Readers’ Guide To A Streaming Vacation
If students feel like their vacation is turning into more of a “stay- cation” at home this spring break, they can take some time and indulge in some of this year’s most popular TV series on Netflix.
Although Netflix is famous for its wide variety of shows and movies , shows like “Orange is the New Black,” “Shameless,” “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt “and the revival of “Friends,” have broken viewing records, enticing large audiences with their wit, characters, story lines and readily- available content.
To many, “Orange is the New Black” is not the typical American program. The show focuses around the main character Piper Chapman, who is sentenced to prison after she was caught smuggling drugs for a drug lord with her then- girlfriend, Alex Vause. Throughout the series, the show explores how Piper must adjust to life in prison —especially with all of the different personalities that
she has to live with during the 15 months of her sentence.
“I love ‘Orange is the New Black,’” said Talia Bernnardo, student. “I love how they go into issues that need to be addressed today.”
Critics and viewers alike highlight the show’s ability to takle these said issues, which include topics of diversity, sexual orientation and gender relations, with both humor and sensibility.
Another one of Netflix’s top ‘dramadies’ among critics and viewers is “Shameless,” which highlight socio-economic relations by tracing the life of a dysfunctional family and their abnormal methods of surviving the modern day. After the death of his wife, alcoholic single father, Frank Gallagher, fails to care for his six children who feel the need to grow up faster than they should.
“I found ‘Shameless’ to [have] a lot of dry humor at first,” said Maria Nieto, student. “But once I really got into the show, I realized how great it was.”
Though vastly different from the two previously mentioned shows, “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and “Friends” are alike in the fact that they are both feel-good shows that surround relatable, real life characters just going through daily life.
“The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” follows the life of Kimmy Schmidt after she is freed from a cult led by a man who believed that the world was going to end. She eventually finds her way to New York City and befriends an aspiring performer named Titus.
“Friends” also takes place in the Big Apple and follows the trials and tribulations of six friends through romance and adult life.
“I loved ‘Friends’ when I was younger,” said Lauren Tavares, student. “Now that I get to watch it over again, I find the situations even funnier.”
Whether in the mood to laugh, cry or just get really into a show, Netflix has an endless amount of programs to make any “stay- cation” an enjoyable one.
