TIM PEPPER
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Being a college student can be hard, especially when it comes to studying for exams and doing homework and struggling through whatever else these vigilant students must go up against in their stressful daily lives. But it is important to remember that taking some time to relax is key to keeping motivation high. The naps, spending time with friends and going to the beach when weather permits are all great ways to rest, but another source of stress relief that has become exceedingly popular is Netflix.
If you somehow haven’t heard of it, Netflix is an incredibly popular Internet television service that has over 44 million members worldwide. With this service, users are able to rent either movies or television shows online, which are sent to them in their mail, or they are able to stream movies or television shows directly from the Netflix website. This method of watching television has become very popular in recent years and is Netflix’ s main source of income, earning them more than 3 million of their total 4 million dollars of revenue in 2013.
This Web service hosts many shows and movies from many different companies, but in the last few years, Netflix has also begun to host their own original series. These series have become very popular and include, but are not limited to, ‘Orange is the New Black,’ ‘Hemlock Grove’ and ‘House of Cards,’ which is currently the eigth highest-rated series on Netflix by the International Movie Database rating scale.
“I really liked ‘Orange Is the New Black,’ said senior Ashley Hill. “It was interesting and I always felt a sense of anxiety after watching it, which really drew me in.”
‘Orange Is the New Black’ was first released as a Netflix original on July 11, 2013. This show tells the tale of Piper Chapman, who has been sentenced to fifteen months in an all-woman’s prison after being convicted ten years ago for smuggling drug-money to her drug dealing girlfriend. This show has received good reviews. It is rated at 8.6 out of 10 on IMDb.
“I also watched ‘Hemlock Grove’ and liked the show,” said Hill. “It was different, but not my favorite. I felt like the acting wasn’t that strong, but I did like the creepy feel it gave off.
‘Hemlock Grove,’ a show that premiered on April 19, 2013, is quite popular and tells the tale of a fictional town, Hemlock Grove, in which two characters, Roman Godfrey and Peter Rumancek, attempt to shed light on recent murders in the town as well as on the secrets within their own lives. This show has gotten more mixed or negative reviews from critics than ‘Orange is the New Black’ did, but still holds a fairly good score of 7.3 out of 10 on IMDb.
“House of Cards,” a political drama, is an incredibly popular Netflix original series that holds a 8.9 out of 10 review on IMDb. This show premiered on February 1, 2013 and recounts the story of Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), who decides to exact revenge on the people who betrayed him. This show is highly acclaimed and has received multiple Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe nominations as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. ‘House of Cards’ is also the first show to receive awards for an online-only television program.
Hill has yet to watch ‘House of Cards,’ but states that she intends to in the future.
These shows are incredibly popular and show that it is possible for online streaming services such as Netflix to successfully hold their own programs online. This recent move towards online streaming television is impressive and points at many possibilities for the future of television.
If you are interested in ‘Orange Is the New Black,’ ‘Hemlock Grove’ and ‘House of Cards,’ all three have new seasons planned for the upcoming year as well as more planned for the future. Definitely take the time to check them out if you are bored or procrastinating or doing whatever you happen to be doing in your free time.
