The community of Dads has spoken – did one of your favourites make the cut? Curious to know what shows Dads rate as binge-worthy on Netflix? The Dadsnet poll of 500 dads is in and it’s revealed an exciting list of top ten Netflix shows. I can tell you’re itching to know the results. So lets kick off The Dadsnet Top Ten with no further ado:
10. Orange Is The New Black
It appears a lot of our dads are watching and loving this show. Who knew that the lives of female prison inmates could catch the attention of so many Dads? Well Dads are Netflix aficionados, and are fully aware that Orange Is the New Black has become Netflix’s most-watched original series. As well as garnering 16 Emmy Award nominations and four wins during it’s run of domination, this black comedy show manages to mesh brutality and humour, effectively gluing it’s viewers to their seats. We see Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), a happily engaged New Yorker who is sent to a women’s federal prison to join larger-than-life inmates, played by an all star female cast. Trekkie Dads can be sure to enjoy Kate Mulrew as Red, a Russian inmate who runs the prison’s kitchen as the master chef, and is the behind-the-scenes leader of the prison’s (white) population.
9. Star Trek: Discovery
So yeah, apparently a lot of Dads really are Trekkies, a theme which follows our OITNB entry. Without falling into the trap of Kelvin Timelines, we can at least cheer the return of “proper” sci-fi to our screens, with Discovery being piloted as a prequel to The Original Series (think classic Shatner Kirk) set 10 years before the voyages of the famous NCC-1701. We watch the adventures of Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) a human who was adopted and raised by Vulcans (think Spock) who rises through Starfleet to become First Officer onboard USS Shenzhou under Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) until Michael commits mutiny and is stripped of rank. Burnham is later recruited by Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) to join the tech-laden and experimental USS Discovery, as a science specialist after serving only six months of her life sentence, as Lorca believes Burnham to be a key asset in the war against the Klingons. Expect epic ship battles and new experimental spore drives to keep you entertained, as this Star Trek TV show takes full advantage of today’s cutting edge CGI.
8. The Good Place
Which Dads out there remember Ted Danson in Three Men and a Baby and Three Men and a Little Lady? Is Danson bringing the good Dad vibes home with this NBC fantasy comedy? Or maybe The Dadsnet lot are just massive fans of Kristen Bell (of Frozen fame) who plays Eleanor Shellstrop, a woman who wakes up in the afterlife. This afterlife is, coincidentally, designed by Danson’s Michael (the charming but scheming architect of the Good Place) where Eleanor and her fellow humans reside. It’s a highly selective Heaven-like utopia, which he has curated as a reward for her righteous life. However, Eleanor realises that she was clearly sent there by mistake, and now must hide her morally imperfect behaviour, while trying to become a better and more ethical person. Michael in the meantime has a deep fascination for humans and human life, delighting in things ranging from paper clips to suspenders and car keys, with the show relying on these comic factors to get laughs in this beautifully absurd, clever and whimsical portrayal of the afterlife. The smart Dads out there are also getting a kick from the show’s exploration and creative use of ethics and moral philosophy. Still need a reason to tune in along with countless other Dads? I mean it’s got Ted Danson in it for one. Isn’t he arguably the greatest American sitcom actor of all time? Cheers to that!
7. Black Mirror
Black Mirror makes for unique viewing. This Emmy Award winning show examines modern society, particularly paying regards to the unanticipated consequences of new technologies. Episodes are standalone, usually set in an alternative present or the near future, often with a dark and satirical tone, though some are more experimental and lighter. Having been added to Netflix after being shown on Channel 4 in the UK, there’s been an increase in interest in Black Mirror internationally, particularly in the United States. The show has been described as a work of “dark and twisted genius” born from the mind of Charlie Brooker, the well known English broadcaster. Well worth checking out if you’re a fan of dystopian storytelling which really aims to unsettle its audience. Apparently Robert Downey Jr. wanted to make a film based on a Black Mirror episode – you can go ahead now and store that in your useless trivia folder!
6. Suits
Hi-flying lawyers battling it out in THE show that spawned a two nation Princess? NBCUniversal’s extravagant American legal drama TV series, is out to graduate valedictorian of its class. We follow the smooth Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), who bluffs his way through the interview of the century to win a job as a New York heavyweight corporate lawyer. Mike joins forces with his boss Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) and a host of other legal titans at the show’s fictional law firm, despite having never completed his law degree. So there’s secrets and sizzling love affairs aplenty (Megan Markle as Rachel Zane, No.1 Ross love interest) although Suits is ALL about Harvey Spector: the lean, mean, loophole finding lawyer machine, with an impeccable taste in fine tailoring. Binge-tastic is the word from the jury!
5. The Punisher
4. Sons Of Anarchy
What have motorcycle gangs and our Dads got in common? Beards and bikes? More like brotherhood, loyalty and redemption, which are this shows constant themes. We are taken along for a ride with the lovable dudes of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle gang, following their leader Jackson ‘Jax’ Teller (Charlie Hunnan) as he accelerates into danger. Expect doses of vigilantism, government corruption and racism, and the depiction of an outlaw motorcycle club as an analogy for human transformation. Each season involves parallel plot lines that intertwine and overlap so there’s plenty to keep you skipping intros. The show has lots of drama on hand as well, with ex-wives and difficult pregnancies to entertain the Dads that like to reminisce.
3. Stranger Things
Cue the 80’s synths and grab your D&D dice. It’s time to enter the science fiction-horror world of Stranger Things. It’s a mix of investigative drama, alongside supernatural elements, portrayed with childlike sensibilities, which evidently appeals to our Netflix devouring Dads. The plot follows the disappearance of a young boy from the fictional town of 1980’s Hawkins in Indiana, which takes place amid supernatural events, such as rampaging monsters and space-time tears. We follow four young friends as they uncover secret laboratories, and the bizarre experiments created inside them, trapping the audience in masterful suspense. With the show getting universal critical acclaim for its characterisation, pacing, atmosphere, acting, soundtrack, directing, writing, and countless homages to 1980s genre films, you’re looking at a popcorn munching eye-fest. With 31 Emmy Award nominations and an adorable cast of young actors who outclass most of Hollywood, you are left with little option than to give in to the shows supernatural forces, and indulge. Stranger things have not happened!
2. Peaky Blinders
Peaky Blinders is a gangster family epic. Set in Birmingham, England in 1919, several months after the end of the First World War. The story centres on the Peaky Blinders gang and their ambitious and highly cunning boss Tommy Shelby (played by Cillian Murphy). He’s ever-so-cool and is clearly the envy of Dads everywhere The series focuses on the notion of social classes and empires and is full of powerful performances from its star studded cast. You’ll be buying flat caps, razorblades and sporting a Brummie accent, once you’ve torn yourself away from the show’s backstreets and bad boys. If you like your Netflix high-paced, and high-octane, then it’s high time you gave Blinders a bash. You can’t argue with a show that’s boxed its way into the No.2 spot, knocking the rest of the competition out cold, with Dads everywhere cheering this series onto the Netflix podium.
1. Breaking Bad
There are two types of people in this world. Those that have seen Breaking Bad and those that haven’t. You also get the holdouts and the sceptics, so if you’re still sitting in the have-not seen camp, this is for you. Expect a slow burn from the start, but its a show that’s worth sticking with, as you sit back and enjoy watching the world of Walter White unravel. Heralded as a “neo-western crime drama”, the show tells the story of Mr White (Bryan Cranston) a struggling and depressed high school chemistry teacher, who is diagnosed with lung cancer. Together with his former student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), White turns to a life of crime by producing and selling crystallized methamphetamine, to secure his family’s financial future (he’s a father of two) all before he dies. That is if he isn’t killed whilst navigating the dangers of the criminal underworld. I’m no critic, but if I was, I’d be one of those calling it one of “the greatest television shows of all time”. There has to be a reason its The Dadsnet community’s most loved show, and I’m not about to argue with a bunch of sleep deprived Netflix addicts. Get it seen! Did your most loved shows make the grade? Is Breaking Bad really the best show on Netflix? Let The Dadsnet know in the comments below.
