What’s everyone watching these days? Following the end of “Dancing With the Stars,” I’d say “Stranger Things,” of course, but what about the older shows? Have Netflix viewers been relying a little too hard on entertainment of the past? Is that such a bad thing? Everything’s better in the olden days anyway. Here are some of our favs from years past, and some of them are making a comeback.

After Life

A dramedy following a journalist, Tony Johnson, debilitated by his wife’s death, tries not to take his own life but instead does whatever he wants, no matter the consequences. What first is a dark-humored commentary on the cruel finality of life, opposed to the sometimes crueler mundanity, becomes heartfelt and charged with a vigor to live despite the death of others.

His wife lives on symbolically through their dog, who requires him to stay alive to care for, along with his father, who lives in a senior care facility. It explores the ominous loom of never-ending grief, until Tony becomes softened by his impact on others, including a symbiotic relationship with his drug dealer, an unlikely friendship with a stripper, and a shared grievance with an elderly woman.

Both motivated by the liveliness of his coworkers, those who strive on despite their apparent lackings, and comically dispirited by the dying newspaper industry, he builds connections with those around him that eventually sustain a dragging sense of content that prevents him from doing the deed.

“After Life” is successfully amusing, but don’t watch it if you think the dying newspaper industry part will bring you down. Oh yeah, and the dead wife.

Nurse Jackie

Another dramedy – this one currently taking Netflix by storm, transforming into a trendy must-watch. The show follows a nurse plagued by a painkiller addiction who must keep her dealings aside to keep her job, the one thing sustaining her even more than the pills. While her family unknowingly suffers the consequences, she remains the top nurse at All Saints Hospital in New York City.

With seven seasons, and 30 minutes a pop, this fast-paced show keeps you wanting more. Each season feels themed symbolically with the rise and fall of addiction and the manipulation that follows. Both dramatic and comical, “Nurse Jackie” depicts emotional and physical pain and the lengths people will go to end it.

With heartfelt moments peaking through the chaos, this show is versatile and entertaining to almost everyone who watches. It’s binge-worthy up until the end, but like real-life addiction, the cyclicality of it all can be tiring and predictable.

Animal Kingdom

A cult classic. Audiences and critics loved it, yet “Animal Kingdom” found its greatest fame only recently when it returned to Netflix.

The story follows a family born into crime by their mother, Smurf Coady, who runs her gang more like a dictator, only incorporating love for manipulation or even supposed sexual attention.

The death of Smurf’s only daughter causes her 17-year-old grandson to move in with her side of the family, introducing him into their underworld crime empire, and just how an otherwise lowlife family has not only been keeping their heads out of the water but much more. While balancing themes of morality and necessity, “Animal Kingdom” traverses the rocky territory of what we owe to family.

“Animal Kingdom” has the cinematic feel of a movie, with much greater character development that you just can’t get in 120 minutes. Spoiler alert — the storyline does run a bit stale after a certain character’s untimely death, but that’s not really until season three.

Bloodline

A dramatic thriller that follows the respected Rayburn family running a coastal inn in the Florida Keys as they cope with the return of their outcast brother, Danny. This seemingly perfect family struggles with the corrosive nature of secrets, structured with flash-forwards that emphasize the suspenseful crime elements while giving space for the underlying narratives to develop.

Funny enough, this is a great watch for a Sunday night family gathering on the couch. With a gradient of personalities: the golden boy son, the hot-headed brother, the conflicted sister, and the black sheep, the series portrays familiar archetypes pushed past the point of no return.

Similar to “Animal Kingdom,” “Bloodline” explores how far you will go for family, but unlike the openly criminal Coadys, the Rayburns are consistently tormented by their buried, and not-so-buried, wounds. By refusing to confront their past, the Rayburns enshrine their future.

Although this can be a great watch, I can’t get past Kyle Chandler as John Rayburn and not as Eric Taylor. If only “Friday Night Lights” were on Netflix. Still, the love, the lies, the manipulation, it’s a contemporary soap opera of binge-worthy proportions.

words&photo_amber mason. 

Follow our Social Media:

Instagram  Tik Tok   Facebook    LinkedIn