By
June 11, 2020
Netflix is more popular than ever right now – guilt-free day-time streaming has been easier with a lockdown and unlimited data from Spark. But where to start? I quickly jotted down a short-list of the best Netflix Originals and stopped when I got to 21. So, here’s a capsule look at my top-10 Netflix Originals and I’ve added the rest of my personal shortlist at the bottom.
1. Russian Doll
At a pinch I’d call Russian Doll the best thing I’ve seen on television in many years. Clever, funny, dark, mind-bending, irreverent … in short it’s about a woman who keeps dying and then coming back to life to relive her last day over and over, and over again. It’s like a video game in that she learns things as she goes but it also feels like an impossible maze. Natasha Lyonne is exceptional and the dialogue is, well, to die for.
2. Messiah
At first glance you might think you know how this is going to play out – a modern retelling of what would happen if Jesus appeared on the scene today rather than 2000 years ago. But this is way cleverer than that, and is more a study of how people react to the unexpected. For every distrustful cynic there’s a desperate believer, but the writers don’t tell you which way to lean – it’s entirely up to you. Yes, there are parallels with life of Jesus – there’s a walking on water scene – but every time you think the story will trip into cliché it picks itself up and moves in an unexpected direction. There’s elements of Homeland with the slightly eccentric CIA agent tracking Al-Masih and enough twists to keep you addicted.
3. Marriage Story
This ambitious film stars Scarlett Johansson, who is nothing short of incredible, opposite Adam Driver as a couple whose marriage falls apart in front of our eyes. Searing dialogue and minutely-observed details bring out universal human traits – including the vulturous, comedic lawyers. The brutal but heart-breaking portrayal shows that sometimes there are no winners and losers in terminal relationships – just two people who will never be the same again.
4. Unbelievable
Based on a true story this is, on the surface, a complicated police procedural to corner a serial rapist. While the subject matter is heart-breaking – victims who are not believed, male-dominated “justice” system – the story is powerful and rewarding. It’s told from the point of view of two crusading female cops who doggedly follow their hearts and listen to the victims as they do the legwork the men ahead of them refused to take seriously. It sounds hard to watch but it’s actually unmissable.
5. Narcos
The Pablo Escobar story is well known but it’s never been as well-told as in this series. There are plenty of other Escobar narratives out there in TV-land but Narcos is the best by a mile. Based on real events and interlaced with historical footage this is a gritty and realistic portrayal of the almost impossible task of bringing the world’s cocaine problem under control. Colombia films magnificently and despite his villainous nature there’s a certain Tony Soprano charm about Escobar.
6. After Life
Ricky Gervais – you either love him or he drives you crazy. There’s a hint of his David Brent character from The Office in this edgy comedy about a man coming to terms with the death of his wife. Gervais, if you’re in the love-him camp, is at his brilliant deadpan, acerbic best as he turns against the world and believes life is not worth living as a lonely widower. Underneath the edge is a quietly gentle rumination on grief.
7. Dead To Me
More death – but with a completely different twist. Christina Applegate (you’ll remember her from Married With Children, surely) plays Jen. She is angry and bitter to start with and more so after her husband is killed in a hit-and-run accident. She reluctantly goes to grief counselling where she meets Judy, her cute and ditzy polar opposite. The relationship blooms as they try to solve the hit-and-run mystery in a series full of binge-worthy twists. Season 2 is due soon, so get into it now.
8. House of Cards
I always think of House of Cards as a Sopranos-meets-West Wing. It does Washington politics with a much darker tone than the sometimes saccharine West Wing and the real delight is the edgy, power-hungry relationship between Francis (Kevin Spacey) and Claire (Robin Wright) Underwood. Compelling political drama that might seem unbelievable but which is probably closer to reality than we imagine.
9. The Crown
I do believe there are people out there who haven’t seen The Crown. Don’t go thinking this is some light period drama or chick-flicky soap. It’s a riveting and complicated family story interwoven with modern British politics and leaves you, on one hand, having a great deal of sympathy for the Royal family but at the same time shouting “what is wrong with you people?”.
10. The OA
Fans of Stranger Things and other “not of this world” dramas will love The OA. This flew under the radar a little bit compared with the likes of Sense8 and The 100 but it’s a fantastic multi-levelled, mind-altering drama. Brit Marling plays the role of Prairie Johnson, a young blind woman who returns home after being feared dead for seven years. When she returns she is no longer blind and possesses mysterious powers.
It says something about that list that I’ve left off some of the best television made in the past decade – heck even the past week if you include the uber-trending documentary The Tiger King (which is Making A Murderer with big cats). Other great Netflix Originals include: Orange Is The New Black, Stranger Things, 13 Reasons Why, Ozark, You, Bodyguard, End of the F…ing World, Mindhunter, Peaky Blinders, Rain … and if ever there was a show made for these times, it’s Rain. It’s about two Danish siblings who emerge from a bunker six years after a virus that wiped out nearly everybody in Scandinavia.
Enjoy!