5 reasons why you should hunker down and binge on ‘Luke Cage’

If you already haven’t binged on the newest Marvel action series “Luke Cage” on Netflix, a forecasted rainy Saturday might give you the perfect excuse.

The series, released for streaming Sept. 30, stars Mike Colter as Carl Lucas /Luke Cage, a former police officer accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Through a freak accident, Cage acquires super-strength and bullet-proof skin. He settles in the Harlem neighborhood and quickly finds himself fighting crime.

Here are five reasons why the show is worth watching right now.

No. 1: Mike Colter is from Columbia. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1999 with a bachelor’s in theater. Before Cage, Colter was probably best remembered as Lemond Bishop in the TV series “The Good Wife” or as Malcolm Ward in “Ringer.” He first appeared as Cage in “Jessica Jones,” another Netflix series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), released in 2015.

No. 2: It’s got a lot of star power. Among the other recognizable actors: Mahershala Ali, who plays Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes” but is probably best known as Boggs from “The Hunger Games” or Remy Danton in the hit show, “House of Cards.” Then there’s the gorgeous Rosario Dawson, who reprises her role as Claire Temple, as seen in yet another Marvel-Netflix hit venture, “Daredevil.” And without trying to name too many names, there’s one other standout star you should be aware of. Which brings us to reason number three ...

No. 3: Alfre Woodard! Alfre Woodard will surprise you: At first you may wonder if casting Woodard was the best choice. To be fair, this doesn’t seem like a project the actress would normally go for. But if her appearance in “Captain America: Civil War” taught us anything, it’s that the actress is unpredictable, but especially so as politician Mariah Dillard. Sit back and get ready to be amazed.

No. 4: Action-packed awesomeness. If it weren’t evident by all the crossover talk already, Netflix and Marvel are weaving a web of action-packed awesomeness. From “Daredevil” to “Jessica Jones” to “Luke Cage,” the idea is to introduce each individually (with another on the way: “Iron Fist” coming to Netflix streaming March 17, 2017) to bring them all together for “The Defenders” series, to be released sometime late 2017.

No. 5: It’s a love letter to Harlem. From the slick ’70s soundtrack that carries you through the opening credits to the rich history of the historically black owned and operated neighborhood, Harlem is as much a character in the show as any actor. Everything about the cinematography and use of geography will pull you in.

This story was originally published October 10, 2016 at 11:04 AM with the headline "5 reasons why you should hunker down and binge on ‘Luke Cage’."