Ah Netflix, his thousands of series and movies on the poster, the very regular renewal of its catalog and many nuggets to discover … There are so many that sometimes, we hardly know where to turn.
Do you think you’ve seen all the content that is worth it on the streaming platform? Think again, this is probably not the case. To make you discover programs that you may not know, here is a selection of three series that caught our attention. As excellent as they are different, they are nevertheless sure values of the SVoD service.
What quality series to see this weekend on Netflix?
A good sports mini-series: The English Game 
The synopsis
A series that traces the genesis and origins of football in England in the 1870s. Through the itinerary of several players from the club of the Old Etonians and the small town of Darwen, it tells how the football became democratized before establishing itself as the most popular sport in the world. First reserved for the elite, it then becomes the prerogative of all, regardless of social class.
Why it’s a good choice
A good series that first talks about football, but not only. The English Game it is skillfully used to tackle other interesting subjects such as the class struggle, the working world and the wind of change which is beginning to dawn among the less privileged. Overall, it’s very good. The story holds up, the actors do the job well and the series hangs because it talks about a unifying subject.
The quality of the production, especially during the matches, should be emphasized. Admittedly, there is not much to get your teeth into, but still do not sulk our pleasure. Its creators wanted to give depth to The English Game by transforming football into a social object. It is successful: it creates links, arouses conversations, becomes a class issue and creates tensions between aristocrats and workers, as the show.
Certainly, the balance between the ball and these related subjects could have been better. Sometimes the series seems to get lost in the twists and turns of its secondary plots, forgetting the main one. Occasionally, certain scenes are also improbable and not very credible. It’s a shame, but not dramatic and it does not detract from our favorable opinion on the series.
It is not perfect and sometimes gets lost by focusing on romance and futility in football, but we still recommend it without hesitation. Fictions on the subject are rare and it remains very well made.
- Here is the trailer for the one and only season in the series:
An underrated police thriller: Aquarius
The synopsis
Los Angeles 1967, Sam Hodiak is a seasoned but tormented LAPD sergeant. When the daughter of an influential lawyer from the city of angels disappears, he investigates in an attempt to find her. While his investigations put him on the trail of the dangerous Charles Manson and members of his sect, he realizes that the young girl could well be one of his followers. Helped by undercover policeman Brian Shafe, he will then try to infiltrate the small group …
Why it’s a good choice
Aquarius was a little abused by critics when it came out in 2015, not necessarily rightly so. It must be said that the series was expected at the turn. David Duchovny as a police officer investigating “The Family” by Charles Manson. The pitch has something to intrigue and make you want to embark on the program, at the risk of being disappointed like many seriesphiles.
We will be more measured about it. Yes Aquarius is not the decade series, it is a fact, it is nonetheless a thriller policeman taking and rhythmic. As usual, the charismatic David Duchovny is very good. Here, he carries the program squarely on his shoulders and is obviously no stranger to the rather positive look we have on Aquarius.
The actor is his pillar, which allows him to float and not tire his viewer. Unfortunately, the series does not escape the clichés. The pictures are numerous, some characters unevenly developed and ultimately quite uninteresting. The story sometimes turns a bit in circles and fails to reach its full potential. The main plot is the main collateral victim, since it is sometimes drowned in intrigues without much interest.
It’s a shame, since the rest was largely up to par. Soundtrack, atmosphere of the late 1960s, social issues fairly well addressed … there is no shortage of good points. They must therefore also be remembered when judging Aquarius, a good detective series that certainly could have done better.
- Watch the trailer for the first season to get an idea:
An amazing animated series: Midnight Gospel
The synopsis
To overcome the loneliness that beset him, Clancy Gilroy uses his simulator of parallel universes to explore imaginary galaxies. In these improbable and colorful worlds, he questions the locals they meet on his way to feed his program. Then begins a series of discussions as implausible as they are existential in increasingly wacky places.
Why it’s a good choice
Midnight Gospel astonishes as much as it detonates. The series was born from the collaboration of Pendleton Ward, creator of the well-known Adventure Time, and Duncan Trussell, a humorist who owes his fame to his podcast The Duncan Trussell Family Hour. Necessarily, Midnight Gospel is the result of the mixture of these two very different universes.
The shimmering animation is the signature of the first city, the long spiritual and introspective discussions the leg of the second. Obviously, the show surprises because it doesn’t have much to do with the animated series we used to watch. The series goes far, very far … Clancy takes us on a journey to the four corners of the universe, in hallucinated worlds where the escalation of colors and quirks breaks records.
But that’s not all, since the main character then embarks on long, deep and existential conversations with passers-by during his cosmic wanderings. It becomes very easy to lose the thread … Midnight Gospel is a demanding series and the interminable interviews of its characters are sometimes complicated to follow.
Moral of the story: so as not to disperse, focus more on the lyrics than on the animation. It’s a bit of a shame, but it’s worth hanging on for. It is often instructive, subtle and interesting, even if weariness also awaits at times.
On our side, we still put a small flat for the animation. Basic and a bit messy, it leaves the viewer a bit hungry. A little binder between the episodes might not have been too much either. Still, these few flaws do not prevent Midnight Gospel to be worth a detour. In substance as in form, the series stands out and will make you travel with its character.
- Watch the Season 1 trailer:
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