It’s in the company’s best interest to recommend what’s new or popular, or what’s similar to what someone has watched before. However, many households share an account, so chances are, you’re living with someone who’s messing up your algorithm. TV shows call for a bigger time investment, so it’s always important to make the right choice.
The team behind the streaming giant can be commended for offering more quality than quantity in the past two years, but you’re more likely to stumble into mud than knock your head on a ripe fruit if you go about the searching process casually. Feel free to rely on the following list of short and sweet shows — old and new, popular and obscure — that you’ll be done with and satisfied by come Monday.
Here are 5 great shows if you’re looking for something to binge-watch this weekend.
5’Narco-Saints' (2022)
Miss seeing ruthless drug traffickers?Narco-Saints,also known asThe Accidental Narco, tells the story of adisgruntled Korean mechanic, In-gu (Ha Jung-woo), who grows tired of the pennies he gets from his job and decides tomove to the little-known South American nation of Suriname to take advantage of the thriving seafood market. There, he finds himselfunder the thumb of a ruthless preacher who secretly traffics drugsand keeps most of the country’s political class on his payroll.
Like Narcos, But Wilder
Jung-woo’s pithy gruffness has never been better suited to a role, and while he has mostly had to work under spare direction, things are quite over-the-top here, perfectly evoking the gritty Suriname world. Still,Hwang Jung-min has the most fun as the preacher plagued by morbid, murderous impulses. Most viewers will love how the show analyzes crime, the economy, religious indoctrination, and poor leadership through its string of eccentric characters. Here, you’ll find some of the best action sequences in adrug lord shows.
Narco-Saintswon numerous awards, including three at the Asian Academy Creative Awards, one at the Baeksang Arts Awards, and one at the Korean Drama Awards. However,Suriname’s government hated it, arguing that the show damaged the country’s reputation by depicting it as a hub for drug trafficking.
4’She’s Gotta Have It' (2017)
Nothing inspires you more to reassess your dealings with Cupid than a good romantic comedy-drama. A subtle, overlooked treat,She’s Gotta Have Itis a highbrow production in the vein ofSex and the CityandSex/Life. Created and directed by Spike Lee, it isan update of the popular filmmaker’s 1986 movie of the same name, though you need not have watched the original to enjoy and understand it.
Events in the show revolve aroundNola Darling (DeWanda Wise), a polyandrous and pansexual Brooklyn-based artist who is dating three men. There’s Greer Childs (Cleo Anthony), a charismatic photographer-model; Jamie Overstreet (Lyriq Bent), a cantankerous married investment banker; and Mars Blackmon (Anthony Ramos), a bike messenger.
Creating the Perfect Person Out of Three People
Some patience is required withShe’s Gotta Have It. After a monotonously slow build-up, the show suddenly wakes up and causes havoc at around the third-episode mark (like a layabout adult emerging after a lengthy lie-in) and redeems itself with a shocking vigour in the chapters that follow. It’s fun to watch as Nola’s bitterness over the unfulfilled areas of her life is gradually overcome by her evolving relationship with the three men. And even though it all looks odd,Lee does a great job of justifying the morality aspect of it all.
On the surface, the show might seem like it’s all about carnal lights, but itcovers plenty of thematic ground. Mental health, gentrification, and female autonomy are but some of the topics explored in detail, making this version feel intellectually superior tothe iconic ‘80s film. There are only two seasons and 19 episodes in total, so you’ll be done before you know it, especially if you lose yourself in thespellbinding soundtrackfeaturing artists like Sade and KRS One.
3’The Liberator' (2020)
If a bawdy comedy-drama raunchy comedy is not your particular vibe heading into the weekend, then Netflix’s animated war seriesThe Liberatorcould suit you better. Adapted fromThe Liberator: One World War II Soldier’s 500-Day Odysseyby Alex Kershaw, the show tellsthe true story of infantry commander Felix “Shotgun” Sparks(Bradley James).
Shotgunled the members of the 157th Infantry Regiment of the 45th Infantry Division in liberating the Dachau concentration campduring World War II. The unit was a unique one as it was an integrated group of Mexican Americans, cowboys, and Native soldiers. For their efforts, the soldiers received eight combat awards for service in France, Italy, Germany, and Central Europe.
Slaying Nazis
Visually,The Liberatoris unlike anything you’ve seen. The miniseriespioneered the use of Trioscope Enhanced Hybrid Animation, an advanced techniquethat blends live-action actors with CGI, kinda similar to Rotoscoping. What results is a ravishing, utterly dreamlike fable featuring some of the most remarkable visual set pieces in Netflix history.
Allcast members deliver memorable, nuanced portrayals of their characters, tugging at the heartstrings as determined soldiers who push against impossible odds to make the mission a success. And there aretons of unforgettable scenes. In one of them, a morose enemy combatant protests against the dead-eyed protagonist so much that he responds by blowing his brains off, an act so shockingly ghoulish that the only logical viewer response to it is yelling.
2’Glória' (2021)
Spy shows are in vogue at the moment, withThe Night Agent, The Agency,andThe Day of the Jackalall delivering excessive thrills, but if you yearn for something more laid back and realistic, settle forGlória.The show takes us back toCold War-era Portugal, whereyoung engineer João Vidal (Miguel Nunes) has just taken up a job at a European relay stationin rural Glória do Ribatejo. Unknown to many, he is a KGB spy.
With stakes rising every day, João’s choices end up having huge consequences for his family and career. Unbowed and undeterred, the character sticks to his tasks. It’s an uncertain, dangerous life, but João takes some small pleasure in contributing to the course of geopolitics.
A Little-Known Player in the Espionage Game
Gloriais a booby-trapped thrill ride for the spy-loving adventurer in us all. It’s not Bond, but it leaves you shaken. It’sthe first original Portuguese-language streaming series, and was also the most expensive TV production in Portuguese history. You can thus expecthigh production values, whether it’s the visuals or the sounds. The settings will also give you the urge to be a tourist.
Get ready fora proper history class. Portugal is rarely mentioned when the Cold War is being discussed, but it played a crucial role. The show extensively examines the story of RARET, a Radio Free Europe relay station that often broadcast anti-communist propaganda into the Eastern Bloc, changing the larger political narrative in the process.
1’Wednesday' (2022)
Lastly, if you’re looking for a trending show with quirky characters and outstanding performances,Wednesdayis what you need. Now is the best time to get into it, since the second season has just dropped its first four episodes,with the second half of the season set to drop September 3.
In the first season of the show, Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) is expelled from her high school after unleashing piranhas into the pool and issent to Nevermore Academy, a Vermont boarding school for outcast kids who are supernaturally gifted. There, she learns to handle her psychic abilities, makes friends, and falls into conflict with Principal Larissa Weems (Gwendoline Christie). Things get darker when a series of murders happen.
The Best Addams Family Story
Splendidly combining comedy and supernatural elements, Netflix’s irresistibleWednesdayis astory about regularly flouting convention and realizing one’s full potential. With its live menagerie of monsters and human characters mirroring society’s usual pecking order, this remainsintelligent, rousing entertainmentfor everyone at home. Some of the characters may annoy you, but whatever it is that ails them — solitude, lack of self-control, oppression — they happily clutch at the scraps of bliss that life can unpredictably let fall if one isn’t keen enough.
The show has been a huge success already. It became the second-most watched English-language Netflix series within three weeks of its release. It also won four Emmys, while receiving nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Ortega. Things are only going to get better, so surrender yourself to FOMO, jump on the Addams Family train, and enjoy the ride.
