These new Netflix series revolve around strong women characters, but in VERY different genres. One is a comedy/drama look at college politics, while the other is a twisted tale of supernatural revenge.

The Chair Sandra Oh plays the first women to head the English department of a prestigious university. From her first day, things go sideways. This starts with personnel issues, but quickly gets more complex when her boyfriend/popular professor (Jay Duplass) gets into hot cancel-culture water. The performers are all top notch and the plate-spinning plots keep the pace popping. While there’s not time for much depth, the writing still manages to cover lots of ground and keep it entertaining. (Eight 30-minute episodes) (4 / 5)
Netflix link

Brand New Cherry Flavor A filmmaker (Rosa Salazar) takes her first short film to LA, where she quickly lands a deal. As Hollywood would have it, she’s soon betrayed, which calls for revenge. This leads her to a peculiar person (Catherine Keener relishing the opportunity to get dark and weird) who starts a cascade of magic, curses, the undead and very unusual kittens. This story starts out awkward and not very promising, but slowly gets weirder to the point where some may find it disgusting. Yes, there are bloody body parts, creepy characters and downright sicko moments, but it’s still weirdly compelling. (Eight 50-minute episodes)
(4 / 5)
Netflix link