Netflix newbie--what should I watch?

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by jkauff, Sep 22, 2015.

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  1. jkauff

    jkauff Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Akron, OH
    I signed up for a Netflix trial just so I could see the Keith Richards doc, and after browsing around for awhile I don't see anything that would make the service worth keeping.

    I'm in my 60s, never was much of TV watcher, and spend most of my free time listening to music and watching baseball and old movies. I have a huge collection of movies, but most of them are from the 30s-40s-50s. Not much after the 70s except for a few things like The Lord Of The Rings and some Wes Anderson.

    Baseball season is winding down, so I'm looking for stuff to watch over the winter. I've heard good things about The Wire, but I don't know if that's on Netflix. I've seen The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, and Deadwood. Is there any other "don't miss" stuff on Netflix (streaming) that would make it worth keeping?
     
  2. bababooey

    bababooey Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX USA
    If you haven't seen Breaking Bad, then that should be first on your list. Currently, they have a new series called Narcos that is really great. If your taste run more to the political thriller, House of Cards is really great. The Wrecking Crew film is currently on there as well as I believe, the Muscle Shoals documentary. Both are pretty great. Plus all those you mentioned are highly entertaining. I don't know about Deadwood though as I've never seen it.
     
  3. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
  4. CraigVC

    CraigVC Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    I'm currently watching 30 Rock TV series on Netflix. I generally ignored that show when it was on the air, but it's proving to be a very entertaining and well-written/well-performed series. And watching it commercial-free has been a tremendous advantage. It flows very well without commercials.

    Here are other TV series I've watched on Netflix, all of which I highly recommend:
    • Top of the Lake - dramatic mini-series (6 one-hour episodes?) that is extremely intense and well made; centers around the investigation into the disappearance of a pregnant young girl in a small town in New Zealand.
    • The Fall - another intense crime drama, this one centering around the investigation into a killer who targets women in Ireland; notable for the strong female lead character; only 2 seasons and finishes with hints of a continuation, but there are only slim hopes that a 3 season will be made at this point (don't worry, the ending of season 2 is nonetheless fairly satisfying and not a total cliff-hanger).
    • Black Mirror - British mini series (6 one-hour episodes?), each episode depicting a different vision of an ultra-bleak dystopian future (i.e., imagining the worst possible way that humans could use technology to absolutely f**k each other over -- literally, in some episodes); my wife and I can only take about one episode every month or so, because it's so dark.
    • The IT Crowd - recommended if you like Silicon Valley on HBO, or if you ever worked in a technical field in an office; it's a British program but almost all of the content translates well if you are already familiar with technical jargon/concepts.
    • The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - this one came out of nowhere; not something I would expect to like, but I kept watching and being entertained; quirky comedy with a crazy premise; strong supporting characters help balance the over-the-top lead character.
    • The Office (US version) - another TV show I mostly skipped until it went off the air, then I watched it in its entirety without commercials; another series that most anyone who's worked in an office can relate to.
    • An Idiot Abroad - quirky British travelogue program, with a mean twist for a premise (the "Idiot" is duped by his buddies into sending him to far-flung areas of the world, and his friends delight in crafting his itinerary for maximum discomfort (booking him in crappy hotels, making him ride on camels, sending him to a monkey sanctuary where the animals are very aggressive, reserving his meals to eat exotic meats, setting up a faked abduction as a way to introduce him to a place that runs terrorist simulation exercises, etc.).
    • Orange Is The New Black - bold combination of drama and humor, set in a women's prison; some of the plots stretch belief too much, but overall it's entertaining.

    Craig.
     
  5. CraigVC

    CraigVC Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    +1 for Breaking Bad.

    Rather than watch it on Netflix, my wife and I bought the Blu-Ray box set, without having watched a single episode in advance, and power-watched through the entire series in a couple of months (I travel during the weeks so we packed 4-6 hour-long episodes in every weekend I was home). Though the final episode was disappointing (not Dexter disappointing - shudder - but still not up to the near-perfect standards of the series overall), the series is a joy to watch from start to finish. Easily one of the best TV shows ever made!

    Craig.
     
    Wondering likes this.
  6. tommy-thewho

    tommy-thewho Senior Member

    Location:
    detroit, mi
    Daredevil should be # 1.
     
  7. Andy Smith

    Andy Smith .....Like a good pinch of snuff......

    I'd go with 'Daredevil'. It's not perfect, but strangely addictive.
     
  8. PHILLYQ

    PHILLYQ Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn NY
    Do you like non-US movies? They have a pretty good amount of them.
    If you like British crime dramas, they have a lot. My wife likes them and swears by 'Luther', with the excellent Idris Elba(the Wire) in the lead.
    Do you like documentaries? Lots to choose from.
     
  9. npc145

    npc145 music junkie

    Narcos
     
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  10. Joseph.McClure

    Joseph.McClure Forum Resident

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    Black Mirror
    IT Crowd
    Rockford Files
    Archer
     
  11. Wondering

    Wondering Well-Known Member


    You realize there are literally like 10,ooo titles.
    Did you really browse, or just look at the few hundred things on the main menu?
     
  12. Mr. H

    Mr. H Forum Resident

    Arrested Development.
     
  13. deadbirdie

    deadbirdie Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    Narcos is muy excellente.
     
    Ed Hughes likes this.
  14. bartels76

    bartels76 Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    CT
    There are bunch of music documenteries on Netflix you should check out.

    I would make Breaking Bad my # 1 choice especially if you liked Six Feet Under.
     
    Ed Hughes likes this.
  15. talkradio

    talkradio Faded Primadonna

    Location:
    Cologne, Germany
    Not sure what exactly is on in the US, but anyway:

    Breaking Bad
    Narcos
    The Shield
    Sense8
     
  16. mmars982

    mmars982 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Breaking Bad for sure. And clear your schedule for the weekend.

    Sadly, The Wire and other HBO series are not available on Netflix.
     
  17. Jose Jones

    Jose Jones Outstanding Forum Member

    Location:
    Detroit, Michigan
    Mad Men

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2015
  18. Lightworker

    Lightworker Forum Resident

    Location:
    Deep Texas
    Lilyhammer is lot of fun for fans of The Sopranos and rock & roll music:

    [​IMG]
     
  19. Gibson67

    Gibson67 Life is a Magical Mystery Tour enjoy the ride

    Location:
    Diss, UK
    House of cards is very good, Kevin Spacey is phenomenal as a US politician who'll stop at nothing to claw his way to the top. I like it as its a break from the in your face all out action. Just started season two and I'm loving it
     
    rogertheshrubber and Jose Jones like this.
  20. jkauff

    jkauff Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Akron, OH
    Well, I didn't dig that deep, but most of the things I searched for either weren't there or only available on DVD. I'll admit I'm very picky about what I watch. :sigh:
     
  21. budwhite

    budwhite Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.

    Moreflicks.com
     
  22. Wondering

    Wondering Well-Known Member

    Gotcha.
    I found out, the more I dug the more I found. Things I did not know I would like!
     
  23. progrocker71

    progrocker71 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    There's a ton of stuff to watch on Netflix, but you have to do some digging and some actual research. You're not going to find the big-budget tentpoles because Hollywood doesn't want you to be able to stream those on demand so they aren't going to be on Netflix.

    But...since 90% of the best movies AREN'T Hollywood tentpoles you'll find lots of great independent and foreign films and TV shows to watch. I've had Netflix for 5 or 6 years now and I've never run out of things to watch.
     
  24. progrocker71

    progrocker71 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Instant Watcher is a much better search engine for Netflix, I use it exclusively.

    http://instantwatcher.com

    They also have a page for finding titles on Amazon Prime.
     
  25. Al Kuenster

    Al Kuenster Senior Member

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV - US
    I would recommend Longmire if you have not seen it.
     
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