UKC

Dammit! Got a month's free Netflix, as I do every couple of years, to watch Black Mirror (most of which was garbage), not cancelled it and now I've got a month to try to get some value out of it.

What can I watch that is actually brilliant, not just good or and definitely not OK? I don't watch things with millions of episodes - gave up after 2 series of The Wire and Breaking Bad because I just don't care enough about any bit of fiction to devote that much of my life to it.

I absolutely loved True Detective 1. Gave up on Fargo (too long, just felt like writers churning out to a formula, why watch a diluted version of a great film?). Stuff like Black Mirror where each episode stands alone would be even better - but do they exist? I'd love to see some good comedy too - I like The Thick Of It, Stewart Lee, love Frankie Boyle's topical stuff, Doug Stanhope when I can stomach it, Tim Minchin, you get the idea.

Or maybe I should use it for films - but in the past I found pretty much bugger all that I want to see on there, and I can just download stuff anyway so stuff just on Netflix is better.

Any ideas much appreciated (most of the usual stuff is 2000 or more episodes long so no need to suggest those) - although it'll most likely end up being a waste of money, but it's only £8 so I guess 2 films would cover it!

Making a murderer is Netflix at it's best. Definitely fits your MO

Ta! Will check it out.

The race that eats it’s young. 

Valley Uprising if you haven't seen it.

Alphago - documentary about the Go program that beat the worlds best player, fantastic viewing. 

The Big Short - good film about the 2008 financial crisis.

The End of the F**cking World is well worth a watch. 

Lots of the sporty documentaries dependent on your interests:

Valley Uprising, Meru, Everest,  Barkley Marathons,  Icarus, Stop at nothing

Or just hunt a few classic films,  or comedies out....

Great suggestions! At this rate I'll end up keeping paying them and sitting in front of the telly (instead of the internet) all the time.

You don't get value from Netflix by watching films, the entertainment comes from: 

"What about this one?"

"Nah"

"This one?" 

"Seen it"

And so on until bed time. That said Homeland is the best thing I've ever watched, TV or film

Lighthouse of the Orca"s has some great scenic (and natural history) content from Patagonia.

Any other suggestions for similar content will be welcome ??

Have you tried Rick & Morty? I can't recommend it highly enough! Check out a few scenes on youtube to get a taste of what it's all about (if you're already familiar with it - my apologies, just thought I'd give it a mention).

Casa de Papel which was recently given the English name "Money Heist" - High intensity TV viewing

Bojack Horseman. It's the best thing that's ever been on TV.

My love for Netflix started fading when YouTube TV came out

Sinner

Godless

Mindhunter

All 'netflix' only, just come out, one season each. All bloody brilliant (including Godless which 'on paper' i.e. a western shouldn't be my cup of tea at all.)

Man Men. You might be smart enough to grasp it.

Manhunt Unabomber - about 8 to 10 episodes in total, true story.  Narcos, can finish at first series, but second is excellent.

Second for Icarus and Meru.

If you fancy a longer haul Power, House of Cards, Sons of Anarchy.  

The Detectorists...nuff said

’what you got mate?’ 

‘ring pull, 1987, something fruity’ 

Third too. That Pacho, eh? Best theme tune since The Sopranos, incidentally.

Have we had The Crown? That Tommy Lascelles, eh?

We're currently on Ozark, S1Ep8. Started quite strongly, but it headed the wrong side of preposterous, unlike, say, Breaking Bad.

There is a Sherlock Holmes series set innthe US called Elementary but you need to be in mainland Europe (or have a VPN) to get it. It's quite good. Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu.

Was it you who mentioned that to me months ago?  It's awesome.

PICKLE RICK!

Big Mouth is a filthy cartoon comedy about kids going through puberty. Puerile but very funny.

Icarus is the documentary of the whistleblower who dobbed the Russian state Olympic doping programme. Really compelling watching.

Spotlight is the true story of the uncovering of the Catholic priest paedophile scandal in the US by a local Boston newspaper.

Lots of good stuff. Lots of shite too though obviously.

I'd endorse all three of those. Definitely at the quality end of the Netflix output. Sinner was a real surprise.

oh yes - was getting mixed up with the seasons.  I didn't know where they would go with the 3rd season of Narcos, but was excellent.  Was going to recommend The Sinner (a whydunnit rather than a whodunnit) 'cos I loved it, but Mr Grommet didn't.

Under an Artic Sky as a surfing documentary is awesome.

Narcos is also great.

I thought it was excellent. I watched it all without knowing how it would end.

Dirk Gently and Detectorists.  The former because it’s best binge watched if you want to follow all the plots and only has two series, the later because it’s easy going and just nice. 

I was quite impressed with the detectorists as well. Would recommend it

Also available for free on C4.

Lot of good stuff above.

Three films that are good entertainment: "The Neon Demon", "Inherent Vice" and "The Martian".  The last is a little commercial (Scott) but the first two are a little more challenging. ND polarised reviewers but for me it was one of the year's best.

I don't know if it is on Netflix, but IF it is, then I'll happily and highly recommend Twin Peaks : The Return (aka Twin Peaks Season 3). 

Continuing story but a finite self-contained series (assuming some familiarity with the original). 18 episodes. Wilfully Lynch (every episode written by Lynch and Frost, and directed by Lynch). 
Some of it is very bold and demanding (episode 8 is particularly bonkers), some of it is straight pastiche of the kind that they were trying for in the original two seasons. All the acting is great but Kyle MacLachlan really shines. 
It's as if Lynch watched some Darren Aronfsky films and some of Terence Malick's recent output, and said "hold my beer..."

Also: Don't Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23. 

I've only seen 4 episodes on a late night binge (I don't have Netflix yet but when I visit my sister I stay up late and explore it - so a similar position to you in that there is little point in my investigating a long series). 
This one is undemanding comedy but quite sharp and not entirely predictable. Attractive female leads possibly less of a draw for you, I guess

Thanks. My wife and I watched ND last night on your recommendation and we both enjoyed it. I've seen a lot of N Winding Refn movies so I had a good idea what to expect. It was her first and probably the most female-friendly being set in a milieu fetishised by "women's" media. It also didn't have Ryan Gosling mouth-breathing his way through every scene.

And who doesn't like a bit of necrophilia? Audiences got themselves into a right state over this element and a certain scene in particular but it all seemed standard art-house experimental to us.

Godless, Manhunt Unabomber, Ozark

Fundamentals of Caring was a good film too.

Yeah.....I started on this last night and I'm liking it.  

... "Stranger Things"... just brilliant also "Black Sails"..

"Inside No 9" Anyone?

Steve Pemberton / Reece Shearsmith.  

Loving it