Popular streaming platforms such as Netflix have seen a sharp increase in users recently, with everyone looking for the next must-watch show to sink themselves into.
With so much TV on offer, it can be hard finding a show that’s worthy of the time and energy.
Many of the streaming platforms do offer a ‘watch next’ service once you’ve completed a show, but what if you’ve had it to the back teeth with one genre and want something new?
Finding a new series can be a minefield, with so many variables in play. Most viewers want good acting, a balance between suspense and action as well as a fast-moving plot.
A viewer must also be able to suspend their disbelief; you need to feel what you’re watching could happen, be it in the United States, from a period in history or even science fiction.
It has to feel ‘real’ to grab a viewer’s attention, no matter how fanciful or ambitious.
With that in mind, we’ve pulled together four series we think are perfect for binging on right now.
Wanted (Netflix)
Wanted is an Australian series that has delighted viewers for three seasons, totalling 18 episodes.
The fast-moving ‘Thelma and Louise’ style plot ensures there are no slow moments, but the dynamic between the lead duo sets this apart from many other shows.
Rather than have one character you warm to, Lola Buckley (Rebecca Gibney) and Chelsea Babbage (Geraldine Hakewill) provide two likeable protagonists, both uniquely different but functioning as a solitary unit.
It’s certainly one for binge-watchers, with most episodes often ending on a cliff-hanger and the show constantly adding in twists and turns to ensure the pace never drops below frenetic.
Peaky Blinders (Netflix)
There is no lack of superlatives that can be laid at the door of the multi-award-winning show from the UK set in post-First World War Birmingham.
Following the trials and tribulations of the Shelby family, a criminal enterprise based on the real-life ‘Peaky Blinders’ gang, it boasts a strong cast consisting of both new faces and Hollywood stars.
Sam Neill is well known for his roles in Tinsel Town, with Tom Hardy having also starred in The Dark Knight Rises and Mad Max: Fury Road before taking up his place in the show.
Yet, it is the tortured and calculating lead character who has captured the hearts of the British public.
Tommy Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy has become a cultural icon in the UK, inspiring viewers through his fashion sense and even his haircut.
The character was even listed by Gala Bingo as one of the top fictional crushes for UK viewers.
Murphy captures the cold-hearted criminal perfectly, endearing him to a generation of viewers. He is also no stranger to the big screen, having been in both 28 Days Later and Batman Begins.
With 30 episodes and more on the way, Peaky Blinders is one series you can lose yourself in very quickly indeed.
Ozark (Netflix)
America knows how to make a blockbuster series, defining the genre with the likes of Lost and Breaking Bad.
The next big blockbuster to roll off the production line Stateside is Ozark, starring Jason Bateman.
Bateman plays Marty Byrde, a self-employed financial advisor who launders money for a Mexican cartel.
He must relocate to the Lake of the Ozarks and set up an even bigger enterprise following a problem with the cartel. Series three has recently dropped and with 30 episodes in total, you’ll be kept busy for days with this smart, twisting plot.
Marcella (Netflix)
Anna Friel is no stranger to the British public, having previously starred in now-defunct soap opera Brookside, where she performed the first-ever televised lesbian kiss on a prime-time show.
She plays the brooding Marcella Backland, a retired detective who comes out of retirement when a serial killer she failed to track down begins killing again.
Whilst the plot contains much of what you’d expect from a whodunnit series, it’s the tortured performance of Friel which hoists this shows above the rest.
As the episodes rack up, 16 of them in total, her descent is both unpredictable and magnificently intertwined with the shows underlying themes.
If you’re looking for additional reading to keep you entertained during a break from the screen, you might find our article with interesting facts about rock star worth a visit.
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