In between Googling banana bread recipes, clapping for the NHS and reading articles about yoga stretches you can do whilst sat at your desk, sometimes the only way to cope with uncertainty is to lock the world out and immerse yourself in another one. That’s why we have compiled a list of our best binge-worthy series’ on Netflix – to help you ignore that little voice in your head telling you to ‘do something productive with your day’.
1. Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
Unless you’ve been living under a rock then you’ve probably heard of Netflix’s hit new miniseries series Tiger King. Filmed over a period of five years, the show follows Joe Exotic – a gay, gun-slinging, rockstar hillbilly living in a roadside zoo in Oklahoma. Mr. Exotic and an unbelievable cast of characters, including drug kingpins, conmen, and cult leaders, allow us a look into their shared passion for raising big cats. But with animal activists threatening to put them out of business, the story takes a dark turn. With a murder for hire plot, a presidential campaign, suicide, polygamy, and a weird magic show, this series is highly entertaining from start to finish.
2. You
With its second season debuting at the end of last year (meaning many more hours to watch), You finds the watcher become acquainted with Joe Goldberg – a smart bookstore manager who soon becomes attached to an aspiring female writer known as Beck. A charming yet awkward crush quickly becomes something much more sinister when she unknowingly turns into the manager’s obsession. Told from Joe’s perspective, the series gives us an interesting and eerie look into the mind of a stalker who will not let anything or anyone get in his way of being with the one he loves.
3. The Witcher
After the undeniably terrible ending of Game of Thrones last year, a new fantasy series made its debut in December and is definitely worth the watch. Based on the successful book series with the same name, The Witcher is headlined by a dedicated performance from the perfectly cast Henry Cavill who takes on the role of Geralt of Rivia – a mutated monster hunter who possesses a lifespan greater than the average human. Shunned by society, he makes his way through life by slaughtering grotesque monsters for anyone who will pay him coin – but some monsters might appear more human than others.
4. The Haunting of Hill House
Not for the faint of heart, Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House is both a great horror story and a compelling family drama, exploring how the horrors of our past are just as frightening as what goes bump in the night. The series centers on siblings who, as children, unfortunately grew up in the most famous haunted house in America. Now adults, they must confront the ghosts of their past but soon come to realise some may still lurk in the shadows of Hill House. The Haunting of Hill House skilfully balances real-world scares with supernatural ones that will definitely compel you to keep watching, even if it is behind the sofa!
5. Stranger Things
A love letter to the ’80s classics, Stranger Things is set in 1983 Indiana, where a young boy vanishes into thin air. As friends, family and local police search for answers, they are drawn into an extraordinary mystery involving top-secret government experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one very strange little girl. With an amazing cast and a new season, this show is guaranteed to make you feel nostalgic about your childhood (even if you weren’t born in the ’80s).