What YOU should be watching on NETFLIX Streaming

1. Battlestar Gallactica. 

           Your nerd and hipster friends have told you to watch this show for years. "It's the best sci-fi show of all time." "The story line and acting are incredible" "You wont be able to stop watching it once you start." Yet, for some unknown, and probably a rather lame, reason you still haven't started watching it. Perhaps you started watching the first episode and you spilt grape Fanta all over your television causing it to burst into flames. (Actually that is the only acceptable excuse for not having seen this show).  WATCH IT NOW!!! Thank me later (Preferably by giving me White Castle Gift Cards). P.S. There are 99 episodes to swoon over. Thank me later...wait I already said that so how about "Thank me now!"


2. Arrested Development. 

                Truly one of the funniest shows ever (Do NOT think I am over exaggerating how great this show is. Because I am not. It is as cool as rainbows and unicorns-I pinky swear)  A truly ensemble cast star as a bumbling shipwreck of a previously wealthy family. The multitude of zany characters include Gob (Pronounced Jobe or by people who don't know him as "Gob") the self-centered Magician; Never-nude (exactly what you think it would be) brother-in-law Tobias; One handed Momma's boy Buster; the niece named ironically "Maeby" pronounced "Maybe"; Goody two-shoes son named George Michael played by the great Michael Cera; Liza Minnellia the vertigo suffering neighbor; and Scott Baio (Charles In Charge) as Attorney Bob Loblaw. BEWARE you WILL have milk coming out of your nose (Don't worry that is the ONLY negative side effect of this show). DO NOT PASS THIS ONE UP.

P.S.You have to watch at least FOUR episodes before you decide it's one of the best shows ever, which you will, because it is.


3. The Killing. 

           Think an updated and way less weird Twin Peaks. The two main actors make this worth watching. Originally a Danish show it was remade starring the emotionless stalwart played by the unbelievable Mireille Enos and her cool doofus partner played by Swedish American actor Joel Kinnaman. The acting between the two of them alone makes this show worth watching.  The fact that there is an old school who-dun-it mystery spanning two seasons is yet another reason to watch. There are enough twists and turns to make you want to take dramamine but don't because then you would be too tired to watch this incredible show.  You will like it. 

4.  Parks and Recreation.

               This is hands down the best sitcom on television today. If you haven't watched it yet please, please, please, I'm begging you for your own good, please watch it!  If I am down and out, I can watch seven episodes in a row and it's happy time from then on out.  Set in the Park and Recreation department in the small Indiana town of Pawnee this hysterical comedy will have you "rolling in the aisles"(That sounds believable. Doesn't it?) The characters and the actors make this show. Personal faves include Libertarian Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), who as the head of the Park n' Rec dept is aways trying to find ways to defund it and who believes bacon is a food group and that crying is appropriate only at funerals and the Grand Canyon and who's second ex-wife Tammy Two (Played by Megan Mullally who played Karen Walker in Will & Grace and is actually the real life wife of Nick Offerman aka Ron Swanson) is an evil librarian who randomly pops up to wreck havoc on Ron's life). Leslie Knope (who is a personal hero of mine) is a Liberal, people-loving, optimistic, waffle eating bundle of energy.  Lil' Sebastian is the town of Pawnee's beloved little horse and last but not least the self obsessed hilarious Aziz Ansari: "Treat Yoself!" and his friend sleaze ball Jean Ralphio who is "technically" homeless.  I love every ounce of this show and so when you...oh never mind. JUST WATCH IT.


5. Twin Peaks 

                  (See my previous review of this series: Twin Peaks: Ten Reasons It is Still Relevant Today and Why YOU Should Watch It) This is one of the most inventive shows in all of television history. Creative genius David Lynch and "television veteran" as he has been previously described Mark Frost. Together they created the small town of Twin Peaks set in the North West. The home coming Queen is murdered and the whole town full of whack-jobs/eccentric oddities (The Log Lady who carries...you guess it...a log; Eye Patch wearing Nadine; the disappearing Tremonds or the reclusive agoraphobic Harold and are suspects. *********DO NOT tell anyone you are watching this show. DO NOT GOOGLE IT. You will ruin several of the mysteries if you do. Watch it at home alone or with a group who agrees to those ground rules. Remember the first rule of Twin Peaks watching is that you never talk about Twin Peaks!!! It is a tad bit creepy. What am I talking about? It is nightmare inducing!!! But it is SO worth it. (PS This show is so 1980s but in such a fun and great way!)

6. Luther. 

                This British detective show breaks the mold of a traditional genre on turns it on its head by taking the plot in unexpected and jaw dropping places. Idris Elba (The Wire) plays a down and out, troubled detective who always seems to have his superiors on his back watching for his next unethical move. Ground breaking. How good is it? Think Sherlock (staring Benedict Cumberbatch) good and I'm not joking. It's that great. Like most British shows there aren't enough episodes to satisfy Netflix watchers who go on week long marathons but there are a lot of more than Sherlock. Enjoy and thank me later. SUCH A GREAT SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!


7. Portlandia. 

             Tell me. Please. That you have already seen this series and that you adore it, because if you tell me you have never seen it I may have to have you arrested by the cultural police. Let me put it simply: No self respecting hipster; or hipster-wanna-be; or hipster-admirer-at-a-good-distance; or hipster-hater has not-not seen this show-(Okay, that phrase-ology wasn't as straightforward as I thought it was going to be. I am sorry 'bout that.)  Fred Armisen (From Saturday Night Live) and Carrie Brownstean (Singer from Sleater-Kinney) star in this outrageously ridiculously hysterical sketch comedy.

The introduction in the first episode says it all:

"Do you remember the 90s?... You know people were talking about getting piercing and getting tribal tattoos... and people were singing about saving the planet and forming bands....There's a place where that idea still exists as a reality and I've been there...Portland...all the hot girls wear glasses. The dream of the 90s is still alive, in Portland.. In Portland you can just put a bird on something and call it art..."

            My favorite sketch has to be the hippy lesbian bookstore owners (Fred Armisen as a hippy lesbian is a TRIP).  I cannot begin to describe how unusual or funny this show is. It's only a half an hour and you have to watch at least three in order for me to forgive you for not having seen it before. SHAME ON YOU!!!!


9. Bleak House.

           This is one of the best miniseries EVER. This BBC production is mind-blowingly good.  After the first episode you are hooked and with there being fifteen episodes total you will have enough to dig in and enjoy during over the course of a couple of days (YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STOP WATCHING ONCE YOU HAVE BEGUN). I really don't know why I hadn't even heard of this particular classic prior to watching the show but apparently the book is a bit of a bear.  Yet, it is such an amazing and enthralling story involving greed, social morales out of whack with their time, a corrupt judicial system and true love. Sadly it seems that 1852 issues are not that different from our own. Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) performance as Lady Deadlock will astound you. (You must also see her as Miss Havisham in Great Expectations also on NETFLIX STREAMING).  This is an intricate and well thought out complicated story. One that will leave you breathless and amazed. It is simply mesmerizing.


10. The I.T. Crowd. 

            Want to laugh so loud you will snort? This is your show! Take a dash of Lavern and Shirley, a hint of "Are you being served" and a healthy shot of Seinfeld and you have one of the funniest shows to hit the "Telly" in years. This British hit centers around two nerds who work in the Information Technologies Department of a large business firm while their new boss knows literally nothing about computers.  The three of them find themselves in the most ludicrous of situations (hence the Lavern and Shirley reference). It is an absolute riot.  This is the type of show you want to discuss with everyone at the water cooler at work the next day but since no one has ever heard of it you will try and try and try to get at least one person to watch it.  When no one will agree to watch it you may resort to heavy White Castle eating (That's how my WC addiction started).  Watch it for me. Please?
P.S.Thanks to my cousin Ryan for this awesome recommendation!


11. Damages. 

              This is one of the best shows you will find on Netflix. The writing is amazing. The acting (Glenn Frickin' Close People. Glenn FRICKIN' Close) is fan-frickin'tastic. Can I say Frickin' enough in the review now I can Frickin' not because that is how Frickin' great this show really is. Particularly the first two seasons. I don't even want to tell you anything about it because when I have tried to explain to people what it's about they immediately get the wrong impression. Know this: This is an intense thriller/Drama. You will not be able to stop watching it. Surprise twists and turn await. Sit back, be mesmerized and don't forget to buy those White Castle gift cards!

8. (Guilty Pleasure Warning) Revenge.

                Be forewarned this is definitely a guilty pleasure. It is certainly a soap opera but when the fabulous and beautiful Madeleine Stowe (12 Monkeys; You want me to list another movie other than 12  Monkeys? I shan't.  That film should be more than sufficient for you to place Madeleine Stowe. That movie rocked and you should have seen it again in the past three years so no I will not give you any more clues as to who she is) playing the evil villainess how could anyone not watch? The basis of the show is that Emily Thorne's (Emily VanKamp) Father was set up for a crime he did not commit and while he was imprisoned and her Insane Mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh-How's that for an 80s throwback???) was locked up in an (you guessed it) an insane asylum and little Emily Thorne was put in foster care. Now as an adult Emily plots REVENGE against her Late Father's nemesis(s)?. It is so fun. (So fun you should eat marshmallows when you watch it!) Not unlike watching the 'real' housewives reality shows only this show doesn't pretend to be real. It's light, it's ridiculous but you will get hooked and love it. Once you get hooked you will hate me because you will love a slightly lowbrow show and for that all I can say is "Sorry" and "too bad, so sad" and then give you a little sad face :(