Sophomore Lists Top 5 Fav Netflix Shows

By Hannah Zoller ‘26 
Netflix is a subscription-based streaming service that allows members to watch TV shows and movies on an internet-connected device. In my case, I rarely come across a show on Netflix that I haven’t watched. TV has become an outlet for me; it is an activity where I can escape from reality and unplug from daily stressors. My top five Netflix shows are crafted into a detailed list formed from countless hours spent on Netflix. Here they are:

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1. Jane the Virgin. In this Americanized satirical telenovela, Gina Rodriguez stars as Jane Gloriana Villanueva, a devout 23-year-old virgin who becomes pregnant after an accidental artificial insemination with a man who would have otherwise been a total stranger but instead is someone she fell in love with. The show was nominated for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy, and Gina Rodriguez won Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. The show also received a Peabody Award and was selected as one of the top 10 television programs of 2014 by the American Film Institute. Jane the Virgin is a given fan favorite and a number one in my book. 
   
2. The Good Place. An American fantasy-comedy television series, This show sticks out to me because it is very niche in comparison to all of the other shows on Netflix.  It touches on topics that are typically untouchable, like the afterlife. Although the plot drastically evolves throughout the series, the premise is based around Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), a woman who died and was sent to The Good Place, a highly selective Heaven-like utopian afterlife, to live for eternity. She realizes that she was sent by mistake and is not the righteous person she was made out to be. Therefore, she must hide her morally imperfect past behavior while trying to become a better, more ethical person so she doesn’t get sent to The Bad Place (Hell). I rank this series number two because it provides individuals with an alternative perspective on virtue and a possible afterlife that is not based solely on religious beliefs. Sophomore Arielle Karni said, “This series made me believe in the possibility of a perfect life after death!”
   
3. Stranger Things. In this show, a young boy named Will Byers vanishes into a small town and discovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and a strange, bald, homeless little girl with abilities parallel to a superhuman. To say the show is based around Will Byers going missing is a false statement because this show develops and unfolds unlike the best show of them. From the romance to the sci-fi elements to murder, abuse, otherworldly obstacles and paranormal individuals and occurrences, this show ranks number three not just because it is incredibly enthralling, but because at its core it is a story of fighting for what you believe in, even when others don’t agree or support you.
   
4. Ginny and Georgia. In this drama, the angsty 15-year-old Ginny Miller often feels more mature than her 30-year-old mother. Her mother, however, is the irresistible, dynamic, beautiful young woman named Georgia Miller (or so she says). After years on the run, Georgia desperately wants to start a life in the picture-perfect New England, hoping to give her daughter Ginny and son Austin something they've never had: a normal life. How this plan works out for Georgia is my favorite part of the series because there are plot twists around her past that tie into her unpredictable future. Sophomore Shaya Zorel’s favorite show is Ginny and Georgia; she said, “Ginny and Georgia displays a different way for mothers and daughters to connect.”
   
5. Insatiable. This is an American dark comedy-drama series created by Lauren Gussis, starring Dallas Roberts and Debby Ryan. One thing I love about this show is that it is based on Jeff Chu's article "The Pageant King of Alabama," published in July 2014 in The New York Times Magazine. The plot consists of 17-year-old Patty Bladell, who is bullied at school for being overweight. After a violent encounter with a homeless man and a summer of liquid diet, she becomes thin and determined to seek revenge on her bullies at the start of her senior year. Bob Armstrong, a civil lawyer and pageant coach, discovers Patty's potential and sets out to convert her into a beautiful pageant queen. Although alluring, the series received negative reviews from critics who called the show "offensive" and "insulting." Still, some praise the performances and dark humor. The show, although controversial, taught me that you should always love and respect yourself. The best revenge is when you gain confidence and start to not care what people think of you. ​