If you’re looking for an escape from your family talking about your grades, your love life, or the election, or if you just want to suppress the thought of upcoming finals, here are 6 shows you can watch and finish over Thanksgiving Break.
The Get Down
For fans of hip-hop, black culture, or music in general, this is an easy show to finish next week. The Netflix original series only has one season consisting of six episodes, making it perfect for a week-long (or night-long) binge. The Get Down mixes fiction and history, telling the story of a young boy and his friends in the Bronx as they meet famed DJ Grandmaster Flash and form what will become the Furious Five. Directed by Baz Luhrmann (The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge), the show is full of colorful characters and draws the line between history and entertainment.
Stranger Things
This sci-fi horror series has been taking Netflix by storm this year. Set in 1980’s Indiana, the show follows three boys investigating the disappearance of their friend. Things become…well, stranger when they meet a girl with psychokinetic powers and a government agency’s cover-up begins to unravel. Currently consisting of a single season of eight episodes, the Netflix original series has already been renewed for a second season next year. Fans of older horror/sci-fi films and mysteries are sure to be hooked.
Narcos
Another Netflix original that has been taking sucking viewers in is the crime thriller/pseudo-biography Narcos. This show follows infamous drug kingpin Pablo Escobar in his rise to the top of the Colombian cocaine trade. Another show which mixes history with entertainment, the show has two seasons, each containing ten episodes, and has two more seasons on the way. If you’re looking to finish the series, you’re going to have to break out the popcorn and really binge on this one.
Luke Cage
If you’re a fan of the recent Marvel movies or just of action shows in general, Netflix’s Luke Cage is for you. Marvel character Luke Cage is a former convict-turned-vigilante with superhuman strength and impenetrable skin who becomes Harlem’s protector. The series showcases a lot of the black culture that Harlem is known for and includes a lot of commentary on race, politics, the Black Lives Matter movement, using the turbulent 1970’s as its backdrop.
Arrested Development
Looking for something more light-hearted? Arrested Development is a classic sitcom from the mid-2000’s that follows a formerly-wealthy family as the try to continue their opulent lives after losing all their money. During its initial run, the show was lauded by critics and fans alike, and received several awards. The original three seasons consist of around twenty episodes each, making finishing this one a noble challenge. If you’re really daring, you can attempt Netflix’s revival season of the show, although it was not as universally acclaimed.
Master of None
This Netflix original stars Aziz Ansari (of Parks and Recreation fame) in a comedy-drama set in New York follows a 30-year-old aspiring actor trying to understand adulthood. Ansari co-wrote the show, so it contains much of his typical quirky humor. So far the show only has one season of ten episodes, making it an easy watch next week, with Season Two coming next year.
