Over the last 18 years, Netflix has evolved from a fixed price DVD rental service to a subscription streaming service which itself is now one of the leading digital suppliers of new, original content, competing with the likes of HBO and Showtime in the USA for your subscription dollars. And now, finally, we have Netflix in Australia – albeit with a notably smaller selection of film and TV content than is available in their home market.
Naturally this comes down to a few factors. As a new market, Netflix are essentially building a local portfolio from scratch. Exclusivity contracts would have already been written up for competing product, like the recently introduced Presto and Stan, which would have prohibited them from the . And given how long it took for Netflix to be introduced to the Australian market, one can only imagine how difficult it was to convince local distributors of the power of the product in the first place. Only as its popularity grows will we see its already impressive catalogue of content grow alongside it. That’s why, to help the subscription service assess its priorities, we at The Iris have put together ten shows that we think need to be on Netflix Australia*. And here they are, in no particular order:
1. Archer
Funnily enough, I originally discovered this hilarious US animated series on Netflix USA, when I was staying with a friend for a weekend in San Francisco. It was one of those “you HAVE to watch this show” sort of moments, which then progressed into an all day binge of the first season. As one does on Netflix, after all.
2. 30 Rock
Few shows scream “binge watch me” more than the Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin fronted series about the fledgling late night TV series, inspired by Fey’s days as head writer and news anchor on the iconic Saturday Night Live series. At its peak, it was the funniest, most original and best written comedy on TV. And it’s something that will hold up well, with its irreverent humour and great cast.
3. MARVEL: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
With all the film tie-ins apparently happening in the series, especially in light of the new Avengers film, it’s a crime not to give Netflix users access to the popular series.
4. Parks and Recreation
With the seventh and final series of the popular comedy wrapping now, now is the time for Netflix to let everyone come and look back at how great this show was. From a shaky beginning into its fantastic third season, where it arguably overtook 30 Rock as the funniest show on TV, the hilarious Amy Poehler led a terrific cast through the exploits of the Park department in Pawnee, Indiana. The capital of small town America.
5. Community
We know this one is on one of the other streaming networks already, but if we’re going to be asking for Parks and Rec and 30 Rock to be added to the streaming service, then we can’t help but ask for Community too. At least the first three seasons, which were absolute gold. Yes, it dropped off after that, but the latest episodes have been pretty enjoyable all the same. #sixseasonsandamovie is seeming pretty likely now, too.
6. Bobs Burgers
Unlike Archer, Bob’s Burgers is a bit more a slow grower – and with the DVDs slow to release in Australia, and its popularity pretty low relative to where it should be, the addition to the series on Netflix should do wonders for it on all counts. Everyone deserves to watch this hilarious show, featuring the same voice actor as Archer in the lead role (some avid watchers may remember the bizarre, meta crossover they did on Archer that one episode).
7. Life on Mars
The two season British television series, named after the David Bowie song of the same name and starring John Simm, was something of a revolution when it premiered back in 2006. Its follow-up, Ashes to Ashes, didn’t quite have the same spark the original did, but lasted for 3 more seasons all the same. The way the creators of the series played with the idea of the “comatose mind” and developed into a gritty police drama was nothing short of addictive and original. Still one of the best series of recent memory and we’d love to revisit it.
8. Black Books
The current Netflix has The IT Crowd… which is great and all… but Black Books is a go to for British Comedic TV viewing when you don’t really know what else to watch. It’s a must have…
9. The OC
One of the most influential TV dramas of the last 20 years has to be The OC. And for some reason, it’s really easy to get back into it all, as anyone who owns the DVD would attest. Like a few of the series on this list, it fell apart in the later seasons, but it was still a guilty pleasure until its end.
10. South Park
Some 257 episodes of the now classic TV series would make for some pretty epic binge viewing. Since we can’t access South Park Studios in Australia, which gives you access to pretty much every episode at the click of a button, Netflix would serve as the next best thing!
11. Fresh Meat
More people deserve to see this hilarious UK series, the starts of which have been seen in the likes of Game of Thrones and Doctor Who since it hit screens. Three seasons have aired so far, with a fourth promised in the not too distant future.
12. Classic Saturday Night Live
As we finally get the series on DVD, including the full musical segments, it would be great to have access to some of these classic SNL episodes on Netflix. A lot of Australians in particular don’t realise just how influential this show was in the world of comedy. Would we have Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, The Blues Brothers and Chevy Chase without it? Possibly not. We think the country is in need of a real schooling…
For more on Netflix, head to http://www.netflix.com.au/
*We do realise some of these shows are available on competing product already.
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