Author Topic: Netflix suggestions  (Read 2330 times)

Pizzabrewer

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Netflix suggestions
« on: April 06, 2019, 03:02:02 PM »
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has a hard time finding something good to watch on Netflix.  The suggestions Netflix makes seem very narrow.

So what have you seen lately that you highly recommend?

Thanks!

Hula Hoop

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Re: Netflix suggestions
« Reply #1 on: April 06, 2019, 03:16:14 PM »
The Good Place
Jane the Virgin
The Bodyguard (cheezy thriller but entertaining)
The Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt

OtherJen

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Re: Netflix suggestions
« Reply #2 on: April 06, 2019, 05:00:54 PM »
The Good Place
Jane the Virgin
The Bodyguard (cheezy thriller but entertaining)
The Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt

Seconding Jane the Virgin and Kimmie Schmidt (haven't watched the others).

Also, Kim's Convenience, Russian Doll, Dark, The Umbrella Academy, The Haunting of Hill House, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage. Older goodies include Mad Men, The Fall, Black Mirror, and Parts Unknown (Anthony Bourdain).

The Great British Baking Show is wonderfully addictive if you like cooking shows. Everyone is so kind and supportive.

Metalcat

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Re: Netflix suggestions
« Reply #3 on: April 06, 2019, 05:18:23 PM »
Spotless, X Company, Doctor Foster, Broadchurch, Happy Valley, Marcella, Imposters, Travellers, Atypical, Please Like Me, Rake, Wentworth, Offspring, Altered Carbon, Hap and Leonard, Shameless, Bletchley Circle, American Vandal, Queen of the South, Shetland


MasterStache

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Re: Netflix suggestions
« Reply #4 on: April 06, 2019, 05:49:15 PM »
The Dawn Wall. Ranks as one of my favorite documentaries.

lost_in_the_endless_aisle

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Re: Netflix suggestions
« Reply #5 on: April 06, 2019, 09:53:25 PM »
The OA season 2 just came out (I had long suspected it would never be released since it's been a 2+ year wait). Anyway, taken on its own, season 1 is the best original program I've seen on Netflix (think a bit like Stranger Things but imbued with deeper meaning rather than being just pure entertainment). Season 2 starts to get weird
Spoiler: show
e.g. the scene involving an on-stage strangulation carried out by a giant psychic octopus

Already mentioned: Black Mirror episodes are occasionally excellent and those that fall short are at least entertaining.

I also find Netflix's recommendations to be constraining, and the more general problem is the selection is small (I subscribe to the DVD plan as well since the selection is 20 times broader than what they have streaming).

gooki

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Re: Netflix suggestions
« Reply #6 on: April 07, 2019, 01:59:35 AM »
Dirk Gently
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Pizzabrewer

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Re: Netflix suggestions
« Reply #7 on: April 07, 2019, 06:09:05 AM »

I also find Netflix's recommendations to be constraining, and the more general problem is the selection is small (I subscribe to the DVD plan as well since the selection is 20 times broader than what they have streaming).

Yeah it seems once their algorithm has “figured you out” the recommendations are but a tiny slice of that small selection.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!

Wolfpack Mustachian

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Re: Netflix suggestions
« Reply #8 on: April 07, 2019, 06:22:46 AM »
The umbrella academy was pretty solid. Check out old TV shows you might remember. I just went through some old twilight zones I had missed.

runbikerun

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Re: Netflix suggestions
« Reply #9 on: April 07, 2019, 07:44:09 AM »
Honestly, at this point there's more on Netflix than there is on most TV channels in terms of stuff worth looking at. I've increasingly found that my wife and I are seeing new interesting shows land on the platform as fast as we can watch the stuff we already have on our list - I really enjoyed the first few episodes of Umbrella Academy, but then Queer Eye came back for a new season and took precedence, and I've still to start Our Planet and Russian Doll and give Santa Clarita Diet and Black Lightning another go.

Science fiction:

Black Mirror: by its nature it's a little hit and miss, but when it lands properly it's astounding. Shut Up And Dance and White Bear are two of the most horrifying pieces of drama I've ever seen.

Doctor Who (unsure as to status in the US): like a child-friendly version of Black Mirror, episode quality varies wildly, but Blink in particular is a masterpiece.

Love, Death & Robots: this is a bit self-consciously rebellious, but there are interesting ideas in most of these and they're short enough to watch while cooking (which is a big deal for me).

The Netflix Marvel shows are also worth a look: Iron Fist is pretty poorly regarded, but Daredevil and Jessica Jones in particular are much better than they should be.

Comedy:

Big Mouth is very, very funny (and extremely crude). The Good Place is also very, very funny (and existential); The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is excellent and knocks out killer lines every thirty or forty seconds; Bojack Horseman is extravagantly bleak and yet frequently the funniest thing on television since peak-era Simpsons. And standup specials from Ali Wong, Aziz Ansari and John Mulaney (to name the ones I remember off the top of my head) are a great option when cooking - you may sense a theme in terms of how I watch Netflix. Grace and Frankie is sweet and deals with aging in a way you don't often see on TV, while Master Of None manages to feel fairly fresh despite being about a struggling actor living in New York. There's a whole bunch of other stuff that I haven't seen which has gotten great reviews (After Life and Russian Doll in particular).

I should also note that while looking up some details for this post, I noticed that the creator of Weeds and Orange Is The New Black is now producing a comedy series for Netflix entitled Slutty Teenage Bounty Hunters, which is the kind of title that indicates either something very good or something very bad.
« Last Edit: April 07, 2019, 07:48:01 AM by runbikerun »

Noodle

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Re: Netflix suggestions
« Reply #10 on: April 07, 2019, 07:54:57 AM »
Yes, you do have to dig a bit. Hulu tends to have the older network shows these days, and Amazon has older PBS and HBO shows, but Netflix still has some good stuff:

If you like well acted non-American detective/thriller shows, Broadchurch, Happy Valley, Bodyguard (more thriller), and Secret City (Australian thriller) scratch that itch. Or for a Western version, Longmire. Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries is much lighter than the others, but the period setting (and costumes) are great.

One Day at a Time (remake with Rita Moreno) is a terrific light comedy. Kim's Convenience is also very charming, in a similar vein. Parks and Recreation is similarly warm, although its subject is the workplace rather than family.

Episodes is a darker comedy about two British TV writers who move to Hollywood to work on a remake of their British hit. Matt LeBlanc (Joey from Friends) plays a fictionalized version of himself, which is much funnier than you might expect.

They have all the Star Trek series if that's something you'd enjoy.

Sherlock (the BBC version with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman) was a lot of fun in its early episodes.

Gilmore Girls, a dramedy about a single mom and her teenage daughter, is feeling a bit dated these days but I still enjoyed it and the dialogue is terrific. Speaking of teens, they also have Glee (the teen musical comedy about Glee Club) which was pretty groundbreaking in its early seasons.

Mad Men is just terrific, and so was much of the West Wing, if you want television classics.

No Tomorrow was a quirky little dramedy that ran one season on the CW. It's about a guy who becomes convinced that the world is ending and decides to live his life with no regrets, and talks his (sort-of) girlfriend into doing the same.

If you like family dramas like This Is Us, Parenthood was a similar series. The writing was not quite as consistent, but the good plotlines were really good and the cast involved some talented actors.

The Netflix Marvel series (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders and The Punisher) have their ups and downs but have some interesting moments--season 1 of Jessica Jones is my favorite. There's also the CW family of superhero shows--I quite liked the first couple seasons of the Flash, and I have heard good things about Legends of Tomorrow (the first season was so so but apparently it's improved)--they also have Arrow, Supergirl, and Black Lightning.

For science fiction, I really liked the remake of Lost in Space, and I thought Colony (LA after an alien invasion) was solid. iZombie is one of my favorite shows--the plot is completely ridiculous but the gist is that the main character takes on the personalities and some of the memories of the people whose brains she eats, and she uses this information to help the police solve their murders. The real highlight is watching the very talented Rose McIver play everything from an aging rock musician to a cheery preschool teacher to a flighty teenage girl. I also enjoyed Lucifer and Stranger Things.

The Good Place is one of my favorite current series--it's a little hard to explain, and you don't want to know too much going in--but the gist is that it's a comedy about the afterlife starring Kristin Bell and Ted Danson.

Metalcat

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Re: Netflix suggestions
« Reply #11 on: April 07, 2019, 08:42:59 AM »
I forgot about Episodes!
Omg I loved that show.

Tyson

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Re: Netflix suggestions
« Reply #12 on: April 08, 2019, 11:13:36 AM »
If you ever want to explore some of the best classic and foreign films, I suggest checking out the Criterion Channel which just launched today.  Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime are good for recent content, but Criterion is the gold standard for everything else:

https://www.criterionchannel.com/

FIRE@50

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Re: Netflix suggestions
« Reply #13 on: April 08, 2019, 11:20:15 AM »
Cocaine Island
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HBFIRE

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Re: Netflix suggestions
« Reply #14 on: April 08, 2019, 11:25:14 AM »
I have a confession to make here.  I actually watched through "Selling Sunset" -- don't ask, don't ask.  I'm guilty of enjoying this one.  I'm embarrassed to admit this.

For something of a bit better quality, we just watched through Sour Grapes.  Kind of a funny documentary about a con artist in the wine industry and a bunch of wealthy wine snobs getting duped.

If you haven't watched Narcos, great series.

For a really good documentary, check out "Wild Wild Country".  Really bizarre story about a religious cult in the 80's.
« Last Edit: April 08, 2019, 11:36:38 AM by HBFIRE »

FIRE@50

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Re: Netflix suggestions
« Reply #15 on: April 08, 2019, 11:41:08 AM »
I'm right there with you HBFIRE, on all counts.

soccerluvof4

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Re: Netflix suggestions
« Reply #16 on: April 08, 2019, 03:41:37 PM »
Spotless, X Company, Doctor Foster, Broadchurch, Happy Valley, Marcella, Imposters, Travellers, Atypical, Please Like Me, Rake, Wentworth, Offspring, Altered Carbon, Hap and Leonard, Shameless, Bletchley Circle, American Vandal, Queen of the South, Shetland


Broadchurch, Wentworth, Shetland and Happy Valley all ones we enjoyed as well. I would add Secret City, Hinterland, Bordertown, Secret In their Eyes, Marcella, Wanted, Hostiles, Hell on Wheels, The Five, Ozark, The sinner just to name a few.

OtherJen

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Re: Netflix suggestions
« Reply #17 on: April 08, 2019, 04:41:20 PM »
I have a confession to make here.  I actually watched through "Selling Sunset" -- don't ask, don't ask.  I'm guilty of enjoying this one.  I'm embarrassed to admit this.

For something of a bit better quality, we just watched through Sour Grapes.  Kind of a funny documentary about a con artist in the wine industry and a bunch of wealthy wine snobs getting duped.

If you haven't watched Narcos, great series.

For a really good documentary, check out "Wild Wild Country".  Really bizarre story about a religious cult in the 80's.

“Wild Wild Country” was insane! Very good documentary. “Sour Grapes” was also entertaining.

soccerluvof4

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Re: Netflix suggestions
« Reply #18 on: April 09, 2019, 06:03:10 AM »
7 Seconds was one I left off my list that was very good