This is an odd collection of choices not just tonally, but in terms of number of hours:
Hours: Show
92: Mad Men (92 1-hour episodes with commercials)
62: Parks & Rec (125 30-minute episodes with commercials)
20: Ozark (20 1-hour episodes. No commercials, episodes typically 60 minutes each)
17: Stranger Things (17 1-hour episodes. No commercials, episodes typically 45-50 minutes each)
The difference in commitment is staggering. Mad Men all by itself is roughly equivalent to the other three combined.
I voted Ozark. Stranger Things is worth watching but I thought a bit overrated. I would wait and watch it closer to Halloween. I was lukewarm on what I saw of Mad Men. Never watched Parks and Recreation.
I was skeptical about Ozark for the reason some mentioned, I thought it would be a pale imitation of Breaking Bad. I doubt Ozark would exist if it weren’t for Breaking Bad and it is not as brilliant but if you take it for its own thing it’s a good show and they do a good job taking it into some different territory than Breaking Bad.
I gave Stranger Things about a 7. I’d have given it an 8 if 50% of the show hadn’t involved everyone yelling all the time. And I mean all. the. time. They yell at each other, they yell at nothing, they yell when they’re supposed to be quiet, they yell when other people are yelling… it was really a PITA to listen to.
Also, someone feed whats-her-name, the older sister. Her shoulders are barely wider than her neck ffs.
Stranger Thins Season One (I didn’t see Season 2 yet) had good performances and a neat story but I don’t get all the love and hype. It was good but not great IMO.
I tried watching Mad Men but gave up after a few episodes. It just never clicked for me.
I’m six episodes into season 1 of Ozark and I love it. But I can’t vote for it here, not having seen all of it yet.
Stranger Things Season 1 was great, but season 2 really dragged in the middle, and suffered from trying to outdo itself.
So Parks & Rec gets my vote. Not that you shouldn’t watch the others, but P&R is a fun comedy, with a uniquely positive point of view. I enjoyed the entire run, even the first and last seasons.
I like Stranger Things and Ozark, have not watched the other two. I did vote for ST, but I’d note that the first season is much better than the second. Both seasons of Ozark are good, S1 maybe slightly better.
I started ST a few nights ago, am enjoying it for its familiar feel and, tbh, predictability… “this is where too-cute rich guy and broody & handsome have a fight over anorexia girl”… “OK, 11 is about to shut that door… yup!”. In time, I fully expect either (a) B&H and 2CRG teaming up to save AG or (b) 2CRG to enact some sort of revenge against B&H which will eventually result in his being monstered.
Will tackle MM next with some P&R thrown in.
Ozark can wait, imho… after all, it’ll always be there, on Netflix.
This was a common complaint at the time it came out, but she is a grieving mother who has seen monster activity in her own house but is not being believed. Realistically nobody would be anything but nervous, shrill, and frightened.
Stranger Things has one good season and one ok season. Parks and Rec has at least 4 - 5 really, really good seasons of generally feel-good comedy. I’d say the first season and the last 2 seasons weren’t great but everything else was solid gold.
Finished S1 of ST, liked it, but for now I’m just going to treat S1 as a standalone story. When another season or two roll down the pipe, I may pick it up again, but if I don’t, shit’s enough resolved.
Starting Mad Men. 2 episodes in and I know I’m going to like this one.
Given that you’ve already seen Stranger Things and are seeing Mad Men, perhaps I’m too late, but I really like Parks and Recreation. Yes, it’s just a sitcom but it’s a fun one that respects its characters. If you like The Good Place or the US remake of The Office, you may like it, because Michael Schur is the showrunner behind all three. Do you like Chris Pratt, Rashida Jones, Rob Lowe, Adam Scott or Nick Offerman? All of them and a bunch of others are in this show.
Ozark is somewhat watchable even though the plot is completely preposterous. If the OP finds it hard to suspend common sense and overlook the utterly absurd and ridiculous, then I wouldn’t recommend it.
I voted Parks & Rec, but mostly because I just finished watching it myself this past weekend. To borrow a phrase from Snowboarder Bo, Ron Swanson totally fucking rocks!
And for those who say skip the first season, wasn’t the first “Tammy” episode during season 1? You can’t miss that. Yeah, first season they were going more for the “Office” vibe and kind of missed the mark. But if you’re going to binge, just power through it. It’s like getting through the first season of Babylon 5 so you can settle in and enjoy the awesomeness of the rest of the series.
I think the first season was only six episodes, so it wouldn’t take long to get through. And it’s not terrible. It’s just not as good as later seasons.
So, 4 seasons (almost) completed in Mad Men and it has been spectacular, a show which has resonated with me quite a bit. Not a big fan of the Dick Whitman storyline, finding it a bit forced, but the rest of the show is fantastic. I’m a big “industrial history” kind of nerd and the glimpses into the advertising industry of 50 years ago are right up my alley.