Online movie streaming has never been more popular. Services such as Netflix, Disney Plus, and Prime Video have made exploring our taste in cinematography easy and affordable. With just about 10 bucks a month, one can get access to a plethora of movies and series of different genres filmed all around the world in various time periods. No wonder binge-watching 10-season-long series and coming back to one’s favorite films has become so frequent nowadays, especially among those who enjoy indoor pastimes more. With the weather becoming colder every day, it’s time to put on a sweater and find entertainment within the comfort of our dorms. If you consider “watching Netflix” as your hobby, and have a penchant for crime dramas, the following list is for you.
Breaking Bad. You can’t call yourself a crime drama lover if you haven’t watched this one. Having amassed an immense, cult-like following on the Internet, and having been called “one of the biggest cultural phenomena of the 2010s”, Breaking Bad features a story of a cancer-stricken high school teacher who suddenly decides to direct his PhD-level knowledge of chemistry towards more criminal purposes — namely, cooking and selling crystal meth. The main character, Walter White, partners up with his student, Jessie, who “knows the business” in order to make the first step towards becoming a drug kingpin. Faced with a constant inflow of challenges, coming both from his drug business and his family, Walter transforms into a completely unrecognizable person, whose only goal is to make as many millions as possible before death comes knocking on his door.
Better Call Saul. A spin-off from Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul focuses on Walter’s lawyer and partner in crime — Saul Goodman. The series tells the story of a good-for-nothing bum who decides to pursue a career in law after he becomes fed up with making a living from occasional street scams. Throughout his career as a private lawyer, Goodman develops the talent in finding the most creative and off-book means to defend his clients, which later translates into his operation in the “gray area”. A charismatic sweet talker, Goodman manages to approach any problem with wit and originality, including laundering money for a Mexican drug cartel. The series develops from multiple sides simultaneously — one being a love story, the other being a personal transformation, and the third being a fight against injustice (and justice). Definitely worth a watch after Breaking Bad.
Narcos. Yet another drug-related series, Narcos contains elements of both drama and documentary in it. The series chronicles the life of Pablo Escobar, a 20th-century Columbian drug lord. There is a constant play of hide-and-seek between Pablo and the DEA in the face of 2 agents sent from America to Medellín, the center of Esobar’s cocaine empire. While Escobar rises in politics, amasses billions of dollars in cash, and becomes more powerful day-by-day, the two agents, Javier and Steve, must devise increasingly intricate plans to stop the Columbian “king of cocaine” and put an end to the smuggling of the drug to America.
Ozark. In my opinion, the darkest and the hardest to watch among all the series on this list. The story revolves around the family of a Chicago-based financial advisor Marty Byrde, who as a part of a deal gone wrong, has to move to the Lake of the Ozarks, a hidden travel gem in the center of Missouri, to open up a business through which he would launder drug money. Faced with constant pressure from the locals and death threats from the drug cartel representatives, Marty has no choice other than to ask for help from the people closest to him — his wife and kids. I mean, what could possibly go wrong with asking your adolescent children to help you cover up a murder and bury millions of dollars in cash?
Manhunt: Unabomber. The true crime/drama series tells a story about the FBI's hunt for Ted Kaczynski, a.k.a. “the Unabomber”, an American terrorist responsible for nationwide mail bombing. Stuck with few clues and a panicking public, the FBI asks Jim Fitz, a talented profiler, to help with the case. Having joined the task force, Jim renders all previous work done by the FBI useless and starts from ground zero. He succeeds in utilizing forensic linguistics to narrow down the pool of suspects; however, his supervisors make it particularly difficult for him to go his own way and advise him to stick to traditional methods instead. It is, however, Jim’s analysis of the “Unabomber Manifesto” that proves indispensable in tracking down Ted's brother, and then finally the criminal himself.