Netflix Shows to Watch this August and the VPNs to Do That

Netflix has a multitude of awesome movies to stream. However, if you’re among the viewers in search of a commitment lasting more than two hours, the streaming service has numerous captivating TV shows to occupy you for the summer.

If you’re just done watching a great series and you’re feeling somewhat empty, Netflix is the place you need to visit, given the streaming service’s selection of excellent original, current and classic shows.

Below are our picks for the best shows to watch on Netflix this August.

  1. Drama
    • Alias Grace
    • Peaky Blinders
    • Mindhunter
  2. Comedy
    • The End of the F***ing World
    • Crashing
    • She’s Gotta Have It
  3. Sci-fi
    • Dark
    • Star Trek: The Next Generation
    • Altered Carbon
  4. Action and Mystery
    • Castlevania
    • Luke Cage
    • Stranger Things
  5. Memory Lane
    • Twin Peaks
    • Cheers
    • Freaks and Geeks

Watching the Netflix shows from anywhere in the world

Netflix makes available to users more content than they can consume in a lifetime. However, depending on the location from which an Internet user tries to access the streaming service, a portion of the content may not be available for viewing. The programming available to users varies from one region or country to another because the shows can only be viewed on streaming services that have been licensed to do so.

The organizations that own the rights to the show’s license the rights based on geography, meaning a streaming service has to acquire the rights to air the content on a territory-by-territory basis. It is for this reason that shows are only available in certain countries.

The streaming service determines the location of a user by checking their IP address. When a user with an IP address from a blocked region or country attempts to access Geo-restricted content on the streaming service, an error message is displayed.

Thankfully, you can still watch Netflix with a VPN, which reroutes all your Internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel between your device and remote servers managed by the VPN provider. As a result, no one on your network or your ISP—not even the network administrator—can see the data inside the encrypted tunnel, meaning they can’t monitor your Internet traffic.

Furthermore, since you’re connecting to the Internet through the VPN server, the websites you visit can only see the IP address of the server, so you can trick the streaming service that you’re accessing it from a region where Netflix is available. In simple terms, a powerful VPN enables you to watch the Netflix shows from anywhere in the world.

Below is a list of our top recommended VPNs for watching the best Netflix shows from anywhere in the world.

ExpressVPN Homepage

1. ExpressVPN

If you’re looking for an all-round great Netflix experience, this is the VPN service to use. Based in the British Virgin Islands, ExpressVPN is lightning fast, making it a good service for streaming Netflix shows in HD, which it can do on numerous devices.

At the moment, it supports Netflix in the US, Canada and the UK. Furthermore, according to the company’s customer support, it works in many other countries.

One of its flagship features is MediaStreamer DNS, which unblocks Netflix on game consoles, smart TVs and Apple TV among other non-VPN-ready devices. With this service, you can connect only three devices simultaneously, which is adequate for many because you can connect your phone, tablet and PC.

ExpressVPN keeps no logs and its security is top-notch thanks to 256-bit encryption and several security protocols, including L2TP/IPSec, OpenVPN, SSTP and PPTP.

NordVPN Homepage

2. NordVPN

NordVPN is a solid solution if security is your topmost priority as you stream Netflix shows. Additionally, it provides top-tier performance. During our speed tests, download speeds were unaffected when we used the service.

In addition to the US, the provider supports Netflix in the Netherlands, France, Hong Kong (mobile devices only) and Canada. Security features include impenetrable 2048-bit encryption, a kill switch, DNS leak protection and a wide range of servers. For privacy, the company does not keep any logs of users’ online activity.

VyprVPN Homepage

3. VyprVPN

This service offers a good balance between security and speed. VyprVPN supports US Netflix and other countries, according to the provider’s customer support team. The speeds are remarkable, especially in terms of download speeds, which makes it perfect for streaming ‘Luke Cage’.

VyprVPN’s security is impressive. It supports several security protocols, including l2TP/IPSec, OpenVPN, PPTP and the company’s proprietary Chameleon protocol. For further security, a NAT firewall is available. In terms of privacy, the provider keeps some logs of IP addresses and connection times, which might not be acceptable for some people.

4. StrongVPN

Security is this provider’s strong point, so to speak. It offers a wide variety of protocol support (L2TP/IPSec, PPTP, IKEv2 and OpenVPN), the company’s proprietary StrongDNS to protect against DNS leaks, and 2048-bit encryption.

All the essential security features are available in the package. Moreover, it has a large global server network and native apps for Android, iOS, Mac and Windows, as well as manual installation instructions for other devices.

Strong VPN did well in our speed tests, with download speeds showing improvement over long distances. Therefore, you can be sure that a fast, reliable connection to Netflix will be available when you need it. Currently, the provider supports Netflix in the US, UK, Spain, France, Japan, the Netherlands and Canada.

5. HotSpot Shield

Granted, this provider doesn’t have a vast server network like the other services on this list. Nevertheless, the performance of Hotspot Shield ranks among the best as far as streaming shows on Netflix is concerned. In our tests, the upload and download speeds were slightly higher than those of non-VPN speeds, which makes the service suitable for streaming HD content.

Important to note, however, is that it offers support for Netflix only in the US. Also, the clients for this service don’t offer much in the way of configuration.

That said, Hotspot Shield’s Privacy Policy is clear that logs on your online activity are deleted after every session. Another advantage of this provider is that it offers a free plan which, as expected, comes with limitations on bandwidth and server selection.