The most overrated series on Netflix

Binge-watching+television+series+on+Netflix+has+become+a+popular+pastime+among+millennials.+

Nick Schwarzmann

Binge-watching television series on Netflix has become a popular pastime among millennials.

Netflix has taken the world by storm. It has become the main medium for teenagers to watch television and movies, and its online platform has inspired other cord-cutters such as Hulu, HBO Go, and other similar entities that are increasingly popular among the key “millennial” demographic. Netflix and its binge-friendly format have created renewed popularity or further popularized many series, such as Parks and RecreationMad MenBreaking Bad, and Gossip Girl. Netflix has also struck gold with its original series such as Orange is the New BlackHouse of CardsThe Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Fuller House. However, for every masterpiece that you stumble on, like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia or Archer, there are a few shows that your friends can’t get enough of that you find are actually duds. That being said, these are the most overrated series popularly binged on Netflix.

The Office

This is an opinion that I will probably receive a large amount of flack for, but it is also one that I will stand by until my dying day. The Office is uncomfortable, unfunny, and unwatchable. The characters are impossible to care for; even Seinfeld, which prided itself on having main characters who were terrible people that never learned their lessons, had characters that one could more easily care for. Who doesn’t cheer for Kramer when he goes out on his own to make it big as an actor? The marks of a good sitcom are clever writing, characters that you care for, and consistently quality episodes. Every series is going to have an episode or two that just falls flat; even the greatest sitcoms of all time, Parks and RecreationSeinfeldIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and M*A*S*H, are immune to this. The Office, however, does not deliver quality episodes at a consistent rate; on top of that, its best episode was “Threat Level Midnight”, which is a gimmick episode. If a series’ best episode is a gimmick episode, it is not a good series.

How I Met Your Mother

How I Met Your Mother falls into the category of series on Netflix that began streaming on the service before its initial run on television was up. Before I was ever on Netflix, and during the meat of its initial run, I tried to get into How I Met Your Mother because it was a popular show, so I figured if it was popular, it had to have some good qualities. I never got into it. I would sit down in my La-Z-Boy and try to hang in for the entire half hour, but I would always end up switching to reruns of Jeopardy! or Friends or Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Admittedly, HIMYM, as those hip with the lingo like to call it, has some funny jokes, and their use of Bob Saget as the narrator is admirable, but overall, it is a boring show. It is much to cliche and stale to be as popular as it is. Also, no offense to Neil Patrick Harris, who I think is delightful, but his character of Barney Stinson is one of the most overrated characters in sitcom history, along with Michael Scott. His placement as a classic and iconic sitcom character is utter nonsense. Why does Barney Stinson get idolized, but well-rounded, emotional, intelligent characters such as George Lopez, portrayed by George Lopez in the show George Lopez, gets overlooked.

Grey’s Anatomy

When will this show end? Grey’s Anatomy has been clogging up the airwaves with over-dramatic acting, cliche dialogue, and sappy situations since 2005, and I am tired of it. When it first came on the air, my mom was a follower of it. When my sister entered her teen years and discovered it on Netflix, she became obsessed with it. Now, they watch it together and bond over it! I resent this show for bringing my family together! I am forced to receive double the exposure to this lame show that a normal teenage boy should if I want to be part of my family. Being the family man that I am, I tolerate it for the sake of my loved ones, but everything would be better if Shonda Rhimes decided to send Ellen Pompeo on her way to the unemployment office (that’s no gripe against Ellen Pompeo, I think she’s lovely. However, she’s really the only consistent piece of the Grey’s pie.)

These are just a few of the multitude of shows on Netflix that have become obese from being fed the unjustified praise of the masses. If you haven’t seen these shows, I suggest you avoid them in favor of some of the iconic pieces of culture aforementioned. If you have, watch those shows anyway as a means of remediation. If you enjoy those shows, I am sorry.