I think by now that everyone is familiar with Netflix. The wonderful TV show and movie source to keep us busy for hours. It's become a vital art of any college student's life at some point, causing us to stay up late and neglect responsibilities. When you're bored next semester and don't know what to watch, I've kindly composed a list of 10 shows and five movies guaranteed to help you out.
Shows:
1. "Mad Men" - set in 1960s New York, it follows one of the city's most prestigious ad agencies on Madison Ave. The agency does well, but as the industry grows, the competition begins to stiffen. They try to survive in a time when everything is undergoing a radical shake-up. Don Draper, a self-made executive and Peggy Olson, a former secretary are the two protagonists.
2. "Breaking Bad" - Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher, was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer. To save his family before his near death, he uses his chemistry background to cook up and deal blue meth. It has moral consequences and family issues.
3. "House of Cards" - a Netflix original series, and one of the best political dramas. The show focuses on Francis Underwood who uses every political secret to dethrone his enemies and leverage his way to the top.
4. "Friday Night Lights" - the series is based around a high school football team in the fictional town of Dillion, Texas. The team deals with family troubles, drugs, racism, and the swath of problems students encounter growing up.
5. "Bates Motel" - this thrilling drama is just as impressive as the lineup. The show follows the lives of Norma and Norman Bates. After Norma's husband passes, she sets out for White Pine Bay, Oregon with Norman where they purchase a small hotel to start fresh. A few days after arrival, with each move made by Norma and Norman setting the stage for the latter's fondness for butcher knives and showers.
6. "Narcos" - another Netflix original series set to take on the story of Columbian drug kind, Pablo Escobar. It has a fast paced style of storytelling, brilliant acting, and the fact that the show was filmed on-location in Columbia.
7. "Orange Is The New Black" - this Netflix original series is about Piper Chapman, a woman who turns herself in for a crime committed years ago after it is brought back to trial. She finds herself at Litchfield County Prison, an all women's prison, and must make friends behind bars. She ends up with her partner in crime, Alex Vause, and rekindles their old love.
8. "Bob's Burgers" - with characters like Tina, Gene, and Louise, it's a sure fire go-to show. The show follows the Belcher family as they navigate the woes of running the family burger joint, Bob's Burgers. After a few episodes, you'll fall into the sense that times are tough for the Belchers, but it's comical.
9. "Twin Peaks" - a murder mystery from 1990, it follows the story of a murder in the small fictional town of Twin Peaks. Special FBI agent Cooper comes to town to help the local sheriff, Harry S. Truman, determine who the murderer is. Although the acting is awkward, it pulls you in by your curiosity.
10. "Sons of Anarchy"- the show about a motorcycle gang is excellent, but their business practice is not. Clay and his step-son, Jax, are constantly butting heads over preserving the gang's risky and often aggressive methods for turning a profit.
Movies:
11. "Mean Girls"- the hilarious take on high-school cliques is beyond expectations. Cady Heron, a 16-year-old girl who is forced to attend public school once her family returns from a research trip in Africa, finds herself in the school's most exclusive clique, but soon finds herself engulfed in self-ego when she falls for Aaron Samuels.
12. "Grease" - the 1978 musical based on the Broadway show is set in 1958. The film follows teenage greaser Danny Zuko as he tries to find love. The musical balances innocent summer love with lots of American movie tropes such as street racing, gang warfare, and poorly timed marriage proposals.
13. "Sixteen Candles" - the 1984 film is about a girl named Samantha, on her 16th birthday when everyone seems to have forgotten her birthday, and her crush who doesn't know she exists. She appeals to the angsty high-schooler yearning to be seen in all of us.
14. "The Virgin Suicides" - the film tells of the short lives of five teenage sisters in a middle class suburb near the outskirts of Detroit during the 1970s. After the youngest sister makes an initial attempt at suicide, her sisters are put under close scrutiny by their parents, eventually being confined to the household, which leads to their increasingly depressive and isolated behavior.
15. "The Color Purple" - the 1985 film is about a young African-American girl named Celie, who beautifully conveys the turmoil of a woman desperate to be appreciated in early 1900s America.
Happy Netflixing y'all!
