Like many of you, Netflix is my go-to source of entertainment after a long day at work or a tough time falling asleep.
With the convenience of thousands of options at our fingertips, it’s a miracle I even manage to settle on one thing to watch. I guess you could say I have a bit of a system. There are shows to play in the background while I do other things, scary shows I can only watch in the day time, shows I’ve already seen a hundred times to fall asleep to, and captivating shows I actually look forward to watching.
I’ll almost always choose a series over a movie, because the chances of me sitting through more than an hour of Netflix without falling asleep are slim.
With all that Netflix-watching under my belt, I’m appointing myself a reliable source to tell you the top three binge-worthy Netflix series you should be checking out this season.
Russian Doll
An eccentric New Yorker, played by the incredible Natasha Lyonne, keeps accidentally dying and reliving her 36th birthday party as she struggles to discover the reason behind the unexplained time loop. The 25-minute episodes are the perfect mixture of humour and morbidity that leaves you begging for more. To put it simply, “Russian Doll” was a treat to watch.
This one fell into the category of shows I really looked forward to watching. In fact, so much so that I had to do everything in my power to resist cheating and watching them without my boyfriend. But I managed to stay patient and we finished the eight-episode season in a week or two.
Special
A story about a young gay man with cerebral palsy and, get this, he’s played by a young gay man with cerebral palsy. Thank you, Netflix for getting this one right.
“Special” is based on the memoir of its lead actor, Ryan O’Connell, “I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves.”
Produced by Jim Parsons of the “Big Bang Theory,” “Special” follows Ryan on his journey to become more open about his cerebral palsy while finding his place as a writer. It also dives into the balance between maternal care and independence, all while keeping things funny.
I binged this eight-part series super quickly, as the episodes are only 15 minutes long. My fingers are crossed for season 2 on this one!
So I’m going to be honest with you here, I listed those two shows first so you would think I had some semblance of taste before moving on to this one. But, no shame….
Selling Sunset
I stumbled upon this “reality” show while looking for something light to watch before bed. I got so much more than that.
You could call “Selling Sunset” a guilty-pleasure show, except I don’t feel guilty about becoming obsessed with it overnight. The show follows the staff at the Oppenheim Group, an elite real estate agency in California as they … well … they don’t do much of anything really. But that’s the beauty of it; nothing happens. They list a property, show a property, sell a property, fight with the other girls, rinse, and repeat, and I don’t have to think about a thing. I can’t remember their names; I’m not even fully confident I know what city they’re in, but I know that I want eight more seasons right now.
No offence, but I don’t have the emotional or mental energy to invest in “Game of Thrones” right now and sometimes a person just needs a little bit of mindless entertainment okay? “Selling Sunset” is about beautiful homes, drama and wardrobe inspiration.
That’s enough for me.
Jill Ellsworth is a writer and communications specialist who lives in Dominion. Her column appears biweekly across the SaltWire Network. She can be reached at [email protected].
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