Catastrophe 97 This is hands down my all-time favorite sitcom.Rob, a New York executive, has a brief affair with Sharon, a teacher, while he’s on a business trip to London. The resulting pregnancy upends their lives.Sharon struggles to adapt to living with this unwanted, and mostly useless American, who suddenly moves in with her. Hilarity ensues as Rob tries to navigate the unintended relationship and his new life in Britain.The thing about Catastrophe is that you’re getting the full, unfiltered and untouched package of creative expression by two very creative people: It’s a show created by Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney, written by Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney, and starring Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney (as, you guessed it, Sharon and Rob).The show is Sharon and Rob’s product of love, and it’s just great. More On PrimeComedy/ Romance Under 30 Minutes
Manhunt: Unabomber 97 A dramatic take on the life and capture of Ted Kaczynski, popularly known as UNABOMBER(UNiversity and Airline BOMber) from the eyes of an FBI profiler. Kaczynski was responsible for 16 bombings, and it took 17 years for the FBI to catch him. To date, he's the target of the most expensive chase the FBI has ever launched. The show is not a mystery (facts are the matter of public domain) and doesn't even pretend to be one. Instead, it focuses on the complex motives of the UNABOMBER, as well as the bureaucracy that the FBI ran through trying to catch him. It's a really well-made, engrossing show that's hard not to watch in one take. It's 8 episodes of 40 minutes, so pick the time you start it wisely. More On NetflixCrime/ Mystery 30 minutes to 1 hour
The Last Kingdom 96 This show has fantastic action sequences, the best I’ve seen in a historical drama.Based on the best-selling historical novel series The Saxon Stories, this is a story of adventure, war and complex characters that intersect during the Danish invasion of Britain. Uhtred of Bebbanburg was a small who boy when he was kidnapped and then raised by violent Danes. He grows up to be a great warrior, but his half-Saxon and Danish roots make him the subject of skepticism on both sides.Bold statement alert: There has never been a better alternative to Game of Thrones. While it’s not meant to be compared to Game of Thrones, the high production value, the multi-layered writing, and some great newcomer actors inevitably induce the same sense of addiction. More On NetflixAction/ History 30 minutes to 1 hour
You’re the Worst 95 Jimmy is a smart, insensitive lone-wolf with an excess of confidence. Gretchen is a smart self-destructive other lone-wolf suffering from clinical depression. They meet. You’re the Worst is the story of their relationship, or lack thereof, as they bring both of their single attachments to friendship to the scene, Edgar, a war-veteran who suffers from PTSD, and Lindsay, Gretchen’s sloppy best friend who married a nerd for his money. As a single-camera sitcom You’re the Worst acts as if it cares about the standards of the genre, but especially in season 2 where it deals with Gretchen’s clinical depression, it actually emerges as an innovative, realistic and fearless series about relationships. Smartly written, and features electric chemistry between Aya Cash and Chris Geere as the two leads. You’re the Worst starts as the perfect no-brainer, watch-two-episodes-over-dinner-every-night, until the plot captures you and you find yourself so hooked that you can’t watch anything else. More Comedy/ Drama/ Romance Under 30 Minutes
Abstract: The Art of Design 95 Each episode of Abstract is a look into an art discipline through the lens of a selected contemporary pioneer. From illustration to footwear design, the show follows how the artists create and live, how they got started, etc. The documentary itself is really aesthetically pleasing, which kind of taps into your own creativity. The designers in the series are unknowingly well-known. Does that make sense? You will instantly recognise their work even though you’ve never heard of them before. A light, easy-going and inspirational documentary. More On NetflixDocumentary 30 minutes to 1 hour
Mindhunter 94 An exquisite crime show made under the supervision of David Fincher. It’s a beautifully retro account of the start of serial murders and law enforcement’s early attempts to understand them. When his role as a negotiator comes to an abrupt end, agent Holden Ford becomes involved with the freshly founded Behavioral Science Unit headed by agent Bill Tench (marvelously played by Holt McCallany). Together they go around the country interviewing serial killers and trying to solve open murder cases. Possibly Netflix’s most binge-worthy show so far, Mindhunter is a very interesting, almost scientifically oriented thriller. More On NetflixMystery 1 30 minutes to 1 hour
7. Icarus 94 Icarus starts with director Bryan Fogel deciding to inject himself with doping substances and participate in a biking race undetected. By accident, he ends up in contact with a Russian scientist. This man transforms the movie from a personal experiment to a highly relevant political thriller. Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, the scientist is at the center of accusations in Russia of a virtually impossible state-sponsored doping scheme. With links to the Russian president Putin himself, the movie keeps getting more and more interesting as the relationship between Fogel and Rodchenkov develops. Aside from all the madness that unfolds, Rodchenkov’s likeable personality makes the story more relatable and humane, and gives an insight into the pressures of working in the regulatory body in a country like Russia. You will be astonished by how much material this movie has. A must-watch. More On Netflix Documentary / Mystery True-crime4 2017
8. Wind River 94 Phenomenal and heartbreaking, Wind River is a true masterpiece by Taylor Sheridan, the man behind Sicario and Hell or High Water. In a Native American Reservation, a local girl is found dead and a young detective (Elizabeth Olsen) tries to uncover the mystery. She is accompanied by a tracker (Jeremy Renner) with his own dark history in the community. It’s not a very rewarding movie at first, so don’t expect an incredibly fast-paced story from the get-go. However, when everything unfolds, it’s not only action-packed, its reflections on indigenous communities are deep and poignant. How this remains a relatively known movie is shocking, it has to be one of the best mysteries of the past 20 years. More On Netflix Mystery Well-acted6 2017
9. Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond 92 When asked to play Andy Kaufman, Jim Carrey decided that he would get into character and never get out, even when the camera was not rolling. This was extremely frustrating to everyone at first, especially the director, who had no way of communicating with Jim Carrey, only Andy Kaufman or Tony Clifton (an alter ego created by Andy Kaufman). At the same time, Carrey had allowed a camera crew to follow him in order to create a behind-the-scenes documentary. The footage was never released because Universal Studios expressed concerns that “people would think Jim Carrey is an asshole”. Jim & Andy is that footage being displayed for the first time since it was recorded 20 years ago, finding Carrey at a very unique point in his life. Sick of fame and almost sick of acting, he displays his true self – an unbelievably smart, fragile, and complex person. His commentary, when it’s not funny impressions, is extremely emotional and grounded – sometimes philosophical. This is one of the best documentaries that Netflix has ever bought the distribution rights for, and certainly a mind-blowing portrayal of a complex mind. More On Netflix Documentary Thought-provoking1 2017
