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Anyone else just LOVE curling up on the couch watching a good show? Sometimes it's hard to find a good one, so I created this list of CLEAN tv shows and movies that I highly recommend binging. I can't even count the amount of times I've started a show and had to stop watching it because it got racy or violent. With little kids always running around, I want to make sure that what I watch is appropriate (even if they are sleeping!)
I feel like everyone is always looking for some type of entertainment or distraction, and like I said, I seriously love to snuggle up with a cozy blanket and watch a good show or movie. I really try to make sure my consumption is uplifting, even if it's sad or serious at times, but that it's something that hopefully lives in that vain of helping me see the world with better eyes or be a better person, or at least doesn't bring me down!
Disclaimer: I have not watched these shows or movies with major laser focus on the content, so there could definitely be a swear word or scene here or there that I have missed. But as far as my memory serves me, these are all shows that left me feeling better or happier.
I strongly suggest everyone use Common Sense Media to make your own decisions before you watch any of these, or really any new show or movie! This site spells out the movie or show's content in seven categories: positive messages, violence, language (tells specific words used and how many times), drinking/drugs/smoking, positive role models, sex, and consumerism. The list is very all inclusive and I love that you can track the good as well as the bad! It makes it so that you know exactly what you're getting into beforehand.
Another resource that I use and love is VidAngel. VidAngel is actually offering a 2 week free trial right now! It takes the shows that are on Netflix and Amazon Prime and filters them according to your preference. You can take out all swear words, sex, violence, etc! All the filters are totally customizable. It's AMAZING! Here's our post ALL about how VidAngel works!
Whether you need a show to watch with your husband, your kids, or just by yourself for a little #selfcare, I think we can agree that we all need some positivity and happy endings every once in a while. I hope you guys love these shows and movies as much as I do!
Corrine Stokoe is a blogger, podcaster and content creator behind the brand Mint Arrow. She and her husband Neil live in South Orange County with their 5 kids, she runs her blog and business with 7 team members, where they find the best daily deals and share favorite finds in fashion and beauty. They also run a podcast called Mint Arrow Messages. Mint Arrow has been featured in Forbes, Women's Wear Daily, Business Insider, The Wall Street Journal, AdWeek and Allure. Corrine is passionate about sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ as often as she can and teaching others to use social media for good.
Both a movie studio and entertainment platform, Netflix has nearly 140 million subscribers and is the dominant player in the streaming services industry. But few remember that at the height of the recession, it came close to flaming out.
Netflix made a name for itself in 1997 as pioneer of the DVD mail-order business, ultimately helping drive competitors like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video out of business. It was also a first mover in streaming video, taking a chance on its future success in a market now valued at over $22B and growing by leaps and bounds.
People liked the convenience of ordering DVDs by mail and streaming video at home. And with economical subscription bundles and no late fees, Netflix offered good value when consumers were more price conscious than ever. Between 2006 and 2011, its subscriber numbers ballooned 290%, from 6.3 million to 24.6 million.
In July 2011, the company pushed forward with an initiative that made sense in light of its aspirations as a streaming company. First, they announced that Netflix was splitting its plans into two parts: streaming video and DVD rentals.
Those who wanted both streaming and DVDs had to pay 60% more per month. Previously they'd been able to bundle both for just $2 more. Any other time, this might've gone through with mild grumbling. But this wasn't any time. This was a painful, protracted recession.
"Netflix members love watching instantly, but we've come to recognize there is still a very large continuing demand for DVDs by mail," said Andy Rendich, Netflix Chief Service and Operations Officer. "By better reflecting the underlying costs and offering our lowest prices ever for unlimited DVD, we hope to provide a great value to our current and future DVD-by-mail members."
But members weren't buying it. In fact, most saw it as a cash grab, especially since on paper Netflix looked so healthy. Few understood the immense expenditures that were being laid out to keep Netflix on the cutting edge of streaming, including $30M a year to allow Netflix streaming subscribers to access 2,500 movies, TV shows, and concerts from cable channel Starz.
Three months later, Netflix put out an announcement made the situation exponentially worse. The company was now was splitting into two parts. Again, this all made sense in light of Hastings' vision, but it didn't take into account the headaches it created for customers.
The DVD rental side was to be rebranded Qwikster, a name that was widely mocked and compared with Web 1.0 era startups that went belly up, such as Friendster, Napster, and Dogster. For many who were hoping the company would walk back the pricing decision, this was the last straw.
This required that they consider the key factors that would make the journey possible. First, the company needed to show it was listening to its customers. Second, they had to reduce risk by moving fast into streaming video ahead of the competition. Third, they needed to turn the company into a creative force in its own right.
The finance team no doubt knew that with this strategy there would be short-term losses. DVDs had been a profitable business line that had sustained the company since its inception in 1997. Sidelining it would make a serious dent. And finally, the company needed a way to make Netflix a viable alternative to its competitors, including the heavyweights of the industry like HBO.
From a financial perspective, the team saw that removing the legacy part of the business would be the best strategy in the long-term. But it was a delicate balancing act to convince subscribers to move towards streaming. Here's what had to happen:
The team knew that to get out ahead of the competition, it had to be a technology leader. It was one of the to use an algorithm to determine user preferences. Then, Netflix began its moonshot into streaming. This meant:
Despite all this, it meant Netflix perfected the technology ahead of the competition. The company was also growing its user base while its competitors sat on the sidelines waiting for streaming to be ready for prime time.
The company once again had to make a choice. The team had learned that the safest route was to reduce risk by moving faster than the competition. They had to reinvent Netflix as a studio in its own right. And they couldn't afford to back into it. They'd have to go big.
With Netflix Originals, the company pushed forward a bold plan to beat Hollywood at its own game. They would bring in big Hollywood talent and spend millions making shows and movies that were the same caliber as those coming out of the big studios.
The Netflix story teaches us a great deal about how to successfully navigate tricky waters during a recession. The company had to move fast in order to reduce the risk of being outpaced by the competition. This meant expecting and even welcoming losses in the core business.
It also shows how finance teams touch every aspect of a company. When subscribers were angered by the changes the company made, it was on the CFO to a great extent to drive the initiative forward while facing down a loss of confidence by investors and customers.
Wells and his team also had to be willing to invest first in R&D and later in entertainment. These expenditures were not for the faint hearted. They were risky bets in untried areas with no guarantee of success.
When Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph founded Netflix (formerly known as Kibble) in 1997, the company appeared to be little more than an upstart DVD rental business whose only real value proposition was the mail-order element of its operation. Fast forward two decades and Netflix has become one of the biggest TV and movie studios in the world, with more subscribers than all the cable TV channels in America combined. How did Netflix go from renting movies to making them in just 20 years?
Legend has it that Reed Hastings decided to start Netflix after returning a copy of Apollo 13 to his local Blockbuster. Upon returning the movie, Hastings was told that he owed $40 in late fees. Fearing what his wife would say about such a steep late fee and convinced there must a better way to rent movies, Hastings began to devise what would later become Netflix.
1999: Netflix announces its new subscription model. Introduced at an initial price point of $15.95, the subscription plan allows Netflix members to rent up to four movies at a time, with no return-by dates.
2000-2003: Netflix enjoys consistent growth. However, despite increases in both revenue and subscribers, Netflix is still operating at a loss. The company reports a loss of $4.5M in Q1 of 2002 alone. Much of this loss is the result of an increase in operational expenses over costs reported in 2001.
Even at a relatively high monthly price point, Netflix offered greater convenience and value in a (then) crowded space. It did this by eliminating two mainstays of all home entertainment business models, while simultaneously applying just enough restrictions on members to drive further growth. This allowed Netflix to not only score early wins with consumers (Keep rentals as long as you like! No late fees!), but also helped the company to further differentiate itself from the Blockbusters and the Hollywood Videos while increasing revenue.
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