It’s hard not to be jealous when you’re traveling abroad, log in to Netflix, and see that if you just lived in the United Kingdom you could still watch Friends on Netflix. Or if you would just move to Canada, you could finally get around to watching Goodfellas.
To ease your jealousy, maybe it’s time to take a look at these thirteen Netflix shows that many of our international friends are jealous of themselves.
Maybe you’ll learn not to take access to U.S. Netflix for granted.
1. NCIS
Seasons 1-15 of the classic crime show NCIS are all available for your viewing pleasure through a United States Netflix log-in. NCIS is one of those shows you may have caught a re-run of here and there while surfing through channels on cable, but now you can take in Leroy, Abby, Ziva, and Tony in all of their glory. If you love Criminal Minds or Law & Order this is the perfect addition to your “Must Watch” list.
2. The Great British Baking Show
After you’ve watched a crime show that gives you the heebie-jeebies and are in desperate need of something light, look no further than The Great British Baking Show. Delight in adorable British people making delectable cakes, bread, and cookies and the gentle, polar opposition of Gordon Ramsay, judges compliment and deliberate over the mouth-watering sweets. Sure it can be tense at times, but the contestants’ love and support of one another is nothing short of energizing. It’s like Cupcake Wars with 10 times less anxiety.
3. Last Tango in Halifax
Speaking of heartwarming British shows, you can watch four seasons of adorable old British people navigating family, grief, love, and acceptance in Last Tango in Halifax. The rom-com style show follows a recently widowed couple who reunite on a dating app thanks to their grandsons after their respective spouses die. The show navigates the complexities of change and family dynamics with ease and humor and complete and total British-ness. It’s delightful, witty, relatable, and heartwarming.
4. Friday Night Lights
If you love the small-town drama, but with a little less murder, try out Friday Night Lights. You can experience the drama, the epic highs and lows of high school football ( Riverdale, anyone?), and relate to the issues of a rural town in the United States. The characters are dramatic, the drama itself is larger than life and you truly won’t anticipate the twists and turns of a town putting their stock in a high school football team.
5. Total Drama Island
Total Drama Island is a scripted TV show about over-the-top animated teens competing in a reality competition. To call it genius is an understatement. No matter your age, the show is hilarious, and entertaining, and still keeps you on the edge of your seat just as much as an episode of Survivor. There are 54 episodes on Netflix and each and every one leaves you with a cliffhanger.
6. Married at First Sight
In terms of total drama, look no further than the Lifetime classic Married at First Sight. Every episode is like a train wreck, you simply can’t look away. If you’ve never had the opportunity to indulge yourself with such heavenly brain rot, now is your chance. The show uses a “scientific” match-making method to pair up two complete strangers who agree to get married upon their first meeting. Think Love is Blind with the dial set to 100.
7. Alone
For a reality show with a little less drama and a lot more anxiety, you can watch survivalists get dropped in the middle of nowhere all by themselves, trying to outlast their competitors. Alone is occasionally hard to watch (in the best way) as you watch contestants fight for their lives, having no idea how many people are left in the competition. It’s dramatic in an entirely different way and impossible to tear yourself away from.
8. Hoarders
Season 13 of the U.S. version of the A&E classic, Hoarders, is available for your watching pleasure on Netflix. The show follows individuals who have reached a breaking point with their hoarding obsession, giving audiencse an insight into their families, frame of mind, and personal life as they try to overcome their mental illness. The show can be slightly disgusting but also strangely uplifting as you watch each person have their lives turned completely around.
9. Call the Midwife
If you’re a period drama lover, you have access to 12 seasons of BBC’s hit show Call the Midwife. Watch a group of endearing British nuns and midwives serve families in London in the 1950s. The characters are sweet, quippy, and endearing and the show takes you from laughter to confusion to grief in the best way possible. The show has so many seasons for a reason, and you will completely fall in love with the town, the community, and its characters.
10. Charmed
The reboot of the hit 1990s and early 2000s show Charmed kicked off in 2018, and had a successful four-season run. The show follows the same premise: A group of sisters with witchy powers and a knack for getting themselves into trouble. It’s spooky, eerie, and delightfully dramatic with the peace of mind that everything usually turns out okay by the end of the episode. If you grew up watching Wizards of Waverly Place and My Babysitter’s a Vampire, consider Charmed your spooky obsession all grown up.
11. Band of Brothers
The 2001 HBO show is based on Stephen E. Ambrose’s World War II nonfiction novel by the same name. The one-season drama stars David Schwimmer and Damian Lewis. If you love inspiring yet tumultuous stories and are a bit of a history buff this is the perfect thing to add to your next watch list. The limited series is based on real-life interviews with soldiers from the Easy Company.
12. Pokémon Journeys: The Series
After shattering your heart into a million pieces with a World War II drama, piece it back together again with some light nostalgia via Pokémon Journeys: The Series. You can follow our old favorite Pokémon and your new favorite trainers as they embark on adventures and battles, and propel you right back into your Pokémon-card-obsessed childhood.
13. Surviving R Kelly
Surviving R. Kelly details the stories of the women who have accused rapper R. Kelly of sexual assault. Through interviews, hear the heartbreaking stories of his victims and understands the lives, stories, and impact he has had on so many women. It can be a hard and triggering watch, but a meaningful platform for these women to share their stories.
Our Top 3 VPNs For Streaming
Sure, some countries have The Office and How I Met Your Mother on their Netflix rotations, but chances are you have yet to explore all of the wonders that behold you on your United States Netflix account. Now that you have a list of very exclusive and very addictive must-watches, it should be a couple of weeks at least before you remember that there is anything you’re missing out on.
Who knows, you may even come out with a new favorite show that you can rewatch to your little heart’s content.
Or finally make the move to Canada. The choice is yours.
