With huge funds, comes some very high-quality television.
Netflix and Amazon both have vast resources at their fingertips, and to remain competitive, both have started producing some of the best film and television around, catering to various cultures and languages.
While the Netflix exclusive comic standups are truly hilarious, I won't be including them in this list because... well, they aren't original enough, you can watch those same comedians on youtube, just with different jokes.
It's also worth keeping in mind that I haven't binge-watched every Netflix and prime original, far from it to be frank.
Anyway, without further ado, let's kick things off with Netflix.
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Overview:
This quirky original may have flown under the radar for many. But watch just the first few episodes and you'll find yourself dragged into a world of the supernatural, government experiments, and equally bizarre murder mysteries that span time, space, and even alternate dimensions. All the while, spirits are kept high with quirky, subtle humour and out-of-the-blue plot twists.
Holistic
Characterized by the belief that the parts of something are intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.
In other words, Everything is connected.
Genres:
- Comic science fiction
- Detective fiction
Better Call Saul
Overview:
Have you seen Breaking Bad so many times that you could successfully run your own meth empire? Or maybe you miss the warm town and not-so-warm people of Albuquerque, New Mexico? Maybe you should teak a break by following the story of the beloved, morally challenged lawman, Saul Goodman, right from near bankruptcy, all the way up to big business.
What started out as a joke in the Breaking Bad writer's room, Better Call Saul may just be the best spin-off series of all time and is now coming up to it's fourth season after captivating BB fans who were still hungry for more knowledge of how that universe, and how the sketchy lawyer, came to fruition.
Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 18 wins & 104 nominations.
Genres:
- Crime
- Drama
Black Mirror
Overview:
If you're anything like me, you'll have read the dystopian classics, A Brave New World, Nineteen-Eighty-Four, or A Clockwork Orange in awe of how true many of these now ancient stories are shockingly true, their foresight for the way the world was becoming can make you feel small and insignificant. Now, I'm not saying I like to feel small and insignificant, but Black Mirror brings similar feelings.
Black Mirror is a series of short, dystopian, technology-themed stories, all set in the same universe but at different points in time. What makes this series so chilling is how scarily close all the technological achievements in it seem to be, and how you could easily imagine our own world going down one dystopian path or another, thanks to new technology.
Black mirror was originally broadcast on the Brittish Channel 4 but was acquired by Netflix after two episodes. You can also find it on amazon prime.
Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 13 wins & 45 nominations.
Genres:
- Science Fiction
- Dystopian fiction
- Satire
- Psychological thriller
- Anthology series
F is for Family
Overview:
Nothing like a nostalgia trip to level you out, right? If you were alive (or wish you were alive) in 1970's USA, this may be right up your street. Endless funny moments, over the top characters, a dysfunctional family and brand new colour television!
Also, enjoy the incredible voice acting of Bill Burr as Frank as you enjoy reliving the 1970's, a time when people still talked to their neighbours.
Genres:
Comedy, Drama, Animation
Big Mouth
Overview:
Hitting puberty, what a swell time. Fancy reliving it? Probably not. But you can reminisce with this hilarious animated sitcom about the triumphs and the failures we all hopefully went through at some point or another. When you hear "cartoon about puberty", you'd be wrong to think this was aimed at the younger audience, it contains adult toilet humour that pretty much all of us can relate to somehow.
Genres:
- Animation
- Comedy
- Romance
Santa Clarita Diet
Overview:
Yet another series which should be a horror, but has a great sense of humour. Families always have troubles, teens, menopause, unexpected financial difficulties, but at least you don't have a cannibalistic mother who is quite literally falling to pieces (let's not use the z word). The important thing is always to work through your troubles as a family!
Genres:
- Comedy
- Horror
Altered Carbon
Overview:
Another win for the dystopian fiction fans! This epic is set in a universe where peoples minds and souls are stored on discs, which they interface with through their spines, making the rich who can afford more sleeves (human hosts), virtually immortal. Altered Carbon is dark and unforgiving, with the only comic relief serving as a bored, homicidal AI, I don't think he's even meant to be funny.
Genres:
Cyberpunk, Science fiction, Action thriller, Crime drama
Bojack Horseman
Bojack was once a big time star in the 90's, he even had his own s(h)itcom, "horsin' around". But that's all over now, all he can do is wallow in his own sadness, drink his life away, and attempt to regain fame.
This show starts off bright and cheery, the characters are all brilliant and light-hearted, which makes Bojack's self-loathing all the funnier. But be prepared for the show to get deeper and more serious as time goes on, as you become aware of the intricate problems he faces, along with his zany pals.
Bojack Hoseman is an addictive show, to put it nicely. I personally binge-watched all four seasons in about a week, you will too.
Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 7 wins & 20 nominations.
Genres:
- Adult animation
- Animated sitcom
- Comedy-drama
- Cringe comedy
Amazon Prime Video
Src
The Tick
Overview:
As far as superhero shows go, this one is worthy of far more attention than it's competitors. The tick does not remember who he is or how he came into existence, but he's latched onto Arthur, a young man determined to prove that The Terror is still alive. The tick is a simple man thing, he doesn't quite get it, and he gets himself into bother by blindly following destiny's call, but at least he's indestructible.
Genres:
- Action
- Adventure
- Science fiction
- Superhero
- Comedy
The Grand Tour
Overview:
Three hapless, middle-aged men driving cars, what could be more fun? Try giving them a budget of £5 million per episode. If you haven't seen Top Gear (the show that gave birth to The Grand Tour) before, firstly I'm disappointed, secondly, it might be hard to understand why people enjoy this show, but you need to watch it to understand it. People don't watch this show for the cars, they watch it for the presenters, the laughs and the crazy antics that ensue.
Genres:
- Motoring
- Entertainment
- Comedy