I’ve always been a binge watcher on Netflix… and I honestly don’t see that changing anytime soon. Which is probably a bad thing because I usually start a show then finish it in a couple of hours if possible, or wait the entire day of school, constantly thinking about the plot of the show.

The list of shows below are ones that I have just recently finished binge-watching...or am just starting to binge watch and see no way of getting out of it. Most are dramatic in some form, but all have their own quality to them; the ones that I included the majority being from outside of the U.S.

So, here’s a list of 5 Netflix shows that you should binge watch (or really watching at a moderate pace is the best way to do this…) that aren’t the typically recommended shows like Friends, Jane the Virgin, Breaking Bad and Sherlock.

La Casa de Papel

The most recent show that I have finished binge-watching and let me just say, I have no regrets in procrastinating my school work (...and sadly studying) for this show.

Okay… maybe a little bit of regret, but that’s not the point.

La Casa de Papel is based around 8 convicts and their leader the “Professor” (cringey name but it suits him) robbing one of the most distinguished banks in Madrid, Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre. But this is no regular heist, this team plans to walk away with 2.4 billion euros, all done by an intricate plan that has the audience (and the law enforcement) not knowing what to expect.

If this sounds like a typical crime-drama TV show… it is. Although the main focus of this show is robbing the bank and the gang trying to escape from the police, it follows the platonic and romantic relationships between characters.

The Crown

A show that I am currently binge watching. As you can probably guess, it’s a royalty centered show, mingled with some aspects of politics. What makes this show intriguing are the characters and time period the creators of the show decided to use: mid-1900s with the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

This show starts with Elizabeth’s initial reign of the crown, following conflicts that she faced at a diplomatic level, getting used to the fact that she is a queen at the young age of 25 and personal problems involving her family and husband.

La Niña

Another Spanish show, but don’t let the language barrier stop you from watching it! This show is a bit long (ranging around 90, 60-minute episodes… even I haven’t finished it…) but the show gets you hooked from the beginning.

It takes place in Columbian and is centered around a young woman who has just escaped from being captive as a guerrilla fighter. To top it off, she also wants to go to medical school. While this show does follow her being in medical school, but it also shows personal conflicts that she faces with her family (in which she hasn’t seen since she was a little girl) and still escaping for the guerrilla fighters that are trying to get her back and a commander that she has had a scarring history with.

Black Mirror

If you haven’t watched Black Mirror yet, then you’re pretty behind the times, buddy (and that’s coming from someone who never usually knows what’s popular and not). Of course, read a bit more into this show if you’re easily squeamish or uncomfortable over sensitive scenes, but do watch if you like to be hit with an unexpected ending and you questioning everything after watching the show.

The nice part about this show is that each episode is a different plot, with different characters and a different location.

Good Morning Call

...Possibly the most cringiest show that I’m putting on this list, but nevertheless, it’s a pretty great show once you get past the somewhat cringey factors in this show.

This is a Japanese drama about these two students that have somehow been given the same apartment to live in for the school year. It’s best not to question why this happened, or why neither of them chose to move out after, it’s best to focus on their growing relationship-- beginning as platonic and slowly edging towards romantic.

It’s a cute show, a bit cringey and overly dramatic, but that’s what makes it great.