What to watch on Netflix?

I have a dilemma. It's not a bad dilemma to have, actually, but it is one nonetheless. I am in need of a new Netflix streaming show to watch - or I will be, once I finish the next two seasons of Alias. That shouldn't take long. I've never seen this show and I'm tearing through it at warp speed, and really enjoying all of the special guests. After spending the better part of a decade not watching any TV, I'm playing catch-up in a huge way now.

But once that's done, and the inevitable post-show blues sets in, what's next? Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with all of the choices before me. I have so many shows in my "instant queue" that it is super intimidating, because I know I'll never get around to watching all of them.

So, I ask everyone: Please, help me choose. In terms of what I like, well, I like everything. I love science fiction, action, drama (especially drama) and some comedies. I guess if I had to pick just one genre, it would be drama. That's hedging, isn't it? So many Netflix streaming shows are technically dramas. They're also sci-fi dramas, action/adventure dramas, crime dramas and so on.

Netflix seems to believe I am deeply addicted to teen dramas, though that really isn't the case. OK, so I watched The Vampire Diaries, sue me. It was some awesome late-night Lunesta television. I didn't have to think too hard. Sometimes you want to watch TV without the need to take notes or read too much into every little thing. Vampires are hot. They bite people. Case closed.

I feel like I should watch Doctor Who. I mean, I sometimes feel like I'm just not a cool kid because I've never in my life seen a Doctor Who episode. But do I want to start with the Doctor Who that's streaming right now on Netflix? The description tells me that this Doctor Who is "the ninth (and beyond) incarnation of everybody's favorite time-traveling doctor." Should I first seek out the classic, older Doctor Who shows before I jump in?

In short: Help! Here are the other shows that I've placed in my Netflix queue that I suspect I might like: Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica, Prison Break, Downton Abbey, Heroes, Friday Night Lights and The Killing. I'm also toying with the idea of Sherlock, because it seems less of a commitment, given that a whole season is only three episodes. Wow, listing all of this out, I realize why I'm overwhelmed. I've got too many potentially excellent choices.

If it helps, my favorite television shows of all time include LOST, The Sopranos, The X-Files, Mad Men, The West Wing, Alias (my newest favorite), Homeland, Gossip Girl, Fringe and Felicity. See? I'm all over the place, really. I mean who says Homeland and Gossip Girl in the same sentence? This girl. And I've got eclectic taste.

Please, feel free to leave comments with suggestions for me. I'd sincerely appreciate it. I promise to keep everyone posted as my never ending, really fun Netflix streaming addiction grows. For now, I'm heading back to the couch to see whether Sydney and Vaughn get their happily ever after...

Photo courtesy of The Guardian