In my 16 years of television experience, I've seen everything from Dora the Explorer to Criminal Minds. And while the age of the audience certainly matters, the efficacy of a television show comes from two aspects only: character and plot.
Let's talk about plot first. It's the story that gets you hooked, what reels you in, and makes a show worthwhile. For example, if you've watched How to Get Away with Murder, you know that the plot is what made that show. The mystery, suspicion, constant flashbacks and flash forwards made the show very intriguing and almost impossible to resist. That is, until the 3rd or 4th season. Because after that, they became boring. The same thing happened with Riverdale and Grey's Anatomy (my apologies to any McDreamy fans); after that one murder, that one patient, things got boring after a while. As crazy as it sounds, murder can become boring if it happens enough, because it's just in human nature: we need change. However, Grey's Anatomy has something Riverdale, Vampire Diaries, and those similar shows don't: character.
Now I'm not saying that these shows didn't have great characters; I am quite the "Bughead" fan. But they weren't developed or realistic enough. For an audience to fall in love with a character, there has to be a level of relatability, and that's what you get with the characters in Grey's Anatomy. Meredith is the ultimate main character, McDreamy is the attractice nice guy that everyone wants, Cristina is the sarcastic, realistic best friend that everyone needs, and so on. It's essentially the best combination of realistic and idealistic they can come up with. And one show that does SUCH a good job of this is: New Girl.
If you haven't already tried this show, I highly recommend it. It's more in the comedy genre than a drama, but the character development is probably one of the best I've ever seen. Like you could actually believe they exist in real life, and are also totally awesome. I truthfully do not dislike any single character in that show, because while they have their faults, like any normal person, they're such good people. Which is how I view anyone in my life.
Another show that develops good characters is The Office (I know, so cliche). Disclaimer: The Office does only appeal to specific group of people, so you either love it or hate it. And being in the fan club, I am a little biased. However, they do develop their characters quite well, even though there is a certain lack of obvious plot, and some instances are rather, unbelievable. The thing that sells me on this show is the creativity. I mean, who had the idea to film people around an office and capture their whole lives? It's so unique and I really do love that.
Other shows also have a creative concept behind them, such as Criminal Minds (my current obsession). Yes, it deals with law enforcement that we've seen before (Law and Order, CSI), but it has a unique aspect to it: behavioral psychology, which really makes you think as an audience and draws you in, more than solely the cop/criminal aspect.
So, using these criteria, I've made a top ten list of shows to watch on Netflix. Remember, these are just my opinion!
1. The Office
2. Criminal Minds
3. New Girl
4. Jane the Virgin
5. The West Wing
6. You
7. The Flash
8. 13 Reasons Why (DO NOT watch if you are depressed)
9. Patriot Act
10. How to Get Away With Murder