If the rain and cold has you stuck inside this winter, check out our recommendations of the best shows and movies to stream. Whether you’re looking for an intense series to binge watch, a comedy that everyone can agree on or award-winning original content, you’ll find something worthy of a cozy marathon below.
Netflix
Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes
January 24, 2019 was the 30th anniversary of Ted Bundy’s execution. Netflix’s docuseries looks back at the years between Bundy’s crimes and his execution; he confessed to murdering 36 women in the 1970s, primarily in the Pacific Northwest, Colorado, and Florida. The series presents crime scene footage, photos, and interviews with those who met Bundy before, during, and after his eventual capture, primarily referring to a journalist who interviewed Bundy for a book while he was in prison. The series presents Bundy’s story simply, giving the audience plenty to think about regarding the nature of Bundy’s crimes. While examining Bundy’s trials, it poses the question of whether he was mentally unstable, or one of the most calculated and intentional serial killers the world has known.
Recommended for: anyone interested in psychology, crime and recent US history
Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened
Netflix recently released a documentary about Fyre Fest. The proposed music festival was supposed to be ultra-exclusive, luxurious, and one of a kind. The film goes into the makings, and failings, of what has been dubbed one of the biggest cons in the age of social media and digital influencers. Featuring interviews with attendees, organizers and Bahamians, Netflix aims to understand not only why Fyre failed but how it was possible to overpromise so much through celebrity and influencer endorsement. We found The Greatest Party That Never Happened to be a more thorough and interesting look at Fyre Fest than Hulu documentary on the same subject, recommended below.
Recommended for: anyone who saw the memes in summer of 2017
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Director Susan Johnson’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before shares the heartwarming story of Lara Jean Covey, a high school junior who lives her love life apart from the real world. Rather than confess her crushes in person, Lara Jean writes her true feelings to the boys she loves in letters and hides them in the bottom of her bedroom closet never to be seen by anyone—or so, she thinks. Lara Jean’s younger sister Kitty discovers the box of letters and mails them to all of Lara Jean’s crushes. Chaos inevitably ensues, and Lara Jean must quickly fix her problem by covering up the true intentions of her letters. To All the Boys I’ve Ever Loved is a film for anyone who has fallen hard and loved deeply, anyone who felt lost in high school but became stronger because of it, and anyone who had a crush and got their heart broken. With its endearing protagonist and satisfying end, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a teenage romantic comedy that will warm the hearts of all who watch.
Recommended for: anyone looking for an easy-to-watch rom-com
The Good Place
With its third season on the air, there's no better time to start watching The Good Place, a hilarious comedy staged in the afterlife. After Eleanor Shellstrop's life meets an unfortunate end, she discovers she is in “The Good Place,” a paradise prepared for the saints of humanity. However, she quickly realizes that her presence there is a radical mistake. To avoid getting booted into the horrfying “Bad Place” by The Good Place's supervisor Michael, she finds herself under the tutelage of Chidi, a moral philosopher and her "soul mate." With her perfect neighbors Tahani and Jianyu inspiring her, Eleanor makes a commitment to become a better person all whilst hiding her true identity from Michael.
Recommended for: comedy lovers looking for a lighthearted watch
HBO
HBOgo is free to stream for on-campus residents; create an account using your auburn.edu email
Brexit
In this dramatic retelling of the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU, Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Dominic Cummings, the mastermind behind the Vote Leave campaign of Brexit. Cummings begins as a political dropout, disillusioned by what he regarded as the foolish decision of politicians. However, he is recruited into an idealistic plan to revolutionize the UK and make history. Through much opposition, stress and political manipulation, he develops a plan to "take back control," and with a talented team at his back including Douglas Carswell and Matthew Elliot, he pushes toward Brexit.
Recommended for: anyone interested in politics, especially international relations
Big Little Lies
Reese Witherspoon’s drama follows three women, whose lives are inextricably intertwined through their children. When a new student joins the first grade, his mother unintentionally shakes up the rigid parental cliques already in place. The show gets progressively darker as the perfect lives that the women portray are revealed to be much more complicated than they let on. The female dominated show is a must watch before the highly anticipated second season comes out in June, with Meryl Streep joining the cast.
Recommended for: a fast paced, thrilling binge
Hulu
Atlanta
Atlanta is a grimy yet upbeat comedy featuring the talented Donald Glover as Earn, a young man down on his luck. Earn finds himself dissatisfied, underpaid, and unsuited to his job. After hearing that his cousin Alfred had started a rap career under the alias Paper Boi, Earn quits his job to start as his cousin's manager. In order to turn his life to success and keep his daughter's mother Vanessa from kicking him out of her house, he puts all he can into promoting his cousin's music alongside Darius, Alfred's closest comrade.
Recommended for: fans of comedy and/or rap culture
Fyre Fraud
Hulu’s take on the Fyre Fest catastrophe gives a different perspective from the Netflix version recommended above. Fyre Fraud’s appeal is that it largely revolves around conversation with Billy McFarland, the man who conceptualized and ultimately failed at putting together the event. McFarland places the blame on the social media marketing agency that worked on Fyre Fest, and Hulu explores their responsibility the most. We recommend watching Hulu’s take if you’re more interested in what founder Billy McFarland has to say, as his point of view is not directly expressed in the Netflix documentary.
Recommended for: anyone who watched Netflix’s Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened