TV Shows I've Been Streaming On Netflix Instant

Status: FINISHED STREAMING
Seasons Watched: 4
Episodes Watched: 68
Overall Opinion: This show was the very reason why I decided to get Instant Watch on my Netflix account. It was also the very first thing I ever watched on Netflix Instant Watch. Hearing the acclaim that this show had and the huge anticipation the fourth season had, I decided to jump the bandwagon and finally check what all the hype was about just before the internet exploded over the arrival of the fourth season. I have to say I really loved this show. One of the things that really makes Arrested Development work is that the stories and basic premise sound more like things you'd see in a drama series or a soap opera rather than a farcical situation comedy. The characters, story arcs, and jokes all work incredibly. This show contains some seriously smart writing that involves incorporates a lot of running gags, visual jokes, hilarious dialogue, and a lot of subtle jokes that probably won't pay-off until possibly seasons from now. Having watched every single episode, I have to say this entire series is a joy to rewatch due to understanding the grand story at play, discovering a whole lot of jokes that I missed out on my first viewing. I really like and appreciate the storytelling and design risks that they took for this show's fourth season. Now, whenever I come across a film or show that showcases intelligent and funny humor that has a lot of rewatch value, it always reminds me of Arrested Development. Both incredibly funny and smart, Arrested Development has not only become one of my favorite sitcoms but also one of my favorite TV shows.

Status: FINISHED STREAMING
Seasons Watched: 1
Episodes Watched: 16
Overall Opinion: This show is definitely a guilty pleasure of mine. Made during the infamous "CN Real" time where Cartoon Network tried to change its image by releasing a bunch of lame reality TV shows that basically ripped-off other more popular reality TV shows. This show was basically what would happen if Mythbusters was made by Jackass fans. Three teenagers basically asking stupid questions and end up doing ridiculous stunts that don't at all involve the scientific method. I don't know what I like about this show as I thought all the other CN Real shows were crap. I remember watching this show when it came out and watching it today, I realize how stilted and possibly scripted this "reality show" was. These three guys are basically acting like how children would image how teenagers acted like. Despite all these clear flaws, there is just something about this stupidity that is kind of charming and genuine. Most of these shows were cancelled rather quickly but lucky for me, this and Destroy Build Destroy (probably the only kind of original reality show they came up with that was hosted by Andrew W.K. that was still pretty uninteresting) were the only CN Real shows that were still running even after CN Real was destroyed. I am glad that Cartoon Network which I loved watching as a kid never again made the declining mistakes that brought out something as bad as CN Real but out of those dumb shows, this dumb show I really liked. I don't recommend you watch this show at all but I at least managed to enjoy re-experiencing this show again.

Status: CURRENTLY STREAMING
Seasons Watched: 4
Episodes Watched: 71
Overall Opinion: Family Guy is definitely not the highest-quality of comedic potential. I do admit the show can be godawful sometimes but there are other moments where I find the show to be funny and enjoyable (for example, I enjoy watching their Star Wars parodies on DVD). I mean the show has some potential but I'm overall not a fan. In my opinion, I consider American Dad to be an even better version of Family Guy that takes the good qualities of that show and improves upon it. For one thing, I believe the humor in AD works better than in FG mainly because of how it's less focused on cutaway gags and the cross-the-line humor that made FG so disliked. The dark humor is still used but more sparingly. The early episodes of Season 1 did present itself as just Family Guy with politics but after finding its own identity, American Dad shows itself to be a funnier, more interesting, and just a better quality program. One of the reasons for this is the fact that I just believe that American Dad have better characters at their disposal, containing more interesting character traits in this group of characters compared to the rather bland and generic characteristics that were in the main Family Guy characters. Besides that due to the use of the CIA as a plot device, many of the plots are more interesting and unpredictable with their premises and jokes. Probably my favorite program that Seth McFarlane has created (better than Family Guy and MUCH BETTER than The Cleveland Show) and I've definitely been enjoyed streaming episodes on Netflix Instant Watch.

Status: FINISHED STREAMING
Seasons Watched: 1
Episodes Watched: 32
Overall Opinion: I remembered watching and loving Power Rangers when I was really young. The whole costumed superheroes fighting monsters, aliens, and sorcerers which resulted in a final battle between a gigantic robot and a rubber-suited monster all over the tiny models that are meant to represent a small-sized city. The last Power Rangers show I was still into was Jungle Fury which combined the typical Power Ranger scenario with animal spirits and martial arts. I remembered this show got me really into animals with all the Monsters of the Week being based on animals and the main characters themselves having an animal spirit. I was enthralled through this show's entire run on television and when I discovered this show was available on Netflix, I decided to take the opportunity to re-experience this gem from my childhood. I have to say this show is pretty entertaining. Not just from the typical giant monster fights and battles with mooks but there are also some legitimate martial arts placed into many of the fights that are actually well-choreographed. Even the story isn't just the usual kid's show crap with some interesting story arcs that manages to hold this season off well through its 32 episodes. This was made during the Writer's Strike and despite that the writing still works. Mainly focusing on how a rookie named Casey (The Red Ranger) deals with being placed the leader of a team that has way more experience than him which is actually a cliche commonly found in PR shows that is well-deconstructed here. It actually has an interesting parallel as the show progresses. As Casey is trying to improve as a Ranger, Dai Shi (the main villain) is trying to improve past the human form he possess and despises to try and take over the world. This kind of progress is one of the key elements of the series as it shows how subtly Casey has changed from the uncertain rookie to the full-fledged leader of the team. While not always high-quality entertainment, this show proves to be more than the usual cut-of-the-fold entertainment made for kids and provided an enjoyable watching even at an older age.

Status: CURRENTLY STREAMING
Seasons Watched: 5
Episodes Watched: 50
Overall Opinion: Described as "James Bond" meets "Arrested Development", Archer is certainly an interesting show that mixes the high-stakes action of the spy genre with the hilarious down-to-earth tone of an office show. Doing a great job at parodying and deconstructing spy and action movie tropes, Archer showcases the kind of hilarious mistakes that could be made in these kinds of situations. The reason why this series works is the titular main character, Sterling Archer. He is just an interesting character to lead this comedic series as he is basically James Bond as a complete asshole. An alcoholic womanizer who is competent and lucky enough to get out of any situation without so much as a bruise but he still more than capable of completely screwing up a mission because of lack of interest and intelligence. He is definitely an major asshole who is nearly unsympathetic. But due to his Butt-Monkey tendencies and even more horrible mother who is in charge of his spy agency, he manages to become a character you are interested in seeing get through and often cause trouble. Archer's voicework is done by H. Jon Benjamin whose has been known for working on other popular adult animation shows (Home Movies, Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, etc.). This guy and Patrick Warburton are probably only two voice actors I know of who manage to portray several memorable characters without ever changing their voices. Literally all the characters they voice sound exactly the same and are easy to recognize but still manage to encapsulate a whole bunch of different characters. Despite all my praise towards the main character, all of the other characters are still great and work well into the show in providing a whole bunch of hilarious and insane situations who are also all voiced spectacularly by great professionals. Special mention goes to Jessica Walter and Judy Greer who have previously worked on Arrested Development and also play very similar characters on this show. Speaking of Arrested Development, this show does have a lot of that kind of clever humor mixed with the expected sex jokes, references, movie parody, and mundane observations. Literally, this is a great show to stream because of all the in-show references, callbacks, running gags, and plot points that works in enjoying to watch the show one after another. This is a spectacular comedy show that manages to mix clever comedy with spy action movie ridiculousness. Archer is definitely a show that manages to hit bull's eye.

Status: FINISHED STREAMING
Seasons Watched: 3
Episodes Watched: 52
Overall Opinion: I have seen various episodes from this show when I was younger but I never really got to have the full Batman Beyond experience until I started streaming it on Netflix. While it is not superior to the classic Batman: The Animated Series, it is still a damn good show on its own merits. The concept of being set in the future with a completely different Batman could've easily been made into an awful show but the effort that these people made to present the concept in the most intriguing and entertaining way has to be praised. For one incredibly smart decision, they decided to keep the original Bruce Wayne alive to serve as the new Batman's, Terry McGinnis's, mentor providing an interesting dynamic between the ways of the old and the times of the new through their greatly developed relationship. The voicework is incredibly as to be expected from an DCAU show: the casting is just pitch-perfect with the always fantastic Kevin Conroy reprising an older version of Bruce Wayne, while Will Friedle shows his talent at portraying teenage superheroes with his great performance as Terry. With this concept, the show manages to explore incredibly cool futuristic ideas as well as the themes of legacy, old age, and whether one should continue the ideas of old or move on to the new. One of the best elements of any Batman show is it's villains and this show manages to impressively showcase it's own unique roster of rogues, while occasionally going back to bring back a foe from the past like Mr. Freeze and Ra's al Ghul. It is a shame that the show only lasted three seasons and was able to get a real finale that ends the series on an fantastic note, just a rather mediocre episode that finishes off this spectacular series (Luckily the Justice League Unlimited episode "Epilogue" provides not only a proper finale to this show but also to the DCAU in general being chronologically its last outing). Overall, Batman Beyond is an amazing show that takes full advantage of its concept to proves its place in the greatly expansive DC Animated Universe.

Status: FINISHED STREAMING
Seasons Watched: 1
Episodes Watched: 32
Overall Opinion: After watching Jungle Fury, I was interested in checking out the fan-favorite series that I didn't get the chance to watch. This was the Power Rangers show that was almost the last Power Rangers show. Until Samurai came in two years later, people did believe the mega-franchise of PR was finished. While still having the common elements seen in a Power Rangers show, this show was much more mature and darker installment in the franchise. Taking place after a Robot apocalypse, a computer virus named VENJIX has managed to go SKYNET on Planet Earth, managing to kill all human life on Earth except for those residing in the domed city of Corinth. The force that protects the Corinth from the invading forces of VENJIX is the Power Rangers. Not only does this show present a darker version of the usual Ranger fare you'd expect but it is also darker compared to the Sentai show it's most based on (which was actually a parody of Sentai shows). This definitely shows as some of the footage with the Rangers and the Zords doesn't always mix in tone with the rest of the footage made for the show. Still the show works because of its unique story, characters, and surprising amount of clever humor that manages to balance off the dark moments while also parodying the Power Rangers franchise. Overall, Power Rangers R.P.M. manages to parody and deconstruct the typical Power Rangers formula to present a series that (briefly) ended off the Power Rangers franchise with a bang.

Status: FINISHED STREAMING
Seasons Watched: 1
Episodes Watched: 26
Overall Opinion: I just felt in the mood for a really good anime when I decided to stream Trigun. I did not realize the fantastic experience I was about to have. I am not the biggest anime watcher but this one really worked for me. Taking place on the planet Gunsmoke, Trigun focuses on the infamous outlaw known as "Vash the Stampede" who has a huge bounty of sixty billion double-dollars on his head. However, Vash is not a cold-hearted killer but a goofy optimistic pacifist. Two female insurance agents decided to follow Vash to prevent further destruction from occurring. The first half of the show is mostly lighthearted formulaic stuff that actually goes to slowly establish the world and its characters and packs a lot of subtle foreshadowing that can be spotted on a second viewing. The first half establishes a lot of questions. Then, the second half happens where the plot finally kicks off, gets serious, and those questions get answered (for the most part). The main reason why this show works so well is because of its main character. Vash the Stampede has become one of my favorite fictional characters. He is just a complex and mysterious character whose background is learnt as the series go on. His philosophy on life is a uplifting way to view the world and will suffer physically and reputably to get that point across. Another reason why this show works is because there is never a moment where exposition is laid, so there a lot of hints to people's backgrounds and their actions that provides a lot of information when rewatching it. There are also those great "Next Episode" teasers that give hints at the ideas and themes that are going to be presented in the next episodes. Also, there is Nicholas D. Wolfwood who is a pretty cool priest. The voice-acting is great as nearly everyone is perfectly cast in their roles (especially the four main characters). It is different from normal voice-acting as it is more subtle than most US anime voice-overs. There isn't a bad performance among the bunch (besides a few background people). The atmosphere and story presents a strange and mysterious Western world that is later revealed to take place on a different planet which works really well to present a unique world to tell this incredible story that blends moral issues, incredible action, well-written characters, and occasional Christian themes. If you haven't already, I recommend you give this show a chance.

Status: CURRENTLY STREAMING
Seasons Watched: 1
Episodes Watched: 16
Overall Opinion: Do I really need to go into detail about this one? IT'S THE FREAKING TWILIGHT ZONE! A classic television with incredible creativity, amazing cinematography, and interesting stories of fantasy that dealt with moral issues in imaginative ways. From the very opening with those unique visuals, iconic music, and the pitch-perfect narration from the show's creator, Rod Sterling, who narrates each episode with a certain professional, prestige, and well-articulated tone that could never be replaced. This is just a perfect television show, my favorite television of all time, I've always been interested in checking out a magnificent episode from this wonderful show.

Status: FINISHED STREAMING
Seasons Watched: 1
Episodes Watched: 10
Overall Opinion: This was a phenomenal watch. Probably the first time I streamed an entire series on my first watch. It helps the episodes are a mere 15-minutes each. But each one manages to pack a punch. Don't let the cute designs fool you. This is a mature adult series dealing with the trials and struggles of adult life. Probably the most relatable series of 2018 so far. The series follows Retsuko, a red panda office drone, who lets out all of your aggression and discomfort with your work environment out through the raw power of heavy metal karaoke. It truly is an incredible dramedy, equal parts despairing truths of reality and hilarious gut-busting moments. I would honestly recommend the series for anyone with a Netflix account. I'm sure you'll definitely enjoy it.