It’s a familiar scenario: your friend tells you about a new show on Netflix they’re obsessed with. You promise to check it out but promptly forget about it for a few weeks while you continue to watch whatever you were already watching. But all good things come to an end and eventually, the finale of your favourite show rolls around. Before you know it, you’re bored and staring at your Netflix home screen wondering what to watch.
The show your friend mentioned pops up and you decide to give it a go. You watch the pilot and as you much as you try to love it, you’re not quite sold. But you trust your friend’s taste, so you decide to persevere for another episode. And another. Aaaaaand another. Suddenly, you’re two seasons deep and you’ve somehow spent your entire weekend binge-watching the show!
If you’ve ever transformed from a casual viewer to a committed super-fan after a few episodes, you’re not alone. New research from Netflix shows that members are never hooked by the pilot episode. Rather, it’s usually the third or fourth (sometimes even as late as seventh or eighth) episode that hooks viewers in!
The study also showed that with many shows, Australian viewers were hooked later than the rest of the world. What can we say, we’re a tough crowd! The most addictive shows for Aussies were Stranger Things and The Get Down, where we were reeled in after just three episodes.
Looking for something new to watch? We’ve got you covered.
Stranger Things
This chilling series is the perfect blend of science fiction, horror, and mystery. Set in a small Indiana town in the 1980s, it centres around the disappearance of 12-year-old Will (Noah Schnapp). His loyal group of friends and mum Joyce (Winona Ryder) have to confront supernatural forces to get him back.
Number of seasons: One, with more to come.
Episodes needed to get hooked: Three.
The Get Down
If you’re a hip-hop fan, you won’t be able to get enough of this musical drama series. Directed by the legendary Baz Luhrmann, the Get Down tells the story of a group of aspiring musicians in the Bronx in the 1970s.
Number of seasons: One, with more to come.
Episodes needed to get hooked: Three.
Love
Anyone who’s ever been in a relationship will be able to relate to this romantic comedy series. Directed by Judd Apatow, it explores male and female perspectives in romantic relationships through the unlikely pairing of Gus (Paul Rust) and Mickey (Gillian Jacobs).
Number of seasons: One, with more to come.
Episodes needed to get hooked: Four.
Master of None
If you’ve ever watched one of Aziz Ansari’s stand-up specials, you’d be familiar with his hilarious observations about modern relationships. The same sense of humour translates into his comedy-drama series Master of None, where he plays a struggling actor in NYC who has trouble making decisions.
Number of seasons: One, with more to come.
Episodes needed to get hooked: Four.
Making a Murderer
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last year, you’ve probably heard of this true crime documentary series. It centres around Steven Avery from Wisconsin, who served 18 years in prison for a sexual assault he did not commit, before being exonerated. Just two years later, he was arrested on charges of murdering local photographer Teresa Halbech. The gripping series was filmed over ten years and follows Steven’s trial.
Number of seasons: One, with more to come.
Episodes needed to get hooked: Four.
Narcos
Sometimes, you just need to escape everyday life and watch a series about Columbian gangsters. This gritty crime drama chronicles the true story of drug lord Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura). If you’re looking for something the men in your life will happily watch with you, Narcos definitely fits the bill.
Number of seasons: Two, with more to come.
Episodes needed to get hooked: Four.
Jessica Jones
Who doesn’t love a series about girls who kick butt? Jessica Jones (Kristen Ritter) is a former superhero from the Marvel universe, who decides to reboot her life by starting a detective agency in New York. It soon becomes clear that she has a duty to save the world, but first, she has some issues she needs to work through.
Number of seasons: One, with more to come.
Episodes needed to get hooked: Four.
Jane The Virgin
Can you imagine finding out you’re pregnant when you’ve never even had sex? This is the unfortunate predicament Jane (Gina Rodriguez) finds herself in, in this hilarious comedy drama series. The young Latina’s life is turned upside down when her doctor mistakenly artificially inseminates her during a check-up. Making matters worse is the fact that the sperm donor is her boss!
Number of seasons: Two, with season three starting in October.
Episodes needed to get hooked: Six.
Gilmore Girls
Talk about a blast from the past! Before the follow-up miniseries premieres in November, you can watch (or rewatch) every single episode on Netflix. The iconic comedy-drama series ran from 2000 and 2007 and focuses on the relationship between fast-talking mother-daughter duo Rory (Alexis Bledel) and Lorelei Gilmore (Lauren Graham).
Number of seasons: Seven, with the follow-up series airing in November.
Episodes needed to get hooked: Eight.
Prison Break
Gilmore Girls isn’t the only noughties series having a revival! This drama series aired from 2005 to 2009 and focuses on hunky Michael (Wentworth Miller), who finds himself in a desperate situation when his brother Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) is put on Death Row for a crime he didn’t commit. Michael pulls out all the stops to prove Lincoln’s innocence and set him free. The follow-up series is set to air sometime next year.
Number of series: Four, with season five airing next year.
Episodes needed to get hooked: Three.
The Ranch
This comedy series is like a mini That 70s Show reunion! Ashton Kutcher plays Colt, a former semi-pro football player who returns home to help run the family ranch with his brother, Rooster (Danny Masterson). While sitcoms aren’t usually binge-watching material, The Ranch is a rare exception. The humour is brash and silly at times, but there’s something about the show that makes it surprisingly addictive!
Number of seasons: One, with more to come.
Episodes needed to get hooked: Four.
American Horror Story
Warning: American Horror Story is NOT for the faint-hearted! Each season of this supernatural horror series focuses on a different group of characters, in a different place. One season is set in a haunted house, another is set in a mental institution: the only thing that links the entire series together is how genuinely terrifying it all is.
Number of seasons: Six, with more to come.
Episodes needed to get hooked: Four.
The Fall
Looking for a series that will keep you on the edge of your seat? Search no further, because The Fall is about as nail-biting as it gets. The British thriller series focuses on the lives of two hunters: a serial killer in Ireland and the female detective, Stella (Gillian Anderson) drafted from London to catch him. You won’t be able to tear your eyes away from the screen as Stella looks in all the wrong places to track down the psycho.
Number of seasons: Three, with more to come.
Episodes needed to get hooked: Two.
