Want something new to watch? Out of touch with what’s popular? Need something to bond with your colleagues over? Here are the shows that everyone binged on Netflix in Australia and worldwide in January 2019. It’s not too late to catch up!
Birdbox
Sci-fi thriller – MA15+ – 2 hours, 4 minutes – 2018
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich
Synopsis: Five years after an ominous unseen presence drives most of society to suicide, a survivor and her two children make a desperate bid to reach safety.
Verdict: 3/5 birds in a box.
People said it was the scariest movie they’d ever seen. It really wasn’t that scary. But it was suspenseful and the concept was new and refreshing.
Tidying Up with Marie Kondo
Reality TV show – PG – 1 season, 8 episodes – 2019
Synopsis: In a series of inspiring home makeovers, world-renowned tidying expert Marie Kondo helps clients clear out the clutter — and choose joy.
Verdict: 4/5 boxes for your sock drawer.
Marie Kondo has definitely made an impact. People all over the world have been motivated to declutter their homes. So much so that charity bins are now overflowing and the online second hand market is booming.
FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened
Documentary – M – 1 hour, 37 minutes – 2019
Synopsis: The Fyre Festival was billed as a luxury music experience on a posh private island, but it failed spectacularly in the hands of a cocky entrepreneur.
Verdict: 4.5/5 trucks of Evian.
Disbelief, anger, anxiety, shame. Docos are meant to make you feel like this but Fyre is on another level. It’s so easy to dive into and so hard to look away from!
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch
Sci-fi drama – MA 15+ – 1 hour, 30 minutes – 2018
Cast: Fionn Whitehead, Will Poulter, Craig Parkinson
Synopsis: In 1984, a young programmer begins to question reality as he adapts a dark fantasy novel into a video game. A mind-bending tale with multiple endings.
Verdict: I’ll be honest – I haven’t actually seen this one. Because it’s interactive, it’s not compatible with my Chromecast. But it does sound really cool so I will try again on my handheld device!
Sex Education
TV drama – MA 15+ – 1 season, 8 episodes – 2018
Cast: Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa
Synopsis: Insecure Otis has all the answers when it comes to sex advice, thanks to his therapist mom. So rebel Maeve proposes a school sex-therapy clinic.
Verdict: 3/5 promiscuous Gillian Andersons.
A cheeky modern-day version of Skins (except it looks like it’s the ‘80s). Aside from the awkward and funny teen sexual escapades, the music and fashion are fun incentives to watch.
Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes
True crime documentary – MA 15 + – 1 season, 4 episodes – 2019
Synopsis: Present-day interviews, archival footage and audio recordings made on death row form a searing portrait of notorious serial killer Ted Bundy.
Verdict: 3/5 Volkswagen Beetles.
It’s not the best true crime doco I’ve ever seen. It’s not even in the top 10. But it is interesting (and terrifying) and it does get us ready for Zac Efron’s Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile.
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TV thriller – MA 15+ – 1 season, 1 episodes – 2018
Cast: Penn Badgley, Elizabeth Lail, Shay Mitchell
Synopsis: Obsessed with an aspiring writer, a charming bookstore manager goes to extreme measures to insert himself into her life.
Verdict: 2.5/5 book vaults.
I didn’t get past episode 1. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t terrible. I just didn’t connect with any of the characters and that’s important to me in a TV show.
Derry Girls
TV comedy – M – 1 season, 6 episodes, 2018
Cast: Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Nicola Coughlan, Louisa Harland
Synopsis: Amidst the political conflict of Northern Ireland in the 1990s, five high school students square off with the universal challenges of being a teenager.
Verdict: 5/5 chippy bans.
The only bad thing about Derry Girls is that it only goes for 6 episodes. I’ll admit that I did need subtitles for the first couple of eps to get used to the accent. Give this a watch cause these wains are cracker!
Did I miss anything? What else did you binge on Netflix last month?
