The Netflix platform has long pleased fans of series. And in recent years, moviegoers are at risk of drowning in the movie waves of quality streaming production. This review will help those who are tired of shoveling catalogs to find the right series to watch.
Stranger Things
Small town in North America. Local residents are accustomed to a quiet and calm, even too quiet life. And strange events take everyone by surprise – then the teenager will disappear, then the girl will disappear, almost in front of everyone. Then some incomprehensible children wander into the city, and even more incomprehensible adults chase after them.
And all this against the backdrop of the 80s of the 20th century – before the release of the first Windows a couple of years, personal computers had just gone on sale, and mobile phones still look like army radios. And in this retro-nostalgia, the whole charm of the series is not a thriller, but a stylization, but how bright and cozy!
Black Mirror
The world of the near future, in which society has become completely informational. People have not so much changed as they have gained new opportunities. And it’s not the fault of technology and gadgets that a person saw in the new reality just one more chance to do filth to his neighbors.
The main and rather provocative question of the series – does anyone really believe that human nature can be changed? No, the creators of the show answer – information technology is just a mirror. People just don’t like their own reflection.
Love, death and robots
A series built on the principle of an almanac – each episode has a complete plot, filmed in its own style, usually animation, but there are also short feature films. All stories are fantastic. But do not wait for brave astronauts, space princesses and blasters with spaceships.
The spectacle is gloomy, emphatically naturalistic, and often cruel. The episodes are not related to each other in any way by the plot, but each has robots, and people don’t have to expect anything good from them. There is nothing groundbreaking about the series, but overall it’s just a delight for fans of sci-fi.
Narcos
At first glance, this is a story about the famous Colombian drug lord, who finally came to the brave police officer from Miami. But what began as a detective-gangster thriller quickly turns into a social drama.
The drug dealer is popular among the townsfolk, like some noble robber. And there are reasons for this – the criminal, in addition to criminal showdowns, does a lot for the poor. But the government, also mired in crime, is in no hurry to help its poor fellow citizens. The cocaine dealer looks less and less like a monster and more like an unfortunate person.
Crown
The events of the series begin with the accession to the throne of Elizabeth II. And this is already surprising – a historical tape dedicated to still living people? British directors made a film not so much about the British Queen, but about the love of the people of the United Kingdom for the very institution of the monarchy.
It is pointless to retell the plot – it’s like quoting a history textbook. But all real events are presented through the prism of the participation of a particular woman in them. The image of the queen turned out to be tragic – a person with power is always alone. The impression of the series is complemented by magnificent scenery, expensive outfits and the faithfully conveyed spirit of a bygone era.
Darkness
The German project will talk to the viewer about the connection between the past and the future, free will and predestination. The plot is simple – a small town where two children have recently disappeared. In the city, everyone knows each other since childhood, there is really no one to suspect. But almost immediately the story becomes more complicated, it turns out that there are some old ties between the characters that are related to the events of the present.
The series should be watched without distraction. The storylines are difficult to follow – there are many of them, they are confusing and intertwined. The atmosphere of the tape is most striking – gloomy, even oppressive, but addictive. The viewer does not understand everything, but feels that there will be no happy ending here.
Mindhunter
A psychological drama that pretends to be a detective procedural. In the 1970s, a young FBI agent tries to figure out what drives killers who commit crimes for no reason. He tries to find support from his superiors, employees, scientists, but no one takes his idea seriously.
The hero tries to understand the criminals, who would later be called “serial killers”, for a simple reason – in order to catch them, you need to understand them. And not be limited to the phrase – “yes, they are all crazy.” And it’s still not known what is more difficult to talk with terrible criminals or prove to your own superiors the need for these conversations.
After life
At the same time funny, sad and very life story. The main character’s wife dies, he first thinks about suicide, and then decides to stay alive, but become a complete scoundrel. Or, as he says: do and say only what you want.
But it turned out that becoming an egoist at will is just as unrealistic as becoming a saint on Sunday or quitting smoking on Monday. The hero at first suffers, says nasty things to those around him. But, in the end, he comes to terms with the loss and tries to reconnect with friends and loved ones.
BoJack Horse
There lived a horse. Or rather, a half-horse, half-human named BoJack. Once he was a famous actor, and now he is just a rich bum, feeling sorry for himself and sometimes going into a binge. The animated series may seem like a strange fantasy about a world inhabited by people and talking animals, but in reality it is a very sad story.
In the series, you can find arguments about the life of a celebrity, the price of success, the inevitability of failure. Fortunately, the project is saved from complete depressiveness by humor. The series is full of cynical jokes about Hollywood, the midlife crisis and humanity in general.
Sex Education
The plot develops the story of a young man who decides to help his classmates with their sexual problems. On the one hand, the hero is the son of sex therapists, so he is familiar with the topic on an almost professional level. But the point of the joke is that the hero himself needs help – shy with a lot of phobias, and even without any experience in sexual relations. He is simply afraid of sex.
The series may seem immodest, its characters – dissolute. But in fact, these are yesterday’s children, bodies unprepared for growing up, touchingly solving their “non-childish” problems. The whole story is generously seasoned with excellent music and dance numbers.
Kominsky Method
Everything in the world comes to an end. So the life of an elderly (under 80) actor is already running out. He has already said goodbye to his acting career, now he teaches acting. A sad story, told with slight irony, that growing old is not easy, but often humiliating.
The hero is saved from complete hopelessness by an old friendship with his own agent. They both feel lonely but try not to think or talk about it. The beauty of the series is that it does not break into a tearful melodrama, although it is dedicated to the saddest period of human life.
Grace and Frankie
The plot of the series is simple – during a family dinner, the wives hear from their husbands an unexpected statement. They leave and the family. It would be a banal plot move, if not for 2 “buts”. Firstly, men under 70 (they have been married for 40 years). Secondly, they go to each other. Because they have “love”, and for 20 years. But they are tired of living a lie, so they plan to get married, since same-sex marriage is now legal (located in California).
The content of the series is a story about how two already middle-aged women, who are in complete shock, are trying to cope with a new reality. It’s sometimes sad to watch, but most of the time it’s very funny. This is the message of the project – life always throws up surprises, even if you are 70 years old. But this is more a reason for optimism, not depression. Stop whining!
End of the ***world
Growing up story on the road. Young heroes, one of which looks suspiciously like a psychopath, and the second is a strange girl with sociopathic habits. And this couple goes on the road, looking for a long-lost parent.
But the world brings many surprises to teenagers – real psychopaths and rapists live here, you can be beaten for a couple of liters of gasoline, and beloved fathers are actually drug dealers who do not care about their own children. By the end of the first season, the characters understand what the audience guessed a lot earlier. They are not thugs, psychopaths and sociopaths. They are vulnerable children, longing for human warmth.
Shadow and bone
A typical “dark fantasy” that was so loved by the audience after the “Game of Thrones”. There is a world full of supernatural creatures that exterminate people. People preoccupied with intrigues and wars are available. The protagonist is an unnecessary renegade, lonely, but able to save the world – there is such a thing (here it is a woman).
Of the advantages of the series – an interesting world, whose history is slowly clearing up, diverse characters and excellent scenery. And the series will also attract the viewer by the fact that its location is not magical Britain (as is usual for Western fantasy), here the Russian Empire is the prototype of the world. Imagine watching War and Peace, where Andrei Bolkonsky, played by Ryan Gosling, breaks into besieged Moscow.
Shooting at the same time with two hands from the M4.
Queen’s move
A short series about a chess genius girl. The main character is an orphan growing up in an orphanage, useless, not getting along well with others. Her only joy is chess. And the constant intake of tranquilizers helps her to live and play.
At first glance, this is another story about a child prodigy whose abilities are the envy of everyone around. However, the series is not about chess and a super talented girl. This is a psychological drama that raises questions of the loneliness of talented people, their socialization.
The more the viewer learns about the heroine, the more they wish that this very unhappy and lonely girl had escaped from the hopeless cycle of chess tournaments and drug use. For chess in the series perform the same role as tranquilizers – an ersatz of normal life and human feelings.
Bridgertons
A pseudo-romantic story that mimics the clichés of romance novels. He is rich and proud, she is independent and sharp-tongued. The scene is England in the early 19th century. In the first series, the characters will say nasty things to each other, but in the end, quite expectedly, they will fall in love and get married.
The saddest thing is that the series became famous not for its artistic merits, but for its casting (among the actors, about half are blacks).
But if you look with an open mind, it is almost immediately clear that the series does not claim to historical accuracy at all. It raises (and often ridicules) typically modern issues – sexism, double standards, social pressure. All this is shown on a grand scale, the costumes of the heroes are luxurious, and the plot moves are non-trivial. Connoisseurs of beautiful pictures of the series will rejoice.
Ghosts of Hill House
A very unusual horror series. A story about a family that has a horrific experience in an old haunted house. But only “otherworldly scarecrows” here are rather a consequence of problems, and not a cause.
The plot intertwines two realities – the past of the family, when she actually lived in the “house on the hill.” And the present, which, oddly enough, is even worse – they left the house, but could not save the family, their communication is reduced to scandals. Everyone suffers, but no one admits it.
Gradually it becomes clear that the “ghosts” are not mysterious creatures wandering around the house and moaning at night. No, the horror here is caused by the past itself, which the heroes can neither forget nor accept.
House of Cards
Frank to the point of cynicism, a series about the political system, corridors of power, politicians and other bad things. The story begins with the fact that the congressman was “thrown” with the post by the president. Although there was an agreement between them.
But the congressman (and this is the main character of the series) is not one of those who will endure such a thing. He goes to the intended goal over the corpses (sometimes literally), only now he can’t give him the position of Secretary of State, he is already aiming for the presidency.
The series, dedicated to political intrigue, looks like an exciting detective story. And the main character is charismatic and ruthless, more like a serial killer than a representative of the political establishment.
Daredevil
Mix of teen drama and superhero action movie, but with a well-developed world and completely non-childish issues. The protagonist went blind as a child, but instead developed other senses, especially hearing. Now grown up young man spends his life helping people. But he does this in an interesting way – during the day in accordance with the law, and at night – creating complete chaos.
That is, officially he is known as a lawyer working in the most criminal district of the city. But at night he “does” good, focusing only on his ethical standards, but not on the law. At the same time, he does not have superpowers, but he feels more than an ordinary person. But he doesn’t let lasers out of his eyes, he doesn’t break through walls with his fist. Due to this, the project does not look like a fairy tale, but like a gloomy and realistic story of a loner who decided to change the world.
American vandal
A parody of detective stories and investigative journalism. This style is called “makyumentori” – pseudo-documentary. The plot begins with an incident in the school parking lot – the cars of the teaching staff are mutilated with drawings. All drawings depict penises.
The teachers are furious, the blame is quickly shifted to the right school bully – a guy without a king in his head. He is expelled from school, and in the meantime, two other students started to make an investigation film. They are sure that the expelled person is not guilty and are trying to find a real bully.
Watching the guys conduct an investigation is pure pleasure – hundreds of interviews, reconstruction of the incident, a thorough check of the alibi, and they even try to create a psychological portrait of the criminal. As a result, what began as a mockery of documentaries turned into a rather serious story about the relationship between adults and adolescents in the modern school system.
