Shows Worth Checking out on Netflix
By Jaya Daniel
Netflix is no longer just a platform for streaming programming, but has become a network on its own offering a cornucopia of original programming.
Given a Second Life
Netflix has brought a number of shows back to life, years after they ended their run on network television or played on the big screen. These titles include Wet Hot American Summer about a group of campers and counselors on their first day at Camp Firewood; Arrested Development about the dysfunctional Bluth family; and Gilmore Girls, which hasn’t aired yet, but will be returning with four 90 minute episodes.
The newest addition to this category is Fuller House. Similar to the original concept, DJ is a single mom of three who finds herself overwhelmed with the daunting task of raising her children alone. To help her out, her sister Stephanie and best friend Kimmy, along with her daughter, move into the house. Peppered with cameos from past cast mates, Fuller House offers a more mature and watchable show…if you can get past the nostalgia overloaded first episode.
Documentaries
From Blackfish, about the dangers of capturing and containing killer whales, to uncovering King Richard III’s bones underneath a parking lot over 500 years after his death in Secrets: Richard III Revealed, Netflix is full of compelling documentaries. However, the one that has recently received the most attention is Making a Murderer. Wrongly accused and sent to prison for murder, Steven Avery is released from prison only to be arrested again for murder a year later. But, was he justly arrested or did police corruption play a role in his incarceration?
Movies on the Small Screen
Netflix had such great success with original television shows that they tested the waters with a full-length film, Beasts of No Nation starring Idris Elba and Abraham Attah. The drama centers on Agu, a child soldier forced to fight in a civil war, leading him to experience cruelty no child should ever have to endure.
A Dose of Comic Relief
Comedies are in no short supply on Netflix. While they may not garner as much attention as the dramas, they are still worth checking out. Created by Tina Fey, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a quirky comedy about a woman who was kidnapped and lived in a bunker, thinking the world had been destroyed. Freed from captivity, she’s living a full, though incredibly naïve, life in NYC. On the other end of the spectrum is Grace and Frankie. Two women find out their husbands, who are partners in a law firm, have fallen in love and are partners outside the courtroom as well. Now they have to adjust to being newly single so late in life, as well as accept their new family dynamic.
However, if you’re looking for a smart and refreshing comedy to sink your teeth into I recommend Aziz Ansari’s Master of None. It follows the everyday life of a young actor trying to make it in NY. The show has compelling content that is incredibly relatable to audiences of all ages.
Pause for Dramatic Effect
There are so many amazing dramas to watch on Netflix that the issue ends up being how do you find time to watch everything? You can experience prison life in Orange is the New Black; the pitfalls of drug trafficking in Narcos; living under the rule of Kublai Khan in Marco Polo; navigating family and life while keeping everyone’s skeletons hidden in the closet in Bloodline; or saving the people of Hells Kitchen in the superhero thrillers Daredevil and Jessica Jones.
But, with the political climate so intense right now, the premiere of House of Cards’ fourth season couldn’t have come at a better time. A political thriller full of scandal, backdoor deals and manipulation, this show is so much more than a guilty pleasure.
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Arroz Con Pollo
by Soraya Hanzus
As Narcos takes place in Columbia, get in the right mindset for this intense show with a classic Colombian favorite - arroz con pollo, aka chicken and rice.
This recipe yields four servings:
Ingredients
- 2 whole chicken breasts, bone and skin removed
- 2 ½ cups of chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon tablet
- 1 cup of long-grain white rice
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 scallion
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 minced garlic clove
- ½ cup of frozen peas
- ½ cup of frozen diced carrots
- ½ cup of frozen diced green beans
- ½ white onion
- ½ tablespoon of ground cumin
- ½ tablespoon of sazon Goya with azafran
- ¼ cup of chopped onion
- ¼ cup of chopped red bell pepper
- ¼ cup of chopped green pepper
- ¼ cup of chopped fresh cilantro
- Salt and pepper
Directions
- Put the chicken breast, 5 cups of water, and the remaining ingredients for the stock in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to a medium low. Cook for 20-25 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the chicken rest in the pot for roughly 15 minutes covered. Let it cool, shred, and set aside. Strain stock and measure 2 ½ cups and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, green peppers, garlic, and red bell pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent.
- Add the rice, tomato paste, chicken bouillon, and sazon Goya. Stir until the rice is well coated. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for approximately 15 minutes. Add the peas, carrots, and green beans. Cook for an additional 7 minutes, add the shredded chicken and cilantro, mix well with a fork, cover, and cook for five more minutes.
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