The last time you watched a TV show at its actual airing time was most likely ages ago. The sudden increase of technologies like Netflix, DVR, and On Demand allow us to watch both new and old TV shows at the click of a button. Netflix in particular is the newest fad people seem to be going through, binge-watching series when they get the chance. The website service has even released its own original award-winning series. But which ones are actually worth spending your April vacation with?

Netflix

Orange is the New Black

Piper Chapman, trades in her quiet and comfortable lifestyle for a prison cell after she’s sentenced to 15 months in a female correctional facility for smuggling money with her drug dealing girlfriend. Orange is the New Black follows Piper’s adventures and mishaps in prison, as she copes with the eclectic personalities of her fellow inmates, and deals with her struggling personal relationships beyond bars.

The show has the perfect combination of drama, humor, and romance–not to mention a phenomenal cast of characters; Red, Taystee, Crazy Eyes, Alex, Doggett, and Miss Claudette are all so well written into the show, I couldn’t help but to feel for them and their stories. Each episode features a backstory as to how many of the main characters got into prison in the first place. It shows the characters beyond their label as an inmate; it makes the dynamic between characters more understandable and enjoyable to watch.

Orange is the New Black is absolutely a binge-watching show. I was hooked episode after episode just to see what else could possibly happen to Piper next. The show is definitely suited to mature audiences due to it’s violence and sexual content, but it’s absolutely worth the watch. –Emma Gauthier

House of Cards

House of Cards is anything but another boring political drama–it is the political drama.

The show follows Democratic Congressman and House Majority Whip Francis Underwood in his quest for power on Capitol Hill. After being suddenly passed over for the Secretary of State position he was promised by the President he helped put into office, Underwood decides to now use his considerable political influence for his own gain.

Using a young and ambitious political journalist as a mouthpiece, Underwood begins to gather a coalition of loyal followers, while discrediting those who could one day move against him.

There’s something about Frank Underwood that I can’t help but to admire. His character, not unlike the rest of the show, is so well written and complex. I wanted to hate him as he tore down other people’s careers, but I couldn’t. It’s too thrilling to see who and how Frank will go after, and what aspect of the very literal “house of cards” he’ll try and topple next.

Between the phenomenal writing, in depth plot points, a cast of three-dimensional characters with ever changing motives, and wonderful acting this show is easy to recommend to anyone. Those with even the vaguest political interests will instantly get sucked in. —Emma Gauthier

Derek 

Netflix’s original comedy drama series, Derek,  has become a hit in Britain, but is still a hidden gem in American TV. The main protagonist, Derek, an affectionate, disabled, nursing home volunteer, played by Ricky Gervais, brings about a completely new side to Gervais’ edgy comedic humor we’ve seen before. With an odd cast of characters, Derek and his four colleagues: Hannah, the selfless resting homeowner who spends more time caring for her patients than on her love life, Dougie the blunt handyman who only speaks the truth, and Kev, Derek’s lascivious friend who roams the resting home boundaries, team up to create an inventive, witty comedy with a touch of sadness in every episode.

In his volunteer work at the nursing home, Derek lives through the oppression of the government to shut down the nursing home which houses the elderly patients he considers to be his family. But Derek is blessed to see beyond the antagonists and evilness among British society to almost convey an envy of his disability. When a patient dies, the audience feels the lament of Gervais pathologically until we are uplifted again for another adventure. From raging nursing home parties, to nursing home beach visits, Derek will have you crying tears of laughter, warmth and sadness all in a 30 minute period. —Liam Russo

Arrested Development

Arrested Development is an American sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz that showcases the fictional Bluth family causing shenanigans while the son Michael attempts to take the reins and keep everything under control. Its witty and dry humor has left audiences laughing for years.

The show aired on Fox from 2003-2006 and then for some unkonwn reason, was canceled after the third season.  However, six years after its inconclusive end, Netflix heard the devoted fans outcries of anger and swooped in and revived this hilarious comedy. In May of 2013, a fourth season was released and available only on Netflix.

The fast pace and ingenious jokes constantly keep you guessing at what the creative writers could possibly come up with next. Each short episode is crammed packed with well thought out puns, that cooky characters like Tobias Funke, the fumbling father full of innuendos and Gob Bluth the wannabe magician who is always creating uneeded problems, portray perfectly.

The fourth season brought back some of the sharp and well-liked running gags that loyal fans love oh-so much. The show is full of comedic gold that new comedies can only pale in comparison to.  And after all, ‘There is always money in the banana stand!’  –Emma Childs 

Novels

Anatomy of a Single Girl by Daria Snadowsky

In the fall I will finally be a college freshman, independent and on my own. That’s why I was so excited to pick up the novel “Anatomy of a Single Girl” by Daria Snadowsky. The story follows 18 year-old Dominique Baylor who just finished her freshman year at Tulane University in Louisiana. Although I never read Snadowsky’s first novel, “The Anatomy of a Boyfriend,” everything still made perfect sense and it was easy to figure out what had happened in the previous novel.

In the first novel, Dominique is graduating high school with her new boyfriend, Wes, and is head over heels for him. But, come fall, he decides that when they go off to college their relationship shouldn’t continue. In the sequel that I read, the summer has just begun and poor Dom is still struggling with the breakup. When she goes back home to Fort Myers, she decides to have a guy-free summer, volunteering at the hospital and spending time with her best friend, Amy Braff.

However, soon enough she finds herself completely entranced with Guy Davies, a local who’s visiting family for the summer. She discovers they have the same passion for science and dorky TV shows, like Star Trek. Dom begins to enjoy herself around another guy for the first time since the breakup.

Snadowsky accurately and realistically portrayed young adult love, heartbreak and teen sexual discovery. I would recommend the book to older students, only because it’s directed to a more mature audience. –Ana Coutinho 

Divergent by Veronica Roth 

In Veronica Roth’s Divergent, Beatrice Prior lives in a dystopian society set on the foundation of five factions based on five qualities: selflessness, bravery, knowledge, honesty, and peace. Beatrice is faced with choosing one of these factions to live in–the most pivotal decision in her life.

Usually, the help of a government administered aptitude test provides guidance when picking a faction, but in Beatrice’s case, the test fails and she is labeled as “divergent,” meaning she does not fit into just one of the five factions. This is especially dangerous for a society centered on rules and categories. As Beatrice chooses a faction, the novel centers on surviving the initiation into her new life, intertwined with the discovery of a plot that would radically alter her seemingly perfect society.

“Divergent” is a YA novel that doesn’t center on making a romance last despite the turmoil around them. Romance isn’t really necessary for the book to flourish, and that’s what makes it a complimentary addition to the whirlwind plot and intricate concept of a world categorized by just five elements.

The novel focuses on where a person belongs in a society, choosing between right and wrong, and yes, societal turmoil. I was intrigued by the faction system.

I appreciated the in-depth character development, and futuristic yet realistic ideals the novel encompasses.

Divergent has a little bit of everything, I’d highly recommend it to any Hunger Games, City of Bones, or Maze Runner fanatic. It’ll certainly leave you questioning, wondering what faction you might belong in–if at all.  –Emma Gauthier

The Brotherband Chronicles by John Flanagan 

After knocking out the troublesome watchtowers with specialized arrows, the Skandians  landed. Zarvac fled, leaving most of his troops to be dispatched by Hal and the condemned. After all, Zarvac can find other men elsewhere.

The Brotherband Chronicles is a trilogy set in a viking-like period, comprised of pirates, raiders, and those who get raided. Teens can easily relate to this trilogy, which can be represented by the treatment of Hal.

Hal, the protagonist, is a part of a raiding culture known as the Skandians; however, he isn’t accepted as a member of the community because he has half the blood of a Skandian. Hal is essentially a teen who is more inclined to be an intellectual person than a fighter, unlike his first antagonist Tursgud.

The Skandians are men of the sea. Subsequently, they tend to pass pirate ships when they trade with others. However, most pirates tend to avoid Skandians due to the fear of their warlike nature. The reason being, Skandian teens are brought to a camp for training to become a Skandian Sea Wolf. –Orlando Henry 

However, an unfortunate run in with an ambitious pirate named Zarvac, places Hal in the townspeoples’ bad graces. They ostracized Hal and those responsible at the time to become fugitive men to the eyes of their people. And with this rage for revenge Hal and his condemned gives chase to Zarvac, which drives readers into the rest of the trilogy. I recommend the series to anyone who has enjoyed The Hunger Games series.

Photos from MCT Campus