Black Mirror

Wrapping paper and annoying aunts are quickly becoming a distant memory as the realization sets in: class start in less than a week.

House of Cards won’t arrive until February and Law and Order reruns are getting old. It’s time to find a new show that’s good enough to make you stay in your pajamas all day (don’t worry – your secret is safe).

These aren’t your typical picks, but they’re sure to keep you clicking on the next episode.

Portlandia

This IFC show is in its fifth season and has been praised as the quirky, comedic creation of Saturday Night Live cast member Fred Armisen and musician Carrie Brownstein. The show glorifies Portland, Oregon as a “hippie” city where the “dream of the 90s is alive” and thriving. The sketch show features Armisen and Brownstein as a variety of outrageous characters with awkward charm and an unpredictability that keeps you hooked.

In the first episode, Armisen and Brownstein have questions about where their dinner, a chicken named Colin, was raised.

The show is absurd, but that’s what keeps it fresh. There’s no sense of time or reason, just a feeling that in Portland, spontaneity is the way to go.

Armisen and Brownstein also play ultra feminist bookstore owners, characters they say were inspired by the actual owners of the bookstore where the sketch is shot. When one unsuspecting college students points to a book, she’s harshly told that her finger reminds them of a penis. Which, of course, is the ultimate offense in such a bookstore.

While some of the skits may seem bizarre, it’s worth remembering that Portlandia is a parody of life in the city it’s named after – exaggerated and artsy just for the sake of it.

Seasons 1-4 are available on Netflix and there’s no need to start from the beginning so jump right in!

Louie

Written, produced and staring comedian Louis C.K., this show relies heavily on his personal insight. While the seasons don’t have much of an overarching storyline, each episode focuses on a struggle Louie faces as he tries to be a successful standup comic and single dad to his two young daughters. C.K. plays a version of himself that’s lost and sometimes incompetent, but with a big heart and honest intentions.

Some episodes are laugh-out-loud funny, while other have a darker tone and depressing spin. Plots range from funerals to first dates, but they seldom work out for the titular character. Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Chelsea Peretti even uses a helicopter to escape a kiss from C.K.

Louie is easy to become attached to. It’s witty and satirical but mesmerizing all the same. The characters’ unique, clashing personalities drive the show.

It’s is an opinionated show that doesn’t hold back. Many of the plotlines are centered on Louie’s hopes and worst nightmares. Louie is funny, but it has deeper moments that demand a reaction.

Netflix has three seasons to get started on and the fifth will be on FX whenever Louis C.K. decides it’s ready.

Black Mirror

This British television anthology series offers a bleak look at the way technology molds social interactions – usually for the worst. Episodes range in length, British TV runs a little differently than what we have in the U.S., and could all stand alone as short films. The plotlines often warp a form of technology in the most extreme ways possible to show the potential for its abuse. It’s been called a Twilight Zone for the digital age.

In one episode, a woman uploads every digital piece of her recently deceased husband to a program that recreates his voice and personality. She eventually buys an artificial body identical to her late husband. Grieving is unique to everyone, but Black Mirror Explores when technology becomes unhealthy for anyone.

The show is interesting but also freaky. It’s designed to make you think, while giving you the eerie feeling that this could be real life all-too-soon.

Black Mirror is intended to be a form of biting social criticism. It creates intense, visceral and exciting drama. After you finally pull your eyes away from the screen – you might just crack a smile at how ridiculous the whole thing is. Black Mirror finds the balance between absurdity and seriousness – creating a suspense that will keep you coming back.

There are two three-episode seasons on Netflix. You can easily knock this one out by the end of the week.