By KATELYN MASSARELLI
As college students, we are constantly busy with classes, extracurricular activities and balancing a social life. We welcome the smallest chance for a break and Netflix binging is just one of many things to do during your moments of down time. The first semester is a whirlwind of change to any freshman and Netflix is the perfect escape any student needs in their life. Here are just a few Netflix shows that will help you with not only your first semester, but the many semesters to come.
Family Guy
If you love a show that mocks current events, celebrities and politicians, then Family Guy will be the perfect show to make you laugh uncontrollably. In the fictional small town of Quahog, Rhode Island, viewers watch the Griffin family as they go through everyday life. Peter and Lois Griffin have a traditional marriage and raise their three kids Meg, Chris, and Stewie along with their dog, Brian.
The dark humor of the Griffin’s will make you ask your screen, “Did that really just happen?” Whether it be another one of Stewie’s attempts at world domination or another scene where Meg gets made fun of by everyone on the show, the Griffins will keep you entertained during your break from schoolwork. The 13 seasons available on Netflix will delay the inevitable feeling of not knowing what to do once finishing a show.
That ‘70s Show
That ‘70s Show may be based on 1970s culture, but this binge-worthy show will give you enough comic relief to get you through that 10-page research paper. The group of friends, Eric Forman, Donna Pinciotti, Steven Hyde, Jackie Burkhart, Michael Kelso, and Fez, are constantly hanging out in the Forman basement or down at the Hub. Their lives in the 1970s unfold in the small town Point Place, Wisconsin.
This show is filled with the teens’ coming of age, romance and tons of laughs that carry over to the viewers. That ‘70s Show is a sitcom that will provide you with the carefree break you need after a long study session.
One Tree Hill
Shows that portray high school unrealistically used to be annoying, but now that college has arrived they seem more comical. Though One Tree Hill is one of those shows, it’s a feel-good drama that will make it easy for bingers to look past the false reality and pay more attention to the story being told. Being born into a long line of family drama, main character Lucas Scott’s life in the small town of Tree Hill, South Carolina is a constant reminder of his mom’s past with his father and the town’s high school basketball legend, Dan Scott. Dan left Lucas’s mom, Karen, after high school to live his dream of playing college basketball. He comes back a semester later with a pregnant wife, but still refuses to take any part in Lucas’s life. Now that Lucas and his half-brother, Nathan Scott, are in high school themselves, their family drama boils over when Lucas makes an effort to join the basketball team. Dan and Nathan do everything in their power to make him feel unwelcome.
In this show, you will see the family relationship unfold with romance and drama surrounding the two brothers and friends. You’ll cry tears of joy as you watch the characters continue to develop throughout the series and laugh along with them as they do.
The Vampire Diaries
With the final season airing this October, it’s never been a better time to start binge-watching this gripping show filled with supernatural beings and enough drama to get your head out of your textbooks. The Vampire Diaries is based off the book series created by L.J. Smith about the characters of Mystic Falls, Virginia. The series starts off with main character, Elena Gilbert, grieving the loss of both her parents when she meets Stefan Salvatore, a brooding vampire who is taken aback because Elena looks exactly like Katherine Pierce, his late lover from 1864 Mystic Falls. A series of mystery continues to erupt as Stefan tries to create a life for himself in Mystic Falls again, but only so many secrets can be held together. His older brother, Damon, returns to Mystic Falls for his own mysterious agenda and follows through with his intentions to never let his brother forget his past mistakes.
With romance, drama, and mystery taking over, that hard class will be the last thing you’re thinking about during a binge marathon of The Vampire Diaries.
Katelyn Massarelli can be reached at katelyn.massarelli@theminaretonline.com