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Netflix: The 50 Absolute Best TV Shows To Watch


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Netflix: The 50 Absolute Best TV Shows to Watch


Netflix: The 50 Absolute Best TV Shows to Watch

Netflix has a bulging library of TV shows. Because each week brings new series to watch, it can be tough to find the best of the bunch. No need to worry. We've done the hard work for you.

You'll find highlights of new content below, as well as CNET's full list of best TV originals on Netflix.

What's new this week (Aug. 29 to Sept. 4)

Check out this week's highlights.

Tuesday

  • I Am a Killer (Season 3): Documentary. Murderers recount the true stories of their crimes, including a woman who killed her abusive husband and the man behind a deadly New Year's Eve party.

Wednesday

  • Club América vs. Club América (Limited Series): Documentary. This docuseries delves into the past, present and future of América, the most winning and controversial soccer club in Mexico, and its players' DNA.
  • Family Secrets (Season 1): Polish drama. A couple's wedding day threatens to turn disastrous when they begin to unravel a web of secrets and lies that connects their two families.

Thursday

  • Off the Hook (Season 1): French rom-com. Realizing they both have a toxic relationship to the Internet, roommates Léa and Manon decide to do the unthinkable: abandon all devices for 30 days.

Friday

  • Buy My House (Season 1): Reality. Homeowners from across the US pitch properties for sale to four experienced real estate investors, hoping to make a life-changing deal on the spot.
  • Dated & Related (Season 1): Reality. Single siblings help each other search for their soulmates, hoping to find love (and maybe win $100,000) while living at a luxurious villa.
  • Devil in Ohio (Limited Series): Crime mystery starring Emily Deschanel. Determined to protect a young patient who escaped a mysterious cult, a psychiatrist takes the girl in, putting her own family -- and life -- in danger.
  • Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives (Season 2): Reality. Cameras follow the banter and bonding between four fun-loving women from Bollywood's inner circle as they juggle professions, family and friendship.
  • Fakes (Season 1): Teen drama. Emilija Baranac and Jennifer Tong lead this YA dramedy series about friendship and fraud told from different perspectives. 
  • You're Nothing Special (Season 1): Spanish teen drama. Life in Amaia's new hometown starts to get a lot more interesting when a rumor spreads at school that she's inherited her grandmother's magical talents.

Read more: The Absolute Best Movies on Netflix

Best Netflix original TV shows

At the time of writing, these TV shows all scored at least 70 on Metacritic.

Thriller

Netflix

Lupin (2021—)

If you enjoyed Money Heist, then meet Lupin, another non-English language show with an action-packed story. This time we're in France, where professional thief Assane Diop enacts his revenge mission on the man responsible for his father's death. Inspired by a book about gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, Assane uses disguises, thieving know-how and a good dose of charisma to expose the wealthy and powerful Hubert Pellegrini's crimes.

Netflix

Bodyguard (2018)

Bodyguard broke records when it first aired in Britain, climbing from cliffhanger to cliffhanger at a relentless pace. This might be the definition of the unstoppable binge, not surprising given it comes from the mind of Line of Duty's Jed Mercurio. Game of Thrones' Richard Madden plays the titular bodyguard, who suffers from PTSD after serving in the Afghanistan war. On top of that, he's assigned to protect the Home Secretary (Keeley Hawes), whose politics he despises. Taking provocative turns, and crafting one of the best-ever 20-minute opening scenes, Bodyguard is an expert tension-building balancing act.

Netflix

House of Cards (2013-2018)

While Kevin Spacey's sexual harassment allegations ended up marring this slick, fourth-wall breaking slice of politics' dark side, it's still worth watching if you dig power games and the occasional backstabbing. Initially following Spacey's Frank Underwood, House of Cards' sixth and final season pivots to follow his wife Claire (Robin Wright) as she takes on more and more power in the Oval Office.

Horror

Netflix

Midnight Mass (2021)

From the auteur who brought us The Haunting of Hill House and Bly Manor, comes another slow-burning horror series that'll haunt you for days. Midnight Mass is Mike Flanagan's latest creation, a meticulously crafted mystery spanning seven hourlong episodes. Riley Flynn, still paying the price for a drunk driving accident four years ago, returns home to Crockett Island, where the arrival of a charismatic new priest coincides with astonishing miracles around the town. Pregnant with a sense of foreboding and dread, Midnight Mass is an eloquent interrogation of faith, with horrifying supernatural monsters along for the ride.

Steve Dietl/Netflix

The Haunting of Hill House (2018)

Mike Flanagan's The Haunting of Hill House, loosely based on Shirley Jackson's novel of the same name, weaves its horror into a deeply affecting story about a broken family. Fractured after growing up in a haunted house, the Crains can't ignore their past and must do what you never want to do: Go back down those dark corridors. The impressive set-pieces will please horror fans, but it's the sad story of the Crains that will, yes, haunt you for days. Good news: The second chapter of the anthology, The Haunting of Bly Manor, is a similarly affecting Gothic romance.

Netflix

Crazyhead (2016)

If you were a fan of Howard Overman's insanely entertaining Misfits, Crazyhead might be where you want to head next. Overman's follow-up show, which first aired in the UK in 2016, is a comedy-horror starring Cara Theobold (the voice of Tracer in Overwatch) and Susan Wokoma as unlikely friends who bond over being able to see demons gallivanting about in normal society. Their brilliant double-act is at the heart of this disturbingly entertaining series, featuring exorcisms, accidental roommate killings and demon fathers. Yeah, you need to watch this for yourself.

Sci-fi

Netflix

Archive 81 (2022)

Enjoy sci-fi series that play with two timelines? Have a special spot for cults and mysteries? Meet Archive 81. The multiple genre-straddling show stars Mamoudou Athie as Dan Turner, an archivist who takes a gig restoring a collection of damaged videotapes from the '90s. He gets far more than he bargained for, drawn into an investigation of a mysterious cult and a young woman who may or may not be dead. A supernatural thriller with horror, mystery, noir and sci-fi seeped into its creepy atmosphere, Archive 81 has it all.

Netflix

Dark (2017-2020)

Germany's answer to Stranger Things deliberately takes its time before stepping into completely compelling and original places. A sci-fi noir, Dark folds time travel, conspiracies and estranged families into a generation-spanning story kicked off by a child's disappearance. If those kinds of meticulously-crafted layers are what you're after in your storytelling, settle in. All three seasons of Dark's meditative look at time travel and its effect on human nature are waiting to hit you at full force.

Netflix

Stranger Things (2016—)

It wouldn't be a best list without Stranger Things. If somehow you've missed the Duffer Brothers' ode to '80s horror and Steven Spielberg, things are about to get tubular. We follow El, a near-mute girl who was the subject of scientific experiments. She develops telekinetic powers, which she uses to fend off monsters who invade from a frightening alternative dimension. The world of Indiana, Hawkins, is lovingly detailed for anyone in need of an '80s nostalgia hit and the misfit characters, played by a stellar young cast, are part of everything that makes this show a tour de force.

Netflix

Travelers (2016-2018)

Full disclosure: Netflix sadly canceled Travelers after its third season, but this tightly plotted sci-fi out of Canada does manage to end with an ambitious bang. We start with Marcy, a disabled woman who's beaten up after helping a friend escape thugs. She dies -- then comes back to life. This strong character-driven sci-fi reveals its secrets in clever ways, following operatives from the future tasked with preventing the collapse of society but also navigating the tricky territory of living a double life.

Laurie Sparham/Netflix

Black Mirror (2011—)

While Charlie Brooker's bleak tech anthology series can be hit and miss, at its best, Black Mirror packs its mini-movies with an exploration of futuristic technological ideas through painfully human stories. One of those is San Junipero, following two women in the '80s (cue banging soundtrack) as they fall for each other in ways they couldn't do in their "real" lives outside the beach city. The tech aspect is revealed with genius timing and, in general, the show explores the consequences of our plugged-in lives in disturbing and occasionally uplifting ways.

Drama

Netflix

Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022—)

Extraordinary Attorney Woo hasn't even finished airing its first season on Netflix, and it's already a runaway winner. Its unique concept: A woman who has autism becomes a lawyer in South Korea, elevated by her brilliant and unexpected ways of approaching cases. An inspiring heroine, Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin) brings extraordinary representation to the screen. Charming, heartwarming, as radiant as the sun -- you could watch this show for days.

Mike Kollöffel/Netflix

Borgen (2010—)

Denmark's bleaker answer to the West Wing. Borgen is the epitome of sophisticated political dramas, chronicling the inspiring fictional underdog story of how, against all odds, Birgitte Nyborg Christensen (Sidse Babett Knudsen) becomes the first female prime minister of Denmark. Produced by the same company behind The Killing, Borgen is four influential seasons of one woman's complicated, intricate rise to power.

Netflix

Maid (2021)

Margaret Qualley is the heart of this miniseries based on a memoir. Maid follows Alex, a young mother trying to support her daughter by working as a housecleaner. Alex's task is made slightly more difficult thanks to an abusive relationship, poverty, homelessness and more. But it's not all heavy subject matter, with light and charming moments that give Maid an extra sheen. Not only a moving story expertly crafted, Maid cements Qualley as a major star.

Netflix

The Queen's Gambit (2020)

How do you make chess the thrilling centerpiece of a coming-of-age tale? You shake it into a cocktail of stylish visuals, a rocking '60s soundtrack and the magnetic Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon, one of the youngest (and few female) chess players in the world. The fictional story in The Queen's Gambit, named after a chess opening, follows her rise from an orphanage to toppling the best players in the world -- as long as her drug addiction and bags of wine bottles don't get in the way.

Netflix

Unorthodox (2020)

This miniseries is based on a memoir and told primarily in Yiddish with painstaking detail. Almost a thriller, Unorthodox follows 19-year-old Esty Shapiro, who escapes her arranged marriage in an ultra-Orthodox community in Brooklyn. She ends up in Berlin, exploring a new life outside the strict beliefs she grew up in, but her community doesn't let go that easily. Featuring a stunning performance from Shira Haas, Unorthodox lets you take a step into a relentlessly compelling world.

Netflix

Godless (2017)

This miniseries carves itself firmly into the Western genre, with a female-led cast boasting Merritt Weaver and Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery. With its 1880s New Mexico vistas swirling around it, Godless draws up the violence in a tale that sees an outlaw on the run from his boss seek refuge with an outcast widower. Oh, Jeff Daniels is in this too, if the show wasn't enticing enough.

Netflix

The Crown (2016—)

Sumptuous is one word to describe the production values of The Crown's drama about the British monarchy. Following Queen Elizabeth II's life, starting in her 20s with a powerhouse performance from Claire Foy, The Crown captures the grand workings of historical events from deep within Buckingham Palace. Figures like Winston Churchill, Princess Margaret, Margaret Thatcher and more are treated with the highest cinematic sophistication. A fifth and sixth season are on their way to round out your knowledge of the queen's reign into the early 21st century.

Fantasy

Netflix

Arcane (2021—)

One of the best TV shows of 2021 was an animated series. That's right -- if you're animation-unfriendly, Arcane is the show to change your mind. The action-adventure introduces us to the steampunk world of Piltover and Zaun, two cities grinding on opposing values and fortunes. Then there's Violet (Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx (Ella Purnell), two sisters torn apart by tragedy and fighting to survive. Arcane is the kind of moving portrait that gets under your skin on a par with Pixar. The characters will draw you to tears. A must-watch.

Netflix

Sweet Tooth (2021—)

This fantasy based on Jeff Lemire's comic book is the definition of weird and wonderful. Sweet Tooth follows Gus (a stellar Christian Convery), a half-deer half-human child, who lives a sheltered life in the forest with his dad Pubba (Will Forte). Events relating to The Great Crumble, a viral pandemic, sweep Gus into an adventure branching down mysterious, action-filled and highly entertaining paths. Echoes with real-world struggles can be heard in the treetops of this immersive, riveting fantasy world. Genre fans settle in for this fantastic ride.

Kevin Baker / Netflix

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019)

We weren't ready for The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Canceled after one season, the critically acclaimed fantasy series is, well, a gem. A prequel to the 1982 Jim Henson film, the series returns to the planet Thra, where three Gelflings inspire a rebellion against the absolutely diabolic Skeksis. The puppet design and performances -- from a stunning cast including Taron Edgerton, Anya Taylor-Joy and Nathalie Emmanuel -- sneak up on you. You'll find yourself deeply invested in the poor, oppressed Gelflings' lives, hurt just as much as the puppets whenever one of their own is harmed. A full-on fantasy epic, built with love, care and staggering detail.

Crime

Netflix

Unbelievable (2019)

This miniseries, based on a true story of rape, deftly navigates its disturbing and tricky subject matter with the help of a remarkable performance from Kaitlyn Dever. She plays Marie, a teenager who's charged with lying about being raped, but of course it's more complicated than that. Toni Collette and Merritt Wever team up as whip-smart detectives who see what others fail to, adding another layer to Unbelievable's delicate, powerfully moving triumph.

Netflix

When They See Us (2019)

Ava DuVernay's When They See Us comes under the tough but essential viewing banner. It depicts the real-life events of the 1989 Central Park jogger case, involving five male suspects of color who were falsely accused of rape and assault. Not only sensitively drawing the humanity of the boys into focus, When They See Us demands outrage at the injustice of systemic racism.

Netflix

The Sinner (2017—)

Four fascinating seasons of The Sinner await to be cracked open, each one focused on a murder committed by an unlikely offender in even stranger circumstances. Season 1 follows Jessica Biel's Cora, who stabs a man to death on a beach in a sudden frenzy, but has no idea why. It's up to Bill Pullman's Detective Ambrose to unravel the shockingly disturbing events embedded in her psyche that lead to her being triggered.

Netflix

Money Heist (2017—)

This series is loved by many (and Netflix loves you for it), but in case you haven't heard what all the fuss is about, Money Heist is, yep, about a heist. The mastermind doing Ocean's Eleven-level prep work with equally satisfying reveals is The Professor. He's got banks in his sights and we see how his intricate plans come together with slick flashbacks, time-jumps and even an unreliable narrator. This is captivating TV with a distinct Spanish identity -- don't let the subtitles put you off.

Netflix

American Vandal (2017-2018)

The first two seasons of this mockumentary series burst onto Netflix with a potent combination of potty humor and social commentary. A parody of true crime documentaries such as Netflix's own Making a Murderer, American Vandal follows the aftermath of a high school prank gone wrong. After 27 faculty cars are left fatally vandalized with grievous phallic images, it's up to a couple of sophomores to crack the crime, before the wrong person is expelled for good. Yep, this is a satire. But it weaves a surprisingly engrossing mystery that creates an accurate bigger picture of contemporary high school life. A hefty achievement.

Netflix

Alias Grace (2017)

This miniseries is from a couple of years ago, but in case you missed it, it's definitely worth checking out. In the vein of The Sinner, Alias Grace steps back into its young female protagonist's past to figure out why she commits murder, of which she has no memory. An adaptation of a Margaret Atwood novel, the show stars a hypnotic Sarah Gadon as Irish immigrant Grace, navigating a turbulent life as a servant for a family in colonial Toronto. Partly based on a true story, this isn't a straightforward mystery with straightforward answers and that's what makes it all the more captivating.

Netflix

Mindhunter (2017-2019)

David Fincher directs a stash of episodes in this psychological crime thriller's two-season run (the third is on indefinite hold), so meticulous visuals and captivating storylines are a given. Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) is a special agent in the FBI, sent to interview serial killers in prison to build a profile of what makes them tick. Cameron Britton as real-life serial killer Ed Kemper is absolutely chilling. Mindhunter is smarter and richer than your average crime show, somehow growing with its complex characters. It would be a shame if the third season didn't happen (although that seems to be the case).

Netflix

Narcos (2015-2017)

Drug kingpin Pablo Escobar is the subject of this, yes, addictive series that races through his rise to becoming the infamous cocaine distributor and billionaire. A true-to-life account that blends in archival footage, Narcos manages to present a sympathetic side to Escobar without undermining the gravity of its material. Plus, the DEA's hunt to bring Escobar down ratchets up the suspense. After you finish the three series, head to Narcos: Mexico, a companion series that focuses on the illegal drug trade in Mexico.

Netflix

Peaky Blinders (2013-2022)

Netflix wisely snapped up the rights to Peaky Blinders and there are six seasons (and eventually a spinoff film) to traverse the stunning rise of 1900s Birmingham gang leader Thomas Shelby. Prepare yourself for a mesmerizing performance from Cillian Murphy in this family saga that has a fantastic amount of fun and flair showing Shelby's dealings with other gangs, the police and the occasional lover.

Romance

Netflix

Heartstopper (2022—)

If you're in the market for an impeccable new happy place to move into, look no further. Heartstopper is a bright spark of a coming-of-age series, telling an LGBTQ+ love story with compassion and grace (and no one dies). Charlie falls in love with Nick, but Nick is still figuring out his sexuality. With real teenagers playing teenagers, fleshed out characters and little animations that evoke Alice Oseman's graphic novel of the same name, Heartstopper is a safe, joyous, life-affirming queer romance. Essential viewing.

Netflix

Bridgerton (2020—)

Known as Jane Austen but with sex, this period piece offers a different take on the early 19th century dating scene. With lavish production designs and colorful costumes, this is Regency London like you've rarely seen it. The Bridgerton siblings' adventures in love are captured by a scandalous newsletter, written by Regency London's version of Gossip Girl, voiced by none other than Julie Andrews. Settle in for this gorge-worthy viewing.

Netflix

Love (2016-2018)

This Judd Apatow creation draws the best out of the talented Gillian Jacobs (Britta in Community) and Paul Rust. They play Mickey and Gus respectively, an opposites-attract couple, who go to messy, frustrating and endearingly down-to-earth places that make this an honest look at a relationship being built over time. Iris Apatow is a standout as the unhappy child actress Gus tutors who gets away with just about anything.

Netflix

Lovesick (2014-2018)

Easy, enjoyable viewing with a premise ripe for embarrassment humor. Helpless-in-love Dylan discovers he has chlamydia and must track down past flings and inform them they might have it too. A flashback narrative keeps us on our toes, especially when the focus turns to Dylan and best friend Evie's feelings for each other. It never goes into soapy territory, with an eccentric but loveable supporting cast playing English flatmates in a Glasgow setting.

Comedy

Netflix

The Chair (2021—)

A comedy-drama starring Sandra Oh? The Chair is elevated by Oh's impeccable charm. Set at the fictional Pembroke University, The Chair follows Oh's Professor Ji-Yoon Kim, the newly appointed chair of the English department. She's the first woman chosen for the position and faces an uphill battle to move the stale department along with the changing times. With astute observations about academia, scene-stealing appearances by Holland Taylor as a senior faculty member, and ambitious social commentary, The Chair reaches worthy heights.

Netflix

Never Have I Ever (2020—)

Devi is your average high schooler who wants nothing more than to be cool and get a boyfriend. But it's hard to stay chipper after your dad dies. Mindy Kaling's coming-of-age story covers familiar territory and yet it stands out from the pack in multiple ways. Get this: Its narrator is John McEnroe. The sporting connection is just one layer of this surprising, charm-your-socks-off show, depicting an Indian family living in California. You've seen these stories before, but not with these unique characters.

Netflix

Julie and the Phantoms (2020—)

Stick with Julie and the Phantoms' silly premise before making any judgements. Julie is a teenager who accidentally summons a boy band from the '90s -- The Phantoms. While Julie helps the band achieve their potential, they help her enjoy music and life again after the death of her mother. As music tends to do, the catchy tunes will send you soaring through the joyous, ridiculously entertaining and, of course, romance-filled first season. Ghost jokes are included.

Netflix

Feel Good (2020-2021)

Comedian Mae Martin's Feel Good really does try to do what it says on the tin. It follows the repressed George (Charlotte Ritchie) as she falls for Martin's Mae after seeing her stand-up show. Their London-based romance sees George grappling with coming out to her middle-class friends and family, while Canadian Mae has a drug problem that makes their love even more difficult. A confidently told story with its sense of humor nailed on from the start, Feel Good exudes sweetness and grace.

Sam Taylor/Netflix

Sex Education (2019—)

Binging Sex Education is a no-brainer: The self-aware, John Hughes-possessed mishmash of American and British high school culture is a joyful breeze to watch. We follow Otis (Asa Butterfield), the son of a sex therapist (Gillian Anderson), as he embarks on his sexual awakening. The explicit sex talk and scenes are addressed in refreshingly healthy and honest ways. Built around a diverse cast with pure charisma, the show gets even bigger in season 3.

Netflix

Russian Doll (2019—)

Russian Doll takes its Groundhog Day premise and wrenches it apart in the most unpredictable ways. Natasha Lyonne is the crackling spark at the center of its time-looping mystery, playing Nadia, a game developer who repeatedly dies on the night of her 36th birthday party. The Amy Poehler co-created show uses time travel to explore self-reflection on a whole new level, making this a definite one-sitting appointment.

Guy D'Alema/Netflix

Cobra Kai (2018—)

Initially Cobra Kai, a series based on the Karate Kid films, might sound like a cynical money-making spinoff of the martial arts franchise. But it's become one of Netflix's most popular shows, thanks to well-written characters and a good measure of nostalgia. The series follows Johnny Lawrence, 34 years after he was jump-kicked in the face by Daniel LaRusso. Taking this subversive viewpoint, Cobra Kai is four seasons of self-aware, light-hearted and full-of-heart fun.

Netflix

Derry Girls (2018—)

Another unmissable show, Derry Girls follows the mishaps of Erin and her friends in 1990s Derry, Ireland. Their teenage woes are paired with antics from their equally hilarious parents, set on a backdrop of the Northern Ireland conflict. While you can make comparisons with The Inbetweeners, Derry Girls draws from its own well of sweet charm and the historical context paves ground for surprisingly dark humor.

Michele K Short/Netflix

Maniac (2018)

This dark comedy miniseries stars Emma Stone and Jonah Hill as two strangers, Annie and Owen, who sign up for a mysterious pharmaceutical trial (because that's a good idea) that induces wild, often distressing dreams. Entrenched in dazzlingly crafted visuals, Maniac is a multilayered dive into the subconscious. Which means it's dark and unpredictable, with a surprising touch of the warm sentimental stuff.

Netflix

GLOW (2017-2019)

A show inspired by the true story of the first pro female wrestling syndicate in the '80s? Starring Alison Brie? Produced by Jenji Kohan? Dreams do come true. GLOW's purely fun comedy, packed with eccentric female characters, teams campiness with underdog triumph and soars. Season 3 progresses deeper into the lives of its diverse ensemble, shifting the series to Las Vegas. A fourth and final season was in the works, but sadly production fell victim to the pandemic and Netflix canceled the show.

Netflix

Dear White People (2017-2021)

This provocatively titled show delivers a timely look at modern race relations through the eyes of a different character each episode. Following several Black students at Winchester, an Ivy League institution, Dear White People manages to blend its social commentary with a sharp sense of humor. With its fourth and final season now in the books, this remains a powerful eye-opener.

Netflix

The End of The F***ing World (2017-2019)

If you like your dark British humor, look no further than The End of The F***ing World. Psychopath James (Alex Lawther) comes up with a plan to kill Alyssa (Jessica Barden) while on the run from their lousy parents. But as they soar across the open road and commit a couple of violent crimes, their callous hearts soften and they develop feelings for one another. Surprising, fast-paced and surreal, both seasons of this deadpan teenager of a show, with its headphones pumping the best sad '50s, '60s and '70s doo-wop, will blow you away.

Netflix

Crashing (2016)

Before she electrified everyone with the word-for-word perfect Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge wrote a six-part comedy that showcased the early stages of her astonishing talent. Crashing follows six twenty-somethings living in a disused hospital, casually observing the strict rules in exchange for cheap rent. The oddball characters subvert expectations wherever hilariously possible, with Waller-Bridge dropping in as the ukulele-playing Lulu. Not only disrupting the Friends setup, she gets herself into occasionally jaw-droppingly dark situations (see the all-too-touchy Aunt Gladys).

Netflix

Master of None (2015—)

On the surface a comedy about a 30-year-old New Yorker who loves his pasta, Master of None casually throws in nuanced and moving episodes about immigrant families and their second-generation children. Then it drops an entire episode about Tinder. Dev's relatable experiences bubble with creator and star Aziz Ansari's wit and charm and, personal controversy aside, the romantic and cultural themes he explores are remarkably mature. Season 3 takes things down a different road again, starring Lena Waithe and Naomi Ackie. Ansari features in an episode, letting us know where Dev's at in his love life.

Netflix

Call My Agent! (2015-2020)

Thinking about dipping your toe into more of Netflix's international content? French comedy Call My Agent! hosts an ever-growing list of famous actors playing themselves, from French stars to Americans like Sigourney Weaver (!) in the latter seasons. But we look at the world of showbiz from the perspective of the long-suffering agents, including Camille Cottin's scene stealing powerhouse agent Andréa Martel, who rebuffs male colleagues with lines like: "When I moved on from guys to girls, it was like graduating from the sandpit to the football pitch." A brilliant series with four seasons poking fun at the entertainment industry (a fifth season and a TV film are on their way).

Netflix

BoJack Horseman (2014-2020)

When it comes to cartoons that lower your guard before gut-punching you with reflections on mental health, BoJack Horseman takes the cake. Set in an LA filled with anthropomorphic animals, it follows a washed-up ex-sitcom star who tries to climb back to his former celebrity by releasing an autobiography. While at first it might take you some time to digest this unconventional cocktail, BoJack Horseman soon astounds you with its truths about struggling with depression and addiction on the path to getting your life back on track.


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8K TV Explained, And Why You Definitely Don't Need To Buy One


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8K TV Explained, and Why You Definitely Don't Need to Buy One


8K TV Explained, and Why You Definitely Don't Need to Buy One

Believe it or not, 8K TVs are available right now. Yep, 8K, as in four times the resolution of Ultra HD 4K TVs. You can, if you really want to, buy models from Samsung, Sony, LG and TCL in a variety of sizes. As you'd expect from cutting-edge technology with over 30 million pixels, the prices are quite high. In most cases 8K TVs cost more than a high-end, and often higher-quality, 4K TV

Should you consider an 8K TV? Are they the best TVs out there? In a word: No. In two words: Not yet. You're better off getting a high-quality 4K TV for far less money. It will look better with 99.9% of the content you put on it. That said, 8K is here, and it's not going away, so it's worth taking a closer look. You'll need to look very close, as those pixels are tiny. 

Eventually 8K will be far more mainstream. It's possible 4K will go the way of all those lower resolutions, and be relegated to tech history. Does this mean your 4K TV is already obsolete? Should you wait to buy a new TV until 8K prices drop? Do you need an 8K TV for the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X? Read on for the answer to all these questions and more.

Read more:  PS5 and Xbox Series X Can Game in 8K Resolution. Should You Care?

This shows the relative number of pixels in each of the major resolution formats. Not actual size of course; this is a chart not a visual representation (though it is to scale if you click on it). From largest to smallest: 8K (tangerine), 4K Cinema in 1.78:1 aspect ratio (black); Ultra HD (white); 2K Cinema in 1.78:1 aspect ratio (green); Full HD 1080p (red); 720p (blue). For more detail, pun intended, check out 4K vs. 8K vs. 1080p: TV resolutions explained.

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

Is it worth buying an 8K TV?

Here's a quick summary of our current thinking regarding 8K TVs in early 2022.

  • Unless you have money to burn, don't even consider buying one right now.
  • From what we've seen, there's little, if any, image quality improvement over 4K TVs.
  • Any improvement we have seen required sitting very close to a very large screen.
  • To get the most out of any 8K TV, you need actual 8K content (and there basically isn't any).
  • Both new consoles promise 8K resolution, but that's potentially misleading.
  • In the next few years 8K TVs will get cheaper and perhaps actually be worth considering.

To reiterate, one of the biggest reasons 8K TVs are not as amazing as you might expect, besides their price, is that there simply aren't any 8K TV shows or movies to watch on them. And while the latest gaming consoles will eventually do 8K (maybe), 8K games today are basically nonexistent. The best you can get in most cases is 4K, so all those extra pixels of an 8K TV won't be used to their fullest potential. 

Now that you've slid your wallet back into your pocket, sit back and soak in everything there is to know about 8K TVs today. 

Read more: Remember When TVs Weighed 200 Pounds? A Look Back at TV Trends Over the Years

What is 8K, and is it better than a 4K TV?

A traditional HDTV from a few years ago is 1080p, which means it has 1,920 pixels horizontally and 1,080 vertically. Many digital cinema projectors -- the ones in movie theaters -- have a resolution of 2,048x1,080. Because it's common in Hollywood-speak to only refer to the horizontal resolution, they call that "2K," but it's basically the same as the HDTV 1080p you have at home.

1080-4k-8k-comparison
Mathias Appel/HDMI Licensing

The term "4K" comes from the digital cinema side, too, with a horizontal resolution of 4,096, hence "4K." However, on the TV side, manufacturing efficiencies meant we got double the horizontal and vertical resolutions of 1080p HDTV, so 3,840x2,160 pixels. Everyone colloquially calls this "4K," though the technical term is Ultra HD. This has four times as many pixels as 1080p HD.

Which brings us to 8K. You guessed it: twice the horizontal and vertical resolution of 4K, for a whopping 7,680x4,320 and 33,177,600 total pixels. Not only is that four times the resolution of 4K, that's an incredible 16 times more pixels than 1080p. Or to put that differently, you could put 16 full-resolution 1080p videos on an 8K screen at the same time with no loss of quality. I'm not sure why you'd want to do this, but hey, why not?

Read more4K vs. 8K vs. 1080p: TV Resolutions Explained

TV and projector resolutions

Resolution name Horizontal x vertical pixels Total pixels Other names Found on
8K 7,680x4,320 33,177,600 8K Ultra HD, Ultra High Definition (UHD), Super Hi-Vision, UHD-2 High-end TVs
4K 3,840x2,160 8,294,400 Ultra High Definition (UHD) Most modern TVs, some projectors
1080p 1,920x1,080 2,073,600 High Definition (HD) Smaller, less expensive and older TVs, most projectors
720p 1,280x720 921,600 High Definition (HD) Very small and older TVs
8k-ultra-hd-logo

The Consumer Technology Association's 8K Ultra HD logo.

CTA

One thing to look for in new 8K TVs: It will feature the official logo and "spec" on new 8K TVs. This goes beyond raw pixel count to help you find TVs that perform to at least a certain standard. This is partly to avoid the mess from the early days of HD and 4K, where some of the first TVs couldn't accept a full HD or later, a 4K signal. The Consumer Technology Association lays out the following minimums a TV is required to have to wear the 8K Ultra HD logo:

  • At least 7,680 pixels horizontally and 4,320 vertically. 
  • At least one HDMI input capable of accepting that resolution, at 50 or 60 fps (depending on region), with HDR. 
  • The ability to upconvert lower resolution signals to 8K.
  • The ability to receive and display 10-bit content.

Can the human eye even see 8K?

Technically yes it can, but the difference will be very subtle at best.

As we've explained many times with 4K TVs, there's a point of diminishing returns when it comes to resolution. The human eye can see only so much detail, and extra pixels beyond what you can discern are basically wasted. To get anything out of higher resolutions and their proportionally tinier pixels, you need to sit closer, get a bigger TV, or both.

It's rare that anyone gets a large enough TV -- or sits close enough to one -- to justify the need for even 4K resolutions. 8K is excessive overkill... at least for a TV. If you're talking about massive theater-size screens like Samsung's Wall or Sony's Crystal LED, 8K would be amazing. But since 4K is hard to discern when comparing to a 1080p TV, 4K to 8K from 10 feet away will be pretty much impossible.

That said, because 8K TVs are currently the most expensive offerings from most companies, they often have features which help them produce stunning images that are completely divorced from resolution. So most 8K TVs, with the likely exception of the "cheap" models, will usually look great regardless of their pixel count.

Read moreBest 4K Projectors for 2022

TCL's 65-inch 8K 6-Series TV

TCL's 65-inch 8K 6-Series TV. 

TCL

8K content: Can I actually watch anything in 8K?

Without 8K content, an 8K TV is just a 4K TV with a few thousand dollars stuck to it with duct tape. Samsung talks up fancy "AI" upscaling technology on its TVs, designed to improve the look of mere 4K and 1080p sources on an 8K screen. And other TV makers like Sony and LG have touted their own 8K special sauces. But to get the most out of all those 33 million-plus pixels, the incoming source needs to be 8K too.

There are three main aspects to getting any new format, like 8K, into your home:

1. Content recorded in the new format

2. Transmission of the new format (broadcast, streaming, etc.)

3. Playback of the new format

An 8K TV represents the last part of the system: playback. That's the easy part. Any TV manufacturer can design and produce a TV with any resolution it wants. It's just up to the company and its resources.

Creating content in the new resolution, meanwhile, is a lot tougher. While the number of 8K-capable cameras has dramatically increased in the last few years, they're still expensive to buy or rent. In most cases, these cameras are used to create 4K content instead. There are lots of reasons it's a great idea to capture in 8K. The end result, however, is 4K, because of the second part of the process (transmission).

Read more: How I Built My Dream 8K-Capable Video Editing PC

red-monstro-vv-8k-camera-body

The Red Monstro 8K VV "Brain" has a 35.4-megapixel CMOS sensor, can record 8K video at 60 fps, has over 17 stops of dynamic range, and costs -- brace yourself -- $54,500. 

Red

Ultra HD 4K transmission takes a lot of data. You need a really fast internet connection to stream it. Streaming 8K is a whole other level, well beyond what many have in their homes. With only a tiny percentage of their audience able to see it, mainstream streaming services are slow to adopt higher resolutions, with the increase in cost of storage, processing and more. 

Which is all to say, don't expect 8K versions of your favorite streaming shows anytime soon. And without 8K content, the main benefit of an 8K TV is at least partially wasted.

Do I need 8K to play Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 games?

Both Sony and Microsoft have announced that their next-generation gaming consoles, the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X, will both be capable of outputting 8K resolution via future updates. Sounds like a great excuse to buy an 8K TV, right? Not so fast.

First, and most important, you will not need an 8K TV to play games on these consoles. They will work just fine on most 1080p and nearly all 4K TVs. If you can connect a PS4 or Xbox One to your current TV, it will work with a PS5 or Xbox Series X. 

Read more: Sony PS5 vs. Microsoft Xbox Series X: Game On

Secondly, games will need to be specifically written to take advantage of 8K, something that isn't going to be particularly common. The resolution you see on screen, even if your TV says it's 8K, might not be what resolution the console is rendering the game. It will likely be far more common for the console to build the game's visuals at a lower resolution, 1440p or 4K at best, and convert to 8K to send your TV. This is the same thing your TV does automatically.

ps5-playstation-5-sony-hoyle-promo-14
Andrew Hoyle/CNET

A Sony spokesperson confirmed that this FAQ, published on the PlayStation blog in November 2020, was still the case: "PS5 is compatible with 8K displays at launch, and after a future system software update will be able to output resolutions up to 8K when content is available, with supported software." We're still waiting for that update.

"Xbox Series X is fully capable of 8K output. However, as there is no media content or games that currently support 8K resolution, we have not enabled the option within the system settings at this time. Xbox Series X was designed with the next 8 to 10 years of advancements in mind, and as we see signals from creators and 8K becomes a more widely adopted format, we will update console software to support it," a Microsoft spokesperson said.

Long story short, few games will look much different on an 8K TV than they will on a 4K TV. There is limited time and money when you develop a game (well, most games), and few developers will want to invest those limited resources on something only a handful of people will be able to enjoy. Far more likely are games rendered in 4K with higher frame rates, something else made possible by the latest version of HDMI and available on the new consoles.

Read more:  120Hz Gaming: Best TVs for PS5 and Xbox Series X

Where can I stream 8K? Do Netflix or YouTube support it?

Getting the 8K onto your new 8K TV is also a bit of a challenge. Ideally, the TV's internal apps for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and the rest will be 8K compatible. You'd think that'd be a given, but it wasn't in the early days of 4K. Further, there's no 8K content from any major streaming service available yet. The exceptions are YouTube, as you see in the video below, Vimeo and a new service called The Explorers exclusive to 8K Roku TVs. Eventually, ATSC 3.0, also known as Next Gen TV, might allow 8K to be broadcast over the air, but we're a long way from that.

How fast does your internet need to be to stream 8K?

8K also presents another issue for the early adopter: The bandwidth required is immense. Most 4K content streaming companies recommend you have an internet connection in the 20Mbps range. 8K, even with everything else the same, has four times as many pixels. 

That doesn't equate exactly to a 4x increase in data or bandwidth, but, and this is just a ballpark guess, a connection requirement in the 40 to 50Mbps range wouldn't be unexpected. Maybe you, cutting-edge CNET reader, have that kind of speed, but most people do not.

hdmi-bandwidthcomparison.jpg

A visual representation of how much more bandwidth the upcoming Ultra High Speed cables can handle.

HDMI Forum

What kind of HDMI cable do I need for 8K? 

One thing we've already got is the physical connection thing sorted in case any 8K media streamers hit the market or they're needed for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. HDMI 2.1 is capable of 8K resolutions and more. But before you rush out and stock up on HDMI 2.1-compatible cables, keep in mind there will almost certainly be a new standard between now and the wide adoption of 8K. So those cables might be obsolete, despite their current forward-looking appearance.

All of the major 8K TV makers say that their sets have HDMI 2.1 inputs capable of handling the 48Mbps bandwidth required for the highest resolution and frame-rate combinations (8K and 60 frames per second and 4K at 120 fps). We also got a look at some new, higher-bandwidth HDMI cables. 

To take advantage of higher 4K frame rates on the new consoles, presuming your TV can handle them, you might need new cables.

Read moreWhen is the Best Time to Buy a TV?

Is 8K TV a gimmick?

To put on my cynic hat, increasing resolution is one of the easiest ways to offer the appearance of higher performance. This is likely what TV makers are smoking, coming out with 8K TVs when there's essentially no content and no 8K infrastructure. 

Given how easy it was to market 4K as "better looking than 1080p," TV makers are claiming the same thing with 8K. But resolution is just one aspect of overall picture quality, and not one of the most important ones. Improving other aspects, such as contrast ratios, overall brightness for HDR, more lifelike colors and so on, offer better image improvements but they are significantly harder to implement. This is especially true for LCD, which is a technology Samsung is still strongly flogging -- e.g. all of its QLED TVs are simply LCD TVs with quantum dots

It's relatively easy to create a higher-resolution LCD panel, but improving the other aspects of performance for that tech is a greater challenge. Not "more" pixels but "better" pixels. This is why OLED is a thing, and why many companies are researching new technologies like true direct-view quantum dot displays, MicroLED, and mini-LED. Samsung is even coming out with an OLED-quantum dot hybrid that promises to combine the contrast ratio of OLED and the bright colors of quantum dot-based displays. These technologies, regardless of resolution, should look better than 8K TVs, which are currently only LCD-based. 

Well, except for LG's OLED, which costs $20-$30,000 depending on size.

direct-view-qd

Direct-view quantum dot display.

Nanosys

Bottom line: Don't wait for 8K

If you're thinking about buying a new TV, does this mean you should hold off? If your current TV works, you should probably hold on to it regardless. New 8K TVs shouldn't be a factor, because as we mentioned above, early 8K TVs are expensive. We're also many, many years away from any sort of widespread 8K content. We arguably don't have widespread 4K content, and no one is talking about scrapping 4K to go directly to 8K.

The other aspect is a warning that will be seconded by countless 4K early adopters: There's no guarantee these early 8K TVs will end up being compatible with any future 8K standard. There are tens of thousands of 4K TVs that can't play any current 4K media content. 

Lastly, even as prices drop, like they have with the $2,200 TCL 8K 6-series, you're almost certainly better off with a 4K TV for the same money. It offers better picture quality overall and only lacks the bragging rights that you have more pixels than your neighbor. But if that's your thing, go for it.

Update, March 14, 2022: This article was first published in 2018 and is regularly updated with new info.


As well as covering TV and other display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, massive aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000 mile road trips, and more. Check out Tech Treks for all his tours and adventures.

He wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines, along with a sequel. You can follow his adventures on Instagram and his YouTube channel.


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Twitter Bot Exposes Gender Pay Gap Of Companies Tweeting About International Women's Day


Gender pay gap bot twitter gender pay gap twitter usage by gender what percent of twitter is bots detecting social bots on twitter twitter bot python twitter botafogo
Twitter Bot Exposes Gender Pay Gap of Companies Tweeting About International Women's Day


Twitter Bot Exposes Gender Pay Gap of Companies Tweeting About International Women's Day

Every day, there's a new main character on Twitter, and International Women's Day was no different. Providing an invaluable service to women everywhere, Gender Pay Gap Bot went viral on Tuesday when it revealed the extent to which companies celebrating IWD on Twitter were paying their female employees less than their male employees.

International Women's Day has long been appropriated by companies using the language and imagery of female empowerment to sell us things or simply to paint themselves in a positive and progressive light. But if we really want to understand whether a particular company believes in women's empowerment, the best place to start is by looking at their gender pay gap. Often, there is disconnect between what they say and what they do. This is exactly the kind of hypocrisy the Gender Pay Gap Bot highlights.

In the UK, companies with more than 250 employees are required to publicly share data about the differences in pay between men and women across their organizations. Gender pay gap data can reflect inequalities in men and women's experience of working for a company -- for example if a company only promotes men into senior managerial positions or recruits more women to lower paying roles. It's often used as a barometer for measuring gender equality within an organization.

The bot is the creation of copywriter Francesca Lawson and software developer Ali Fensome, both 27, from Manchester, England. Lawson and Fensome used this publicly available data to create a bot that identified British companies and organizations tweeting with the International Women's Day hashtag and would retweet them with information about their gender pay gaps.

Aware that the Gender Pay Gap Bot was airing their dirty laundry in public, many companies and organizations deleted their original International Women's Day tweets so they wouldn't show up in the Bot's feed. Twitter user Madeline Odent (@oldenoughtosay) started keeping track of employers who were deleting their tweets after being called out by the bot. She noticed that many of them reposted their tweets using a different variation of the IWD hashtag.

"I think it's pretty cowardly to delete the tweet after being called out -- it gives off the impression that they're embarrassed about their pay gap and they'd rather pretend it doesn't exist than own up to their problems and do something about it," Lawson said over email. "Nationwide Building Society and University of Sunderland responded with a bit more context about what is causing their gap, which I think is a much more helpful response."

Many of the original tweets used pictures and videos of smiling women working for British companies, with uplifting messages about the importance of female leadership and role models. In contrast, the retweets made for pretty depressing reading. Not all, but the majority of Gender Pay Gap Bot's tweets revealed that women's hourly median pay was lower than that of their male colleagues -- by as much as 73%.

It's no secret that the technology industry in particular has long had a gender and diversity problem. A report released in October by Anita.org, a nonprofit that works to advance women in computing, showed that half of women working in tech feel that it's a boys' club. We can perhaps glean why this is the case by examining some of the Gender Pay Gap Bot's tweets.

"While women have made great strides, there is a continued fight for equality and to eliminate discrimination and bias between genders," tweeted cloud technology company NetApp on Tuesday. "Together, we can forge women's equality. How will you #BreakTheBias?"

Meanwhile, the Gender Pay Gap Bot retweet of NetApp's tweet revealed that women working at the company were paid a median of 37% less per hour than men. 

This is just one example among many, but it highlights the extent to which companies are able to paint discrimination and bias as a problem for others to solve. In light of this, asking what individuals will do to "break the bias" looks like the very definition of passing the buck.

"NetApp's gap in gender pay is mostly driven by the fact that there are far more male employees in commissionable (sales) roles," a NetApp spokesperson said in a statement. "We know there is still work to do and are actively focused on gender balance. NetApp continues to take active steps in reviewing our pay positioning and ensuring we pay male and female employees equally who are in similar jobs that require similar skill sets."


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I Tried BeReal And It's Actually Kinda Fun


I Tried BeReal and It's Actually Kinda Fun


I Tried BeReal and It's Actually Kinda Fun

When I first heard of a new social media app called BeReal, I knew I had to try it. 

The app bills itself as the "anti-Instagram." It takes the basic concept of the 'gram -- an endless-scroll feed of your friends' slice-of-life photos -- and revamps it into something more gamified and (a little) less phony. Lately it's become wildly popular.

Here's how it works: Every day, at a random and unpredictable time, the BeReal app sends you and everyone else on the app a push notification: It's "Time to BeReal." You then have two minutes to take a photo simultaneously using both your front and back camera and post to the feed. If you don't post, you can't look at your friends' posts either. If you post late (or retake the shot several times to get the right angle), the app will rat on you to your friends. When the next day's notification comes in, everyone's previous photos disappear.

The gamification comes from BeReal's once-a-day posting restraint; the authenticity comes from the fact that you don't get to pick where or when you post, and you can't use a filter to smooth your skin or correct the color of your avocado toast or whatever.

It actually sounded a lot like Wordle to me: A two-minute break from your day to complete a fun little task on your phone before returning to the grind or the doomscroll or, most likely, one of your other social media apps. And crucially, like Wordle, BeReal can only be "done" once a day. 

What it's like to use BeReal

Three BeReal posts showing the Kentucky Derby on TV, the view from a balcony overlooking a courtyard, and a child in a high chair, with selfies overlaid.

A sampling of my BeReal posts.

Karisa Langlo/CNET

I started recruitment by putting feelers out in a couple of my existing group chats. I had a hunch the app would be more of a fun group activity than a true social feed, for the same reason I sometimes still exchange Wordle (or Worldle, Heardle, or Antiwordle) results over text but can't understand why anyone is still tweeting them.

Not being a member of Gen Z myself, I knew it would be difficult to convince enough friends to join me. My invites had about a 50% success rate. One friend couldn't get past the usual AI-training paranoia around novelty photo-sharing apps. Another friend: "This feels like a trap." My own spouse left me on read.

The friends who did take the bait began posting gamely, often photos of their laptops or cats or protein powder. More often than not, my own BeReal front camera photos were unflattering ones of my weary, grumpy face while my back camera captured my son smearing ketchup around his highchair tray. Once, I posted the same view from my balcony that a dinner guest Instagrammed (and filtered the heck out of). Hers definitely looked better.

You can't technically win BeReal like you can Wordle, but I soon came to understand the particular satisfaction of achieving the trifecta: capturing an interesting tableau, taking a flattering selfie and posting it all on time. There's an element of luck, too, if you happen to be somewhere cool when it's time to be real and not on your couch or, as one of my friends feared, on the toilet.

"Hoping that I get the notification during my exciting moments and not when I'm pooping," he texted me one day. The daily anticipation around when it would arrive, he added, is "like a Jack in the box."

Phone with 2 minute notification from BeReal app

BeReal notifies you every day at a random time, with only two minutes to post a photo.

Sarah Tew/CNET

I "lost" BeReal several times: when the notification arrived after I'd gone to bed, was presenting during a camera-on Zoom meeting or was driving on the highway. But I totally won on the day the two-minute window coincided with the "greatest two minutes in sports," and I got a snap of my Kentucky Derby fascinator and Rich Strike crossing the finish line on TV.

Read more:  After Today's Wordle, Try These 21 Other Puzzle Games

How real is BeReal, really?

Of my BeReal friends, 100% have plans to delete the app after this article publishes. They all took issue not with the app's spurious claims to authenticity but with its demands on their time.

"Getting the alert, especially during the workday or at night when I wouldn't normally be taking photos or posting anything, was a little stressful," one friend said.

"This app kind of highlights that ideally I want control over social media and not the other way around," another friend told me. 

"I felt a little guilty if I didn't post every day," a third admitted.

If Wordle tried to dictate what time we all solved the puzzle every day, would the masses have turned on it by now? (Look what happened to HQ Trivia.) 

But I'm personally more interested in the "Real" than the "Be."

The vibe on BeReal is actually more nostalgic than authentic. More early-Instagram than anti-Instagram. My favorite part of BeReal was the permission – nay, obligation – to post goofy selfies and capitulate to the adolescent egocentrism that still lurks beneath my now over-orchestrated grid. People don't give a crap what I ate for lunch, but I want them to know, dammit! One of my first Insta posts was just a photo of some Finger Hands finger puppets I found at a joke shop and thought were funny, and I miss posting stuff like that. 

There doesn't seem to be an appetite on Instagram anymore for the detritus of daily life. Instead of Instagramming the places we visit, we now just visit Instagrammable places. Whereas Instagram has been taken over by influencers and "creators" posting Reels and memes, BeReal takes a different tack, as stated in its app store listing: "If you want to become an influencer you can stay on TikTok and Instagram."

Then again, "casual posting" and photo dumps are enjoying some popularity as the pendulum swings in favor of a rawer aesthetic. And many of the memes clogging my Insta feed are of the behind-the-scenes, "Instagram vs. Reality" persuasion. Plus, maybe the ephemerality and informality of Stories already kind of satiates that desire for the "real." 

When you think of it that way, BeReal is more of a gimmick than a harbinger of social media change. And that's a shame, because even if no one on this side of 30 agrees with me, I kinda love it! Like Snapchat or TikTok, maybe it'll eventually be subsumed or reproduced within Instagram itself as an optional feature. 

Or like Wordle, maybe it's nothing more than a digital curiosity that we'll one day describe as "fun while it lasted." 


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