Following the success of The Boroughs, the latest project from Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers, and a Steve Carell-less second season of The Four Seasons, it's a true crime reaction to a big box office triumph that is currently taking the top spot. In contrast to the glitz and glam of Antoine Fuqua’s musical biopic, Michael, Michael Jackson: The Verdict takes a more honest look at the controversial side of Jackson's life, and is proving hugely popular in America. Aside from this true crime favorite, what else should you be watching this week? To help you decide, here's a list of three shows you should binge-watch on Netflix.
For more recommendations, check out our list of the best shows and movies on Netflix.
Disclaimer: These titles are available on US Netflix.
'Shrill' (2019–2021)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% | IMDb: 7.4/10
If you're looking to uncover a gem in the Netflix catalog this week, look no further than the comedy-drama series Shrill. Developed by Aidy Bryant, Alexandra Rushfield, and Lindy West, this series follows Bryant's plus-sized Annie, a journalist living in Portland, as she looks for ways to change her life without feeling pressured into changing her body.
An important series with a pressing message, Shrill is just as relevant today as it was in 2019. Based on the aforementioned West’s memoir Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman, this groundbreaking series ran for three acclaimed seasons, during which it earned several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy nomination for Bryant's lead performance in 2021.
'Resident Alien' (2021–2025)
Rotten Tomatoes: 98% | IMDb: 8.0/10
A show can't be rated 98% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes without doing something right. For comedy, drama, and plenty of grounded sci-fi this week, Resident Alien is the perfect choice. The show follows Alan Tudyk's titular alien, on a mission to destroy Earth, who assumes the identity of a human doctor, Harry, and starts to fall in love with his new surroundings.
Originally airing on SyFy, the show made the move to Netflix a while back, although the final fourth season was frustratingly missing. Thankfully, last weekend, Resident Alien Season 4 debuted on Netflix with the complete collection, making for a perfect binge-watch. Don't miss out on this hilarious, heartwarming gem this week, with all 44 episodes finally available.
'Grey's Anatomy' (2005–Present)
Rotten Tomatoes: 84% | IMDb: 7.6/10
Sometimes, you can't beat the classics. Perhaps the most famous medical drama of all time, and a series everyone should watch at least once, why not begin your binge of Grey's Anatomy this week? Following the show's 22nd coming to an end on May 7, head back to where it all began, as a new batch of interns join what will soon be named Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, unaware of the chaos about to unfold.
High drama is joined by a heavy dose of romance and the odd laugh in a quintessential network procedural. Featuring an iconic cast led by Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), you'll be hooked for every second of the 466 episodes and counting, from the first time stepping through those doors to the most recent, explosive finale.
20 Years Later, 'Grey's Anatomy' Needs To Stop Expanding
Once upon a time, the newest addition to the Grey's Anatomy roster felt like a special occasion, and there were various reasons for this, particularly the fact that someone could potentially die in increasingly ridiculous ways. But one of the biggest reasons was how well the show conveyed who the main characters were as individuals compared to virtually all other shows on network television.
Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), and George O'Malley (T.R. Knight) built a strong connection with audiences throughout the first several seasons of the show. While all the medical calamities were very entertaining, they were ultimately worth watching only because they affected the lives of the central characters. As a result, when looking forward to ABC's Grey's Anatomy spin-off, it doesn't feel as exciting as it probably should.
The untitled series, co-created by Shonda Rhimes and current Grey’s showrunner Meg Marinis, will move the franchise to rural West Texas for the first time. Instead of centering on an established Grey’s character like Private Practice did with Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) or Station 19 did with Ben Warren (Jason George), this series will reportedly focus on an entirely new group of doctors.
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Already Feels Like a Different Show Than the One Fans Fell in Love With
Katherine Heigl, TR Knight, and Sandra Oh in an episode of Grey's Anatomy
Grey’s Anatomy has survived longer than almost anyone expected. It can be quite hard for a network drama to last upwards of 20 seasons, especially when it’s based on a rotating cast. Nonetheless, the amount of time a show has been on air and its continuing imaginative flow differ vastly. The original magic of the show stemmed from the comedic representation of dysfunctional, yet loving relationships and genuine emotional stories. Longtime fans of the show think that, as a whole, it has changed since it first began airing. The medical cases mattered more, but they also played a part in these characters' lives. The show struck a balance between that and never losing sight of the interns trying to survive impossible hours while ruining each other’s lives in on-call rooms.
Nowadays, it just seems like Grey's is trying to redo all of that. The show still knows how to manufacture cliffhangers, complete with explosions, hostage situations, near-death experiences, and surprise pregnancies, but there’s a growing sense that the series is repeating emotional beats instead of building toward anything meaningful. That’s part of why so many fans point to earlier seasons as the show’s natural endpoint. Some argue that Season 10 would have been the right place to stop after Cristina’s departure, while others think the COVID-focused Season 17 could have worked as a surprisingly poignant conclusion. There are even viewers who believe Season 14’s wedding-centered finale, “All of Me,” gave several core characters the closest thing the series has ever had to a satisfying ending. Instead, Grey’s kept going. And now, years after Pompeo stepped back from being the show’s full-time lead, ABC is preparing to expand the universe even further.
‘Private Practice’ Worked Because It Had a Reason To Exist
The cast of Private Practice in a promotional image.
Private Practice made sense because Addison was one of the franchise’s most beloved characters. The show also had a clear identity separate from Grey’s Anatomy. It traded Seattle’s chaotic surgical energy for a more intimate, slower-paced character drama in Los Angeles. Whether viewers loved it or not, it justified its existence almost immediately. On the other hand, Station 19 had a harder time carving out its own personality, but at least it still felt connected to the larger Grey’s world through familiar characters and frequent crossovers.
This new series doesn’t have either of those components just yet — news did just break, but where will the connections come from? Right now, the pitch mostly sounds like “Grey’s, but make it Texas.” That may change once casting details and storylines emerge, but it was the first impression fans got. A franchise can only expand so many times before audiences start noticing the machinery behind it.
ABC is turning nearly all of its biggest scripted dramas into franchises. 9-1-1 now has Nashville, The Rookie is getting The Rookie: North. One of the only ones missing is Grey's. Network television has become obsessed with expandable universes because recognizable IP is safer than launching something original from scratch. Viewers and advertisers know the name, and the network already knows there’s a built-in audience, but television history is full of franchises that kept growing long after the creative spark faded.
The Bigger Problem Is What the Spinoff Says About ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Dylan Young (Kyle Chandler) carefully guiding Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) through removing a bomb in Grey's Anatomy.
What makes the timing of this announcement especially strange is that Grey’s Anatomy itself is reportedly receiving reduced episode orders for budget reasons, so while the flagship series gets smaller, the franchise keeps getting bigger. ABC clearly still sees enormous value in Grey’s Anatomy as a brand. The ratings remain solid, and the streaming numbers are strong because viewers have been tuning in to the show for numerous reasons over the course of 20 years, including as a habit, out of loyalty or nostalgia, or through an emotional connection with the show's veteran characters.
However, a show can continue to survive, sometimes for a very long time, but not necessarily have a chance to evolve. The medical drama genre has taken on a whole new approach since Grey's Anatomy began airing in 2005. The success of HBO Max's The Pitt, among others, relies heavily on the relatable realism and the emotional exhaustion that many viewers experience after watching Grey's, as well as Grey's original "glossy" style appearing more and more like an extreme version of reality TV, while maintaining some of its original elements (which was a huge part of the show's original appeal).
Yet it is hard to ignore that we, as viewers, currently see Grey's generating momentum towards a franchise rather than creative urgency. This does not indicate that the new spin-off will undoubtedly be a failure; after 20 years, Grey's has proven its critics wrong. Texas could bring a refreshing change of pace to the series. Perhaps a new group of doctors will strike a similar chord with viewers, just as they once did with Meredith and Cristina or George and Izzie.
It would just be nice if Grey's Anatomy just ended as we know it and aired reruns of Seasons 1-10. So many people would be here for that.
Be the first to comment on this article!