With no end in sight, the Coronavirus pandemic is ravaging the American lifestyle, affecting many families and individuals. From self-isolation advisories to mandatory stay at home orders, everyone in the United States has been affected in some way. On the bright side, many of us still have access to TV streaming services like Netflix. They are known to have an overwhelming amount of shows and movies, and searching for something to watch is time-consuming and oftentimes difficult. So, for those of you who have no idea what to watch, I made a list of Netflix shows that are worth watching.
Joe Exotic poses with a tiger featured in the ‘Tiger King’ documentary.
#10: Tiger King
This documentary goes above and beyond the lives of people who are obsessed with animals, and how they took their animal-admiring passion to the next level, by breeding and abusing exotic animals. It constantly grabbed my attention with the immense variety of facts and odd conspiracy theories. Whether you like animals or not, this show is for everyone, as it goes inside the life of Joe Maldonado (a.k.a Joe Exotic) and how he developed his own zoo. He abuses animals by using them for profit and caging them in a place where they do not belong. He even constantly puts his employees at risk and could care less. Some of them literally get murdered by the animals, yet he still has a desire to keep them. This show may be the strangest documentary because it shows just how cruel people can be to animals, and it is almost a no-brainer to watch.
A series of colorized archive footage of important events during World War II.
#9: WWII In color
With 93% of the reviews on Google being positive, this is yet another impressive documentary. The time of black and white documentaries are over. Developers of this documentary spent countless hours recovering both old and new film from World War II and refurbishing it in color, for everyone to watch and experience one of the most important events of human history. Narrated by Robert Powell, this documentary shows real footage from fighting in the trenches along the eastern front, the horrors of Hitler and the Nazi party, the Japanese empire and U.S. actions, along with much more. This documentary has some of the best and rarest action-packed footage, and it is a great opportunity to experience the past. Personally, this was one of the best documentaries I have ever seen, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves history.
In a rough, inner-city Los Angeles neighborhood, four teens find their lifelong friendship tested as they begin high school.
#8: On My Block
This show is centered on a group of high school friends that live in a dangerous suburb of Los Angeles that is full of gangs, violence and drama, as it interferes with their daily life. This show is easy to binge, due to how funny it is. Each episode is filled with inside jokes and highly laughable conversations, which makes the show hard to stop watching. Their lifelong friendship is a roller coaster ride full of dramatic events and crazy situations that you can only imagine. One of the kids eventually becomes part of a gang, and events only get more interesting from there. While the show has many comedic moments, it can sometimes become excessive and take over the plot, but it made me laugh quite frequently.
The show received an international Emmy Award for Best Drama series in 2018.
#7: Money Heist
This action-packed thriller consists of a group of dangerous and highly-skilled criminals in Spain, led by a criminal genius known as “The Professor.” He serves as a master of disguise by creating creepy masks and uniforms to prevent the police from identifying them. His dangerous plans include an attempt to become rich by conducting a record-breaking robbery and printing billions of Euros. This is no easy task, and there are many obstacles along the way, including multiple confrontations with the police. This show is well-directed and was originally made in Spanish. The English translations are very accurate though, and it is hard to notice a difference at all. If you are interested in action and thriller movies, this one is just for you.
After starting the show in 2013, the final season was released in February.
#6: Arrow
If you have not already seen any of the DC comics movies or shows, I highly recommend starting with this one, as it is an instant classic. It begins with a young billionaire who died after a boating incident. The thing is, he isn’t dead. After spending years on an unknown deserted island with many dangers and new adventures, his personality is changed forever. After finally being rescued by a small fishing crew, he begins his journey toward becoming one of the most famous superheroes in the DC universe, known as ‘The Green Arrow.’ He begins fighting crime, alongside his recruits with a desire to bring his city to peace, but it seems like a new and worse enemy appears one after another. This series is full of action and suspense, and unlike most shows, this one never gets boring. The best part is that it is on most streaming services, so even if you do not have a Netflix account, there are more options.
Ellen Pompeo in ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.” Richard Cartwright, ABC
#5: Grey’s Anatomy
This show is a medical drama that takes place in a hospital in Seattle, where doctors take on absurd medical cases. Throughout each season, many of the doctors face life challenges such as marriage issues, conflicts with friends and even some violence. There are always new and different medical cases that are so interesting to watch. Although the actors are not actually doctors, this is probably the closest you can get to the in-depth reality of what doctors face during their careers. With an overwhelming 16 seasons and new episodes on the way, this show is great for anyone who wants to fill their time. This show is very successful, popular and has been around for a long time, and it has its reputation for a reason.
The show is based on the book, “The 100,” by Kass Morgan.
#4: The 100
This show is a must watch, filled with genuine surprises, and intense combat. Years after a nuclear disaster which made Earth uninhabitable, people built huge living quarters in space where each country had its own area. After years of waiting, the leaders sent a large group of teenagers that were arrested and jailed down to Earth to see if the conditions were safe to return. Turns out, they found not only that Earth is safe, but the people that were left behind managed to survive as well. Shortly after they discover each other’s existence, a war breaks out. It comes to me that in this series, the people are constantly at war, which makes the show very exciting, because I had no idea what would happen after each event, which makes this show by far, one of the best survival shows I have seen.
Bob Lee Swagger from ‘The Shooter’
#3: Shooter
After being a U.S. Marine, a highly skilled sniper known as ‘Swagger’ works to eliminate crime in the U.S., alongside secret agents and the FBI. He engages in lots of shootouts and fights that are incredibly fun to watch. After a growing number of enemies are targeting him and his family, he uses his top-notch skills to try and eliminate them. From hunting down violent Russian spies to domestic terrorists, this show offers a look into the world of a modern-day agent. This is probably my go-to show when it comes to looking for something action-packed to watch.
A mockumentary on a group of typical office workers, where the workday consists of ego clashes, inappropriate behavior and tedium.
#2: The Office
Although this show is no longer in production, its popularity continues to soar, and it is an American classic. Employees ruled by the king of comedy, Steve Carell, work for ‘The Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.’ The show goes inside the life of these hilarious workers and their everyday interactions. They constantly are off-task and with all the things going on, it is hard to believe they get any actual work done. Whether you watch the entire series five times or just watch a few episodes, it never gets old. I can’t remember the last time I laughed as hard as I did while watching this show. The best part is that every episode has something different, and there is always a good amount of comedy.
This series is based on the true story of former NFL star Spencer Paysinger, who retired as a member of the New York Giants in 2011.
#1: All American
Imagine playing for an NFL team as a starter. This is the daily mindset of Spencer James, a high school student living in a low-income area that faces racism and gang violence in California. His dream is to become a professional football player, and he is one of the best wide receivers in the state. When a coach from a wealthy high school comes to recruit him, Spencer After moves in with the new coach and his family and switches to the wealthier school. Despite the culture shock, he eventually becomes one of the best players in the country, attracting mobs of college recruiters. After watching this series, I realized how inspirational this story is and how many people today are in a position similar to him. This series is based on a true story and offers many life lessons that we can apply to our daily lives. This is hands-down the best sports series I have ever seen.
When it comes down to finding something to watch, Netflix is no stranger to adding new things to its already growing list of shows. From inspirational stories to crazy documentaries, there is always something to watch.
