During your next Netflix and chill session, binge watch the best original shows.

Written By

Diana Brooks

Located in central California, Diana brings a west coast vibe. Interested in vintage, horror, and all things deviant, Diana offers her controversial opinions to GEEKROOM.

In a world where you can’t have a conversation if you don’t know what’s happening on television, everyone is familiar with the warm, glowing red and white logo of Netflix. The streaming company offers a slew of movies and tv shows from all different categories, but Netflix has started creating more and more original content for viewers to enjoy. For example, the newest Netflix original show about the Canadian frontier and stars Jason Momoa, otherwise known as Khal Drogo from Game of Thrones. Titled, Frontier, the series follows the chaotic and violent struggle to control wealth and power in the North American fur trade in the late 18th century. Told from multiple perspectives, the series takes place in a world where business negotiations might be resolved with close-quarter hatchet fights, and where delicate relations between native tribes and Europeans can spark bloody conflicts. However, everyone knows this isn’t Netflix’s first foray into original programming. The company has created shows such as Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, BoJack Horseman, Jessica Jones, and Narcos to name which are perfect if you are looking to binge watch something good. It has even taken shows that had been canceled years ago—aka Arrested Development—and revived them with new seasons exclusively online. Essentially, Netflix is dominating television at the moment, and other streaming companies are struggling to keep up.

What do you get when you throw this decade’s biggest comedy stars into one room? Wet Hot American Summer. The original movie that was released in 2001 takes place on the last full day at a fictional summer camp in 1981. This Netflix original show is a prequel to the film and features many of the same actors, portraying even younger versions of themselves than they did in the film. Actors Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Christopher Meloni, Janeane Garofalo, Bradley Cooper and Amy Poehler all returned to reprise their characters from the film. New actors featured on the show include Chris Pine, Jon Hamm, Michael Cera, Jayma Mays, Randall Park, Jordan Peele and many others. With 8 new episodes, the Wet Hot American Summer franchise has successfully branched out and become a multi-headed monster. The review on Rotten Tomatoes reads, “Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp offers more of the same goofy hijinks that fans of the cult classic crave, but outsiders might not be quite as enamored with."

Who knew a show about a talking horse would resonate with a bunch of humans? BoJack Horseman is about a washed up actor from the 90’s trying to make a comeback. And yes, he’s a talking horse. The world of BoJack Horseman is filled with humans and anthropomorphic animals living in Hollywood. Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins), your typical Hollywood hunk, is a dog who made a career off of a show based on BoJack’s (Will Arnett). Todd (Aaron Paul) is a bum living in BoJack’s Beverly Hills home while Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris), BoJack’s cat agent, tries to get him a job. Things get complicated when ghostwriter Diane Nguyen (Allison Brie) comes into BoJack’s life and he realizes he might just be in love. Other members of the talent cast include Stanley Tucci, Lisa Kudrow, J.K. Simmons, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin, Patton Oswald and many more. One of the best things about this show is its realism, especially when it comes to depression. Entertainment Weekly critic Marc Snetiker said, "BoJack has become one of TV's best meta-skewers of Hollywood.”

Jessica Jones makes Daredevil look like a pansy. This woman isn’t trying to save the city. She’s trying to live day by day, barely getting by from paycheck to paycheck. Unlike most superhero stories, Jessica Jones follows the title character as she ends her superhero career. It was short and traumatic, and she quickly moves on to become a private investigator. This new original Netflix show, which will air on November 20, 2015, is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and shares continuity with the films of the franchise. It is also the second in a series of shows that will lead up to a Defenders crossover miniseries. Krysten Ritter, who stars as Jones, described the character, saying that "she goes about things in a very odd way, she’s very rough around the edges, and dry and sarcastic and a total asshole sometimes. But I think at her core she’s a good person." This show will be much different from other superhero shoes such as ABC’s Agents of Shield. Instead, it will look more like Netflix’s Daredevil with incredibly dark themes.

Ever wished Tom Haverford from NBC’s Parks and Recreation had his own show? Your wish has been granted. Aziz Ansari is a seasoned comedian best known for his role as Haverford on Parks and Rec, but he really comes into his own on his new Netflix Original, Master of None. The show follows Dev, an actor trying to snag his dream role while finding modern love in this day and age. The show stars Ansari as well as Noel Wells, Eric Wareheim, Kelvin Yu, H. Jon Benjamin, Lena Waithe, and many others. However, the true stars of the show are Ansari’s real parents, who play Dev’s parents on the show. One touching episode written by Aziz Ansari details a fictionalized version of his own father’s immigration to the United States and the sacrifices he had to make in order to give his son a better life. There’s also a lot of diversity flawlessly worked into the show. The review on Rotten Tomatoes reads, “Exceptionally executed with charm, humor, and heart, Master of None is a refreshingly offbeat take on a familiar premise.”

You don’t want to find out why this English gang calls themselves the Peaky Blinders. This show follows gang leader Tommy Shelby as he is tracked by Chief Inspector Chester Campbell. This inspector has come to England from Ireland where he tried to clear the streets of the IRA, Irish gangs, and common criminals. The main gang in Peaky Blinders is based on a gang of the same name from England in the 19th and 20th centuries. They were one of the many urban youth gangs in the era, which were among the earliest of modern street subcultures. The second season of this show takes place 2 years after the events of the first and sees the Shelby family expanding their gang south and north while maintaining a stronghold in Birmingham heartland. Actors such as Cillian Murphy, San Neil, Tom Hardy, Helen McCrory, and many others grace the screen in this show. David Renshaw of The Guardian summarized the series to be a "riveting, fast-paced tale of post-first world war Birmingham gangsters", praising Cillian Murphy as the "ever-so-cool Tommy Shelby" and the rest of the cast for their "powerful performances."

Hell’s Kitchen is in danger and only one person can save it—Daredevil. This Netflix Original show follows blind attorney Matt Murdock, who lives a double life as Daredevil. Although Murdock’s day job suggests he’s in favor of the justice system, his night job as Daredevil suggests otherwise. Daredevil takes the law into his own hands and hunts down criminals such as the Kingpin in order to protect Hell’s Kitchen and its citizens. The show stars Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Rosario Dawson, Vincent D’Onofrio, and many others. This version of the Daredevil story is connected to many of the other Marvel tv shows currently airing on television, especially Jessica Jones and the soon-to-air Luke Cage spin-off. Thankfully, this show is much better that the Daredevil film starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. The review on Rotten Tomatoes reads, “With tight adherence to its source material's history, high production quality, and a no-nonsense dramatic flair, Daredevil excels as an effective superhero origin story, a gritty procedural, and an exciting action adventure.”

The King of Cocaine is back! Narcos is all about the life of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. Told through the perspective of American DEA agent Steve Murphy, the show follows Escobar’s rise in the Colombian drug industry and the country’s political system. While he introduces America to cocaine and kills hundreds of Colombian citizens, DEA agents work with Colombian law enforcement to trap the drug lord and arrest him. The show is an almost true-to-life account, with some characters’ names changed to protect the identities of those who lived during Escobar’s reign. The reason this show is so accurate is that the producers and actors consulted a few of the DEA agents who ended up capturing Escobar. Cliff Wheatley from IGN wrote a review that reads, "It's a true-to-life account, sometimes to a fault, of the rise of Pablo Escobar and the hunt that brought him down laced with stellar performances and tension-filled stand-offs. Its blend of archival footage reminds us that the horrors depicted really happened, but also manage to present an Escobar that is indefensible but frighteningly sympathetic."

Sometimes your oldest enemy becomes your greatest friend. Grace and Frankie find this out when their husbands end up falling in love with each other and leave their wives. With their worlds crumbling around them, Grace and Frankie find happiness in one another. Netflix original re-teams Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin from 9 to 5 as Grace and Frankie, respectively, bringing their chemistry to the small screen. Tomlin is reunited with her co-star from The West Wing, Martin Sheen, who plays Grace's husband, Robert. And Fonda is back with Sam Waterston, her co-star from The Newsroom, who plays Frankie's husband, Sol. The review on Rotten Tomatoes reads, "Grace and Frankie's stellar cast adds an undeniable appeal, although its sloppy dialogue and clichéd sitcom setup will still leave most viewers wanting." The show has been picked up for a second season.

What happens when a dysfunctional family loses all their money and is forced to get to know one another? Hilarity. Arrested Development originally aired on Fox for 3 seasons during the early 2000’s but was canceled in 2006. Netflix picked up the show and a 4th season was released in 2013. The show is about the Bluths, a family of narcissistic, materialistic, and downright strange people who must learn to live together after patriarch George Bluth is arrested and the family loses all their money. The star of the show is Jason Bateman as Michael Bluth, one of the middle children who decides it’s up to him to keep the family together. Other stars include Portia de Rossi, Michael Cera, Jeffrey Tambor, Will Arnett, Tony Hale, David Cross, Jessica Walter, and Alia Shawkat. In 2012, Entertainment Weekly listed the show at No. 2 in the "25 Best Cult TV Shows from the Past 25 Years," praising its "fast, delirious, interlocking jokes that don't pander to the masses; winky gags (e.g. fake preview scenes for the following week's episode); and a cast of absurd characters.” Netflix has announced that there will be a 5th season of the show.

“Females are strong as hell!” Have you ever wondered what happened to the women found in underground cults after they were freed? While this can be a serious topic to make a show from, Unbreakable Kimmy Schimdt does a fantastic job pumping humor into this situation. Kimmy Schmidt lived in an underground cult for most of her life, so when she finally gets released, she doesn’t know how to interact with the world around her. She moves to New York City and gets an apartment with flamboyant actor Titus Andromedon while also taking a job as a nanny for Jacqueline Voorhees’ children. The show stars The Office alum Ellie Kemper as well as Tituss Burgess, Carol Kane, Jane Krakowski and surprise appearances by many of comedy’s greatest stars. The show has been nominated for various awards including 2015 Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Jane Krakowski and many others. Its review on Rotten Tomatoes reads, “Blessed with originality and a spot-on performance from Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is as odd as it is hilarious."