Netflix has been churning out hit after hit with shows like “Big Mouth,” “Black Mirror,” and “Stranger Things.” Recently though, Netflix has been pushing a lot more foreign movies and television shows in an attempt to seemingly take over the competitive television streaming platform, both at home and abroad. “Élite” and “Siempre Bruja,” two Spanish-language shows, are great examples of this. Netflix appears to have heard the call for more representation and new, fresh content, and they seem to be answering. With these new shows, Netflix has really upped its game and is giving the people what they want.
“Élite” rivals “Riverdale” in the teen drama category and mirrors the shows’ general premise. Both shows focus on high school life and the darkness that simmers below the misleadingly perfect surface, but there is one stark contrast between the two: “Élite” is actually good. “Élite” follows three teens from working-class families who enroll in an exclusive private school in Spain on scholarships and the resulting class clash that occurs after their transfer. The show features a diverse cast with equally diverse character backgrounds. Like “Riverdale,” it has plenty of teen drama cliches and tropes,such as love triangles, but unlike the American teen drama, “Élite” does well in flipping these tropes on their heads and adding interesting plot twists and turns. The show leaves the viewer on the edge of their seat, falling for the characters on screen, and trying to guess just what will happen next.
“Siempre Bruja” is yet another example of Netflix’s push to diversify their repertoire. The show isn’t set to debut until next year, but it has already made a big splash on Twitter and other social media sights for its unique premise and its diverse cast that stars an Afro-Colombian main protagonist. The series will feature witches, time-travel, betrayal, loss, and, of course, romance. It is expected to do quite well, but this only goes to show just how hard Netflix is working to please its audiences and to bring new content with an array of different actors.
Netflix has proven that it is doing its absolute best to draw in more audiences to its platform. With the influx of new shows and movies, the streaming platform has shown that it is willing to diversify to meet its goal. “Élite” and “Siempre Bruja” are just only two examples of this, but these two shows alone have done more than enough to cement Netflix’s spot as the forerunner in the competition between streaming services.