With new streaming services emerging recently, Netflix has changed significantly. Disney content has gone to Disney plus and all NBC Universal’s content went to Peacock. This includes popular shows, like “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation.” Many people watched these shows in Middle School and go back to them as a comfort show to watch when sick or upset. With these shows leaving Netflix, people are watching more shows and movies on other streaming platforms, such as Hulu and Amazon Prime. However, this does not mean the Netflix kingdom has fallen, it has just added some chairs to the throne room. 

Despite losing many staple shows and movies from Netflix there have been many added. With the massive variety of genres and topics, every person can find something, including something from their many popular original shows. 

What has recently shown up ranges from “iCarly,” a show that is extremely nostalgic for many high-school-aged kids who spend plenty of time watching shows and movies on various streaming platforms, “Hotel Cecil,” a true-crime docuseries about the disappearance of Elisa Lam, and the third and final installment of widely popular “Too All the Boys” series. 

Something that came out earlier, but exploded earlier this year was “Bridgerton.” The popular period-drama with diverse casting allowed people to transport themselves into an idealized past that mixed modernity, in terms of music and fabrics, with the silhouettes and society of the past. The series did not try to conquer nor did it ignore the racism of the past. It instead opted for color-blind casting, an idea that has become more popular recently. Color-blind casting does not take race into consideration when casting characters for media instead it looks solely at talent. With this casting method, people of color can have more time on-screen outside of subservient roles that Hollywood has forced them into for many years. The representation of people of color acting in leadership roles allows kids to see people who look like them in positions Euro-centric history does not demonstrate. 

Armitha Gagganapally, an IB sophomore, said “Representation is so important because we need to reach out to all types of people, not just one group. Good representation allows people to learn about the lives of different people and breaks down barriers.”

In March an HGTV style show will arrive on Netflix in which couples will have to decide to have their dream wedding or dream home after they are pitched by two different experts. This demonstrates the common theme among many popular shows this year is escapism. People do not want to think about the numerous problems going on in the world, so they can escape into reality shows with pretty designs or love stories filled with pastel colors. When watching these shows and movies people can forget about their lives and the pandemic for a minute and be frustrated about something that does not really matter. They can turn it off and walk away. When you watch the news you can not just turn it off and walk away because that affects your life, 

These new shows also allow for people to make connections. Earlier in the pandemic people would watch shows together over zoom or facetime to spend time together in a safe socially distanced way.

Mallika Satish, an IB senior, “At the beginning of the pandemic, my friends and I would watch a movie every week to stay connected. It helped our relationships stay intact when we could not see each other in person. We could share opinions and talk about our lives while we did something that made life seem normal when everything seemed to be falling apart.”

Quarantine has affected what people are watching. Gagganapally said “I’ve had a lot more exposure to social media during quarantine, so I got to find out about new shows and movies.”

This new content will allow friends to connect and talk to bring some normalcy back to their lives. The exciting new content is sure to draw criticism and praise alike from different audiences.