The Queen’s Gambit and 5 groovy ’60s shows on Netflix

If the ’60s is your scene, watch these groovy ’60s shows on Netflix

If you’ve enjoyed recent Netflix original releases like The Queen’s Gambit and Paranormal in part because they were set in the 1960s, this list of six great 60s Netflix series is for you.

While all of the shows are set in the 1960s (or eventually end up there), not all were filmed back then. A couple were, but not all.

Their genres also range the gamut from period dramas to sci-fi and horror…and in some cases combinations of all of that.

So what do you say? Should we start breaking them down? Right on!

Good ’60 shows on Netflix

1. American Horror Story: Asylum

Told you there’d be a variety of genres on this list. We’ll get the scariest one out of the way first.

The bulk of the second season of American Horror Story is set in 1964 in the fictional Briarcliff Manor mental institution. This may not be the most flattering or glamourous portrayal of the ’60s Netflix series on this list.

In fact, it may be the most disturbing and sad, because mental health institutions in the 1960s were about as far from innocent or glamourous as you could get. But if you want to take a creepy jaunt into the 60s, this is your ticket.

2. Call the Midwife

This may be the most heartwarming offering on the list. This period drama is set in London’s East End, where money is tight (when it’s even existent). One thing that isn’t in short supply, however,  is love from the nuns and nurses at Nonnatus House who care for the community’s health needs.

The series, which is based on the memoirs of a real-life midwife, starts out in the 1950s, but each season is set in a new year. Now that it’s going on its tenth season, it’s well into the ’60s…with all the great fashion that comes with it.

3. Paranormal

This is another scary ’60s Netflix series that recently premiered on the streamer. It’s not quite as intense as AHS: Asylum, but it does contain scary content too. The series is set in 1960s Egypt, and is in fact Netflix’s first Egyptian series.

It follows Dr. Refaat Ismail, who might believe he was haunted if he believed in the paranormal. Which he doesn’t. But when inexplicable things keep happening, does he end up changing his mind? This is a great series not only because it transports you back to another decade, but also to a different country.

4. The Queen’s Gambit

This Netflix limited series drama stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon, an orphan who turns out to be a chess prodigy. But during her quest to become the world’s greatest chess champion, she battles a lot of heavy stuff, including drug and alcohol addiction.

Like Call the Midwife, The Queen’s Gambit begins in the ’50s when nine-year-old Beth’s mom dies, but it quickly advances to her teenage years. Beth starts out a bit gawky but blooms into as stylish a young woman as she is smart. This is the series to watch if you love ’60s fashion. And if you want to enjoy a stellar series too, of course.

5. Star Trek

This is the first of our series that was actually filmed during the ’60s, though it’s not set then. It takes place in the Milky Way of the 2260s or so, which I guess still counts for “’60s,” right? But even though it takes place in the far off future, it carries 1960s flavor in costume and set designs, which is why it’s remained an iconic blast from the past.

6. The Twilight Zone

The last series on our list takes us to “another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop, the Twilight Zone.” Like Star Trek, this ’60s Netflix series was also filmed back in the 1960s. Well, most of the five seasons were. The first one premiered in 1959, and not every episode is modern-day, or even set on Earth. Some are back in time, some are forward, some are set in space, but the clothing, hairstyles and even plot inspirations are heavily ’60s-influenced.