The Latest in Netflix Gems

You ever notice things you once enjoyed in your youth aren’t as delightful now that you’re older and wiser? With Netflix, I’ve had the opportunity to catch up with a lot of shows I watched as a kid. When I say kid, I’m referring to myself under the age of twenty-one. My first mistake? I decided to watch Queer As Folk again. I couldn’t make it past two episodes. I *loved* the show in college but now? It’s problematic as fuck. Brian Kinney was always an asshole, but now that I view him through a more sophisticated lens, he is INTOLERABLE. And his gaggle of friends? Just. As. Bad. Michael was spineless… ugh. I can’t even. Emmett might’ve been the only one who didn’t irk me, but even he could not redeem that pile of poo. 

I also re-watched Ghostbusters the animated series. You have no idea how much I loved tuning in after school while I did my homework, but sadly it was also a major let down years later. Oddly enough despite being older cartoons, She-Ra and He-Man still managed to kick ass after a re-watch! 

Since I’ve shared what I disliked, how about we even out this post with things I liked TONS and want to recommend to you? It only seems fair. 

Ready?

Love Between the Covers

I think everyone in Romancelandia might’ve already seen this documentary about the romance industry, but I am late to the party. It was so incredibly cool to watch writers whose careers I admire talk about how they got their start. I saw Beverly Jenkins at RT this year (and she even smiled at me), but I didn’t have the nerve to talk to her. At Nationals, IT IS ON!!!! I SEE YOU MS. BEV! Seriously, without her doing her thing, and paving the way for black women romance writers, there would be no place for Harper Miller. I’ll definitely have to take some time out during the con to thank her and Brenda Jackson for sticking with this gig. It is because of these two ladies I am able to forge my path in this industry. 

Twin Peaks (The Original)

I watched the entire first season, and now I’m on episode two of season two. I NEED TO FIND OUT WHO KILLED LAURA PALMER! Also, friends who have seen the show and loved it recommended I watch Fire Walk With Me after I finish season two. It’s sitting on my DVR patiently waiting for me to power through the remainder of the season and play catch up. I also want to get caught up so that I can watch the reboot on Showtime. 

Riverdale

This ain’t the Archie you knew and loved as a kid! I shouldn’t be looking at a high school attendee with a raised brow, but Archie is HAWT. Not even gonna lie. The shot of his abs during the first episode left me a little verklempt. I absolutely adore the modern spin on Archie and the gang. LoL, I think the best departure from the comics IMO is how Moose is introduced. I hope we get more from his character in season two. Oh, oh, ohh! The best part you guys? MOLLY RINGWALD AND LUKE PERRY ARE ARCHIE’S PARENTS. My inner pop culture geek flailed at this revelation. 

The Santa Clarita Diet

Netflix is like the spouse I never had. It gets me. It understands me. It recommends things it knows I will love and it has only steered me wrong once (it said I had a 97% chance of liking Dr. Strange and I loathed that movie). What the hell Netflix? LIES!!! Anyway, when I received an email that said I might like this show I wasn’t very gung ho. The description was meh. BUT THEN I WATCHED THE TRAILER AND HOLY MOLY TIMOTHY OLYPHANT HAD A STARRING ROLE! People, that man is a silver fox personified. The older he gets, the hotter he gets and my girly bits stand at attention. #overshare 

But honestly, Timothy and Drew Barrymore make a great duo.

Last up?

Master of None

I feel ridiculous for once again being late to the party. THIS SHOW WILL LEAVE YOU IN STITCHES. It’s relatable, it’s hip, and it has an Asian male cast as the lead (Aziz Ansari of Parks and Rec fame) which is unheard of on network TV. Look at Netflix setting trends! They don’t need no stinkin’ network to make things happen. I may also be a smidge biased because the show mainly takes place in New York City.** First off, I must mention the realistic portrayal of NYC. You see people of ALL ethnicities featured unlike shows such as Friends and Girls. It’s like come on TV writers, where in the heck in NYC are these people residing where they never come across a person of color on a regular basis?! Where? Huh? Huhhhh?

Sigh. Anywho…

I also love how it focuses on the struggles that accompany dating as a PoC in NYC. Single people know dating is a hard knock life, but if you’re black or Asian, the stats aren’t exactly in our favor when it comes to desirability. Well, at least when it comes to online dating. Sad but true. Mildly depressing even. People reading this are probably thinking, “OMG NYC HAS SO MANY PEOPLE IT MUST BE AN AMAZING PLACE TO DATE!” Uh, no. LOL, not at all. This is exactly why I started writing romance. It’s less of a headache and far more reliable. 

Anyway, I highly recommend you watch this show! Do eeeeet! The Thanksgiving episode of season two made me laugh so hard I cried. 

**I don’t want to be all Spoily McSpoilson but the beginning of season two doesn’t kick off in the Big Apple. No need to fret because it does pick up there!

That’s it for my current Netflix gems. If you have any TV shows or movies you’d like to recommend on NF, feel free to drop em in the comments below!