Chad Alexander
Chad Alexander is a mild-mannered government contractor by day and a pretty normal sleeper by night. He has been dedicated to freelance writing for the last decade — writing scripts, short stories, and blogging in his spare time. He reads constantly, plays board games in his spare time, and enjoys a fine 20 oz of Cherry Coke whenever he’s feeling dangerous.
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