Are you bored from being in quarantine for more than a year? Do you need an interesting distraction to help you procrastinate finishing your assignments? Well, you’ve come to the right place! Here are some tv shows from Netflix and HBO Max that I highly suggest you get into if you want some mystery, thriller, and drama in your life.
Netflix
The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
If you like horror, but with a twist then this is the show for you! The Haunting of Hill House follows the Crains family and their terrifying experience living in Hill House with nightmarish experiences that haunt them into their adulthood. This show has twists and turns on top of twists and turns as we flip between the past and the present.
We begin the show with a monologue from Steven (the oldest son) describing the disturbing nature of Hill House. The house is out in the middle of nowhere where it’s taken care of by a husband and wife who work during the day and are determined to leave before sundown. The audience then sees the main characters; as children, while the camera pans to the room of Nellie and Luke (the two youngest twins). Nellie is crying because she had a nightmare of “the bent neck lady” and the dad proceeds to comfort her by telling her that Steven scared “the bent neck lady” away.
Throughout the 10 episodes, we continue to piece the puzzle of their story together as the show moves through time as if it’s only a relative concept. To keep from giving too much away, I’ll just say that the show will pull you into Hill House as if you’re living in it!
The 100 (2020)
The 100 has to be one of my favorite post-apocalyptic type shows on Netflix! This cinematic experience is about a group of teenagers who are introduced as prisoners of their spaceship called “the ark.”They’re sent down to Earth by their parents to see if Earth is habitable enough for the rest of their colony.
Throughout the 6 seasons, you’ll dive into what it’s like for these teenagers living on an Earth without your typical civilization. Each season introduces a different situation and brings in a new set of issues which the main characters must overcome in order to survive. From various power struggles to having the strength to continue enduring harsh living conditions. This show is all about futuristic technology, sharp survival instincts, and intriguing strategic methods which will definitely keep you invested!
I personally love long TV shows because they are riveting and immerse you into another world with characters that you can become attached to. For example: I love Octavia! Her character development is unmatched throughout this show because you begin with her as a prisoner, simply for being the second-born child, and you continue to see her grow into a witty, strong, and intelligent woman.
To make things even better, Netflix just added the 7th and final season, so you can continue watching! The 100 will have you yelling at the screen, stressing about if the characters are still going to survive, and gasping when you get to a captivating plot twist.
HBO MAX
Lovecraft Country (2020)
Lovecraft is such a bomb show! From the cinematography to the storyline, this show has a little something for everybody. The producers give us magic, creatures, mystery, and social justice activism.
Not only is Lovecraft an entertaining drama, but you also get horror and historical events embedded into the storyline which causes you research and educate yourself further. The show takes place during the Jim Crow era as we see Atticus (Tic), Letitia (Leti), and Tic’s Uncle George begin an adventure to find Tic’s father. Tic’s father, Montrose, left him a suspicious letter telling Tic that he was in Massachusetts looking for information about his mother. On this journey we watch the 3 characters be terrorized by racist white people, run from horrifying and carnivorous creatures, and learn that magic is real all in the first episode!
Throughout the rest of the season—which I watched consistently every Sunday at 10pm when the episodes came out—the audience watches the story of each character unfold. We engage with Atticus’ military background, Leti’s dysfunctional relationship with her sister Ruby, Tic’s Aunt Hippolyta’s independence and newfound identity, and many others.
My favorite character in this show is Leti without question. She is such a baddie, and I love how she takes risks and speaks her mind. In my opinion, Leti is an integral part of Lovecraft Country, but y’all can be the judge of that after you see for yourselves.
Raised By Wolves (2020)
This is a show you should definitely get into because it has sci-fi, action, and drama all wrapped up in it. Raised By Wolves takes place in a post-apocalyptic world (that is not Earth), and we see how two androids raise human children. The twist comes when you find out that one of the androids has a disturbingly dark past.
This world is fascinating and also one without religion. The atheist androids were created as an experiment to see if children can be raised in an environment without faith, only morals. After landing, the android mother “gives life to” and cares for six human embryos. They raise these kids for many years, but the kids begin to die from various reasons; the androids start to get discouraged about being parents to human children and try to figure out how to be better.
Problems arise when Mithraic colonizers (a religious group which serves a god named Sol) land on the planet to see if it is a habitable option for their colony. Both the android parents consider them to be a threat and well, if you wanna know the rest, I guess you’re gonna have to watch the rest of the show!
Although these are only 4 of my top shows right now, there are many more things you can watch through various streaming sites like Hulu, Stars, Disney+, and Amazon Prime to name a few. Hopefully with the suggestions I’ve previously mentioned, you can open your mind to the vast world of television and cinematography.
Kiyahna Brown is the Arts and Culture Editor of the Triton. You can follow her at @Kitkat12600 and read her column, The Sauce, here.