4 limited series to binge-watch on Netflix this week

You want to get away for a bit, right? Life has got you down (or heck, maybe you are happier than you have ever been but want to put that aside for a bit) and you need to escape. What better way than to have some excellent Netflix limited series take your mind off things?

That is the entire point of streaming services. We want to be entertained and we don't want to think about ourselves. Unless, of course, the show we are watching is about us. That would be cool. And yeah, weird.

Thankfully, Netflix has a lot to offer. Doesn't it always? Heck, even those who believe the streaming giant has too many "foreign language" projects (the irony is that Netflix is a global brand, and not everyone everywhere speaks English), there is good stuff to watch. And don't pretend you watch the dubbed version of Squid Game.

Four limited Netflix series to watch this week

Baby Reindeer

This one is tough to watch and that does not matter who one is rooting for. A series about a stalker of a comedian who is either frightened by or completely into his stalker is not going to go in the direction you expect. Some of it is brutal (some of the stand-up material alone is difficult to watch), and you might find yourself not wanting to watch at all, but helpless to stop.

That is either the sign of a great series or one that is so awful it's like watching a car crash. In the case of Baby Reindeer, it is a bit of both and always incredible entertainment.

The Fall of the House of Usher

In a slightly different vein (both Baby Reindeer and TFOTHOU), there is this little series based on Edgar Allan Poe stories that will creep you out. Creator Mike Flanagan (who is from Salem, MA, of course) has a way of turning horror into something quite riveting. He also did the excellent Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill House.

One might wonder how someone turns a short story, or even a novel, into something like an eight-episode series, but Flanagan appears to do it with ease. In this one, each episode comes from a Poe tale, and it's interwoven into the arc of the series. It's brilliant and deeply scary.

Boys Swallows Universe

On the other end of the spectrum is this series based on a book by Trent Dalton that mixes a crime drama with a coming-of-age tale. Also, it's Australian, so the accents alone are worth hearing. The show will make you feel better about being a human, even though the subject matter and situations can get a bit dark.

13-year-old Eli Bell is a kid in Brisbane who finds an illegal way of helping his family. His mother is a recovering addict. His step-father deals heroin. His older brother is mute. How does all that give us the good feels? You will have to tune in to check.

Missing You

It is Harlan Coben! Isn't that enough? It is also full of twists and turns and all the Coben stuff you love. How does he always churn out such engrossing shows?

The plot of this one is a detective finding an ex on a dating app 10 years after the person shockingly disappeared from her life. She also reopens the investigation into her father's death. She might also go grocery shopping. The whole thing is must-watch streaming.

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