It is very difficult to hold an audience’s attention for a long time in the internet age. The social media world has changed our entertainment preferences and reduced our attention spans. Nowadays, the urge to scroll down has become fiercer than the temptation to watch a video to its full length.

Expecting such an audience to watch an entire series looks unrealistic, but if there is a show like The Queen’s Gambit, then that is never a problem. Anyone who starts watching the Netflix shows will likely find it very hard to leave it in the middle and remain hooked to the screen.

1- The Queen’s Gambit 

A young girl named Beth Harmon ends up in an orphanage after the death of her parents, and there she develops a passion for chess. As the years’ pass, she becomes more obsessed with the intricacies of the game and starts beating some of the best players. However, the immensely gifted Beth needs to be at her very best if she aspires to claim the Russian dominated World Chess Championship. Her drug addiction and the ghosts of her troubled past are hindrances that she must overcome in order to achieve sporting glory.

Anya Taylor-Joy, who played roles in The Witch (2015) and Split (2016), received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Beth in The Queen’s Gambit. Interestingly, she didn’t know anything about chess before taking this project but she reportedly became very interested in the game during production.

The Queen’s Gambit is based on Walter Tevis’ novel of the same name and it went on to garner extraordinary levels of fame. Following its release, Google searches for chess went up 88 percent while searches for other related keywords like Chess Move, Queen’s Gambit, and Sicilian Defence also greatly increased. The show is also credited with the increasing interest of people in chess, with the number of players on chess.com rising 500 percent.

2- Emily in Paris 

If you are searching for a light, funny, and engaging television series, then you should pick up Emily in Paris, a comedy-drama series that premiered on Netflix in October 2020. The show features Lily Collins in the lead role as Emily who moves to the French capital but finds herself struggling to adapt to life in the new city.

She doesn’t speak the French language and also doesn’t get on well with her boss. And to make matters worse, she finds herself in love with her friend’s boyfriend. As a viewer, you will not always like the choices of the main character, but you are guaranteed to be entertained and amused by the end of the series.

Emily in Paris directly influenced fashion and tourism, while it is also credited with increasing the interest around some very particular items. Since its release, the online searches for Bucket Hat increased 342 percent, while Jelly Snapshot also went up 92 percent. The same trend was seen with other items like Nicola, Beret, and Handful.