9 Netflix Series to Catch up on Before New Seasons Release in 2018

Netflix seems to have an endless stream of fantastic original series, and many of them are dropping new seasons in 2018.

In addition to the excitement over new original series seasons, there are also numerous stand-up comedy specials and Netflix original films to get excited about.

We also can’t forget the Sense8 finale special that will also be launching sometime in 2018.

It’s amazing how in such a short time, Netflix has become a contender with Network and Premuim channels by building and cultivating amazing original content.

Scroll down for a list of Netflix original series that you may want to re-familiarize yourself with before new seasons drop in 2018.

GLOW

Starring: Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, Sydelle Noel, Britney Young, and Marc Maron.

GLOW is a series that “revolves around a fictionalization of the characters and gimmicks of the 1980s syndicated women’s professional wrestling circuit, the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (or GLOW).”

While the story and specific plot of the series are fictional, the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling was a real organization in the 1980s.

The first season of GLOW debuted on Netflix in June of 2017 to rave reviews from critics and fans alike.

It was quickly renewed for a second season, which will air in 2018.

OZARK

Starring: Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Sofia Hublitz, Skylar Gaertner and Julia Garner.

OZARK, which stars Arrested Development’s Jason Bateman, was quite possibly the most anticipated new Netflix original for summer 2017 and it did not disappoint.

The series features Marty Byrde, “a man who relocates to hopefully wipe the slate clean from his dealings in the drug world.”

However, hiding from their problems doesn’t make them go away and so eventually the Byrdes are forced to confront their past and each other.

If you’re a fan of Bloodline or Breaking Bad, you’ll want to check this one out before its second season airs sometime in 2018.

Orange Is The New Black

Starring: Taylor Schilling, Laura Prepon, Michael Harney, Michelle Hurst, Kate Mulgrew, Jason Biggs, Uzo Aduba, Danielle Brooks, Natasha Lyonne, Taryn Manning and many more.

Orange Is The New Black burst onto screens in July of 2013. It was the third original Netflix series to debut, after House of Cards and Hemlock Grove, and it took the world by storm.

In season five, the humor was amped up quite a bit, but that doesn’t mean the series has gotten any less dramatic.

There are still plenty of heavy moments that tug at heartstrings. It’s emotionally divisive in a way that sometimes feels too real.

All five seasons are streaming right now on Netflix, and season six will be airing sometime in 2018.

Friends from College

Starring: Keegan-Michael Key, Cobie Smulders, Annie Parisse, Nat Faxon, Fred Savage, Jae Suh Park, and Billy Eichner.

If you prefer Netflix’s comedy’s, but you want something a little less traditional, then you should definitely check out the brand new series Friends from College.

The show is described as follows: “After all going to Harvard together, six friends reunite in their mid-forties to try and get over their midlife crisis. It’ll explore their friendships which at times are often complicated.”

All eight episodes of season one dropped on July 14, 2017 so you can easily burn through this show before the new season launches in 2018.

The Ranch

Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Debra Winger, Sam Elliott, and Danny Masterson (seasons one and two).

The Ranch described as taking place “on the fictional Iron River Ranch, Colorado; detailing the life of the Bennetts, a dysfunctional family consisting of two brothers, their rancher father, and his separated wife and local bar owner.”

A very interesting fact about the series is that all the episodes are named after country songs by Kenny Chesney, George Strait and Tim McGraw.

The show has dealt with it’s fair-share of controversy, and following the filming of then second season Danny Masterson was written out of the show amid resurfaced sexual assault allegations.

The Standups

Netflix has been killing it with stand-up specials in the last few years.

From their very first one, Bill Burr’s You People Are All the Same way back in 2012, to Sarah Silverman’s, A Speck of Dust in 2017, Netflix has given comedians of all levels of popularity the opportunity to unleash their creativity without the same restrictions as cable TV networks.

This first season of The Standups featured lesser know acts that are up-and-coming, such as Nate Bargatze, Deon Cole, Fortune Feimster, Nikki Glaser, Dan Soder and Beth Stelling.

Season two will drop in 2018 and feature the likes of Gina Yashere, Rachel Feinstein, Kyle Kinane, Aparna Nancherla, Joe List, and Brent Morin.

Last Chance U

Starring: The East Mississippi Community College football team.

Good sports documentary series are few and far between, but Last Chance U is one of the best.

Last Chance U “focuses on all aspects of the football program at East Mississippi Community College, one of the most successful JUCO programs in the country. Major themes include the academic struggles of the players, some of whom have come from severely disadvantaged backgrounds.”

Brittany Wagner, the team academic adviser, “is featured prominently as she is tasked with getting all team members to graduate on time. Head coach Buddy Stephens’ struggles with controlling his temper is also a major theme, which is often juxtaposed with his devout Christian faith that he attempts to impart on the team.”

As mentioned, the first two seasons were filmed at East Mississippi Community College, but the upcoming third season was filmed at Independence Community College of Kansas.

House of Cards

Starring: Robin Wright, Kate Mara, Corey Stoll, Michael Kelly, Mahershala Ali, Neve Campbell, Joel Kinnaman, and Kevin Spacey (Seasons One through Five).

As the first major Netflix original series, House of Cards led the charge in more ways than one. If you need proof of its initial success, in 2017 alone it was nominated for four Emmy awards.

At the end of season four, we saw that Tom Hammerschmidt, the former editor of The Washington Herald, was getting closer and closer to unveiling some of Frank Underwood’s past corruptions.

Once the Underwoods found out, they mounted an incredible defense in the form of distracting the American public away from the story by manipulating a domestic terror situation that was already national news.

In 2017, season five debuted and completely changed everything.

Understandably, House of Cards is a top topic series for most as the numerous sexual assault allegations against Kevin Spacey that surfaced in the fall of 2017 have cast a shadow over the series.

In spite of that, Netflix has decided that, with Spacey having been fired and not being a member of the cast in season six, they will air the final season in 2018.

All available seasons of House of Cards are currently streaming on Netflix.

Disjointed

Starring: Kathy Bates, Elizabeth Ho, Tone Bell, Chris Redd, Elizabeth Alderfer, Dougie Baldwin, and Aaron Moten.

If you’re a fan of shows like The Big Bang Theory, Two-and-a-Half Men, and Mom, then you’ll certainly want to check out Disjointed, as it’s from iconic TV creator Chuck Lorre, who was responsible for the other aforementioned shows.

Kathy Bates headlines the workplace sitcom as Ruth Whitefeather Feldman, an owner of a weed dispensary in Los Angeles. Regarded as a longtime champion for the legalization of marijuana, opening her own shop is the cherry on top as the series rounds out with three “budtenders,” Ruth’s son, and the dispensary’s depressed security guard. And of course, they’re always high and getting into a plethora of problems.

Disjointed – Season One, Part One landed on Netflix in Aug. 2017 and Part Two just dropped in 2018 on Jan. 12.