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The two most common posts I see on my feed in Facebook are these two questions:

What’s a good vacuum?

and

What should I watch on Netflix?

Luckily, I have very strong opinions on vacuums so I always chime in on that one. But the other question perplexes me a bit.

I currently have 1435 friends on Facebook and I can guarantee asking them what I should watch on Netflix will give me one of three reactions.

1. Yep. Good choice. I’ve already seen that one.
2. Never heard of that but it sounds good.
3. You seriously watch that and think I would want to watch that too? You clearly don’t know me.

I feel the same way with book recommendations. It’s such a personal choice. I’d rather have a friend say (as one recently did) what they like and what else you think they might like.

For example, my friend Mitch of Gay NYC Dad did it perfectly:

Help! Looking for Netflix recommendations. I liked Travelers, Iron Fist, and the Magicians. Also Santa Clarita Diet. Finishing Grace and Frankie, then I will have nothing to get me through my 1/2 hour on the Stairmaster at the gym!

Unfortunately, I see people who just can’t follow simple directions. They recommend shows on Amazon Prime. They talk about what they love, not what they think Mitch will love.

What it comes down to, though, is that viewing choices are really personal. So instead of asking your friends what you should watch, I asked my friends what they’re watching. I know. I know. I titled this post “What Your Friends Are Watching on Netflix” but if you’re reading this, you’re probably a friend of mine or would make a good friend of mine and therefore would be interested in what my friends are watching too.

So here are the results of my information survey where I asked my friends what they’re watching on Netflix. (There’s a BONUS at the end too!)

What are the top 3 shows you give when someone (usually on Facebook) asks what they should watch on Netflix?

I got over 70 responses (some followed directions, some didn’t, but who cares?). Some actually weren’t on Netflix so they were excluded but as I was looking at the results I saw a few trends emerging. The most popular responses were Netflix Originals but there were also plenty of people who use Netflix to watch or re-watch other tv series. And then there were those that were kind enough to include some family friendly selections as well.

So to make it easy for you to follow along, I’ll give you three categories with shows ranked in order of popularity: Netflix Original, Other Shows, Family Friendly Viewing.

The Most Popular Netflix Original Recommendations

1. House of Cards – 4 seasons
2. Stranger Things – 1 season 
3. Orange is the New Black – 4 seasons
4. Grace and Frankie – 3 seasons
5. The Crown – 1 season
6. Bloodline – 2 seasons
7. The OA – 1 season
8. Black Mirror – 3 seasons
9. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – 2 seasons
10. 13 Reasons Why – 1 season
11. Mystery Science Theater 3000 – 1 season
12. Narcos – 2 seasons
13. The Get Down
14. Abstract: The Art of Design – 1 season
15. Iron Fist* – 1 season
16. Longmire – 5 seasons
17. Peaky Blinders – 3 seasons
18. The Killing – 4 seasons
19. Santa Clarita Diet – 1 season
20. Sense8 – 2 seasons
21. 13th – documentary
22. Master of None – 1 season
23. Dave Chapelle 
24. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life – 1 season
25. Marco Polo – 2 seasons
26. Chef’s Table – 3 seasons

* While Iron Fist was the most commonly mentioned Marvel show, others were grouped into this general category of Marvel Netflix Originals like Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Daredevil.

Observations: My friends have pretty good taste. This is a pretty solid list. I’ve also marked in red those shows that are Fadra-approved, meaning I’ve at least watched some of it and can personally vouch for it. The rest? Well, I’ve just greatly increased the length of my Netflix queue.

Other Popular Recommendations on Netflix

1. Shameless – 7 seasons
2. Sherlock – 3 seasons
3. Scandal – 5 seasons
4. Gilmore Girls – 7 seasons
5. Schitt’s Creek – 3 seasons
6. Breaking Bad – 5 seasons
7. Call the Midwife – 5 seasons
8. Wentworth – 4 seasons
9. The Walking Dead – 7 seasons
10. The Blacklist – 3 seasons
11. Prison Break – 4 seasons
12. Broadchurch – 2 seasons
13. When Calls the Heart – 3 seasons
14. Young & Hungry – 4 seasons
15. Velvet – 3 seasons
16. The Night Shift – 2 seasons
17. Life in Pieces – 1 season
18. Archer – 7 seasons
19. Parenthood – 6 seasons
20. Haven – 5 seasons
21. One Tree Hill – 9 seasons
22. Leverage – 5 seasons
23. Grey’s Anatomy – 12 seasons
24. Mad Men – 7 seasons
25. Dexter – 8 seasons
26. How I Met Your Mother – 9 seasons
27. Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey – 1 season
28. Louie – 5 seasons
29. Bomb Girls – 3 seasons
30. Better Call Saul – 2 seasons
31. F is for Family – 1 season
32. Grand Designs – 2 seasons

There are a lot of great shows on this list. I found that some of my friend’s are discovering older shows they never watched while others are reliving their younger days while watching some of the shows they grew up with. I did mark the Fadra-approved shows on this list in red.

The Most Popular Family-Friendly Netflix Recommendations

1. Once Upon A Time – 5 seasons, one of our family favorites
2. Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events – 1 season, Netflix Original
3. The Dick Van Dyke Show – 5 seasons
4. Merlin – 5 seasons
5. The Flash – 2 seasons, we’re huge fans of The Flash
6. LEGO Ninjago – 5 seasons
7. Pokemon XY – 2 seasons
8. The Great British Baking Show – 3 seasons
9. Trollhunters – 2 seasons, Netflix Original, read my Parent’s Guide to Trollhunters!

We always struggle for something we can watch as a family. Evan is beyond the kid shows (mostly) but way too young for some of the best content on Netflix. These shows are a good happy-medium for us. And red indicates Fadra-approved.

SO…

Did you find some new shows to watch on Netflix? Did you find some shows you absolutely hate and you can’t understand how someone could recommend them? Yeah, entertainment is a fickle beast. But I did think it was interested that almost everyone chose shows or series instead of movies. Either way, I know I’ve loaded up my queue. Now it’s just a matter of finding the time to watch it all.

This post is part of my monthly contribution to the Netflix Stream Team community.