Two Netflix Shows Worth Streaming
Today, Netflix announced that it will officially end its “Netflix DVD” branch of the company on September 29, 2023. That means no more red envelopes with DVDs arriving in the mail for the ten or so people who actually still subscribe to the non-streaming form of Netflix. The service has shipped out over five billion discs since 1998, and this really is the end of an era not just for Netflix, but for all movie-lovers who’ve ever received a DVD in this way.
I do remember, after all, when I worked at Blockbuster that one summer in high school trying to get customers to sign up for Blockbuster’s own version of a DVD-by-mail service. Sadly, my efforts just weren’t strong enough. If I could’ve just convinced a few more people that any night could be a Blockbuster movie night with Blockbuster Total Access, things might’ve gone differently.
Sadly, Blockbuster has now gone the way of the dodo bird (besides that one stubborn Blockbuster store randomly still around in Oregon). Netflix, though, powers on, not just as a streaming service, but also as a company that commissions and acquires shows and movies of its own.
If I had been a better employee, all of this could have been prevented…
The current Netflix model, in fact, seems to be to acquire/commission as many TV shows as humanly possible, release them on its streaming platform, hope something is a hit, and then quickly cancel anything that doesn’t immediately garner substantial viewership. It’s a formula that results in lots of unfinished series on the platform and a generally stinky overall catalogue of programs. The current top TV show on Netflix in the U.S. today is Love is Blind 4. I am not a fan.
Still, for every 15 Squid Game-wannabes Netflix acquires, there is exactly one actually good shows it releases. (I’ve done the math and that’s how it works out—Netflix has a 15:1 bad show to good show ratio.) Fortunately for you, I’ve been doing some investigative journalism recently and I have discovered two quality shows you can stream on Netflix today.
War Sailor (2023)
War Sailor is a three episode limited series that was originally released in Norway as a two and half hour movie. After it was acquired by Netflix, War Sailor was re-formatted with additional footage and put on the platform as three hour-long episodes (that were all released on April 2).
The series received little-to-no publicity or marketing from Netflix, and despite being out for several weeks, has a grand total of five critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a real shame because it’s probably the best TV show or movie that Netflix has released so far in 2023.
Based on actual events, War Sailor centers on two best friends and sailors from Bergen, Norway who are forced to join the Norwegian merchant fleet and contribute to the Allied war effort during World War II. Even if you’re not a history buff, this is an all-around fantastic show—everything from the acting to the cinematography is real “A+” work. And, if you are a history fan, this is definitely a must-watch show.
War Sailor is a compelling drama that can be watched in a single sitting if one so chooses. It is overall a superb limited series and the type of prestige TV you rarely find on Netflix.
Grade: 9/10
The Last Kingdom: Season 1 (2015)
So, I never watched any of The Last Kingdom when it was first released in 2015 on BBC Two, but I decided to give the show a try after seeing that The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die, a movie that continues where the show left off, received positive reviews from both critics and the public upon its release this past week. I’m really glad that I gave it a chance because The Last Kingdom is a lot of fun.
Overall, this isn’t the type of “A-level” quality show that something like War Sailor is, but even a “B-tier”-type show can be really entertaining if it’s done right, and The Last Kingdom is definitely done right. The series is based on Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories series of novels and has an extremely similar feel to the History Channel’s Vikings. Though I probably don’t enjoy it as much as I did the first few seasons of Vikings (at least not yet), the adventures of Uhtred, a Saxton raised by the Danes, are plenty entertaining. The show is filled with the right mix of battles, romance, and political intrigue.
The Last Kingdom has five seasons, totaling 46 episodes, currently available to stream on Netflix. The first two seasons originally aired on BBC Two and the streaming service produced the three later seasons. This first season, which is comprised of eight hour long episodes, stands by itself as one (mostly) complete adventure story. I’m hoping that subsequent seasons also maintain this level of fun/quality since the show is extremely bingeable and a worthwhile watch so far.
Grade: 8/10