Summer is coming, and despite some late-spring snow, Colorado is warming up. Seniors may be excited to get out into gardens or walk in the warm breeze during morning or evening times. But the hottest part of the day can be uncomfortable and sometimes even dangerous to spend outdoors. If you're looking for fun ways to beat the heat this season, consider curling up on the hottest of days with a good Netflix show in your assisted living apartment for other residence. Here are some shows and movies you might have missed that you can stream this summer.
If you missed or aren't caught up on this delightful dark fantasy set in the 1980s, now's your chance to watch seasons one through three before four finally drops. The saga follows a group of teens living in middle-town America during the 80s. They're concerned with all the normal things for kids of that decade, including role-playing games, fashion and music. But when one of the group disappears and a girl with special powers shows up, the lives of these normal kids and a few supporting adults are changed forever.
This fairly wholesome show features themes of light versus dark, struggles with hard choices in life, found family and what it truly means to support the ones you love. It does get a little creepy, stepping ever so gently from dark fantasy into horror on occasion.
Seniors looking for something a bit lighter than Stranger Things but who still want a little oddity in their comedy might check out New Girl. This sitcom delivers seven seasons of heart-warming, quirky found-family fun.
The tale begins with a girl—a woman, actually—who finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her. In a drastic bid to change her situation and get away from the cheater, she seeks a new home and ends up moving in as the new roommate in a four-bedroom loft. The other inhabitants are three men, all with quirks and issues of their own. Throw in the new girl's model best friend and a charming cast of rotating side characters, and you have a hilarious show about people who are just trying to find their way in life and messing up as much as they succeed.
This Netflix original series is based on the books by Robyn Carr. Mel, a nurse who has experienced a lot of personal loss, seeks redemption and recovery in the tiny North Pacific town of Virgin River. In what might be described as Hart of Dixie meets Northern Exposure, the show chronicles Mel's adventures and dramatic relationships with the town's quirky inhabitants. That includes a budding romance with Jack, a former soldier with his own deep backstory.
While the Netflix show doesn't stay completely true to the books, it's a charming and enjoyable look at life at a slower pace and the ins-and-outs of relationships that we all have to navigate at some point in life.
Seniors that love a good adventure mystery, and especially fans of Sherlock Holmes, may enjoy this Netflix original movie. The story is about Sherlock's younger sister Enola, who has every ounce of his brainpower and a bit more quirk, being a girl raised to do and think for herself at a time when her older brothers would rather ship her off to a boarding school.
When Enola's mom goes missing, she's launched by carefully placed clues into a mystery. Add in path-crossing with a nobleman's son who is running from his own problems and Sherlock close on her heels, and you get a charming tale that's fast-paced without being over stimulating.
Another Netflix Original, The Crown is a dramatized retelling of the life of the current Queen of England and those around her. The story begins just before the death of the Queen's father and her own crowning.
While the show has received some backlash for not being entirely historically accurate in the interest of entertainment, it's still a fun watch for those that love period and historical pieces. And the large events are kept mostly in context, so as long as you know all the smaller supporting events aren't necessarily historical, you don't run the risk of coming away with the wrong idea.
The story behind this Netflix Original is that the creator shopped the idea for years because no one thought a show about a girl playing chess would be watched. Jokes on them, because this limited series captured enormous viewership and became one of the most talked-about shows of 2020. If you haven't watched it, now's your chance.
Fans of Anne of Green Gables will enjoy this rendition of the favorite story. While told in the period-appropriate setting, this version of Anne is a bit sassier than some you might have seen before.
Now that you have some options, make a bowl of popcorn and settle in for a show or two. Or, gather friends in the Park Regency assisted living community in Loveland to enjoy the entertainment together.
