The five must-see shows currently on Netflix

Ram Reyes

More stories from Ram Reyes

The five must-see shows currently on Netflix

“Is it on Netflix?”

That seems to be the immediate question following any recommendation of a TV show or movie.  If the show isn’t on Netflix, most people wouldn’t be inclined to watch it.

Besides licensing and streaming shows and movies, Netflix has now creates its own original content, ranging from TV shows, comedy specials and movies and is establishing itself as its own network and competes with traditional networks such as HBO and NBC.

If you have Netflix, here are five must see TV shows and movies streaming on Netflix right now.

  1. Bo Burnham: Make Happy

If you haven’t watched “Bo Burnham’s Stand-up,” then prepare from one of the most amazing performance you’ve seen yet.

Burnham’s comedy routine is not your typical stand-up and is more akin to performance art. It has all the parts of a normal stand-up routine, witty observations and commentary on society mixed with Burnham’s own personal struggles.

But it’s all wrapped in intricate performances and musical numbers that will catch you off-guard to laugh or cry. Since his first comedy special “what.”, Burnham has elevated his comedy in “Make Happy” into a much more mature and insightful comedic masterpiece

  1. Master of None

“Master of None” revolves around the life and times of Dev, a 30-year old actor living in New York City. Dev is played by Aziz Ansari.

The character Dev is mostly based on Ansari himself.  Ansari, alongside Alan Yang, wrote this wonderfully charming and insightful sitcom.

“Master of None” looks like your run-of-the-mill sitcom, with the main character getting into romantic mishaps and wacky situations but “Master of None” manages to deliver the same beats but with heart and soul.

The show delves into serious issues such as diversity on TV and the frightening concept of parenthood and the writing shows that it’s rooted from real life experiences of Ansari and Yang.

Even Ansari’s parents play as his parents on the show, and Ansari’s father is one of the best characters on it.

“Master of None” might not be rip-roaring funny such as “Friends” but it has a realistic, sometimes terrifying, representation of life.

  1. BoJack Horseman

On the surface, “BoJack Horseman” might look like your typical raunchy adult animation. But to judge it at face value, is a terrible mistake.

“BoJack Horseman” follows the life of a former TV star, BoJack Horseman, voiced by Will Arnett, who had a famous TV show back in the 90s and is now dealing with the aftermath of post-fame life.

The first half of the first season starts off very slowly and might turn some off with some of the crude jokes in the early episodes but it quickly turns rather dark.

It explores the effects of a horse struggling with depression and the aftermath of broken relationships that being in the spotlight had on him.

Throughout, the show explores BoJack’s past, how it affects his irresponsible behavior and gives a perspective of the human condition in a very unexpected way.

At core of it, “BoJack Horseman” is a very human story about a troubled horse.

  1. Narcos

“Narcos” is based on the life of the infamous Colombian drug lord, Pablo Escobar, played by Wagner Moura.

Narrated by DEA Agent Steve Murphy and played by Boyd Holbrook, “Narcos” is told from both the DEA and Escobar’s point of view and follows the meteoric rise of Escobar with the cocaine trade and the efforts of the DEA and other drug lords to take down Escobar.

The show is well-written and exciting, constantly keeping you on the edge of your seat seeing Escobar escape and eliminate all of his enemies around him and the attempts of Steve Murphy, and  It’s not 100 percent historically accurate, but it delivers a TV show of a caliber that the story of Pablo Escobar deserves.

  1. Stranger Things

“Stranger Things” is one of Netflix’s biggest breakout successes. The plot follows the sudden disappearance of a young boy, Will Byers, and the attempts of his mother, played by Winona Ryder, the police and his three friends.

What follows is a strange series of events filled with strange supernatural events.

Directed by the Duffer Brothers, the show is a love letter to the supernatural and science fiction movies of 80s, filled with homages to movies such as “E.T.” and “The Thing.”

But it never overdoes the references to the ’80s but instead has characters that feel like real people that lived in the 80s with superb acting, notably from the child actors such as the character Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown.

It masterfully blends all of the tropes and familiar stories from its inspirations telling a gripping story of the search for a lost boy from an unknown force.