The moment you log into Netflix Canada, it’s pretty apparent that there’s a wealth of material to choose from. Movies, TV shows, documentaries and more could keep you busy for years. Hell, there are enough episodes of Wings to keep you busy for a couple of months, if you’re some kind of masochist.
As much great content as Netflix Canada has, there are a few additions I would like to see made available to stream. Specifically, these are TV shows I love to watch and would enjoy going back to work my way through again. And, in some cases, watching them through Netflix will be the first time I’ve watched my way through the entire series.
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Adventure Time – This is quite literally the story of a boy and his dog, set in a post-apocalyptic future filled with anthropomorphic candy, villainous wizards and epic battles. Oh, and his dog can shape shift. The show is set 1,000 years after the Great Mushroom War with Finn presumably being one of the last humans on Earth. The post-apocalyptic nature of the show is never directly addressed but is constantly alluded to, playing a backseat to Finn and Jake’s adventures. The show’s whimsy combined with dark undertones makes this animated series infinitely re-watchable.
The Venture Bros. – Take Jonny Quest, grow him up into a pill-popping failure slowly pissing away his father’s legacy and you have Dr. Thaddeus “Rusty” Venture. The would-be super-scientist travels the world with his Hardy Boy-esque sons and uber-violent bodyguard, avoiding bankruptcy and generally failing at everything. If you know your comic books, literature, music, movies, history, and animation, there is a lot buried in here for you. If not, it’s still damn funny. And Jonny Quest does appear as a grown up pill-popping failure slowly pissing away his father’s legacy. They have a support group.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – This show is about the five most morally ambiguous people on the face of the Earth and the crap festival of a bar they have in Philly. Regardless of the scenario, you can be virtually guaranteed that the gang will come up with the worst way possible to deal with it. Find some cocaine? Get addicted to it and destroy a man’s life selling it. That’s the Always Sunny way!
Burn Notice – This is a show that’s much better than it has any business being. On the surface, it looks like some dumb spy show set in Miami. But Jeffery Donavan’s Michael Weston, the CIA spy shut out in cold and fighting his way back in, is super engaging and a lot of fun to watch work. He balances family, friends, his old life as a spy and his new life as Miami’s answer to Robin Hood deftly. And it’s his narration of events and the actions he takes that glues everything together. I should put the caveat out there that I am a Bruce Campbell fanatic so it’s a given that I’ll watch anything starring him.
30 Rock – If I have to explain why Tina Fey is brilliant, then you haven’t been watching this show. After an amazing run as SNL’s head writer, Tina created and developed 30 Rock, a show ostensibly about her time as the head writer of SNL. Fictionalized, of course. Over-the-top stories fleshed out by a cast that included Alec Baldwin, Jane Krakowski, Tracy Morgan and Jack McBrayer made this show unique, intelligent and funny, all in one shot. My only regret is that Kristen Schaal only appeared in 11 episodes.
Parks and Recreation – Speaking of shows too smart to be on NBC, there’s also Parks and Recreation starring Tina Fey’s SNL cohort Amy Poelher. What started as a knock off of the NBC version of The Office quickly gained a life of its own thanks to performances from Chris Pratt, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott, Retta, Aziz Ansari, Aubrey Plaza and more. Rob Lowe turns in, on a weekly basis, one of his best performances to date but its Nick Offerman who steals the show as Ron Swanson. If you aren’t living by the Ron Swanson Pyramid of Greatness, you’re simply not living.
Again, these are just a few of the shows I would love to see added to Netflix Canada’s already robust selection. I’ve been watching many of them as they aired but the chance to go back, watch episodes I’ve missed and re-watch classic episodes would be impossible to pass up.
Though if they add all of this, I might just to stop going outside…
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Ian Goodwillie is a columnist for the Spectator Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @ThePrairieGeek and on Tumblr at iangoodwillie.tumblr.com.