Eclectic Pop

Costume drama? Check. Mystery? Check. Single-set location with gorgeous production values? Check. If these things are on your watchlist wishlist, “High Seas” (originally titled “Alta mar”) is the next Netflix series for you. One episode in and yours truly is hooked, thanks to a strong cast of characters and an intricate web of intrigue.

When was the last time you actually had fun watching a television show? Where it entertained you with characters that actually enjoyed their lives despite their complicated circumstances? A show that was thought-provoking yet an escape. That is what the Netflix original, “The Order,” manages to deliver with tremendous finesse in Season 1.

Familial related drama is at the core of any good television series and the Netflix original “Unauthorized Living” (“Vivir sin Permiso”) provides a prime example of why that is. It is a saga that marries multiple layers of intrigue. Acting as a crime drama and thriller amidst a backdrop of family-led tension.

How far would you go for your family? That is the question at the heart of the haunting noir, “Borderliner” (originally titled “Grenseland”), and the answer it comes up with is complicated. As a police detective visits his family that complex conundrum is precisely what he gets faced with handling.

Altered timelines are a robust subgenre at this point. Whether it is "Frequency" in film or "Dark" on television, curious minds have no shortage of options. The thing is, telling such a story can often leave the plot in a narrative loop. "Mirage" (originally titled "Durante la tormenta") is nowhere close to spinning in circles.

Origin stories can be tedious. Not in the case of Netflix's sultry siren drama, "Tidelands." The mermaid-tinged series brings a sense of real-life conflict to its story's supernatural mystique. Set in Australia, the story follows two very different women as their paths eventually converge amidst a sea of turmoil both old and new.

When viewers of "Medici" last saw the series' titular family, the story left off with its focus on their groundbreaking leader, Cosimo. Leaping forward in time, “Medici: The Magnificent” picks up with Cosimo’s eldest grandson, Lorenzo (Daniel Sharman), as a grown man.

If a picture is worth, a thousand words than one’s context supplies a billion. The TV series, “Innocent” (“Masum”) is a daring tale that's secrets are best kept from prospective viewers, curious to watch. To state it directly. It is well worth your time to do so.

One of those series that has tended to fly below the radar the past few years, “The Last Kingdom” has proven why it deserves to be buzzed about with the best of them.

One of the rare series of our time, "Dark" offers an arresting and raw take on a complex genre. It is a mesmeric science fiction series that is equal parts poised, sophisticated, and foreboding. "Dark" maneuvers its story with confidence as it weaves its elaborate tale. It is stylistic without being obvious, tender without being overly sentimental, and melodramatic without losing any of its intrinsic prestige. 

There is nothing forgettable about this innovative dramatic thriller that superbly weaves together several genre threads to create something entirely unique. “Forgotten” (originally titled: “Gi-eok-ui Bam”) opens as a family is moving into their new home. Joining their parents are twenty-something brothers Jin-seok (Kang Ha-neul) and Yoo-seok (Kim Mu-yeol).

If you have watched more than one crime procedural, then you know the concept can grow stale rather quickly. The key to one succeeding is for it to have an outrageously engaging hook that combines a clever overarching premise with a captivating central character. “Silver Spoon” (originally titled, “Mazhor”) delivers all of these features in sterling fashion.