Those Saas Bahu dramas suddenly seem so outdated with the arrival of a wide variety of web series to choose from on different digital platforms. Television has lesser takers now than it did earlier, with the coming of the internet and everything being available at the click of a finger, viewing too has changed. More people prefer Netflix series rather than television shows these days( me included!).
In India too more and more big production houses are moving on or branching out to the business of making web series. Sacred Games, the first Indian Netflix was a huge success and the makers are now gearing up for the second season.
The problem now is that we are so spoilt with choice on platforms like Netflix because there is so much content to choose from that we often get confused. So here’s a list of our pick of some of the best Netflix Original Series.
Sacred Games: India’s first Netflix Original series
Sacred Games is on top of the list for obvious reasons! Its something all of us Indians are very proud of since it is the first Indian Netflix Original series. Based on Vikram Chandra’s 2006 thriller novel of the same name, the series is directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap Set in Mumbai, Sacred Games delves into the city’s intricate web of organized corruption, politics, crime, and espionage. Sartaj Singh, a Mumbai police officer, receives an anonymous phone call from a gangster who threatens to blow up the entire city. Then begins a battle between a cop and a ruthless gangster.
13 Reasons Why: Loved by both teens and adults
13 Reasons Why is an American teen drama based on the 2007 novel Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. The series revolves around seventeen-year-old high school student, Clay Jensen, and his friend Hannah Baker, who has committed suicide after failing to cope with the peer pressure. A box of cassette tapes recorded by Hannah give the thirteen reasons why she ended her life.
House of Cards: For those who love political dramas
House of Cards is an American political thriller series. It is adapted from the 1990 BBC miniseries of the same name and based on the novel of the same name by Michael Dobbs. House of Cards is set in Washington, D.C. and is the story of Congressman Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) who is passed over for appointment as Secretary of State, so he initiates an elaborate plan to attain power, aided by his wife Claire Underwood (Robin Wright). The series is all about ruthless pragmatism, manipulation, and power.
Orange Is the New Black: One of the most watched Netflix Original series
Orange Is the New Black is an American comedy-drama web series based on Piper Kerman’s memoir, Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison (2010), about her experiences at FCI Danbury, a minimum-security federal prison. The series which has become one of the most watched Netflix Original series is produced by Tilted Productions in association with Lionsgate Television.
Stranger Things: A must watch if you dig supernatural phenomenon
Stranger Things is an American science fiction-horror web series created, written, and directed by the Duffer Brothers. It is set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s, the first season focuses on the investigation into the disappearance of a young boy amid supernatural events occurring around the town. The second season, titled Stranger Things 2, deals with attempts of the characters to return to normal and consequences that linger from the first season.
Narcos: Fourth season coming soon!
Narcos is a crime drama set in Colombia. The first two seasons are based on the story of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, who became a billionaire through the production and distribution of cocaine. While the third season picks up after the fall of Escobar and continues to follow the DEA as they go up against the rise of the infamous Cali Cartel. There are reports that the this year and will go back to the 1980s and will move the setting of the show to Mexico.
Master of None: An award-winning series
Master of None is a comedy-drama created by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang and stars Ansari in the lead role of a 30-year-old actor; Dev Shah. The series has not only received critical acclaim but also won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. The first season was set in New York City while the second season takes place in Italy and New York.
Jessica Jones: A series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Jessica Jones is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). A former superhero Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) opens her own detective agency. The series also stars Rachael Taylor, Eka Darville, Carrie-Anne Moss, Mike Colter, Erin Moriarty, and David Tennant in the first season, and J.R. Ramirez, Terry Chen, Leah Gibson, and Janet McTeer join the cast in the second season.
If you’re one of those who doesn’t enjoy sitting for 3 hours watching some mindless movie, these are the series that you should definitely watch from the comfort of your home with a bowlful of fresh popcorn or garma garam pakoras!
