Final grades are posted, the weather is threatening to reach 90-degrees and the once seemingly endless stream of essays has ceased for the next three-months. While writing papers, doing readings and hanging out with fellow members of your species is great; sometimes you just need to hibernate with a glass of lemonade and the good old world wide web. I have compiled a list of the top 10 best shows to watch on Netflix. This list is an eclectic mix of ranging from absurdist comedies to intersectional legal thrillers that are that are among my all time favorites-- just in case you just don't feel like being a productive member of society for an hour (or six).
1. "Breaking Bad."
After her husband's unexpected death, suburban mom Nancy Botwin embraces her new identity as the neighborhood pot dealing widow. At first, Nancy struggles in the ethically and personally complex business of marijuana distribution. She ends up compromising her morals and the well being of her children in order to keep up with her suburban lifestyle. "Weeds" is deeply satirical, brilliant and well worth your time.
5. "Jane the Virgin."
Admittedly, I was a slightly skeptical when I first heard about this show, but my skepticism immediately changed after I watched the first episode. "Jane the Virgin" is a loose adaptation of the Venezuelan telenovela, "Juana la Virgen." The modern adaption is a clear homage to it's telenovela roots within a contemporary setting. "Jane the Virgin" details Jane Villanueva's journey as she is accidentally inseminated and eventually becomes part of the plot of a real life telenovela that tangoes the line between drama and comedy with immaculate precision.
6. "Revenge."
Based of off the French novel, "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas, "Revenge" chronicles Emily Thorne's escapades as she avenges her father's wrongful incarceration by ruining the living of every single rich Hamptonite that framed him for the fatal terrorist attack. Emily's web of lies begins to unravel beneath her charity work and engagement to her enemy's son as she traverses morally uneven grounds while she searches for justice.
7. "The Office."
"The Office" doesn't need an introduction. It's wonderful. Go watch it.
8. "Grace and Frankie."
After finding out that their husbands are more than work partners, Grace and Frankie leave their 45-year marriages and form a complicated and unlikely friendship. The brilliance of this show is entirely the result of Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin's brilliant, dynamic performances which are both wonderfully honest and bluntly humorous.
9. "United States of Tara."
Tara Gregson, artist, wife and mother is diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder. She decides to stop taking her medication while her alters wreck chaos in her life. "Tara" is deeply character-driven and the nexus of family, friendship and mental illness works as a perfect platform for comedy and drama.
10. "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."
In Tiny Fey's absurdist comedy, "Kimmy Schmidt" decides to move to New York City after being rescued from an underground bunker. Armed with unconventional optimism, Kimmy seeks out a job as a nanny for Jacqueline Voorhees, the narcissistic ex-wife of a millionaire, befriends Titus Andromedon, the struggling actor, and navigates the many twists and turns as her past eventually catches up with her.
