Netflix favorites include “30 Rock, “American Dad”
Netflix is a magical thing, as anyone who has binge-watched five seasons of “Breaking Bad” in a week can attest to. It gives viewers the opportunity to choose the best shows and watch them at their convenience, making it the all-you-can-eat buffet of the entertainment world. However, so many options can be paralyzing. Here’s a guide to various TV genres so you can get the best show for your tastes, starting with absurdist comedies.
Absurdist Comedies
Often featuring outlandish scenarios and oversized characters, absurdist comedies focus on humor above all else, sacrificing realism for the punchline.
“30 Rock”
30 Rock stars Tina Fey as Liz Lemon, the neurotic and plucky show-runner of the fictional SNL parody The Girly Show, and Alec Baldwin as her over-the-top executive boss. The relationship between the two is the foundation of the show, consistently funny and surprisingly meaningful, which helps anchor the show among the insanity of its supporting characters. Clever and entertaining, 30 Rock is a great show for comedy aficionados.
Sample eps: Subway Hero (S2/E12), Leap Day (S6/E9)
“Arrested Development”
Arrested Development, the story of the self-involved Bluth family and their fall from grace, is the “cultest” of cult classics, inspiring devotion in its fans thanks to its intricacy and hilarity. Arrested Development seems custom-made for the Netflix binge-watch, featuring interconnected jokes that reference past and future episodes and background gags that reward close viewing. Lest I make this show sound like too much work, be assured – it can be baldly, broadly funny and comes recommended to anyone looking for a good comedy.
Sample eps: Pilot (S1/E1). This is a show to start at the beginning.
“American Dad!”
Family Guy may be the most popular of Seth MacFarlane’s spawn, but American Dad!, an animated show about a CIA agent, his family, and the alien that lives in his attic, is the weirdest and most creative. While the first few seasons are unremarkable, leaning heavily on lazy political humor, in its later seasons it blossomed into a confident comedic force with bizarrely funny stories. If you want a show that’s weird, funny, and out-there, American Dad! is the series for you.
Sample eps: Virtual In-Stanity (S7/E5), Ad-ventures in Haleysitting (S8/E6)
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