If you haven’t got a Netflix account yet, then you really should. Not only is it A) a great source of entertainment for those days where you feel like doing nothing but eating an entire bag of overly-buttered, overly-salted popcorn in front of the sofa, but it’s also B) a great excuse for inviting round a lady friend to engage in a healthy session of ‘Netflix and Chill’. By which of course we mean you both sit in front of the sofa and eat an entire bag of popcorn respectively. It’s just like option A, but less lonely.
The only issue with Netflix can be sifting through it’s immense library to find something that’s worth dedicating an entire day/night to binging on. To help you out on that front, and to hopefully aid you in impressing any potential lady friends that aren’t already put off by your overly-buttered, overly-salted hands, we’ve picked out some of the best series set for release throughout 2017.
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RICK & MORTY (SEASON 3)
Wubba-lubba-dub-dub! It’s time to get riggity-riggity wrecked again as everyone’s favourite existential animated series about a mad scientist and his feeble minded grandson is back for another season of dimension-bending nihilism. If you haven’t watched the previous series then you’ve just about got enough time to catch up before Season 3 begins. Just don’t forget to bring your plumbus along for the ride.
Release Date: July 30
WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER: TEN YEARS LATER
Following the 2001 film of the same name and its 2015 prequel series is a new, eight-episode series of Wet Hot American Summer set (you guessed it) ten years after the events of the original cult classic. Bringing back most of the original cast including the impressive comedic chops Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, and Amy Poehler as well as newcomers like Jai Courtney and Adam Scott, this is definitely a series to watch if you’re in the mood for some feel-good summer entertainment.
Release Date: August 4
ATYPICAL
When a teen on the autism spectrum decides to get a girlfriend, his bid for more independence puts his whole family on a path of self-discovery. Whilst we don’t know all that much about Robia Rashid’s upcoming coming-of-age story, judging from the quality of the trailer it’s fairly safe to say that this Netflix Original will be providing a hearty portion of laughs as well as feels.
Release Date: August 11
MARVEL’S THE DEFENDERS
Whilst the likes of The Avengers are teaming up on the big screen to take care of Thanos and host of intergalactic baddies, it’s down to Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist to join forces to take on common enemies as a sinister conspiracy threatens New York City. We’ve got high hopes for this super team-up, though we certainly hope this latest Marvel effort has more in common with Daredevil than it does with the Iron Fist.
Release Date: August 18
NARCOS (SEASON 3)
Anyone who has seen the original series of Narcos (which if you haven’t, go and do so now) will probably be surprised to hear that it’s back for a third season considering that (SPOILER ALERT) the show’s primary antagonist Pablo Escobar was seen shot dead at the end of the second series. Well, thankfully the show isn’t jumping the shark by having the reanimated corpse of Pablo wreaking havoc across Colombia, with this third season instead following the nefarious antics of the drug gang known as The Cali Cartel as they pick up from where Pablo left off. Expect a lot of drugs, violence and many other things we would never condone.
Release Date: September 1
STAR TREK DISCOVERY
The first Star Trek series since Star Trek: Enterprise left our screens in 2005, we hope that this latest series can boldly go where no man has gone before. With the safe and capable hands of Sonequa Martin-Green captaining the ship, we can certainly see this iteration of Star Trek being one that lives long and prospers. Or, at least one that’s better than Deep Space Nine…
Release Date: September 25
RIVERDALE (SEASON 2)
You all remember Archie, right? The star of those twee comics from yesteryear who, along with his bestfriend Jughead Jones, would partake in more than his fair share of swell school dances and casual misogyny? Well, last year Archie got given a much-needed modern makeover in the form of Riverdale – a show about sex, murder, and well…more swell dances. The first season was a huge hit thanks to its overwhelmingly attractive cast and enticing mystery, so we’d expect the upcoming second season to deliver a similar helping of angsty teen drama.
Release Date: October 13
MINDHUNTER
There isn’t much more you need to know to be sold about this show aside from the fact that it involves serial killers and David Fincher. The twisted mind behind Gone Girl and Seven, Fincher’s latest effort revolves around FBI special agents who interview serial killers in an attempt to understand what motivates them. Based on ‘Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit’, a 1996 book written by former FBI agent John Douglas and author Mark Olshaker, we can see this being an absolutely brutal addition to the Netflix line-up. A must-watch. Even if you do have to watch it from behind your sofa.
Release Date: October 13
STRANGER THINGS (SEASON 2)
The only disappointment we can possibly find with the announcement of a second season of Stranger Things is that they didn’t call it Stranger-er Things. Aside from that, we’re fairly hyped to return to the citizens of Hawkins, Indiana as they continue to encounter articles of the abormal variety and traverse the dangers of the Upside Down. The fact they managed to nab Michael Jackson’s Thriller for the trailer is just the icing on top. This is ideal viewing for anyone who has ever seen and adored E.T. Which we sincerely hope is absolutely everyone on the planet.
Release Date: October 27
ALIAS GRACE
With the recent success of Hulu’s adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale fulfilling a demand for quality feminist-friendly television, Netflix have also decided to throw their hat into the Judith Butler boxing ring – where the rules are flux and gender is a myth – as they too have a go at bringing the wonder of Margaret Atwood’s literature to our small screens. Doing so in the form of an Alias Grace mini-series based around Atwood’s acclaimed 1996 novel of the same name, Netflix have got to hope their hat is just as fetching as that of The Handmaid’s Tale. With a source material this excellent, we sincerely hope this mini-series is up for the task.
Release Date: November 2
