5 Weird and Wonderful Shows to Watch on Netflix This Summer
Netflix has come under fire in recent times, with accusers marking its content as boring and unoriginal. We decided to investigate this for ourselves. After delving deep into the streaming service’s most weird, wacky and wonderful offerings, we’ve come up with 5 TV shows that we believe prove Netflix is still thriving. Check these out.
1. Happy!
So in no particular order, we present to you: Happy! Based on the graphic novel of the same name, Nick Sax, ex-policeman turned hit-man, is lost in a sea of casual murder, soulless sex, betrayal, corruption and substance abuse.
After a botched assassination attempt, Sax, played by Christopher Meloni, finds himself seriously injured and desperately alone. He’s got the boys in blue and the mob on his tail, and soon he will also face a monstrous child killer who’s on the loose. His unorthodox demeanour will change forever though, when an imaginary, blue-winged horse with a relentlessly positive attitude named Happy enters his life – and turns it upside-down.
Happy! is as weird and unsettling as you may gather (with an insect fetish party and the kidnapping of children to sell as life-size toys to boot). This show is not for the faint-hearted either, and you will definitely judge yourself for laughing at some of the dark satire it serves up throughout. We highly recommend it.
2. Sinner
The directors of Sinner waste no time in showing us what Cora Tannetti (Jessica Biel) is capable of. One summer’s day, as Cora is suddenly overcome by an inexplicable rage, we witness her commit a gruesome and openly violent act of savagery. If that wasn’t enough, she has no explanation as to why she did it, as the young man she sliced open is seemingly a complete stranger.
An unlikely detective, Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman), begins his investigation, and quickly grows obsessed with uncovering Cora’s buried motive. Ambrose (who has his own side-story of being a submissive in a BDSM love affair), works around the clock to delve deep into her psyche. This eventually leads him to violent secrets hidden in her past, which are unlike anything he was expecting.
Sinner was so popular that we are anticipating a sequel to arrive on Netflix any time now. Keep your eyes peeled.
3. Dark
Paranormal thriller, Dark, plunges us immediately into a world of corruption and mystery. When two children go missing in a small German town, its disturbing past is exposed, along with the secret lives and damaged relationships of four families.
Filled with twists and turns, the series follows the families as they desperately search for answers. They get more than they bargain for, however, when they come to learn that they all share a decidedly sinister connection to the town’s ghastly history.
Dark is the first German-speaking Netflix Original series to air on the streaming service and has been compared to the likes of Stranger Things. Fans of science fiction and the supernatural should definitely check this one out.
4. Crazyhead
Crazyhead explores the story of two young women with very different lives, brought together when they discover that they can both see demons amongst the living. When Amy (Cara Theobold) realises her childhood friend, Suzanne (Riann Steele), has become possessed, she knows she must act, and quickly. Thankfully, she isn’t alone. Socially-inept Raquel (Susan Wokoma), also a ‘seer’, is at her aid and ready for anything – even an exorcism.
World-ending and demonic possession aside, the series also highlights the personal demons of its characters, with all the kinds of hilarious low-key drama you might expect from a group of friends in their 20s. Droll humour and flippant eye-rolling are strong with this one.
Originally aired on E4, the Bristol-based show has been compared to both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Misfits. Using a mixture of humour and action, and with a fantastic soundtrack to top it all off, Crazyhead delivers British comedy-horror at its finest.
5. The Rain
Whilst most of us probably felt at some point during our teenage years that it was ‘the end of the world’, for Simone Anderson (Alba August) and Rasmus Anderson (Lucas Lynggaard) in The Rain, it actually was.
The post-apocalyptic Danish series documents life in Scandinavia after a horrifying virus carried by torrential rain has wiped out most of humanity. Two orphaned siblings, Simone and Rasmus, emerge from the safety of a bunker where they have been sheltering. They team up with a party of young survivors and head out on a terrifying journey through the abandoned woodland in search of answers.
After a promising debut, The Rain was recently given the green light for a second series. If you’re into survival horror, it’s well worth a watch. You can also choose between watching with dubbing or subtitles on Netflix, depending on your tastes.