Secrets from the Best Netflix Series
Since it started creating original content in 2012, Netflix has redefined how we enjoy television. With the advent of binge-streaming, a platform without ads (for now), and other great goodies, Netflix is THE name in streaming and shows. With a library of nearly 150 original shows and movies, there’s something for nearly everyone out there. All you gotta do is scroll and search! Despite most series not lasting as long as we’d like, we’ve found some juicy secrets to keep us going. From odd casting decisions to the downright bizarre, we have a full queue of stuff to go through.
Update your subscription plan and grab a comfy blanket, because we’re exposing some huge secrets from our favorite Netflix series!
Ozark
When you’re one of Hollywood’s most beloved “straight man” type of actors, there are only so many roles that become available to you after a while. Sure, you’re great playing a certain character. What about if you wanted something different? That can be pretty tough in LA. For some actors, Netflix proved to be the perfect place to try something new. It kind of makes sense, right?
When Ozark was being created, a bunch of people wanted to play the lead. In the end, Jason Bateman of all people got it! This accomplished actor had a plan, and it wasn’t to inject humor into the story. He said he took the part of the lead character to help break him out of Hollywood’s typecasting!
Black Mirror
Some of our favorite shows on Netflix have to do with either true crime or the impending technological apocalypse that’s destined to befall us all. That’s probably why we’ve watched all five seasons of Black Mirror an unhealthy amount of times. We’re just getting ready for the future! This techno-horror show is actually pretty deep. While each story has a moral or some sort of lesson, even the title is full of secrets!
Do you know what it actually means? A black mirror is the effect of your tv resembling a mirror once it’s turned off! It’s kind of like when your front-facing camera turns on when you’re least expecting it and you look like Jabba the Hutt for whatever reason.
Master of None
Aziz Ansari is a hilarious comedian! Aside from dominating stand-up comedy (and appearing in television shows), he can also direct some great dramas! Ansari is basically a man of many hats and talents. It also runs in the family. For his hit show Master of None, Ansari wanted to find the perfect pair to play his parents’ roles.
When that didn’t work out he decided to stop looking so far. Instead, he tapped his own parents for the parts! Since their son on the show is the same as in real life, all of the interactions felt much more natural.
Orange Is the New Black
More often than not, it’s pretty common for people to fall in love with a character and then the actor behind the role. Other times, it’s completely reversed. In extreme situations, both happen simultaneously in a weird and unpredictable way. Usually, that means some great things are about to happen. Uzo Aduba (who plays Crazy Eyes) in Orange Is the New Black, is one such success story.
Despite being an amazing actor, Aduba’s portrayal of Crazy Eyes threw the show’s creators for a loop! She was only supposed to be in three episodes. However, her delivery, charm, and energy caused her to be cast as a recurring character!
The Queen’s Gambit
Even if you’re not a chess fan, you’ve probably seen The Queen’s Gambit. This realistic (but still fictitious) take on a famous book really transported us into the world of Beth Harmon. For as much as we felt we knew her, it’s weird to think she never existed! It’s also weird to think that this show took almost three decades to be made.
Multiple studios refused to make the show. In fact, the producer rewrote the script nine times just to make it more palatable to studios. We’d love to see those other versions. What kind of games and storylines are hidden in those pages?
The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a great show. Part of what makes it so good is how committed it is to tell a story while maintaining an off-the-wall style of humor. The other thing that works so well is the actors that make these cartoonish people come to life. They’re all so fantastic in their roles!
Of course, none compare to the titular role of Kimmy. Ellie Kemper is basically Kimmy without all the trauma. She’s bubbly, hilarious, and incredibly smart. Her portrayal of Kimmy almost seems too perfect…that’s probably because the role was written with her in mind! Did they lock her in a bunker to prepare for the part?
Stranger Things
What’s stranger than a bad show that just won’t go away? It’s got to be a good show with some of the strangest people working on it. Stranger Things started out as a campy sci-fi show that developed into a cultural hurricane of quality programming. Watching the new generation of kid actors grow up in front of our eyes is pretty fascinating.
It makes everything even cooler when you realize some of the younger actors have very old souls and experienced insight. Millie Bobby Brown does more than captivate audiences with her acting ability. She also has the innate ability to always know what camera needs her attention and how to command a scene with the power of an experienced adult actor!
Sex Education
Some shows feel like films. Other films feel like shows. Some songs feel like movies. Things just remind us of things. However, when a show turns out to be an homage to some of our favorite movies we really perk up and take notice. Sex Education isn’t just a great show featuring realistic storylines with somewhat practical solutions.
It’s also a love letter to some of the most influential films of the 80s. One of the lead writers on the show, Laurie Nunn, basically confirmed it! The school on the show is a direct homage to John Hughes, the man behind some of the greatest teen films of the 80s.
Russian Doll
Do you like the movie Groundhog Day? Does the thought of being stuck in a perpetual time loop of terror just titillate you? Then perhaps Russian Doll is your jam! This romp through self-discovery and weird deaths is a pretty trippy show. While the dry humor and dark jokes work, some of the more punny lines aren’t lost on Russian speakers.
While Nadia’s first name means hope in Russian, her last name is a play on something else. If you sound it out you’ll find that it’s a play on the word vulva! We wonder how many letters Netflix got regarding this lil’ Easter egg.
Ratched
Nurse Ratched isn’t just a somewhat misunderstood and horrifying movie figure. She’s also a champion for equality. In Ryan Murphy’s Ratched, Sarah Paulson adds new levels of depth, complexity, and understanding to the famous character from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Even when the cameras weren’t rolling she was making sure her fellow actors were being taken care of.
After Rosanna Arquette did an interview stating her career took a hit after she spoke out against Harvey Weinstein, Paulson knew she had to do something. While involved with Ratched, she called Arquette and offered her a role on the show!
Mindhunter
True crime documentaries, series, movies, and even podcasts have captured the minds and attention of tons of people. For some reason, humans are obsessed with hearing every little detail about someone else’s dangerous run-ins with the law. The darker and grittier the story (with a few unexpected twists) the better. When Mindhunter was released the world collectively lost its cool.
This show really makes us feel we’re in the middle of some horrifying real-world murder mystery. As it turns out, a lot of the interviews we hear in the show are authentic. Not only that but sometimes we even get treated to the exact conversations that took place between the criminal and law enforcement!
The Witcher
Do you have any coins ready? If so, now’s the time to toss them to your Witcher! A whole host of people brought this hyper-popular game into beautiful and detailed reality. It’s hard to make a game realistic, but everyone involved in this project hit it out of the park. Even Henry Cavill’s swordplay was pretty close to the game! How’d he get it so precise?
As it turns out, he was practicing nonstop! When Cavill wasn’t performing in front of the cameras he was busy working on his swordsmanship. It didn’t matter if he was at home or not, the actor always had a blade in his hand at every possible moment.
Peaky Blinders
Do you like gangland drama with a healthy dose of British accents? Peaky Blinders may be right up your alley! This show is a fantastic period drama set in the early 1920s. Along with great visuals, the show also has a banging soundtrack! Each song and note just adds to whatever scene we’re watching. The latest season (6th in the series) has some especially good music.
How so? Well, before he passed, music legend David Bowie gave the show permission to use his final album as part of the show’s soundtrack! He was such a fan that Bowie made sure the creators knew how much he enjoyed the show and how important it was for his music to be part of the series.
Narcos
Pablo Escobar built one of the largest drug empires and cartels in modern history. His feats and the stories surrounding his life have gone on to inspire millions and capture their attention in ways most couldn’t imagine. When Netflix came out with Narcos people were understandably hooked. Who wouldn’t want to be entertained while still learning about Escobar’s meteoric rise to infamy?
To make it as accurate as possible, Netflix even had the main actor on the show gain an extra 40lbs to better resemble Escobar. On top of that, he had to wear a prosthetic stomach while shooting! At least losing the weight wouldn’t be that difficult, right?
Unorthodox
Sometimes we may think we know a lot about something. Then, when we’re suddenly thrust into the middle of that world, we’re completely lost. Unorthodox catapults the viewer into the middle of an Ultraorthodox Jewish community in the heart of New York City. When the main character realizes she wants a different life, everyone is thrown into a whirlwind adventure that extends far beyond the boundaries of her conservative community!
It’s a great show that does its best to remain as accurate as possible. To ensure things looked authentic, the male actors had to wear artificial payot (long curly sideburns) whenever they were on the set. The fake hair was then layered under the yarmulkes to look more authentic.
Dark
Are you afraid of the dark? It’s okay. It’s a pretty common fear. However, if you open your eyes and look around when things get less bright you may see some interesting things. Netflix’s Dark is a quirky and unsettling series we just can’t get enough of. While we were trying to wrap our heads around the plot we noticed something: there are a lot of clocks in this show!
If you pay super close attention you can actually count how many! Whenever a scene is taking place indoors there’s at least one clock (in some form or another) visible somewhere. At least that’s one way to track how long we’ve been staring into the darkness (see what we did there?)!
You
It’s time to talk about You. Yeah, You! No, not you, just You. Semantics aside, it isn’t that complicated to wrap YOUr head around the show. A guy’s a creepy stalker and the main character is in love but creeped out by the creeper. Got it? Good. While stalkers aren’t good, some of the characters in this show are pretty interesting and are worth YOUr attention.
The bookstore owner from season one, remember him? He was actually supposed to return for the third season. He was going to be featured in a series of flashbacks. Unfortunately, due to complications from COVID-19, he passed away before he could film any new scenes.
Money Heist
One of the best things about following a new show is that you never know what’s coming up. From episode to episode we’re usually on the edge of our seats wondering what happens next. Normally, only the audiences have this sense of wonder and excitement. Actors are generally in the know about what’s coming up in the next episode (they filmed the show after all).
That’s not always the case. When it comes to Money Heist, the cast was in the dark as much as the viewers. Cast members film the show in order, which means they didn’t know what would happen to their own characters until the script was finalized!
Lucifer
Satan has got some slick tricks in his pocket. Maybe that’s why people are told to be on guard for trickery and temptation wherever they go. Did you know the ruler of Hell can even sing?! Okay, maybe not, but he sure did learn! In Lucifer, most scenes featuring the title character crooning and playing the piano seem pretty authentic. As it turns out, the actor playing Lucifer had some pipes!
He also picked up some piano lessons along the way. However, even towards the end, he would sing naturally but only pretend to tickle the ivories. It’s still pretty convincing. Though, if you were in retirement (and immortal) don’t you think you’d work on a few hobbies with all that free time?
The Kominsky Method
What do you do if your career’s fizzled and you still want to remain relevant? Well, those who can’t do, teach! The Kominsky Method follows Michael Douglas playing an actor turned acting coach. It’s somewhat meta and completely entertaining. With only eight episodes per season and three seasons total, it’s a short and tight experience that’s equal parts perfect length and frustratingly too short.
Netflix fell in love with this show just as much as fans. The studio even requested longer seasons! However, Michael Douglas said that eight episodes per season were the perfect amount. Once MD speaks people listen. That’s why we only have 24 episodes of The Kominsky Method.
Jessica Jones
You have to be tough to be part of Marvel’s ever-growing list of heroes. Even existing in the Marvel universe requires a strong will, backbone, and a lot of muscle. In 2015, the Marvel universe expanded to welcome Jessica Jones into the mix. This realistic take on the comics introduced us to a few new characters as well as a reimagining of some of our favorites.
To get Jessica’s build and look just right, the actor portraying her (Krysten Ritter) had to hit the gym. She ended up putting on 10lbs (4.5kg) of muscle before the show started! We guess when you’re a hero it’s easy to fit a “normal” life, the gym, a career, and saving the world into your daily schedule.
The Haunting of Hill House
Who doesn’t love a good ghost story? Some of our favorite memories are sitting around the fire (or flashlight) and trying to scare our friends with spooky tales. Then we grew up and got a Netflix subscription. Now we can all stay terrified just by switching on The Haunting of Hill House. Want to make the scares a bit more grown-up?
Well, the “kids” in the show are full of existential dread! Each one symbolizes one of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ five stages of grief: denial (Steven), anger (Shirley), bargaining (Theo), depression (Luke), and acceptance (Nell)! Have fun trying to relax after a couple of episodes with the Crain family!
Better Call Saul
The Breaking Bad universe is full of near-misses, explosions, and the occasional sudden death. However, since that’s all television, those things normally stay happening in front of a camera. When filming the final season of Better Call Saul (the spin-off), an actual death almost took place! Bob Odenkirk suffered a serious and sudden heart attack!
Thanks to the quick thinking of his co-stars and the on-set medical staff he made it through. Though it did take three shocks with a defibrillator and some stents to ensure the star stayed with us a bit longer. Thankfully, he made it out all right and the shooting finished.
Big Mouth
Puberty isn’t fun for anyone. If you can find a single person who had a stress-free and relaxing few years of puberty then they’re lying. Plop them in front of Big Mouth and then see how well they recall those formative years. We all have a hormone monster, depression kitty, or shame wizard hidden somewhere in or around us. Over time we mature and learn to deal with them. Supportive parents can really help with this.
A united front to help a kid get through those changes can mean the world to someone. Perhaps that’s why Missy is going to turn out all right. Despite having a weird relationship, her parents are voiced by an actual married couple (and comedy powerhouse duo) Jordan Peele and Chelsea Peretti!
Sense8
One of the reasons we love binge-watching Netflix is because we can travel the world without ever leaving our couches. If our passports were stamped with every country, planet, or universe we visited while streaming we would need more pages! You can go anywhere through the magic of television! If you worked on the hyper-popular show Sense8, then you just about did.
Since the show takes place around the globe, the crew had to film AROUND THE GLOBE. When filming finally wrapped, everyone had flown a whole lot. It was so much that they technically circled the planet four times. Is this how you rack up frequent flyer miles? Someone book us on a Netflix show, please!
13 Reasons Why
13 Reasons Why tackles some dark subject matter that normally isn’t discussed on many tv shows. It kind of dives straight into the dangers of bullying, the consequences that can arise, and how people cope with the loss of someone they thought they knew. It’s also one of those shows where the actors drive ridiculously fancy cars for some reason.
Remember that gorgeous Ford Mustang that gets driven around? Who wouldn’t want to take that for a spin? The actor who drives it sure did. To do so he had to learn to drive first (and pass his test for a license). How many people can say the first car they drove was on a television show?
Too Hot to Handle
Humankind has reached the pinnacle of evolution. We’ve finally reached the peak of our civilization as a species. How do we know that? Too Hot to Handle exists. We’ve come to a point in time where we’ll pay ridiculously attractive people NOT to fornicate on TV for our amusement. It’s also pretty standard compared to other reality shows from past and present times.
Others don’t even involve money and people routinely sleep around with each other (i.e. The Real World and Big Brother). The show has also created some attention for a lot of its stars. One of them, Francesca Farago, knew things would get steamy. To prevent innocent eyes from seeing she had to warn her father which episodes not to watch!
When They See Us
The story of The Central Park Five is pretty harrowing. Everyone involved in the actual case is understandably traumatized from what happened. When Netflix got the rights to the story and turned it into a tense and dramatic retelling, the set was pretty tightly wound as well. When you have to reenact some of the scenes that the actual victims went through, it can take a toll on your psyche (even after you leave the set).
Higher-ups at Netflix knew this and had a plan. On-site, 24/7 crisis counselors were brought on for anyone who needed someone to talk to. After a long day of shooting tough moments for the show, they could provide assistance and a safe space to vent and process what was recreated.
Derry Girls
Every now and again a cult-following will build up around a show. Usually, it’s unexpected. Also usually, the show goes on to make some interesting headlines. Derry Girls is one of Netflix’s most surprising, funniest, and relatable sitcoms. If you’re from Ireland, especially Northern Ireland, then perhaps this show strikes an even more personal chord. To make the situations as believable as possible, most of the episodes were shot in Derry!
One scene in particular, the orange parade, even made the actual local news! Why? Well, the parade was a Protestant event being held in a very Catholic part of town. Despite the parade being just for show, some people didn’t take kindly to it. Locals even began throwing things onto the set in protest!
House of Cards
All actor controversies, shocking headlines, disappointing revelations, and news stories aside, House of Cards is a pretty stacked show. It had everything going for it to be one of the best modern drama series of all time. Part of that reason was from the beginning, nearly every single character was perfectly cast.
A lot of fans feel this way and so do a lot of people on the show! The director made sure he got his first pick for every character. He basically got the cream of the crop and told them not to screw anything up (because they were PERFECT for their parts).