20yrs streaming of success: five Netflix picks

Cast your mind back to the technology of 1997 – VHS reigned supreme as the dominant platform for watching films, the Nokia 6110 was the cutting edge mobile phone, and the only way you could connect to the internet was via a modem and telephone cable (reaching ultra-high loading speeds of one website per 12 days!).

But one thing that did exist in 1997 is Netflix! In fact, this month it is celebrating its 20th anniversary. To put this in context, even Google won’t turn 20 until next year. Surprised? Me too. But, yes, apparently Netflix has been going since 1997. Who knew?

Trying to imagine life without the ubiquitous online streaming service has today become nigh on impossible for a lot of us. Much more than a website where you can watch a multitude of TV shows and movies, the name has become synonymous with a public shift in the way we consume entertainment. Its popularity epitomises the “want it now, get it now” culture of today. It has given rise to the phenomenon of binge-watching and, perhaps as a result, has got traditional broadcasters running scared and Hollywood looking over its shoulder. The euphemistic “Netflix and chill” phrase has even entered the public lexicon. Yes, Netflix is everywhere. And with ever-increasing subscriber numbers, down in part to the success of its original content, it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere soon.

In my piece last week, I wrote about the iconic brands that had to do some soul-searching and reinvent themselves in a bid to maintain relevance in an ever-adapting marketplace. Netflix, in many ways, is the opposite: its existence was predicated by the ever-adapting marketplace; specifically in this case, technological advances and the rise of the internet. Even in its fledgling years – when it was an online video rental service – the brand was pitting itself as a Blockbuster for the internet-savvy generation. “Why trudge along to your local video store only to have your taste in film mocked by condescending Quentin Tarantino-wannabes” it seemed to ask, “when instead you could order your copy of Armageddon for the 15th time without fear of public humiliation or a withering put-down?” Of course, their big selling point then was no late fees. You simply send your rented movies back whenever you felt like it.

Things have changed considerably since then its early days, of course, but the principal is the same: Netflix was then, and is now, the disruptive innovator. But more than just an innovator, Netflix is that rare breed of brand that can legitimately lay claim to having changed the way that people experience something. It’s opened up the doors for competitors like Amazon Prime, and the “watch anything any time you like” ethos has forced the likes of BBC, Sky, C4 et al. to adopt similar attitudes with their streaming services.

And yet, for all its impact and influence on a cultural level, it’s easy to forget that arguably the biggest impact Netflix has had is not how we’re consuming media, but on the quality of what we’re consuming. If in 1997 you would’ve said that TV was anything other than film’s inferior cousin, it would have been deemed madness. But Netflix’s rise has coincided with the golden age of television, a period that has seen many people’s preferring to stay at home and binge-watching the latest Game of Thrones, instead of going all the way to cinema.

So, in honour of 20 years of Netflix, here are five Netflix-produced shows I love. Happy streaming!

House of Cards: Netflix’s original major home-grown success (AKA the one that started it all), House of Cards is a decidedly American remake of a British political classic. The announcement of Kevin Spacey as the show’s lead was, at the time, much talked about. Stars of his calibre simply didn’t do TV series (unless it was a one-off, cameo appearance). But the success of HoC has put paid to the notion that big movie stars didn’t do TV, and many other A-listers have since followed in Spacey’s footsteps. Now in its 5th series, the only thing that really threatens the show’s continued success is the fact it no longer seems so far-fetched: the real-life white house is arguably much more dramatic and sensational than anything on the show.

The Crown: Rumoured to be the most expensive TV series in history, the gamble by Netflix to take on the ultimate British institution certainly paid off. Bestowed with regal reviews and popular with viewers of all ages, but most notably newer, older, maybe less tech savvy subscribers using the streaming phenomenon for the first time. Fans eagerly await the second series due later this year.

GLOW: The newest addition to the “Netflix Original” canon, GLOW is the witty and thoughtful tale of two aspiring actresses in the 80s looking to get their big break, only to end up as stars of a fledging wrestler promotion Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. On paper, it shouldn’t work, but its blend of comedy and drama and focus on an ensemble of strong-willed female characters falls nothing short of charming. Its appeal is probably best summed up in the opening scene, wherein Alison Brie’s character, midway through auditioning for a part, earnestly and enthusiastically proclaims to the producer, “there just aren’t roles likes this for women!”

“You’re reading the man’s part.” is the interviewer’s droll response.

Stranger Things: Last year’s run-away cult phenomenon, Stranger Things defies easy categorisation (is it a sci-fi? Coming of age dramedy? Nostalgic throwback to the 1980s?). What is clear, however, is that it’s easily one of the more addictive additions to Netflix’s portfolio. Led by terrific, joyful performances of the show’s pre-teen protagonists, Stranger Things is as fun as it is atmospheric. It also features an against-type performance from early 90s darling Winona Ryder.

The Keepers: The latest in Netflix’s “true crime” documentaries (coming off of the success of 2015’s sleeper hit, Making a Murderer), The Keepers is the harrowing and haunting story of Cathy Cesnik, a Baltimore-based Nun who was murdered in 1969 and, to this day, the case remains unsolved. Over the course of 6 episodes, stories of systemic abuse and cover ups at a catholic school is revealed. Eschewing the traditional “whodunit” or “did they, didn’t they” structure that many of these documentaries take, The Keepers is instead a thoughtful and deeply troubling look at power and those in positions of power who abuse it.