5 TV shows to start watching on Netflix this weekend


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SALT LAKE CITY — The Academy Awards are this weekend and while it can be fun to see what won and what didn't, it can also get exhausting. Not to mention the show is beyond long and can get pretty boring.

So, here are 5 TV shows to start watching this weekend on Netflix to pass time until the big Oscar party, and to watch once Seth MacFarlane's jokes get old. Which shouldn't take long.

Surviving the Cut

Surviving the Cut
Surviving the Cut

If there is one person who can't really stand reality TV it's me. I think it's boring, silly and pretty much garbage. Yes, that's just my opinion; there are millions of viewers and TV executives who disagree with me. However, there is one reality show I became addicted to, "Surviving the Cut."

The show chronicles what it takes to be the elite in the US Military. With episodes following soldiers trying to join the Air Force Pararescue, Navy EOD, Marine Snipers and several other elite forces is mesmerizing. You immediately place yourself in the situation and wonder if you would have what it takes. For the record, I would not.

The show manages to be entertaining and fascinating while giving you a new appreciation for the preparation and sacrifice these men and women go through to be the best of the best as they defend our freedoms.

"Surviving the Cut" only has two seasons so you'll get through it quick, which is too bad, because I could use more.

Luther

The BBC has managed to give us some of the best that TV has to offer and one of their best shows is "Luther."

Luther
Luther

The gritty police drama reminds you of American shows like "CSI" or "Criminal Minds" but without the restrictions that network shows sometimes encounter. Not necessarily in terms of what you're allowed to show, but rather the worries of bending to corporate sponsors or playing up to sister shows.

Idris Elba plays detective John Luther who will do anything to make sure the perpetrator is caught. The moral dilemmas keep you glued to the TV and the fact that Luther is far from perfect keeps you tense and entertained.

While the content can be a bit heavy sometimes the acting is excellent and the writing is superb. If you like the darker and gritty police dramas you should love "Luther."

There are currently two seasons or "series" of "Luther" available on Netflix. That's all that has been produced, but new episodes are currently in the planning stages.

Psych

On the other end of the spectrum from "Luther" is "Psych." The USA show is well, it's pretty ridiculous, but that's what makes it fantastic.

Psych
Psych

The show revolves around best friends Shawn and Gus who open their own psychic detective agency. Shawn's powers of deduction rival that of Sherlock Holmes, but unlike Holmes, Shawn tells everyone he knows all of these personal details because he's a psychic. A few people, including his friend Gus, are in on the scheme but nearly everyone else is oblivious to it.

So many of the jokes in "Psych" are lame and juvenile, but for some reason you don't seem to care. It's clever, the mystery aspect of the show is often well written and the pop culture references are so far out in left field and subtle that half the fun is trying to understand them.

"Psych" just kicked off its seventh season on USA and the previous six are ready for you to start streaming.

Alphas

Alphas
Alphas

The SyFy original series "Alphas" is basically a version of X-Men in a more reality-based universe. Well, as reality based as you can get with people having super-human powers.

"Alphas" follows a team of human beings with enhanced abilities as they try and uncover crimes and also find those whose motives with their own enhanced abilities threaten others.

The show can feel forced at times, but it keeps you guessing and wanting to find out more. Each episode seems to unravel a bit more as it peels back layer after layer.

Academy Award-nominated actor David Strathairn leads the stellar cast and he is reason enough to watch the show.

While there are two seasons of "Alphas" only season one is currently available to stream on Netflix.

Sherlock

While all of the shows on the list are entertaining and likely worth your time, but if you decide to watch just one, make it "Sherlock."

The BBC original is, for lack of a better word, brilliant. The acting in the show is impeccable, the direction exhilarating and the writing near perfect.

The show places Sherlock Holmes in a modern setting and he's smarter, more clever, more cunning and less charming than he's ever been. Benedict Cumberbatch is a joy to watch as Sherlock and you'll fall in love with Martin Freeman's Dr. Watson.

Sherlock
Sherlock

The new CBS drama "Elementary" is another modern-day take on Holmes, but it doesn't hold a candle to "Sherlock." Which, honestly, is saying a lot because "Elementary" is not a bad show, rather "Sherlock" is that good.

There are two season or "series" to the show and each series has just three episodes. I know it sounds disappointing, but each episode is about 90-minutes long. Each episode seems to play out like its own film and it's intriguing and a blast to watch.

Be warned, if you start watching "Sherlock" odds are you won't stop until you've watched all six episodes and when it ends you'll realize you've missed work, you have dozens of missed calls and you haven't blinked in hours.

A third season is planned, but both Cumberbatch and Freeman became such hot commodities that they didn't have time to film more episodes. Freeman was busy with Peter Jackson making "The Hobbit" films and Cumberbatch was rubbing elbows with J.J. Abrams as the new villain in "Star Trek Into Darkness."

New episodes are supposed to be coming late this year but that still is not a guarantee. All we can really do is hope and pray, because once you finish episode three of season two you will be waiting with bated until "Sherlock" returns to television.

Do you watch these shows? What are you thoughts on them? What other shows are on Netflix that you love? Let us know on the comment boards, Facebook or send me an email.

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John Clyde

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