If you’re armed with a Netflix subscription and looking for a show you can easily consume start to finish on the weekend, I’ve got three great suggestions to cater for all needs—an animation, thriller, and comedy.
While the likes of Wednesday and The Queen’s Gambit are brilliant and bingeable, I’ve chosen series that you may not have seen before but are still worthy of your time.
3
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft
|
Release Year |
2024 – present |
|---|---|
|
Seasons |
1 |
|
Episodes |
8 |
|
Overall Running Time |
3h 33m |
|
Status |
Ongoing |
If you’re seeking a video game TV show that is actually good, then Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is the match for you. I’m a fan of the games, and this animated series has ties to the 2013 reboot trilogy, but I think it can be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys globe-trotting adventures.
Hayley Atwell perfectly voices the title character, a young and determined woman who visits ancient ruins and hunts artifacts. Haunted by the death of her mentor, Lara wants to sell off her family’s enormous collection of treasures and rid herself of the past. However, a mercenary called Charles Devereaux (voiced with suitable gruffness by Richard Armitage) steals a prized possession that grants him incredible power, so Lara sets out to stop him. Lara’s friends, like Zip and Jonah, lend a hand on the journey, even though she sometimes pushes them away.
The Legend of Lara Croft does a nice job of blending the puzzle solving and action-packed thrills of the games, along with developing Lara’s personality and background. The colorful, dynamic 2D art also works well, especially as the show leans into supernatural elements. Overall, it’s unabashed fun.
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2
Black Doves
|
Release Year |
2024 – present |
|---|---|
|
Seasons |
1 |
|
Episodes |
6 |
|
Overall Running Time |
5h 26m |
|
Status |
Ongoing |
Black Doves is set at Christmas, but you don’t need to wait until then to watch it—this isn’t your typical festive affair. Instead, it’s a thriller starring Keira Knightley as Helen and Ben Whishaw as Sam, a pair of spies working for Sarah Lancashire’s mysterious Reed.
The organization they belong to is the Black Doves, and Helen has secretly integrated herself in the British government as the wife of the Secretary of State for Defence. However, her world begins to unravel when a man she is having an affair with is killed, and her old friend Sam is roped in to investigate.
Despite the subject, Black Doves isn’t an overly serious show. It leans more darkly comedic, with over-the-top shoot-outs and twists. But despite that, it still nails the emotional aspects, and Knightley and Whishaw play off each other excellently—the latter especially, as a troubled and sensitive hitman.
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1
Murderville
|
Release Year |
2022 |
|---|---|
|
Seasons |
1 |
|
Episodes |
6 |
|
Overall Running Time |
3h 17m |
|
Status |
Ended |
For a particularly light and easy watch perfect for a weekend binge, check out Murderville. It’s a semi-scripted improv show, starring Will Arnett as a police officer who has to solve a murder case with the aid of a rotating cast of celebrity assistants like Conan O’Brien, Annie Murphy, and Sharon Stone.
At the start of each episode, Arnett meets his rookie partner and together they are briefed on the murder. It’s up to the pair to visit the crime scene and places of interest, uncover clues, and interview suspects. At the end, the rookie has to pin the blame on someone and explain how they came to that conclusion, with the chief of police revealing whether they’re right.
While Arnett knows the script beforehand, the guests do not, and it’s this fish out of water element that leads to much hilarity, particularly by the guests who lean in to the chaos—Marshawn Lynch, who I wasn’t familiar with beforehand, is a revelation and has great comic sensibilities.
Murderville sadly hasn’t been renewed for a second season (though I live in hope), but there’s always the great Who Killed Santa? Christmas special for an extra comedy hit.
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Once you’re done watching these shows, don’t forget to rate them on Netflix with a quick thumbs up or down. It helps fuel the service’s algorithm so that it can suggest similar (or entirely different!) shows for your next binge.