Why is this? You would think that Christians would have the best handle on art as literature, television and movies, but at least in the past fifty years, it's been sadly lacking in depth.
My personal opinion is that we play it too safe. We impose rules on our art that can take away from its meaning and purpose. Some may be getting an uncomfortable feeling hearing this, but before you discount me as a heretic and a backslidden world-lover, think about the stories in the Bible. Some of the most disturbing stories I've ever heard came straight from Scripture. God doesn't sugar coat the human nature for us, so why do we tend to think that what is okay to read in church on Sunday isn't okay in any other context?
For a story to have depth, there has to be a certain element of darkness to it, because we all have a certain element of darkness. We can't be afraid of thinking about the hard questions, because the world is not afraid of them, and we are weakening our witness when we avoid topics we don't like.
In light of this, for the believer who wants to challenge themselves to dig a little deeper into the culture without sacrificing their conscience and purity, I'm suggesting five shows on netflix with an overall positive message.
It doesn't mean I approved of everything these characters said and did. It means I mostly agreed with the way the theme was portrayed, and that it was a theme worth considering. It means these programs have interesting characters and story lines that make you think about the deeper questions of life. It means that although these shows had low moments when they were way off base, although there are episodes or a scene here or there you might need to skip, when you get to the end of the series, you can say that you are coming away from the show with something positive that does lead you to thoughts about God and his plan for this world.
I started watching X-Files with my family when I was a teenager. Something about the characters resonated with me, though I had never been abducted by aliens or come across a mutant monster.
The overall message of X-Files is one of hope. It's about friendship, about trust, about not letting truth be hidden, about being willing to consider the impossible, about not being afraid of the darkness because you have someone, even if it's just one person in six billion, watching your back. It's also quirky, funny, smart, educational at times, and wonderfully bizarre. There's a reason X-Files is still around, still loved and still watched and re-watched.
Fringe is kind of the 2000's version of X-Files. I watched this one all the way through several times, because there was so much to pick up on. It is a work of art in that there are many layers to the characters and story. Fringe is a five-season intriguing and sometimes disgusting nod to science and the universe and everything beyond.
Fringe's theme is the strength of family. Though the show examines ideas so disturbing and has enough slime and goo that you're going to regret that snack, when you get to the end you see how the whole thing was about love being strong enough to overcome impossible odds, and family being important enough to sacrifice everything.
I know, you're thinking I'm going overboard with the science fiction. I should have mentioned I'm a nerd. But honestly, science fiction is a better way to tell a story, at least from my viewpoint. There are no limits, no rules of reality to follow, and that makes it a much easier way to explore deeper questions. I think everyone should attempt to think a little more deeply about the world and all the possibilities within it. I feel like we have more than enough cop and lawyers, stupid humor, sex and reality shows. You aren't going to find much of a message in those, at least not one that isn't cynical or a lie. Maybe it's time you consider worlds beyond your own.
Doctor Who is a brilliant show that travels all of time and space in the box of a madman who has been alive for over a thousand years. You will feel your mind expanding as you consider all the possibilities. The message of Doctor Who is a little harder to nail down, but it's similar to Fringe and X-Files. In all of time and space, love and respect for others is what makes all the struggle worth it.
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Honestly, this one almost didn't make the cut. But in the end, when I considered it from beginning to end and saw the big picture, it absolutely did.
When Chuck was on television, I started watching it, stopped for a season because it got too ridiculous, then started again and realized it got better. There is an aspect of stupid humor to Chuck, and it has some low moments that might not be worth watching. But the theme makes it worth it to bypass the silliness. The character Chuck is one of the most interesting characters I've ever seen on tv. In one sense, he's weak and a failure at life. But as the show goes on and he transforms into this completely different person with depth and strength and honor, you change your mind about him. The overall theme of Chuck I think may have been somewhat unintended, and might have largely to do with the depth of the actor who played Chuck, Zachary Levi, who is a believer who was not ashamed of adding his own element to the story line. To me, the theme was "When you do what's right and honorable, you become the sort of person you never thought you could be." In another sense, Chuck has a very tangible chord of "love is sacrifice" written within the thread of the story.
I found Prison Break during a very emotional time of my life. And as weird as it may sound, I think this show helped me process my grief.
I didn't watch this show when it was on simply because it sounded like another boring cop show geared toward guys. Could not have been more wrong! Instead of being the same old, same old, I've never seen anything quite like Prison Break. That's probably why they couldn't come up with a better name for it. They went with the obvious one.
Prison Break is raw, gritty, very dark at times, and doesn't shy away from the less desirable and quite frightening characters in the world. But it was a story with flawed, beautiful main characters who took an extremely difficult situation and persevered to the end. The theme was most definitely love as sacrifice, and I'm always a sucker for that story.
So there you have it. Five shows on netflix you can start watching today and be confident that when you come to the end of it it will stick with you in a positive way. Just don't stay up all night. (Like I did, often, and regretted it ...)
How about you? Do you know a great show either on netflix or on primetime I didn't mention? I'm always looking for good ones, since they are few and far between, and I'm sure others are as well. Enlighten us!
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