When a new show pops up in “Recommended For You,” it can be hard to dive into a new series instead of rewatching your old favorites. With so many shows to choose from, making a binge-watching selection can be rather difficult. I’m watching and reviewing the first episodes of some wildly popular Netflix series to help you make some smart choices.

Riverdale: 2 Stars

Riverdale is a new series on Netflix that premiered in January of this year. In the months following, it’s been hard to miss the buzz surrounding it. This is mostly due to ‘The Suite Life of Zack and Cody’ star Cole Sprouse making his television debut after nearly six years. Within the first few minutes of settling in and starting the first episode, a character is already dead. This, in my opinion, is a cliche and easy way of captivating the audience’s attention. This character was someone I didn’t get the opportunity to know, thus he didn’t impact me when he died.

Right away I started to notice a common theme. It’s very Secret Life of The American Teenager crossed with The X Files and as you could imagine, it isn’t a great combination. The characters, while cliche, are memorable and relatable to many teenagers. The acting was excellent, particularly from Sprouse although he had the fewest lines in the episode.

My main issue with the show was that it felt as though the producers sat around and asked themselves, ‘How many high school drama cliches can we fit into one episode?’ This includes unrequited love interests, mean cheerleaders, jocks deciding between football and a dad and the new girl in town becoming popular overnight. I’ve seen it all before and none of it stood out. For that reason I won’t continue to watch.

The Great British Baking Show: 4 Stars

In a hidden tent deep in Welford Park, 12 bakers compete to be Britain’s best. The first three seasons are now available on Netflix, despite premiering in 2010 on PBS. The show has been well received in previous years, enough so that it made its way into the hearts of many Americans. Cupcake Wars and Food Network lovers would adore this. The show is comforting. It reminded me of something my grandma would watch while Judge Judy was on commercial break. I also learned how to make an amazing strawberries and cream swiss roll.

My favorite thing about the show is it’s diversity. It features men and women, young and old, of all races, coming together for a shared passion which is very powerful and rare in a show. Other cooking shows like Chopped are always male-dominated. I do feel as though I will continue to watch this show as background noise while I fall asleep.

Stranger Things: 5 Stars

Since its release in July, I’ve barely gone a day without someone raving about the Netflix original ‘Stranger Things’. I never got around to watching it because I’ve never been a huge fan of science fiction. However, as the show progressed, I was shocked by the fantastic acting from the young main characters. The show takes place in Hawkins, Indiana during the year 1986 and I was pleasantly surprised by the authentic and raw portrayal of the young boys featured. The audience truly through their attempts to be mature and felt empathy for the middle school boys just fighting to keep composure in the midst of their friend going missing.

The show has something for everyone. The cinematography was great. It’s a fantastic blend of mystery, drama, coming of age romance and science fiction that was executed in a way that I had never thought possible. Stranger Things truly lives up to its hype. I laughed, I cried and I’m ashamed to say that I screamed at the first jump scare. If I could recommend one show that you skip everything in your watchlist to give a chance, this would be it. I’ll be catching up on all of the wasted months not watching it.

The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: 4 Stars

This Netflix original series created by Tina Fey was the show I was the most excited to watch. ‘Baby Mama’ and ‘Mean Girls’ being two of my favorite movies, it’s no secret that Fey is the queen of comedy. ‘The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ tells the story of a girl who spent 15 years in an underground bunker cult that prepared for the end of the world. Yeah. Schmidt then runs away to New York City and attempts to emigrate into modern day society.

This show is a reflection of everything that cable television refuses to be, yet still manages to be extremely funny. The show is perfectly cast and every character is stranger and more hilariously eccentric than the last. Tituss Burgess, who plays the role of Schmidt’s gay, broadway loving roommate really tones down the endlessly bubbly Schmidt. The endless string of puns really makes you forget the rather odd and depressing storyline and nearly every word out of Schmidt’s mouth is quotable. Despite this, I don’t think this is something I’ll be binge watching anytime soon. Comedy TV shows don’t hold my attention, but if you enjoy ‘The Office’ or any ABC sitcom ever, I have a feeling you’ll enjoy this.