What to Watch Instantly on Netflix? (and now all streaming services)

[Critch]

I raced through the first 4.5 seasons of Mad Men a few years ago when the broadcast version was coming to an end, but then put it on hold until all of it came to Netflix. Finally picked it up again.

It's up there with the best binge watching tv series, level with Breaking Bad for me. Nothing much happens episode to episode, but the characters are great.

[PackerFanatic]

Funny, I just started Mad Men myself. I had previously gotten through about half the first season and then just stopped for some reason - so I started from scratch now. Love me some Jon Hamm.

[PackerFanatic]

Originally Posted by korme

Master of None season 2 next Friday. Seriously my favorite thing Netflix has done.

Love it. Aziz is great.

Also - amped for House of Cards.

[PackerFanatic]

‘Arrested Development’ Season 5 Is Officially Happening at Netflix | Variety

Finally official - Arrested Development getting a 5th season. Season 4 was iffy, although I enjoyed it as a whole. Would have been much better had they been able to actually get everyone together, and it sounds like that is their plan for the new season, so I have high hopes.

[Mota]

Originally Posted by PackerFanatic

Love it. Aziz is great.

Also - amped for House of Cards.

Season 2 of Master of None is incredible. So much heart to that show. I have the season finale to watch tomorrow night, I can't wait.

[sabotai]

Quick reviews for several shows I've watched (or tried to watch) in recent past

(Amazon) Good Girls Revolt - 7/10
First episode was heavy handed, but it found its groove in episodes 2-3. Really good show. Plot was kinda boring, but the characters were really well done. A shame it didn't get picked up for a second season, and why the season ends without tying up all of the plot, it didn't exactly end on a cliffhanger and it still works as an open-ended ending to the series IMO.

One Day At a Time - 1/10
I made it 1 episode. It was crammed with every sitcom cliche and troupe. Apparently a remake of a 1970s sitcom I never saw. I guess they thought what was original in the 70s would still fly in the 2010s. This was just plain awful.

Sense8 - 2/10*
Giving this an asterisk as I may give it one more episode before giving up on it for good. I made it 2 episodes in, and it was all exposition and sex scenes. There are way too many main characters. Shows like Lost did this well as they'd focus on one character per episode. Star Trek TNG - you'd have Data episodes, Geordi episodes, Terrible episodes (aka Worf episodes). Deep Space Nine - Dax episodes, Quark episodes, Terrible episodes (aka Worf episodes). But this show has several main characters, many of them have 1-2 scenes in the first two episodes. At least a half dozen times in episode 2, I thought "Who the fuck is this?"

And why the fuck is everyone speaking English!? Koreans (in South Korea) - speaking English. Germans (in Germany) - speaking English, Indians (in India) - speaking English. They wanted a world-wide cast to give it the story a huge scope...then shrink that scope right back down by having everyone speak English.

But...I still like the premise. Maybe I'll give it another episode or 2.

13 Reasons Why - 6/10
This show's biggest negative was Clay. They tried to get away with having two main characters (Hannah in the flash backs, Clay in the present). They gave Clay this his own story arc and it couldn't have been more boring. It really annoyed me every time Hannah's story would get interrupted to go through some of Clay's bullshit. They should have just let Clay be a Watson-type character, not give him a bunch of try-fail cycles as he tries to get through listening to the tapes.

Hannah's story - 8/10; Clay's nonsense - 3/10

Dear White People - 8/10
I was very pleasantly surprised by this series. In the back of my mind, I thought it was going to be very preachy, but it wasn't at all. Very, very good comedy.

The Great British Baking Show - 8/10
Watched season 1 awhile ago, but recently binged on seasons 2 and 3. Really love this show.



I'm a few episodes into Master of None, season 2 and have loved it so far. Also have season 2 of Documentary Now! to get to (loved season 1). As well as the new MST3K (1 episode in). I also saw that there's a documentary on Toshiro Mifune.

[tarcone]

Its not on Netflix, it is on Amazon. Watch Sneaky Pete. This is just a fantastic show.
A con artist takes the place oif his cell mate to avoid the bad guy (Bryan Cranston) who he owes 100k. By the way, the bad guy has his brother and will cut off his fingers if the con man doesnt pay off the debt.

Great cast. Great story. Very tense. Gets you involved and on the edge of your seat.

[Groundhog]

Only made it through 2 episodes I think, but I found Sense8 an awful mix of bad acting and worse scripting.

[RainMaker]

Sense8 is one of the worst shows I've ever watched. Not sure how anyone gets through a season.

[thesloppy]

Sense8 has relatively good (if polemic) reviews, so I gave it a try and it didn't work for me either, there seemed to be a whole lot of noise disguising the fact that absolutely nothing was happening.

[Julio Riddols]

Originally Posted by PackerFanatic

‘Arrested Development’ Season 5 Is Officially Happening at Netflix | Variety

Finally official - Arrested Development getting a 5th season. Season 4 was iffy, although I enjoyed it as a whole. Would have been much better had they been able to actually get everyone together, and it sounds like that is their plan for the new season, so I have high hopes.

I'm in.

[thesloppy]

Netflix is streaming maybe two, but I was extremely surprised to discover that Amazon Prime Video has over a hundred old '70s & '80s Hong Kong kung fu flicks (mostly Shaw Brothers of course), including many that used to be considered quite rare. Buddha's Palm is my personal gold standard for batshit Shaw Bros. insanity, used to be quite hard to find, but it's on Amazon (and on YouTube for $1.99), what a time to be alive!:

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

Sense8 has relatively good (if polemic) reviews, so I gave it a try and it didn't work for me either, there seemed to be a whole lot of noise disguising the fact that absolutely nothing was happening.

Reviews are tough to take serious on some shows these days. Seems most just liked Sense8 to stay politically correct.

[thesloppy]

Yeah, to some degree it was trying to be SO pan-sexual and pan-worldly that it lapsed into unintentional satire, like a McDonald's add with 5 models-of-all-races chowing down on big macs. We're totally all hip to the kids fucking each other, right guys?!?

[Critch]

I made it to half way through episode 4 of Sense8. I think that's a record.

[ISiddiqui]

*shrug*

I guess I'm swim against the tide. Sense 8 is one of my favorite Netflix shows. I find it visually fantastic with great fight scenes (though Season 2 seems to have less of those) with a pretty interesting sci-fi premise. Almost done with Season 2.

[RainMaker]

It's visually great. And the premise of it is interesting. The characters suck and just aren't complex or interesting (this has always been a flaw with the Wachowskis). Many also just come across as fake.

I was looking forward to it since I am a fan of the Matrix films and Speed Racer. But this show is pretty bad.

[Izulde]

Sens8 was terrible - frankly one of the most disappointing shows I ever tried watching.

In other news, I planned to watch a couple episodes of The Keepers. ...I ended up binging it and will finish it in one go. The Making of a Murderer fans will definitely be interested, I think.

[Julio Riddols]

The Dark Crystal teaser has me more excited than most things.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Izulde

In other news, I planned to watch a couple episodes of The Keepers. ...I ended up binging it and will finish it in one go. The Making of a Murderer fans will definitely be interested, I think.

Trailer looks good. Little down on those kinds of shows after finding out how much Making a Murderer left out and skewed the story.

[Suicane75]

Originally Posted by Julio Riddols

The Dark Crystal teaser has me more excited than most things.

Wait, what? Movie or series?

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by Suicane75

Wait, what? Movie or series?

series on netflix

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Sense8 is one of the worst shows I've ever watched. Not sure how anyone gets through a season.

I watched the entire first season and Christmas Special and can't wait for the second season. I really quite enjoy the show. It's fun. It has some great characters. Some fantastic action scenes. And it has a ton of heart.

Fun, excellent show.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Izulde

In other news, I planned to watch a couple episodes of The Keepers. ...I ended up binging it and will finish it in one go. The Making of a Murderer fans will definitely be interested, I think.

Thanks, never even heard of this.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I watched the entire first season and Christmas Special and can't wait for the second season. I really quite enjoy the show. It's fun. It has some great characters. Some fantastic action scenes. And it has a ton of heart.

Fun, excellent show.

Just finished the second season - good stuff! It gets a bit slower this season because they are deepening the world and have to build up the backstory for all the stuff they did last season.

[larrymcg421]

Master of None Season 2 was just brilliant. I loved every single thing about it.

[PackerFanatic]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

Master of None Season 2 was just brilliant. I loved every single thing about it.

Not sure what it is, but I could listen to Aziz speak Italian all day long.

[ISiddiqui]

"Prego mille!"

[Suicane75]

Originally Posted by CrimsonFox

series on netflix

I'm so in.

[digamma]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

Master of None Season 2 was just brilliant. I loved every single thing about it.

My only quibble is the strange off plot episode in the middle of the season. Maybe that's a luxury of it being a binge watch show, but that was literally a throw away episode. I thought the Thanksgiving episode was one of the best 30 minutes of TV I've seen. And Allesandra Mastronardi, well, yeah.

[ISiddiqui]

Do you mean the I love New York one? Because I adored that episode. I was in awe that they made an episode like that.

[digamma]

Yep, again, I think it is the format that allows that freedom. It wasn't a bad episode; I thought some of the vignettes were fine--it wasn't my favorite episode. My point was that if it was a weekly show, you'd anger a lot of people with a totally off plot episode halfway through the season.

[sabotai]

Absolutely loved the "New York, I Love You" episode, but I also agree that if this were a weekly show, they might not be able to get away with it. But that's what I love about Netflix shows (even the ones I hate). No TV execs there to push the show into the same format and style that all other shows have.

[larrymcg421]

I think the binge format helps with an episode like that, but it also helped that the season had such a loose structure. While there was the central arc of Dev and Francesca, other stories and characters just randomly pop up here and there and then disappear. Denise was invisible for almost the whole season, but then had that amazing Thanksgiving episode. Since the whole season was like that, "New York, I Love You" felt like a more natural fit within the flow of episodes than it would've with a more traditional structure.

[Peregrine]

I definitely recommend the Keepers- it's sad, horrific, but compelling.

[tarcone]

DO NOT WATCH RIVERDALE!

This is an updated version of the Archie comics. It has an adult theme.
Archie is sleeping with a teacher.
Veronicas dad is on trial for fraud and embezzlement. And she moved to town with Mom. Then the captain of the football team slut shames her so they get back at him. And Betty goes a little crazy.
There is a gay kid. I dont think he was in the comics. But he is the GBF.
Jughead is the local anarchist.
Oh, and there was a murder. That is the background story line.

It is just bad. So bad on so many levels. My daughter and wife are watching it. I sit here on my computer and cringe.

[Arles]

I watched it because it followed two Arizona prospects (one who still plays and one who graduated), but I really liked the documentary "At all costs". It's about the AAU culture and follows some kids trying to get D1 scholarships.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by tarcone

DO NOT WATCH RIVERDALE!

This is an updated version of the Archie comics. It has an adult theme.
Archie is sleeping with a teacher.
Veronicas dad is on trial for fraud and embezzlement. And she moved to town with Mom. Then the captain of the football team slut shames her so they get back at him. And Betty goes a little crazy.
There is a gay kid. I dont think he was in the comics. But he is the GBF.
Jughead is the local anarchist.
Oh, and there was a murder. That is the background story line.

It is just bad. So bad on so many levels. My daughter and wife are watching it. I sit here on my computer and cringe.

It's a CW show. What did you expect?

[PackerFanatic]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

It's a CW show. What did you expect?

Now now - the DC shows on CW are pretty awesome.

[JonInMiddleGA]

New feature length anime "Blame!" isn't much for story (or voice acting, or creative concept) but it surely was pretty.

I've spent a lot worse couple of hours with the TV on.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by PackerFanatic

Now now - the DC shows on CW are pretty awesome.

Yeah, but adult themes and tons of drama are also in the DC shows.

[ISiddiqui]

So in back to back weeks Netflix has canceled "The Get Down" and "Sense8". Sense8's canceling has led to a TON of internet backlash, but I imagine it was really, really expensive to make and only Netflix knows the viewership models.

Anyways, I was getting excited for House of Cards, Season 5, and then I started watching it and in the first 5 minutes I felt deeply, deeply uncomfortable. It hit me like a freight train that I wasn't interested in watching a politician attempt to manipulate and maneuver to create a semi-autocratic system. Not anymore. It may sound supremely silly, but Trump ruined HoC for me.

[Butter]

The Sense8 number I heard was $9 million per episode production cost for Season 2. I can see why they cancelled it.

Same thing happened with The Get Down... it was supposedly 8 figures per episode to make.

[CrimsonFox]

TWIN PEAKS!

It's so great!

Stranger Things definitely took a lot of its vibe from this show.

The whole small town and everybody knows each other thing. The teengers things with rival romantic circles.

didn't watch it in high school/college

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

It may sound supremely silly, but Trump ruined HoC for me.

I read an interesting piece just last night (after watching the S5 finale) that went in the opposite direction about that. Can't remember where, Vox maybe? Regardless, their point was that aside from a couple of small'ish things, that this wasn't about Trump but rather about politicians in general.

edit to add: The point of the piece (apparently) was that S5 was painting all politicians as being the same, though it managed to stop short of crying about that portrayal.

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by CrimsonFox

TWIN PEAKS!

It's so great!

Stranger Things definitely took a lot of its vibe from this show.

The whole small town and everybody knows each other thing. The teengers things with rival romantic circles.

didn't watch it in high school/college

here i am gushing over thin peaks and just found out they REBOOTED the series this year!!!! WITH many of the original cast!

[molson]

Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later Official Trailer

Coming August 4. The trailer made me happy.

[Critch]

I finished up Mad Men last night. My current plan for binge watching is to go back to the start of Mad Men and watch it all again. Great tv.

[ISiddiqui]

It appears that due to popular demand/outcry, Sense8 will be getting a 2 hour finale in 2018:

Sense8 will return from Netflix cancellation in 2018 with a surprise two-hour special - The Verge

[Julio Riddols]

GLOW is awesome. Kind of a Silicon Valley vibe to it in places, but it is paced pretty well and written pretty well and the subject is super interesting to me. My neighbors dad had a collection of VHS recordings of the old airings and I used to watch those when I was a kid. Digging the nostalgia.