Netflixor rather its algorithm, he’s hiding something from us. Plot? No, certainly not. Although the idea, perhaps, sometimes we could have come up with it. By opening the most famous of the services of streaming we have a wide daily choice that is offered to us according to our tastes. The impression, every now and then, is that it’s always the same things, not counting those that are clearly on trend. Nevertheless Netflix it’s a gold mine. A bottomless pit. There really is something for all tastes. Just knowing how to search. And to help you, we have decided to select for you seven series that are very well hidden in the catalogue Netflix.
Seven little-known series which however really have great potential and which deserve much more, at least here in Italy. Seven series, certainly not masterpieces, all right, which will make you spend many happy hours.
How many of these have you managed to find without our help? Write it to us in the comments. And always pay attention to the algorithm!
1) Marcella
Marcella it’s a series noir english created, written and produced by Hans Rosenfeldtformer creator of the series The Bridge. Divided into three seasons, each consisting of eight episodes, the series aired between 2016 and 2021 on ITVin the UK, come on Netflix in the rest of the world.
Marcella is the name of the protagonist, played by Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies). She is a London Metropolitan Police detective who returns to her work by picking up a case from eleven years ago involving the hunt for a serial killer apparently back in business. The husband, played by Nicholas Pinnock (For Life e Top Boy), does not agree and decides to leave her, also taking away her two children. Marcella suffers from a mental disorder which, throughout the series, is used by her husband as an excuse to gain custody of her children.
Marcella it is unusual crime That very carefully mixes the British detective story with the dark atmospheres of the Scandinavian drama. Hans Rosenfeldt’s precise writing characterizes the protagonist who, over the twenty-four episodes, manages to never appear boring or repetitive. The character is explored calmly, without jolts, also highlighting the difficulties of a woman grappling with carrying on her career and at the same time recreating a private life after her husband’s abandonment. Alongside the personal story of the protagonist, the investigative one is compelling even if at certain moments she appears a bit cumbersome.
Marcellacurrently present in the catalogue Netflixis a series for lovers of crime received from professionals and the public more than positive reviews.
2) Trapped
On the page IMDB this Icelandic series scored a full eight with over 23,000 votes. A remarkable score, no doubt about it. Otherwise well deserved. If you love Nordic atmospheres and giallo Trapped is the series for you.
Created by Sigurjón Kjartanssonformer creator of the fascinating Boilerpaired with Clive Bradley (City of Vice) the series was the most expensive production of all time in Iceland and the first episode, which aired in 2015, totaled one share by 90%. A real success confirmed by equally high percentages during all three seasons so far aired for a total of 28 episodes.
That Trapped is something very interesting is evident already from the opening theme of the first season. The images are a skilful mix of anatomical details of a human body ready for autopsy and harsh, cold landscapes of Iceland accompanied by a poignant soundtrack composed by the late Jóhann Jóhannssonthe only Icelander to win, so far, a Golden Globe con Arrival (and also nominated for two awards Oscar for the music of Sicario e The theory of everything). An acronym worthy of a series of the HBO and in fact there are rumors of the channel’s interest in the production of a remake all american.
The series, in fact, does not introduce new details to the genre crime: a tormented policeman, a chilling crime, a couple’s relationship to rebuild. What makes it unique in the serial landscape is certainly the country of setting. The fact that Iceland is an island, with all the complexities that go with it, adds to the series a sense of claustrophobia that tightens in the throat. The landscapes, wonderful and disturbing at the same time, remind us with every shot that nature is the implacable mistress there and man is forced to submit in order to try to survive.
3) Alias Grace
Lovers of the historical costume genre, attention: Alias Grace is the series for you. Based on the novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood (former author of The Handmaid’s Tale) Alias Grace is a fictionalized psychological drama that tells the story of Grace Marks, a real-life waitress, who is accused of being an accessory to the murder of her employer.
The six-part miniseries was written by Sarah Polley (winner of a Oscar come best screenplay per Women Talking – The right to choose) and directed by Mary Harron (Oz, Six Feet Under, The Followingamong other things) and aired in 2017 in Canada and on Netflix.
Alias Gracewith protagonists Sarah Gadon as Grace ed Edward Holcroft as the psychiatrist who must assess whether Grace is actually guilty or should be pardoned, is a enthralling journey inside that complex and complicated organ that is the brain.
Set in New York’s women’s prison, the miniseries recounts for each episode Dr. Jordan’s attempt to bring back, through an interesting associative work, the memories of Grace, who declares herself innocent and unable to remember.
The series, however, analyzes with some precision too the Victorian outline of Canada from the second half of the 19th centuryan era in which a girl like Grace, decidedly intelligent and witty, is certainly the victim of a system unable to accept her hidden desire for emancipation.
4) The Playlist
After a trip to Canada we return to Europe again for this other six-part miniseries released in October 2022 on Netflix. Inspired by the book investigation Spotify Untold di Sven Carlsson and Jonas Leijonhufvud, The Playlist tells in a romantic way the birth and development of SpotifySwedish giant of streaming audio.
Developed by Christian Spurrier, the miniseries looks at the creation of one of the most ingenious inventions of the 21st century through six points of view. And it is just that POV the original idea of the series. In fact, many scenes are reviewed, episode after episode, second the point of view of the protagonist of the episode thus giving an always different contribution to the revolutionary history of Spotify.
The miniseries, a Swedish and British creation, is an interesting journey through the history of digital music. Through long, reflective pauses, the protagonists allow the viewer to immerse yourself in the creative process incredibly brilliant by Daniel (played by Edvin Endre) allowing him to fully understand an invention he has revolutionized the way we listen to and produce music forever.
5) Between
We return to Canada again to talk about this science fiction series consisting of two seasons, the first released in 2015 and the second in 2016. Since then, no news of a possible continuation. Unfortunately, because the series, consisting of twelve episodes he deserved a better fate.
Betweenwritten by Michael McGowanis a series that deals with a topic already covered in the past concerning the possibility of a society run by teenagers. Wiley Dayplayed by Jenette McCurdy (iCarly), is the protagonist of this series that deals with different topics such as the death of adults and the abandonment by the so-called civil society that quarantines a rural Canadian town where an unknown disease has killed all people under 22 years.
The construction of a new society, the struggle to maintain it the status quo derived from the parents, are interesting points of view which, at least in the first season, are adequately addressed. The second, however, veers more on personal relationships peppering the plot with excessive love stories. Despite everything, however, the series is interesting and enjoyable.
6) The castle
Nine years after the last episode The castle has given us a fourth seasonconsisting of eight episodes instead of ten, released in 2022 on Netflix. Apparently ended the political parable of Birgitte Nyborgplayed by Sidse Babett Knudsen, fans of this Danish series are wondering whether there will still be a sequel or not.
Created and written by Adam Pricewinner of a BAFTA just for this series, The castle it’s an interesting point of view on politics and on media of Denmark. The first three seasons tell the life of Birgitte Nyborg who unexpectedly becomes the first prime ministers (Minister of State) woman. The fourth, however, perhaps the most interesting, focuses on the discovery of an oil field in Greenland and on the difficulties for the Danish central government to take advantage of the discovery to obtain incredible wealth without losing face due to the ecological battles by managing, at the at the same time, a crisis between the USA, Russia and China, engulfing vultures ready to take advantage of the weakness of the Danes.
The castle it was a surprising worldwide success. American critics have defined it one of the best works on politics never aired comparing it, perhaps riskily, even to The West Wing. Even Stephen King he expressed himself positively placing it in first place among his favorite series of 2012.
Despite a somewhat subdued third season, recovered in a big way with the fourth, The castle really a series that is worth seeing if you are a lover of the political-drama genre because it is incredibly probable enough to have been taken into consideration in the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Aarhus.
7) Occupied
Released between 2015 and 2020. Three seasons, twenty-four episodes present on Netflix. A series that, seen today, literally makes your skin crawl for the topics covered. Occupied, based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, a writer with millions of copies around the world, tells of a dystopian future where Norway, determined to become a zero-emission nation, turns off Europe’s gas and oil taps. The European Union does not like it at all, as it plots with the Russians who, without thinking twice, invade the sovereign Scandinavian state. Initially the invasion is peaceful but over time it becomes increasingly violent also because the United States has disappeared from the world scene having achieved energy independence.
Occupiedseries with the highest budget ever spent in Norway is an interesting thriller which highlights the complexity of a sovereign state grappling with the multi-level interference of foreign states determined to appropriate what does not belong to them. Secret services, the armed forces, the press, the political class and the people are the main actors in this tantalizing series that tackles a dystopian subject written so well that it feels incredibly real and possible.