Hellobee

During the pandemic, I went through periods where I would binge watch a lot of Netflix, and periods where I wouldn’t watch anything for months at a time. I also started watching Korean dramas again for the first time in over 20 years because there’s such a huge variety now, and I had so much time on my hands in the beginning of the pandemic. Thank goodness for Netflix!

Netflix recently released their stats on their most popular shows of all time:

1. Bridgerton, season 1 — 625 million hours
2. Money Heist, part 4 — 619 million hours
3. Stranger Things 3 — 582 million hours
4. The Witcher, season 1 — 541 million hours
5. 13 Reasons Why, season 2 — 496 million hours
6. 13 Reasons Why, season 1 — 476 million hours
7. You, season 2 — 457 million hours
8. Stranger Things 2 — 427 million hours
9. Money Heist, part 3 — 426 million hours
10. Ginny & Georgia, season 1 — 381 million hours

These are some of the Netflix shows I binge watched during the pandemic and recommend!

Squid Game – The recently released Squid Game is currently on track to becoming the most streamed Netflix show of all time. The Korean series is about a Battle Royale/Running Man/Hunger Games type tournament where desperate contestants compete for a large cash prize. I’m currently on episode 7 of 9 so I don’t want to read any plot spoilers. I already cried in Episode 6. It’s very dark and violent, but it’s very good.

Hometown Cha Cha Cha – To balance the darkness of Squid Game, I’m also watching the romantic Korean drama Hometown Cha Cha Cha. It’s about a dentist who moves from the big city to a small seaside town where she meets village chief Hong, a jack of all trades, who is seemingly her opposite. It’s a very heartwarming drama about the every day lives of the close-knit town members. Two new episodes are released every week, and there are currently 10/16 available to stream now.

Crash Landing on You – Since we’re on Korean shows, I watched Crash Landing on You at the beginning of the pandemic and it opened the gateway to many more Korean dramas. I stopped watching them for 20 years because they are so addicting! Crash Landing on You has all the elements to hook you from the first episode, and it’s hard to stop watching once you start. A South Korean heiress and a North Korean soldier become star-crossed lovers when the heiress accidentally lands in North Korea during a paragliding accident. The entire supporting cast is memorable, and deliver great performances as well as lots of comedic relief. The male lead Hyun Bin isn’t bad to look at either. This was one of the most highly rated Korean dramas of all time, and now the two lead actors are dating in real life!

It’s Okay to Not be Okay – This Korean drama tells the story of a successful children’s book author with antisocial personality disorder who falls for Kang Tae, an employee at a psychiatric hospital. Kang Tae already has his hands full with a brother on the autism spectrum who has an unresolved childhood trauma that necessitates them moving every year. It’s darker than other Korean dramas and features gothic fairy-tale inspired backdrops, while tackling tough topics like mental health issues and trauma. The three lead actors all deliver excellent performances, and all the lead female’s outfits are gorgeous for those of you that are sartorially inclined.

The Queen’s Gambit – After a car crash kills her mother, Beth finds herself in an orphanage where the janitor teaches her how to play chess. She becomes addicted to the drugs the orphanage dispenses daily (a common practice back in the 1950s), but turns out to be a chess prodigy. She continues to struggle with addiction into adulthood on her way to the top of the chess world. The cinematography and costumes of this period drama are stunning, as is Anna Taylor Joy, who delivers a knock-out performance.

Unorthodox – This 4-part series follows Esty, an ultra-orthodox Jewish woman in Brooklyn who flees to Germany to leave her unhappy arranged marriage behind. She heads to Berlin, where her estranged mother lives, and falls in with a group of musician friends, applies for a scholarship at their university, and explores her newfound freedoms outside of the insular religious community in which she grew up. You can’t help but root for Esty to find her place in the world.

Bling Empire – From an executive producer who worked on Keeping up with the Kardashians comes this 100% guilty pleasure reality show featuring an ultra-wealthy all Asian cast in their playground Los Angeles. The show even has one cast member that is a dead ringer for an Asian Kylie Jenner. Nothing wrong with indulging in guilty pleasures in pandemic times! Season 2 will be released in the next couple of months!

Indian Matchmaking – This is another reality show guilty pleasure featuring an Indian matchmaker and her clients. Arranged marriages make up the vast majority of marriages in India, and Indian Matchmaking provides a glimpse into the lives of the men and women, both in India and the US, who seek out matchmaking services. Season 2 has been greenlit and should be released in 2022.

Rupaul’s Drag Race – What can I say about my favorite reality tv show? It has everything from make-up to fashion, singing, dancing, acting, and slaying the runway every week. The queens are brimming with charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent. Rupaul is now the winningest black artist in Emmy’s history for his reality series that has had 13 seasons, 6 all-star seasons and multiple international spin-offs. It has provided countless hours of entertainment throughout the entire pandemic.

Emily in Paris – Emily in Paris is romantic comedy featuring an American twenty-something who moves to Paris to run social media for a French marketing firm. It’s full of cliches, but it’s fun, fluffy, gorgeous, and perfect pandemic viewing. Season 2 will drop on December 22nd.

Bridgerton – Dear Readers, Bridgerton is the number one show in Netflix history, and this Shonda Rimes helmed modern period drama has it all – drama, romance, sex, comedy, suspense, beautiful costumes and sets and of course gorgeous actors. It’s Gossip Girl meets London high society in the early 1800’s. Season 2 will be released next year, and it’s also already been renewed for seasons 3 and 4 as the series is based on Julia Quinn’s 8 novel series.

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Which shows have you binge watched over the pandemic? There is still so much that I haven’t watched yet, I’d love to hear your recommendations!