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The best Netflix original series right now

Netflix‘s original series have helped it maintain its position as the top streaming service even when almost all of the major Hollywood studios wanted a streaming service of their own. But quantity doesn’t always mean quality. That means that sometimes, the most popular shows on Netflix aren’t always the best.

Thankfully, we curate a roundup of the best Netflix original series right now. We maintain and update this list once a month, and in our latest update, we look at two well-made anime series, as well as a sci-fi whodunit mystery that is endlessly intriguing.

If you want to know the latest additions to the Netflix library, be sure to check out our list of what’s new on Netflix this month, the best movies on Netflix, and the best shows on Netflix.

Recently added to Netflix

Bodies (2023) new

Bodies
65 %
7.4/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Crime, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama
Cast Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Shira Haas, Amaka Okafor
Created by Paul Tomalin

If the naked body of an unidentified man (Tom Mothersdale) had only been found once, then Bodies could have had a singular name. But when the same dead body turns up in 1890, 1941, 2023, and 2053, then there’s more than just a simple murder in play.

DI Alfred Hillinghead (Kyle Soller), DS Karl ‘Charles Whiteman’ Weissman (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd), DS Shahara Hasan (Amaka Okafor), and DC Iris Maplewood (Shira Haas) don’t initially realize that the case can’t be solved in their respective time periods. But if they don’t figure it out, then the consequences may be grave.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023) new

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
81 %
8.8/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Animation, Action & Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong
Created by Bryan Lee O'Malley, BenDavid Grabinski

Almost the entire cast of the 2010 live-action Scott Pilgrim vs. the World film has returned to lend their voices to the new anime series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. But it’s not simply a rehash of the movie. Instead, the anime takes its cues more directly from Bryan Lee O’Malley’s bestselling Scott Pilgrim graphic novels and even incorporates his style into the animation.

Despite some changes, the core of the story is intact. Semi-loser Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) has a shot at winning the heart of the most intriguing woman he’s ever met: Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), However, winning Ramona’s heart comes with lots of strings. Now, Scott has to duel with Ramona’s seven evil exes in a series of video game-style boss battles.

Blue Eye Samurai (2023) new

Blue Eye Samurai
86 %
9.1/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama
Cast Maya Erskine, George Takei, Masi Oka
Created by Michael Green, Amber Noizumi

Blue Eye Samurai is more than just the best anime of 2023. Through its first season, the series has earned its place among the best shows on Netflix. One of the main reasons for that is the way that series creators Michael Green and Amber Noizumi treat the series like a serious one-hour drama.

In Japan’s Edo period, half-Caucasian and half-Japanese people like Mizu (Maya Erskine) were regarded as inhuman. So Mizu hides her blue eyes and her true gender as she goes off in search of vengeance on the man she believes may have fathered her.

The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)

The Fall of the House of Usher
75 %
7.8/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Crime, Drama, Mystery
Cast Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Mary McDonnell
Created by Mike Flanagan

As a Halloween treat, Mike Flanagan’s final horror series for Netflix, The Fall of the House of Usher, updates the original story by Edgar Allan Poe as well as a few other tales by the famous author. Flanagan also made the very timely choice to re-envision the Usher family as the incredibly wealthy owners of a corrupt company, Fortunato Pharmaceuticals.

Siblings Roderick (Bruce Greenwood) and Madeline Usher (Mary McDonnell) have literally made their business a killing. Now, someone is making a killing by eliminating all of the Usher children, one by one. Suddenly, there may not be a legacy for the Ushers, or even a family left to receive it.

Lupin (2021)

Lupin
80 %
7.5/10
tv-ma 2 Seasons
Genre Crime, Drama, Mystery
Cast Omar Sy, Ludivine Sagnier, Clotilde Hesme
Created by George Kay, Marie Roussin, Florent Meyer, François Uzan, Tigran Rosine

Everyone’s favorite gentleman thief is back in Lupin, and Assane Diop (Omar Sy) has almost everything he could want … except his family. In order to remain free, Assane had to abandon his wife, Claire Laurent (Ludivine Sagnier), and their son, Raoul (Etan Simon).

In the newest batch of episodes, Assane hatches his most ambitious plan to date to reunite with his family by faking his own death, which should get his name off of the world’s most wanted lists. But walking away from his life of crime won’t be easy for Assane, especially since he has a new enemy gunning for him.

Everything Now (2023)

Everything Now
6.7/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Comedy, Drama
Cast Sophie Wilde, Lauryn Ajufo, Harry Cadby
Created by Ripley Parker

There are some tragic elements in Everything Now, because the main character, Mia Polanco (Talk to Me‘s Sophie Wilde), has spent months in treatment for eating disorders that almost cost Mia her life. But Mia doesn’t want to be defined by that, and she’s especially annoyed when the subject comes up even from well-meaning members of her own family.

Instead, Mia wants to focus on experiencing everything that she would have done if she hadn’t just lost months of her time in high school. In that way, Mia is turning a near tragedy into a life-affirming affair, and she’s bringing her friends with her to share the experience.

Neon (2023)

Neon
66 %
5.0/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Comedy
Cast Tyler Dean Flores, Emma Ferreira, Jordan Mendoza
Created by Max Searle, Shea Serrano

K-pop may be more prevalent, but reggaeton music is on the rise in modern pop culture, as exemplified by Netflix’s comedy series, Neon. Tyler Dean Flores stars as Santi (Tyler Dean Flores), an aspiring reggaeton artist who has just gone viral for the first time with one of his music videos.

Santi and his friends, Ness (Emma Ferreira) and Felix (Jordan Mendoza), realize that they have to make their next move now or they will let this opportunity slip through their fingers. It’s not enough to have the talent to break through in the world of reggaeton, but the drive of Santi and his friends may take them to new heights while simultaneously pulling them apart.

One Piece (2023)

One Piece
67 %
8.7/10
tv-14 1 Season
Genre Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast Iñaki Godoy, Emily Rudd, Mackenyu
Created by Steven Maeda, Matt Owens

Live-action anime adaptations are always tricky, and Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop is a prime example of that. However, One Piece appears to have won over fans of the anime with its largely faithful tone and its energetic adventures on the high seas.

Two decades before the start of this series, the famous pirate, Gol D. Roger, made his last stand. Now, Gold Roger’s legendary lost treasure, the One Piece, is sought by many.

Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) wants to find the One Piece so he can become the new Pirate King. Monkey is also a bit ridiculous regardless of his superhuman stretching powers. But Monkey is so earnest that he draws together a crew of Straw Hat Pirates who will follow him to the ends of the Earth and beyond.

Sex Education (2019)

Sex Education
69 %
8.3/10
tv-ma 4 Seasons
Genre Comedy, Drama
Cast Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa
Created by Laurie Nunn

Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield) had a lot to learn over the course of Sex Education’s four-season run. Otis’ mother, Jean Milburn (Gillian Anderson), is a successful sex therapist, and her expertise occasionally leads to weirdness with Otis at home. But through Jean, Otis is so well-versed on the topic that he opens his own sex therapy business at school with his partner, Maeve (Emma Mackey).

Season 4 picks up with Otis feeling lost at his new school, which already has a student sex therapist. He can’t even count on Maeve to have his back, because she’s already left to go to college in the U.S. But the story of Otis and Maeve’s potential romance isn’t over yet.

Wrestlers (2023)

Wrestlers
8.7/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Documentary
Cast Allen Sarven, Doug Basham
Created by Greg Whiteley

Professional wrestling still has a dedicated following that doesn’t care that the business has been exposed as scripted for decades. Fans love it anyway, and the industry has produced performers like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and John Cena who have gone on to Hollywood stardom after headlining WWE events for years.

The performers in Netflix’s Wrestlers may never reach the heights of Johnson or Cena, but their dream is to make it to major league promotions like WWE and AEW. This docuseries follows the wrestlers at Ohio Valley Wrestling, a small regional promotion that once helped Cena learn his craft. The men and women of OVW have their own personal stories, but they share a common goal. Yet in this business, not everyone will get the chance to live out their dreams.

Virgin River (2019)

Virgin River
70 %
7.4/10
tv-14 5 Seasons
Genre Drama
Cast Alexandra Breckenridge, Martin Henderson, Colin Lawrence
Created by Sue Tenney

After memorable stints on American Horror Story, The Walking Dead, and This Is Us, Alexandra Breckenridge finally has a starring vehicle of her own in Virgin River. This show is so successful that Netflix has already renewed it for a sixth season, and that just doesn’t happen very often with the streamer’s live-action series.

Breckenridge plays Melinda “Mel” Monroe, a nurse practitioner who wants to reinvent herself as a midwife in Virgin River, a small town in Northern California. Mel immediately clashes with her new employer, Vernon “Doc” Mullins (Tim Matheson). Mel also finds herself romantically drawn to Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), a local bar owner. Mel’s relationships and friendships in the town drive this series, which recently premiered the first part of its fifth season.

Mask Girl (2023)

Mask Girl
7.5/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Drama, Comedy, Mystery
Cast Ko Hyun-jung, Nana, Lee Han-byeol
Created by Kim Yong-hoon, Kim Young-hoon

Get ready to go to some bizarre places in the latest Korean series to hit Netflix, Mask Girl. This is the story of Kim Mo-mi (Lee Han-byeol), a homely and lonely woman who reinvents herself as an internet personality called Mask Girl. After plastic surgery, Mo-Mi (Nana) is stunningly beautiful. She’s also a murderer, but what drove her to kill?

In the third time period, an older Mo-Mi (Go Hyun-jung) is in prison for her many crimes, but she is openly nostalgic about the murderous life she led behind. In all three incarnations, Mask Girl is full of surprises, some of which are quite lethal.

The Chosen One (2023)

The Chosen One
5.6/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast Dianna Agron, Carlos Bardem, Patricio Serna Meza
Created by Leopoldo Gout, Everardo Gout, Jorge Dorantes

The key difference between The Chosen One and the comic that it is based on, American Jesus, is that the story is set in Mexico instead of America. Other than that, it’s pretty close to the story that Mark Millar and artist Peter Gross came up with two decades ago.

Bobby Luhnow stars as Jodie, an otherwise normal 12-year-old boy who survives a near-fatal accident only to discover that he has all of the powers attributed to Jesus Christ in Biblical scripture. He might really be the Messiah reborn, and the powers that be can’t have that. Some very deadly people target Jodie for death just to make sure that he can never fulfill his destiny on Earth.

Painkiller (2023)

Painkiller
57 %
7.0/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Drama
Cast Uzo Aduba, Matthew Broderick, Taylor Kitsch

How did the opioid crisis become such a devastating ongoing problem for our country? Netflix’s Painkiller puts a lot of the blame at the feet of Richard Sackler (Matthew Broderick) and his company, Purdue. However, Sackler and Purdue aren’t the only ones at fault, and there’s plenty of blame to pass around in this dramatization.

Many of the addicts depicted in the show are victims of their own choices regardless of anything Purdue did to push OxyContin on the nation. But perhaps the most affecting moments come at the beginning of the episodes when real people talk about who they lost to addiction during the show’s disclaimer sequences.

Who Is Erin Carter? (2023)

Who Is Erin Carter?
62 %
5.9/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Action & Adventure, Crime
Cast Evin Ahmad, Sean Teale, Douglas Henshall
Created by Jack Lothian

If you’re wondering who Erin Carter (Evin Ahmad) is, she’s Netflix’s newest action heroine. In Who is Erin Carter?, Erin has successfully walked away from a deadly chapter in her life and started over in Spain with her husband, Jordi (Sean Teale), and her daughter, Harper (Indica Watson). Erin might have been able to continue living out in the open if she hadn’t exposed her fighting skills while thwarting a supermarket robbery.

One of the robbers recognizes Erin and the local police become suspicious of her as well. That sets off a chain reaction that threatens to destroy everything Erin holds dear.

The Lincoln Lawyer (2022)

The Lincoln Lawyer
62 %
7.7/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Drama, Crime
Cast Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Neve Campbell, Becki Newton
Created by David E. Kelley
Can success truly change a man? After successfully defending his client in The Lincoln Lawyer season 1, Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) is more famous than ever. However, some of his relationships have been strained. More alarmingly, Mickey’s new client, Russell Lawson (David Clayton Rogers), has a secret that’s big enough to give even Mickey pause. But if Mickey lets this secret out, it could mean the end of his legal career. And if he doesn’t share his newfound knowledge, Mickey risks letting an innocent man take the fall for Russell’s crime.

The Witcher (2019)

The Witcher
63 %
8.1/10
tv-ma 3 Seasons
Genre Drama, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan
Created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich
Is this the last stand for Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill)? The second part of The Witcher season 3 is almost upon us, and the greatest monster hunter on the Continent has been pushed to his limits. Geralt and his lover, Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), have vowed to keep Ciri (Freya Allan) safe from the dark forces that want to use her powers. But the price for Ciri’s freedom may be more than even Geralt can pay as the third season draws to a close.

Quarterback (2023)

Quarterback
8.3/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Documentary
Cast Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, Marcus Mariota

Playing in the NFL is a lot like simulated warfare, and the best teams have the greatest quarterbacks to lead them into battle. The Netflix original series Quarterback got unfiltered access to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes during one of the most successful seasons in his career. Mahomes also produced the series, and he gave viewers an unexpected look at his life beyond the football field.

Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings and Marcus Mariota of the Atlanta Falcons are also featured in the show, but in terms of success, they are both far behind Mahomes and eager to carve out their own place in the NFL.

Manifest (2018)

Manifest
55 %
7.1/10
tv-14 4 Seasons
Genre Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast Melissa Roxburgh, Josh Dallas, Ty Doran
Created by Jeff Rake

Ten years ago, Michaela “Mick” Stone (Melissa Roxburgh), her brother, Ben Stone (Josh Dallas), and the rest of the passengers of Flight 828 disappeared under unexplained circumstances. Flight 828 returned in 2018 as the first season of Manifest slowly peeled back the mysteries of what happened to the men, women, and children on board.

Viewers would have been left without answers if Netflix hadn’t rescued Manifest from a premature cancellation. Now, the fourth and final season of Manifest has landed, and it has given fans the ending that they deserved.

Black Mirror (2011)

Black Mirror
8.8/10
tv-ma 6 Seasons
Genre Sci-fi, Psychological Thriller, Dystopia
Cast Annie Murphy, Salma Hayek, Aaron Paul, Josh Hartnett, Kate Mara
Created by Charlie Brooker

Netflix has premiered the sixth season of Black Mirror, and series creator Charlie Brooker is up to his old tricks again. Just when you think Black Mirror can’t go more over-the-top, the new season has five all-new standalone episodes that point the finger at the perils of modern technology. And one of this season’s targets is none other than Netflix itself!

The rest of the season explores two astronauts in an alternate history, a woman who is compelled to murder to prevent an apocalypse, and an unexpectedly supernatural encounter. As always, Brooker has lined up some very recognizable actors and actresses to play out these horror stories to their bitter end. And we love it.

Catching Killers (2021)

Catching Killers
7.1/10
tv-ma 3 Seasons
Genre Documentary, Crime
Created by Simon Dekker
Catching Killers is true crime on your time. These episodes are so brief and concise that you’d be surprised at just how many you can watch in a single binge. But this doesn’t mean that the series is for the faint of heart. Catching Killers takes on some of the most infamous cases with the real investigators sharing their perspective and stories about how they tried to solve the mysteries in front of them. This season, the spotlight falls on the Railroad Killer, the Zodiac Killer, the DC sniper, and the Olympic Bomber.

Our Planet (2019)

Our Planet
88 %
9.3/10
tv-pg 2 Seasons
Genre Documentary
Cast David Attenborough

It’s not an exaggeration to call Our Planet one of the very best documentaries on Netflix. The team behind this series offer viewers some absolutely jaw-dropping visuals of places on Earth that most people would never have seen without the window that this show provides them. We’re happy to say that Our Planet II is just as visually stunning as the first season was four years ago.

Season 2 once again explores the way that climate change has affected Earth and the creatures who live there. To do otherwise would have been dishonest, and it’s disheartening at times to watch the animals struggle to find ways to survive. But if you love nature, this is a show you shouldn’t miss.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023)

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
76 %
6.6/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Drama
Cast India Ria Amarteifio, Adjoa Andoh, Michelle Fairley
Created by Shonda Rhimes

God save the queen. Bridgerton fans have made sure that the first spinoff series, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, is already a chart-topping hit. This is a prequel that follows Charlotte (India Amarteifio) decades before the events of the primary show. It’s also an origin story for Bridgerton itself as Charlotte’s marriage to King George III (Corey Mylchreest) has an amazing effect on the world around them. Unfortunately for Charlotte, a happy ending and true love will not come as easily.

This show doesn’t ignore the events of the primary Bridgerton series, as the older Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) finds herself facing some serious questions about who will inherit the crown after she is gone.

FUBAR (2023)

FUBAR
48 %
6.6/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Action & Adventure, Comedy
Cast Arnold Schwarzenegger, Monica Barbaro, Milan Carter
Created by Nick Santora

Arnold Schwarzenegger is making the leap to television in his first-ever series, FUBAR. And to be honest, FUBAR does play like a collection of Schwarzenegger’s greatest hits, especially if you like True Lies.

For decades, Luke Brunner (Schwarzenegger) has been the top agent in the CIA, and he’s ready to finally leave it all behind. The problem is that the CIA has a new top agent: Luke’s daughter, Emma (Monica Barbaro). She and her father have been lying to each other for years about what they really do for a living. Now that the truth is out, that’s a lot of tension to put into a relationship right before they have to team up for the sake of the free world.

XO, Kitty (2023)

XO, Kitty
67 %
6.6/10
tv-14 1 Season
Genre Comedy, Drama
Cast Anna Cathcart, Choi Min-yeong, Gia Kim
Created by Jenny Han

The To All the Boys trilogy may be over, but the universe continues in the spinoff series, XO, Kitty. Anna Cathcart’s Kitty Song Covey has been promoted from supporting character status to a leading role as she begins her own quest for love. In the third movie, Kitty set up a long-distance relationship with Dae (Choi Min-young), a boy who lives in Korea. But when that’s not enough for Kitty, she decides to move to Korea to give herself more time with Dae.

However, Kitty may have bitten off more than she can chew, as the culture shock of living in Korea pales in comparison to the personal drama ahead. There are even some long-buried revelations about Kitty’s mother that may affect Kitty in the present.

Sweet Tooth (2021)

Sweet Tooth
71 %
7.8/10
tv-14 2 Seasons
Genre Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast Christian Convery, Nonso Anozie, Adeel Akhtar
Created by Jim Mickle

Sweet Tooth is based on the comic book series by Jeff Lemire, and it’s also the nickname of Gus (Christian Convery), a young boy who is half-human and half-deer. Hybrid children like Gus are on the rise in this post-apocalyptic landscape which has left unaltered humans barely clinging to power. That leads some fanatics called the Last Men to blame the hybrids before attempting to hunt them down.

Yet for Gus, nothing is more important to him than reuniting with the mother he never knew. That’s why Gus is leaving the safety of his home to find his mom in the company of his new companion, Tommy Jepperd (Nonso Anozie). But in this world, Gus is going to have to grow up fast if he wants to survive.

The Diplomat (2023)

The Diplomat
75 %
7.8/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Drama
Cast Keri Russell, Rufus Sewell, Ali Ahn
Created by Debora Cahn
At the personal request of President William Rayburn (Michael McKean), crisis management expert Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) reluctantly accepts her new role as the U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. But any opportunity for Kate to catch her breath and repair her marriage to Hal (Rufus Sewell) is lost when an international incident makes Kate’s new position even more important to the interests of her country. While The Diplomat is largely concentrated on political drama, there are plenty of thrills as well.

The Night Agent (2023)

The Night Agent
69 %
7.5/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Drama, Mystery
Cast Gabriel Basso, Luciane Buchanan, Hong Chau
Created by Shawn Ryan

It’s a good time for action in the streaming universe, and The Night Agent is at the top of our list. Gabriel Basso stars as Peter Sutherland, an FBI agent who stumbles upon a suspect attempting to detonate a bomb on a train. However, Peter’s heroism only leads him to become a suspect. As a result, he is demoted to a night shift which places him on standby for emergency situations when undercover operatives are in danger.

BEEF (2023)

BEEF
86 %
8.0/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Comedy, Drama
Cast Steven Yeun, Ali Wong, Justin H. Min
Created by Lee Sung-jin
BEEF | Official Trailer | Netflix
In an ideal world, Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) and Amy Lau Nakai (Ali Wong) would never have met. In Netflix’s black comedy, Beef, Danny and Amy both come from very different worlds and different social circles. And if they hadn’t had an ugly road rage incident with each other, their lives wouldn’t be so inexorably linked going forward.

A grudge like this can only fester and grow, and by the end, revenge is the only thing that matters to either one of them. Fortunately, it makes for some terrific stories, and this is likely to be Netflix’s breakout hit for the month.

The Night Agent | Official Trailer | Netflix

Florida Man (2023)

Florida Man
6.4/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Mystery, Crime, Comedy, Drama
Cast Edgar Ramírez, Anthony LaPaglia, Abbey Lee
Created by Donald Todd

Netflix is diving back into the realm of dark comedy crime shows with Florida Man. The series follows Mike Valentine (Ramírez), a former cop who finds himself working for a mob boss, Moss Yankov (Emory Cohen). After spending years away from Florida, Moss forces Mike to return and find Moss’ missing girlfriend, Delly (Abbey Lee).

What Moss doesn’t know is that Mike was having an affair with Delly before she vanished. And once Mike is back in Florida, the darker secrets of his own family start coming out. To complicate things even further, Mike’s ex-wife, Iris (Lex Scott Davis), is still a cop and she follows Mike to discover what he has been up to.

Florida Man | Official Trailer | Netflix

Unstable (2023)

Unstable
69 %
6.6/10
tv-14 1 Season
Genre Comedy, Drama
Cast Rob Lowe, John Owen Lowe, Fred Armisen
Created by Rob Lowe, Victor Fresco, John Owen Lowe

Have you ever had a boss that you just hated working for? You know the type: a total narcissist who is all about himself, with little regard for everyone else around him. Jackson Dragon (John Owen Lowe) can relate, because said boss is his father, Ellis Dragon (Rob Lowe). And since the death of Ellis’ wife, the elder Dragon is spiraling out of control.

But Unstable isn’t just about Ellis’ pathos. It’s also a workplace comedy that finds Jackson struggling to find his place in his father’s world, even as he attempts to keep his dad from falling into even greater despair.

Unstable | Official Trailer | Netflix

Shadow and Bone (2021)

Shadow and Bone
69 %
7.6/10
tv-14 2 Seasons
Genre Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast Jessie Mei Li, Archie Renaux, Freddy Carter
Created by Eric Heisserer

Need some fantasy in your drab life? Shadow and Bone is back for its second season on Netflix. And if you’re unfamiliar with the world of the show, it does get you up to speed fairly quickly. The short version is that it takes place in an alternate world, much like our own, which has been divided by literal darkness. And in this world, magic is real…and often lethal.

Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) is a Sun Summoner who has the ability to control light and perhaps to free her world from the darkness. Now, she just needs to survive her confrontation with her Shadow Summoner counterpart, General Aleksander Kirigan (Ben Barnes).

​Shadow and Bone | Official Trailer | Netflix

You (2018)

You
tv-ma 4 Seasons
Genre Mystery, Crime, Drama
Cast Penn Badgley, Lukas Gage, Charlotte Ritchie
Created by Greg Berlanti, Sera Gamble
You has been such a megahit for Netflix that it’s easy to forget that it was once a Lifetime original series that was canceled before Netflix swooped in to renew the show. In You‘s recently completed fourth season, serial killer Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) has relocated to London in an attempt to reinvent himself yet again. This time, Joe is really trying to cut back on his murderous tendencies. But old habits die hard. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

That '90s Show (2023)

That '90s Show
1 Season
Genre Comedy
Cast Debra Jo Rupp, Kurtwood Smith, Callie Haverda
Created by Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner, Gregg Mettler, Lindsay Turner
Hanging out…down at Netflix?!? Red and Kitty Foreman and their wonderful basement hang-out spot are back in this revival of That ’70s Show, which finds the teenage daughter of original series characters Eric and Donna visiting with her grandparents for the summer. While there, she falls in with a new generation of teenage slackers and proves that some aspects of the teen experience never change, no matter which era it is.

The Witcher: Blood Origin (2022)

The Witcher: Blood Origin
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast Laurence O'Fuarain, Sophia Brown, Michelle Yeoh
Created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, Declan de Barra
This prequel series set in the universe of The Witcher unfolds more than a thousand years before the events of that show and follows a group of seven characters forced to unite their efforts in order to save the world from a terrible force. Recent Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh leads the ensemble cast of the series, which sets the stage for the saga to come in The Witcher.

Alice in Borderland (2020)

Alice in Borderland
tv-ma 2 Seasons
Genre Drama, Mystery, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Created by Yoshiki Watanabe, Yasuko Kuramitsu

A slacker gamer named Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) suddenly finds himself and his two best friends transported to an eerily empty Tokyo in this series based on the manga of the same name by Haro Aso. They soon discover that they have to compete in deadly games to survive, and must do so while trying to solve the mystery around their strange predicament.

Alice in Borderland is like Battle Royale mixed with The Hunger Games It was renewed for a second season almost immediately after the series premiered. The next chapter of the mind-boggling saga premiered late last year.

Dead to Me (2019)

Dead to Me
68 %
8.0/10
tv-ma 3 Seasons
Genre Drama, Mystery, Crime
Cast Christina Applegate, Linda Cardellini, James Marsden
Created by Liz Feldman
When Jen’s (Christina Applegate) husband dies in a tragic hit-and-run, she becomes determined to solve the crime. When she meets optimistic free spirit Judy (Linda Cardellini) at a grief support group, their polar opposite personalities strike up an unlikely friendship. As they bond over wine and a shared affinity for The Facts of Life, Judy realizes that she holds the key to a shocking secret that may destroy Jen’s life. It may also be the key for Jen to move on with her life, though. Dead to Me is a dark comedy that explores the entertaining sides of grief, loss, and forgiveness. It’s about maintaining your sense of humor in the face of tragedy. The third and final season is available now.

The Watcher (2022)

The Watcher
54 %
6.6/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Drama, Mystery
Cast Bobby Cannavale, Naomi Watts, Jennifer Coolidge
Created by Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan

Based on a true story, Ryan Murphy’s The Watcher is propped up by its A-list cast that includes Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale as a married couple who move with their two kids to what they believe is their dream home. They overextend themselves to afford it but expect to have an ideal lifestyle there until they realize the neighborhood might not be what it seems.

Not only are the neighbors intrusive, rude, and downright creepy, but the couple continuously receives strange letters from someone who calls himself The Watcher. He claims to have been tasked with watching the home for decades, and now, he’s watching them. It’s spooky, edge-of-your-seat tension, and while reviews are mixed, The Watcher is a quick seven-episode binge if you’re looking for something exciting, tense, and frightful.

The Sandman (2022)

The Sandman
66 %
7.8/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama
Cast Tom Sturridge, Boyd Holbrook, Vivienne Acheampong
Created by David S. Goyer, Neil Gaiman, Allan Heinberg

Tom Sturridge stars as Dream/Morpheus, the personification of dreams and nightmares. After escaping from the clutches of an occult trap after 106 years, Dream goes on a mission to restore order to his realm, The Dreaming. Based on the Neil Gaiman-authored DC Comics comic book of the same name, The Sandman has been decades in the making. The payoff has been positive, with critics lauding everything from the production design and costumes to the visual effects and lead performances.

Keep an eye (and ear) out for supporting and recurring characters like Game of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer Morningstar, ruler of Hell, and Mark Hamill as the voice of Mervyn Pumpkinhead, a janitor with a head shaped like a jack-o-lantern. The Sandman is equally weird and wonderful.

The Cuphead Show! (2022)

The Cuphead Show!
69 %
7.4/10
tv-y7 2 Seasons
Genre Animation, Comedy, Family
Cast Frank Todaro, Tru Valentino
Created by Dave Wasson
It’s completely ridiculous, but that’s precisely the point when it comes to the animated slapstick comedy The Cuphead Show!, which is loosely based on the lovable Canadian video game Cuphead. At the heart of the show are Cuphead and Mugman, anthropomorphic dishware brothers who live with their grandfather who is … what else … a kettle. The storylines are silly as the pair often finds themselves in some kind of trouble they need to get out of, typically while being hunted by the Devil. With a talented voice cast that includes Marcia Gay Harden, Wayne Brady, and Chris Kattan, there’s little substance to the show, with episodes that run about 12 minutes long each. But it’s mindless viewing fun for adults and kids alike.

Cobra Kai (2018)

Cobra Kai
70 %
8.6/10
tv-14 5 Seasons
Genre Action & Adventure, Drama
Cast William Zabka, Ralph Macchio, Courtney Henggeler
Created by Hayden Schlossberg, Josh Heald, John Hurwitz

Originally made for YouTube Red, this series sequel to the Karate Kid franchise has found a new home on Netflix. Picking up 30 years after the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, Cobra Kai finds down-and-out Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) desperate to find redemption from his epic loss. To do so, and after encountering a young man who is being bullied, he reopens the infamous Cobra Kai karate dojo. This reignites his rivalry with the Karate Kid himself, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), who decides to open a karate dojo of his own in response.

But it’s not easy to go back to karate, maintain balance and find peace after the passing of his mentor, Mr. Miyagi. Meanwhile, a new generation of kids struggles to find themselves through learning very different approaches to the philosophy behind karate through their dueling senseis. With five seasons and multiple Emmy nominations under its belt, it’s likely Cobra Kai will return for a season 6.

Inventing Anna (2022)

Inventing Anna
57 %
6.8/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Drama
Cast Julia Garner, Anna Chlumsky, Arian Moayed
Created by Shonda Rhimes
Earning Julia Garner an Emmy nomination for her performance as the real-life con-woman Anna Sorokin (a second for Garner alongside her nomination for Ozark as well), Inventing Anna was also nominated for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. It’s a story that seems almost too fantastical to be true. Garner sets out to re-create the life and rise of Sorokin, a Russian woman who assumed the fake identity of socialite Anna Delvey. She fooled some of the biggest companies and wealthiest individuals into giving her cash, goods, and services. Based on the New York article How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People, there’s a ton of creative license taken, as clearly noted in a title card at the beginning of each episode. But mega-hitmaker Shonda Rhimes adds to her award-winning roster with this miniseries that’s a must-watch.

Heartstopper (2022)

Heartstopper
85 %
8.8/10
tv-14 1 Season
Genre Drama
Cast Kit Connor, Joe Locke, William Gao
Created by Alice Oseman
Heartstopper is a British coming-of-age story, and Alice Oseman wrote the webcomic and graphic novel on which the show is based, as well as the show itself. Set in the complicated world of high school, Charlie (Joe Locke) is a young gay man who falls for his classmate Nick (Kit Connor). Through a series of events, conversations, and conflicts, fans follow the relatable journey of a young man simply trying to find himself. Praised for its positive representation of the LGBTQ community, Heartstopper has a Certified Fresh 100% rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes with critics saying its feel-good, adorable, even predictable elements all add to the charm. The series received a second and third season renewal less than a month after season 1 premiered, indicating that fans are hungry for more.

Stranger Things (2016)

Stranger Things
75 %
8.7/10
tv-14 4 Seasons
Genre Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery, Drama
Cast Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard
Created by Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer

The throwback sci-fi series Stranger Things is set the world ablaze in the summer of 2016, igniting a bonfire of nostalgia while simultaneously telling a gripping story that gets more exciting with each episode. Now, it’s back for season 4. When 12-year-old Will Byers goes missing in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana, his mother, Joyce (Winona Ryder), thinks she’s losing her mind, believing that Will has been taken by supernatural forces. Meanwhile, Will’s friends work to find and rescue him, with the help of a mysterious young girl named Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who appears seemingly out of nowhere.

The mystery gets deeper and darker as the show goes on, while more and more members of the Hawkins community get drawn into the creepy tale. Few shows have been as willing to let children drive the story, and Stranger Things is better for it. The show is a clear homage to Spielberg’s coming-of-age films and ’80s horror, and superb performances across the board make this a must-watch.

Peaky Blinders (2013)

Peaky Blinders
8.8/10
tv-ma 6 Seasons
Genre Crime, Drama
Cast Cillian Murphy, Paul Anderson, Sam Claflin
Created by Steven Knight
Although it’s made for the BBC, Netflix distributes Peaky Blinders in the United States as a Netflix original, so it makes this list. It’s also one of Netflix’s most popular shows, and the diehards are finally rewarded in June with the long-awaited Season 6. The hard-boiled gangster drama centers on the Peaky Blinders, a notorious gang in Birmingham, England in the 1920s. The Blinders are run by the Shelby family, primarily the second-eldest brother, Tommy (Cillian Murphy). Tommy and his brothers have returned from World War I with distinguished war records, but also with deeply rooted, little-understood trauma that both haunts and informs their everyday decisions. In an England torn by post-war horror, economic depression, and the Bolshevik Revolution on the other side of the continent, the conditions are ripe for crime. Tommy has every intention to ride this opportunity to the top.

Ozark (2017)

Ozark
67 %
8.4/10
tv-ma 4 Seasons
Genre Crime, Drama
Cast Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Sofia Hublitz
Created by Mark Williams, Bill Dubuque

Jason Bateman has had as interesting a career as anyone in the limelight. He burst onto the Hollywood scene in the early 1980s as a young heartthrob, starring in stuff like Teen Wolf Too and The Hogan Family before experiencing a major career renaissance in the late aughts with shows like the brilliant comedy Arrested Development. Ozark marks a different look for Bateman than many have seen, as he plays a financial planner-turned-money launderer who relocates his family to the remote Ozark mountains in Missouri to avoid attention from the law.

Unsurprisingly, the law finds him anyway, and Marty (Bateman) must scramble to stay afloat while paying off debts to a Mexican cartel. Laura Linney is awesome as Marty’s wife, who gets caught up in the scheme, and Julia Garner is particularly good as the odd local girl Ruth Langmore. Though Ozark will naturally draw comparisons to Breaking Bad, its scope isn’t nearly as grand, but Bateman seems to improve with each passing episode.

Bridgerton (2020)

Bridgerton
75 %
7.3/10
tv-ma 2 Seasons
Genre Drama, Romance
Cast Phoebe Dynevor, Regé-Jean Page, Adjoa Andoh
Created by Chris Van Dusen
Every now and then, a Netflix show becomes a cultural phenomenon. At the moment, that’s the role that Bridgerton is filling. This period romance series has already made a star out of Regé-Jean Page for his role as the Duke of Hastings, Simon Bassett. The show takes place in 1813 as Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) tries to find suitable husbands and wives for her eight children. The breakout relationship in the first season follows Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon as their friendship grows into love before veering into even more complicated territory. This story is just beginning, and it’s likely to be on Netflix for years to come.

Squid Game (2021)

Squid Game
69 %
8.1/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Action & Adventure, Mystery, Drama
Cast Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Jung Ho-yeon
Created by Hwang Dong-hyuk
An acquisition from South Korea, Squid Game hit Netflix like a bolt of lightning, quickly becoming the most-watched show the platform has ever hosted. The viral sensation took off largely through social media and word of mouth by captivating and horrifying audiences with its sadistic premise. A cadre of ultra-wealthy elites round up desperate people and offer them the chance to become rich beyond their wildest dreams simply by competing in a few children’s games. Only, in these games, losing is not an option.

The Queen’s Gambit (2020)

The Queen’s Gambit
8.0/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Drama
Cast Anya Taylor-Joy, Bill Camp, Moses Ingram
Created by Scott Frank, Allan Scott
Based on Walter Tevis’ novel, this limited series takes audiences into a surprisingly captivating world: Competitive chess in the 1950s. The series follows Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), a Kentucky orphan who discovers an aptitude for chess when she sneaks away from choir practices to play with the orphanage’s custodian. After her adoption as a teenager, Beth leans into the competitive chess scene, supported by her single, hedonistic adoptive mother. But although Beth is a female superstar in a male-dominated world, she’s haunted by personal demons and plagued by addiction and an obsessive personality.

American Vandal (2017)

American Vandal
76 %
8.2/10
tv-ma 2 Seasons
Genre Comedy, Crime, Drama
Cast Tyler Alvarez, Griffin Gluck
Created by Dan Perrault, Tony Yacenda
After 27 cars in the high-school faculty’s parking lot are vandalized with crude phallic images, the school’s resident slacker and class clown is expelled, but when two fellow students initiate a documentary-style investigation into the incident, everyone becomes a suspect in this surprisingly compelling and hilarious series. A satire of true-crime documentaries like Making a Murderer and SerialAmerican Vandal is a mockumentary that manages to channel much of the same “Did he really do it?” uncertainty into its story, while also offering a very funny and impressively clever spin on the typical docuseries format. Much like the true-crime series that inspired it, the first season of American Vandal is packed with narrative twists and turns that keep the audience guessing. It’s supremely binge-friendly as you push to discover the next revelation in this seemingly minor incident that consumes the lives of the characters involved in it. The first season of the series earned rave reviews, prompting Netflix to commission a second season, which premiered to even more critical acclaim. Sadly, that might be the last we see of the series, as Netflix abruptly canceled it in October 2018 as part of a wave of cancellations of projects Netflix co-produced with other studios.

The Crown (2016)

The Crown
84 %
8.6/10
tv-ma 4 Seasons
Genre Biography, Drama, History
Cast Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, Matt Smith
Created by Peter Morgan
Easily the most celebrated British period piece since Downton AbbeyThe Crown follows Queen Elizabeth II — the still-reigning Queen of England, at 93 years old — across different periods of her life, beginning with her 1947 marriage to Prince Philip of Edinburgh. Reception to the series has been overwhelmingly positive, as nearly every aspect of the show — acting, production value, historical accuracy — has been widely praised. The series’ interesting format sees Netflix recasting the role of Elizabeth and other characters season-to-season; Claire Foy starred in seasons 1 and 2 alongside Matt Smith (Dr. Who) and Vanessa Kirby, while Olivia Colman (Peep Show) takes the royal reins in seasons 3 and 4, the latter of which introduces Lady Diana Spencer (Emma Corrin) to the fray, as the show begins its portrayal of her ultimately tragic story. Netflix plans to produce a total of 60 episodes over six seasons.

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Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek…
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