Supported by
The 50 Best TV Shows on Netflix Right Now
New shows come to the streaming giant all the time — too many to ever watch them all. We’re here to help.
Sign up for our Watching newsletter to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.
Netflix adds original programming at such a steady clip that it can be hard to keep up with which of its dramas, comedies and reality shows are must-sees. And that’s not including all the TV series Netflix picks up from broadcast and cable networks. Below is our regularly updated guide to the 50 best shows on Netflix in the United States. Each recommendation comes with a secondary pick, too, for 100 suggestions in all. (Note: Netflix sometimes removes titles without notice.)
We also have lists of the best movies on Netflix, Max and Amazon Prime Video, along with the best TV and movies on Hulu and Disney+
‘Sweet Tooth’ (2021-present)
It’s rare to find a postapocalyptic saga as focused on hopefulness and personal connection as “Sweet Tooth,” the writer-director Jim Mickle’s adaptation of Jeff Lemire’s comic book series. Christian Convery plays Gus, a human/animal hybrid who looks like a cross between a deer and a little boy. Alongside a burly guardian (Nonso Anozie) who has his own painful secrets, Gus sets off on a mission to find more of his kind, across a near-future America that has been transformed by a pandemic and a wave of mutations. Along the way these two cross paths with other people trying to fix a damaged world. Our critic wrote, “The show can be brutally dark, and its plague stories are sometimes uncomfortably resonant right now, but it’s also, well, hugely endearing.” (For another imaginative fantasy series, try “The Witcher.”)
‘Scavengers Reign’ (2023)
In this hauntingly beautiful animated series, the survivors of a damaged spaceship are scattered across the surface of a hostile planet, living off random bits of cargo from their vessel and the bizarre plants and animals they find in their new home. The “Scavengers Reign” creators Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner build stories around the hard daily tasks these people have to perform just to stay alive, while surrounded by weird alien lifeforms that defy description. Our critic called the show “a lush, magnificent, hypnotic story of human survival in a place that feels, in a way that sci-fi planets only occasionally manage, truly otherworldly.” (The wry animated series “Carol & the End of the World” is also about people seeking a welcoming place after life-changing catastrophes.)
‘How I Met Your Mother’ (2005-14)
In this snappy sitcom, an aging dad (voiced by Bob Saget) tells one long story to his kids, reminiscing about the romances, job stresses and creative goofing off that he and his closest friends experienced in the early 21st century. This framing device allowed the “How I Met Your Mother” creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas and their ace ensemble of Josh Radnor, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan and Jason Segel to treat young adulthood as a fantastical time, filled with fateful decisions and moments remembered forever as legendary. Our critic praised the show’s “ambitious comic experiments and riffs on the sitcom genre itself.” (Smulders is also part of an impressive ensemble in “Friends from College,” another show about adults still hung up the relationships of their youth.)
‘Bridgerton’ (2020-present)
The accomplished TV producer Shonda Rhimes and her longtime “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal” writer Chris Van Dusen bring their facility for melodramatic storytelling to this soapy historical romance — the television equivalent of a page-turner. Based on Julia Quinn’s series of Jane Austen-inspired novels (and covering a different book in each season), the show is set in Regency-era London, and is concerned with various high-stakes lovers’ games among the aristocracy. With its multiracial cast and its steamy bedroom scenes, “Bridgerton” satisfies both as a provocative social commentary and as a sensationalistic potboiler. Our critic called it “a reliable story in fancy modern packaging.” (The spinoff series “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” is just as entertaining.)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Everybody’s in L.A.’ (2024)
The comic John Mulaney hosted this oddball talk show live on Netflix over the course of six nights in May; and while the (lightly edited) recorded versions of those episodes don’t have the “anything could happen” edge of the original livestreams, they do preserve the wonderfully weird energy. Channeling Merv Griffin and Dick Cavett more than Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel, Mulaney gathers some of his favorite comedians for very loose conversations about the facts of life in Los Angeles (like coyotes and helicopters), intercut with pretaped sketches. Our critic wrote that the show works because Mulaney “has the alien confidence, affect and skills of a talk-show host from an older showbiz era.” (Mulaney also contributes to “Documentary Now!,” which knowingly and lovingly parodies some classic nonfiction films.)
‘Archer’ (2009-23)
The title of this raunchy animated series refers to a hard-boiled, womanizing, stubbornly juvenile assassin (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin), who is the star agent in a private black-ops organization… although he infuriates most of his colleagues. “Archer” is partly a parody of high-tech spy movies and partly a twisted riff on office politics; and over the course of its 14 seasons, the show’s writers kept finding ways to keep their premise fresh without sacrificing the stylish action sequences or dirty jokes. Our critic wrote, “In the age of correctness, everything about these characters is incorrect, a caustic brand of humor that isn’t for everybody but that has brought the show a dedicated fan base.” (“BoJack Horseman” is another sharp, funny animated series for adults.)
‘Heeramandi’ (2024)
The acclaimed Indian filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali makes a rare foray into television with this big-budget historical drama, set during the sunset years of British colonialism. Manisha Koirala plays Mallikajaan, the chief courtesan in an elegant Lahore pleasure palace populated by many of her own family members and catering to an aristocratic clientele. The aspirations, romances and rivalries of Mallikajaan’s ladies play out against the backdrop of the Indian independence moment. In an article about the mini-series for The Times, Mujib Mashal described Bhansali’s approach as “song-filled nostalgia mixed with obsessive attention to light and detail.” (Baz Luhrmann’s 1970s New York period piece “The Get Down” is another lavish hybrid of music and melodrama.)
‘Reba’ (2001-07)
Though the sitcom “Reba” was never one of TV’s biggest hits, it did have an impressive six-season run in the early 2000s, thanks in large part to the personality and popularity of its star. The Country Music Hall of Famer Reba McEntire plays a sharp-tongued Houston woman who is divorced and raising three kids, the eldest (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) of whom gets pregnant as a high school senior and marries her football star boyfriend (Steve Howey). The show is about a seemingly ordinary upper middle class Texas family that goes through sudden upheavals — all without losing their sense of humor. (The excellent recent reimagining of Norman Lear’s beloved 1970s and ’80s sitcom “One Day at a Time” also follows a divorced mother trying to hold her family together.)
‘Fiasco’ (2024)
In this French mockumentary, Pierre Niney (who also co-created the min-iseries with the director Igor Gotesman) plays Raphaël Valande, a first-time feature filmmaker making a technically ambitious World War II picture inspired by his grandmother’s time with the resistance. After the shoot gets off to a bad start, the painfully awkward Raphaël tries too hard to win the crew’s respect via grand gestures and tone-deaf speeches. Making matters worse: The whole production is being plagued by a mysterious saboteur. “Fiasco” spoofs the complications of modern moviemaking, where respecting the sensitivities of the cast and crew often matters more than being a visionary auteur. (The showbiz dramedy “Call My Agent!” is another savvy French series about managing powerful people’s egos.)
‘Baby Reindeer’ (2024)
The Scottish comedian and monologuist Richard Gadd wrote and stars in this unsettling suspense series, adapted from his one-man stage show. Based on Gadd’s own experiences, “Baby Reindeer” is about a struggling comic named Donny (Gadd) who befriends a lonely woman named Martha (Jessica Gunning) and then becomes the target of her incessant, creepily sexual emails. Yet Donny hesitates to put a stop to Martha’s stalking, for reasons revealed over the course of seven gripping and often shocking episodes. Our critic wrote, “It delves into the absolute pits of human experience not with a sage, well-adjusted perspective but with the mischievous bravado of a prop comic at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.” (“Killing Eve” is another twisty thriller about all-consuming obsession.)
‘O.J.: Made in America’ (2016)
Netflix now carries some of the best of ESPN’s “30 for 30” documentaries, including this Emmy-, Oscar- and Peabody-winning five-part mini-series. Directed by Ezra Edelman, “O.J.: Made in America” uses the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson — an N.F.L. Hall of Famer and successful media personality whose mid-1990s trial for the murder of his former wife and her friend captivated and divided a nation — as a hook for a rich exploration of race, wealth, celebrity, sports, domestic violence, the tabloid media and the biases that color our cultural conversations. Our critic said it “has the grandeur and authority of the best long-form nonfiction.” (ESPN’s equally complex Michael Jordan docu-series “The Last Dance” is another must-see for thoughtful sports fans.)
‘Fisk’ (2021-present)
In this Australian comedy, Kitty Flanagan (who also co-created and co-wrote the series) plays Helen Tudor-Fisk, a recently divorced and recently fired attorney who tries to restart her life and career in Melbourne, working for a small firm handling wills and probate. The daughter of an esteemed judge, Helen struggles with other people’s expectations and her own social awkwardness — which becomes a problem, since she has a habit of stumbling into hilarious misunderstandings. Our critic praised the show’s “fun and offbeat style,” which finds the absurdity, humor and humanity in a woman having seemingly one bad day after another. (For a more inspiring take on a woman working in the legal profession, watch the Italian historical drama “The Law According to Lidia Poët.”)
‘Ripley’ (2024)
Based on Patricia Highsmith’s classic thriller novel “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” this mini-series stars Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley, a small-time New York con artist hired to keep tabs on a free-spending rich kid named Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) and Dickie’s girlfriend, Marge (Dakota Fanning), as they lounge around Italy. But as soon as Ripley gets a taste of the couple’s jet-setting lifestyle, he starts making plans to usurp it. The writer-director-producer Steven Zaillian shoots the show in moody black-and-white, taking the story back to his noir roots. Our critic wrote, “Highsmith’s pulpy concoction, with its hair-trigger killings and sudden reversals, is run through a strainer and comes out smooth.” (“The Queen’s Gambit” is another drama about a mercurial misfit, rich in retro style.)
‘3 Body Problem’ (2024-present)
Liu Cixin’s award-winning science-fiction novel comes to the small screen, adapted by Alexander Woo and the “Game of Thrones” showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. The complex, philosophical and sometimes sharply political story sprawls across multiple eras — from China’s Cultural Revolution to the present day — and involves extraterrestrial contact, virtual reality, a rash of mysterious deaths in the academic community, and an eclectic group of young scientists dubbed “the Oxford Five.” Our critic said the show “wrestles Liu’s inventions and physics explainers onto the screen with visual grandeur, thrills and wow moments.” (Fans of time-bending — and genre-bending — science-fiction mysteries should also watch “Bodies.”)
‘Physical: 100’ (2023-present)
In this combination game show and athletic challenge, 100 men and women — mostly from South Korea and representing a range of body types and ages — compete against each other in tests of strength, endurance and agility to determine who has the perfect physique. The elaborate sets are impressive to look at; and the contestants are charming and relatable in their mix of confidence and nervousness. But what really makes the series work is that its various “quests” are diverse enough that being muscular or limber alone does not guarantee a win. “Physical: 100” pushes the audience to question what “a good body” really means. (For a fictionalized version of an extreme reality competition, watch the addicting Korean thriller “Squid Game.”)
‘Girls5eva’ (2021-present)
Equal parts tuneful, hilarious and poignant, this rocket-paced sitcom follows four middle-aged singers — all part of a flash-in-the-pan chart-topping act over 20 years ago — as they attempt a comeback in an era that has all but forgotten them. The multi-talented Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps, Paula Pell and Renée Elise Goldsberry play the group, who enjoy being together again so much that they’re willing to suffer the indignities of the modern music business, where viral fame on the internet has more sway than good songs and decent record sales. Our critic said the show “has a laser focus on media, a breakneck joke pace and a jagged-edged feminist wit.” (For another self-referential sitcom, watch “Arrested Development.”)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Resident Alien’ (2021-present)
The great character actor Alan Tudyk takes on a leading role for this unpredictable series about an invader from space whose genocidal plans go awry when he crash-lands in Patience, Colorado. Taking on the persona of a vacationing doctor named Harry — and then asked to step in when the town’s primary physician is killed under mysterious circumstances — the alien in “Resident Alien” gradually learns more about the species he has been assigned to kill, and wavers on whether or not he really wants to carry out his mission. Our critic said Tudyk “looks to be having a blast playing a crotchety alien in this shaggy, likable science-fiction dramedy.” (“The Signal” is another unique science-fiction series about an astronaut who returns from a mission and begins acting strangely.)
‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ (2013-21)
An ensemble sitcom in the spirit of both “Barney Miller” and “Parks and Recreation,” this show about New York City police detectives stars Andy Samberg as a goofball very good at cracking cases, alongside his precinct’s assortment of amusing eccentrics, led by a stoic captain, played by the late Andre Braugher. The creators Dan Goor and Michael Schur skillfully weave the cops’ episodic comic adventures into larger stories, with sudden turns and lingering consequences. The result is a series that works as both compelling crime fiction and as a warm, weird workplace comedy. Our critic called it “mild, affable and familiar,” and “a show the whole family can snicker at.” (If you like amiable and offbeat crime-solving stories, also try “Monk.”)
‘The Gentlemen’ (2024-present)
The cult-favorite British writer-director-producer Guy Ritchie re-enters the world of his violent and funny 2019 action-comedy “The Gentlemen” with this similarly pulpy series. Theo James stars as Eddie, a wayward aristocrat who inherits his family’s failing estate, along with its ties to multiple crime families. He soon finds himself playing gangster and running afoul of some very rich bad guys, played by Peter Serafinowicz, Ray Winstone and Giancarlo Esposito, among others. What our film critic Manohla Dargis wrote about the movie applies here as well: “The point is cleverness and looking cool, though, mostly the movie is about Ritchie’s own conspicuous pleasure directing famous actors having a lark, trading insults, making mischief.” (If you prefer a more historical perspective on U.K. tough guys, watch the decades-spanning crime saga “Peaky Blinders,” starring Oscar winner Cillian Murphy.)
‘Suits’ (2011-19)
One of TV’s longest-running legal dramas is about a brilliant college dropout named Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), who is hired as an attorney at a high-powered New York firm thanks to Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), a rainmaker with loose ethics. Meghan Markle — yes, the actress who married Prince Harry — plays Rachel Zane, a principled paralegal who falls for Mike and helps protect him from his many rivals, both inside and outside the offices of Pearson Specter. Our critic wrote that the show is about “the snappy banter among the ever-circling pool of sharks at Pearson Specter and the schadenfreude of watching them tear one another apart on a weekly basis.” “Suits” originally aired on USA Network but became a surprise streaming hit when it arrived on Netflix last year, and now a sequel is in the works. (“Royal Pains” is another entertaining show about the problem of rich folks, who seek the help of a concierge medical practice in the Hamptons.)
Watch it on Netflix
‘One Day’ (2024)
Although David Nicholls’ novel “One Day” has already been adapted into a 2011 movie, this 14-episode TV mini-series is more the ideal form for the story, which covers 20 years in the lives of two University of Edinburgh classmates. The artsy Emma Morley (Ambika Mod) and the posh Dexter Mayhew (Leo Woodall) have one painfully awkward date after graduation in 1988, then spend much of their young adulthood crossing paths but failing to become a couple. “One Day” revisits each of them the same day each year, tracking the changes in their careers and relationships. It’s a sweeping tale about the lives and times of two people who might be a perfect match, if they could just stay in the same place long enough. (“Emily in Paris” is another breezy, romantic Europe-set dramedy.)
Watch it on Netflix
‘The Wonder Years’ (2021-23)
The remake of the beloved 1980s and ’90s sitcom “The Wonder Years” has an inspired premise. While the original show followed a white suburban teenager through the turbulence of the late 1960s and early ’70s, the new version considers what that same era was like for a middle-class Black kid (Elisha Williams) in Alabama. Race is at the center of a lot of the new show’s stories, but as with the original, the remake is just as concerned with family, friendships, school, the changing times and growing up. Our critic wrote, “It all goes down gently, with a wry wistfulness that will not surprise anyone who watched the original series.” (For another excellent, culturally specific coming-of-age dramedy, watch “Never Have I Ever.”)
‘Top Chef’ (2006-present)
Cooking competitions do well on TV because kitchen stress and culinary creativity are both highly relatable to most home cooks. Few shows have captured this as well as “Top Chef,” which for over 20 seasons (only some of which are available on Netflix) has assembled some of the most talented chefs from around the world for a contest that has become as prestigious as it is entertaining. Our critic wrote, “For all its generically hyped-up drama, cheesy gimmickry and abject fealty to the tropes of reality television, ‘Top Chef’ really is about cooking: what goes into it; what comes out of it; what reliably succeeds in the kitchen and on the plate; what predictably doesn’t.” (Also stream “The Great British Baking Show,” a similarly involving reality competition series.)
‘Top Boy’ (2011-23)
Similar to “The Wire” in both its subject and its complexity, this British series follows various drug dealers and gang members as they jostle for control of a rough London neighborhood. The first two seasons (filed on Netflix under the title “Top Boy: Summerhouse”) introduce Dushane (Ashley Walters) and Sully (Kane Robinson, a.k.a. Kano), whose partnership frays when rivals start encroaching on their turf. The remaining three “Top Boy” seasons are more ambitious, as Dushane’s business takes him to other countries, populated by new enemies. Our writer called the show “a very English, very gritty example of modern crime drama.” (“Griselda” offers another deep dive into the international drug trade.)
Watch it on Netflix
‘American Nightmare’ (2024)
This true-crime docu-series revisits a story that made national headlines in 2015: the strange case of Denise Huskins, whom the police and the FBI claimed had faked her own kidnapping, aided by her boyfriend Aaron Quinn, in a scenario compared to the movie “Gone Girl.” After the media buzz died down, further investigation revealed that Huskins and Quinn had actually told the truth, and that the local law enforcement had badly failed the couple. “American Nightmare” features extended interviews with both Huskins and Quinn, who describe in riveting detail the horrors they experienced and the miserable aftermath, when they were re-victimized by the people who were supposed to be serving and protecting them. (“Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal” is another twisty true story about justice unduly delayed.)Watch it on Netflix
‘Delicious in Dungeon’ (2024)
Based on Ryoko Kui’s manga series of the same name, the animated “Delicious in Dungeon” is a lightly comic fantasy adventure with a culinary twist. When a band of treasure hunters loses a member of their party to a dragon in a large, elaborate, multilevel dungeon, they decide that rather than regrouping and resupplying, they will press ahead and survive by eating whatever monsters they can slay. In each episode, the heroes dodge traps and venture into new, strange areas, while stopping regularly to make dazzling gourmet meals. The result is an anime that is at once imaginative, exciting and endearingly bizarre. (The stop-motion animated “Pokémon Concierge” is another unusual, entertaining variation on conventional anime.)
‘This Is Us’ (2016-22)
This popular domestic melodrama follows multiple generations of the Pearsons in episodes that typically cut between their past, present and occasionally their future. The Emmy-winning Sterling K. Brown plays Randall, the adopted brother of biological twins Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Kevin (Justin Hartley), the children of Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore). Scattered across the country and leading different lives, the Pearson siblings remain bonded by the challenges they faced in childhood, gradually revealed in stories that touch on how families overcome their flaws. Our critic praised the “cleverly turned dialogue and well-inhabited performances” and promised, “It will leave no button on your psychic control panel unmashed.” (The decades-spanning drama “Firefly Lane” should also appeal to “This Is Us” fans.)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Fool Me Once’ (2024)
Based on a Harlan Coben novel, this thriller series begins with an irresistible premise. Michelle Keegan plays Maya, a former military helicopter pilot still reeling from her husband’s recent murder when she suddenly sees him appear on a nanny cam at their house. While she and a burned-out police detective (Adeel Akhtar) separately investigate the mystery, they each stumble upon a possible conspiracy involving Maya’s wealthy mother-in-law (Joanna Lumley) and the death of another one of her family members. Typical of a Coben story, “Fool Me Once” is packed with surprises; but what makes it so compelling is the relatable reactions of the heroine, who tries to wrest control of a situation that makes no sense. (Netflix carries multiple Coben adaptations, including another exciting British miniseries, “Stay Close.”)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Young Sheldon’ (2017-present)
This prequel spinoff of the hit sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” is built around that show’s most popular character: Sheldon Cooper, an emotionally aloof and fervently fastidious genius, seen here as a precocious adolescent (played by Iain Armitage) in a small Texas town in the late 1980s and early ’90s. Jim Parsons, who played Sheldon on the original show, is an executive producer and also narrates each episode. “Young Sheldon” is emotionally richer than its more broadly comic parent series, telling stories that reach beyond one eccentric kid to encompass the very different lives of his siblings, parents, grandmother and teachers, all coping with challenges to their middle-American traditions and values during rapidly changing times. (For another touching, funny family dramedy featuring an unusually bright youngster, stream “Gilmore Girls.”)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Scott Pilgrim Takes Off’ (2023)
This lively animated series adapts both the cartoonist Bryan Lee O’Malley’s popular graphic novels and the director Edgar Wright’s 2010 live-action “Scott Pilgrim” movie. (Nearly all the film’s original cast members return as voice actors.) The TV version starts in the same place as its predecessors, following a dopey Toronto indie rocker named Scott (Michael Cera), who can only have a relationship with a cool girl named Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) if he defeats her “seven evil exes” in video game-style combat. But O’Malley and the show’s co-creator, BenDavid Grabinski, digress from the main plot, combining outlandish comedy with a more thoughtful look at what it means to be young and romantically reckless. Our critic said the show “exhibits the kind of imagination one would expect from a story featuring superpowered vegans and spying robots.” (For more straightforward animated superhero action, watch “Justice League.”)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Holey Moley’ (2019-22)
This over-the-top miniature golf competition strikes just the right balance between reality TV absurdity and genuine sports drama. The veteran sportscaster Joe Tessitore and the comedian Rob Riggle provide the earnest commentary as various colorfully attired golfers — many of them actually quite skilled at putting — tackle a course full of crazy obstacles and punishing penalties. As the “Holey Moley” competitors putt while wearing suits of armor, or take aim at a green shaped like a pinball machine, or try to make their way past portable toilets with abruptly opening doors (among other indignities), viewers may be surprised to find how genuinely invested they become in the outcome of the game. (The cooking competition “Nailed It!” is another delightfully silly and ridiculously challenging game show.)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Face Off’ (2011-18)
As fun as it to watch people cooking food competitively on TV, some of the best reality series feature contestants who are skilled at more arcane arts and crafts. The long-running “Face Off” is as enlightening as it is entertaining, taking viewers inside a strange and remarkable theatrical subculture: the world of professional makeup artists. The show’s challenges allow the participants to display their talents, ingenuity and imagination as they work with their models to create the kind of characters who populate fantasy and horror movies. Rather than demystifying the process, “Face Off” makes these effects look even more special. (For more fascinating scenes of craftspeople at work, watch “Blown Away,” a reality competition for glassblowers.)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Six Feet Under’ (2001-05)
One of HBO’s first critically acclaimed prestige dramas retains its power to shock and move audiences nearly two decades after its brilliant final episode aired. Created by the Oscar-winning “American Beauty” screenwriter Alan Ball, the series is set in a Los Angeles funeral home, where brothers Nate (Peter Krause) and David (Michael C. Hall) try to overcome difficult market conditions and their widely divergent personalities to keep their business afloat — all while looking after their mom (Frances Conroy) and younger sister (Lauren Ambrose), whose proximity to death has made them both compassionate and reckless. Our critic called the show “a marvelous nighttime soap of the first rank” and “a merciless hour of sex and death.” (The oddly similar horror-tinged Norwegian dramedy “Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes” is also set in a funeral home.)
Watch it on Netflix
‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ (2023)
The writer-director Mike Flanagan returns to the literary horror of his Netflix favorites “The Haunting of Hill House” and “The Haunting of Bly Manor” with this spooky mini-series, which riffs on multiple Edgar Allan Poe characters and stories. Part social satire and part gothic melodrama, the show stars Bruce Greenwood as the head of a scandal-plagued, opiate-peddling family, whose rise and fall is told via flashbacks. A strong cast includes Carl Lumbly, Mark Hamill, Carla Gugino, Mary McDonnell and Henry Thomas, who bring personality and humor to an otherwise grim tale of greed and revenge. (Flanagan also created “Midnight Mass,” a Stephen King-like mini-series about supernatural phenomena in a tiny fishing village.)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Lupin’ (2021-present)
In the early 20th century, Maurice Leblanc wrote dozens of stories about the mysterious gentleman thief Arsène Lupin. In the French adventure series “Lupin,” Omar Sy plays Assane Diop, the son of a Senegalese immigrant and a fervent fan of Leblanc’s books. The twisty and action-packed plot jumps between the past and the present, teasing out the reasons the crafty Assane is so determined to use his heist-planning mastery to wreck the reputation of a powerful family — and considering the consequences if he succeeds. The Times called this show “fleet-footed” and “deliberately old-fashioned,” adding that, “For fans of the original stories, Easter eggs abound.” (For a different kind of action series, try the Israeli thriller “Fauda.”)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Outlander’ (2014-present)
“Game of Thrones” gets more attention, but “Outlander” has been just as successful at adapting a sprawling book series — and at mixing political intrigue with high fantasy. Based on Diana Gabaldon’s novels about a time traveling 20th century English doctor (Caitriona Balfe) and her romance with an 18th century Scottish rebel (Sam Heughan), the show offers big battles, wilderness adventure and frank sexuality. It has a rare historical scope as well, covering the changing times and factional conflicts in Europe and the Americas, across centuries. Our critic wrote that it should appeal to viewers who “have a weakness for muskets, accents and the occasional roll in the heather.” (The postapocalyptic zombie drama “The Walking Dead” is another addicting epic fantasy television series.)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Sex Education’ (2019-23)
Some of Netflix’s best original series are about teenage life but not really made for the teens themselves — or at least not made for them to watch with their parents. In the funny, raunchy British dramedy “Sex Education,” Asa Butterfield and Emma Mackey play unpopular teenagers who struggle with their own sex lives yet find they have valuable insights into their classmates’ hangups, which they dispense to their desperate peers in paid therapy sessions. Our critic described the show as “timely but not hamfistedly topical, feminist, with a refreshing lack of angst about its subject.” (If you enjoy these kinds of mature teen antics, you should also stream “Derry Girls.”)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Band of Brothers’ (2001)
Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg produced this mini-series adaptation of the World War II history book by Stephen A. Ambrose about the experiences of a company of parachute infantrymen, from basic training through the end of the war. Damian Lewis and Ron Livingston give standout performances as two of Easy Company’s officers, in a drama that tells the story of the regiment’s progression across Europe, one grueling battle at a time. Our critic wrote, “It balances the ideal of heroism with the violence and terror of battle, reflecting what is both civilized and savage about war.” (The same creative team also made an equally excellent mini-series about another World War II combat theater: “The Pacific.”)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Insecure’ (2016-2021)
The writer and actress Issa Rae brought some of her own experiences to the “hangout sitcom” genre with this sharp and raunchy series about young Black women balancing boyfriends, friendships and career ambitions in Los Angeles. Rae plays Issa Dee, who alongside her best friend, Molly (Yvonne Orji), tries to be a positive force in the world and figure out her future — while also having fun and making mistakes. Our critic wrote, “Its stories of buppie frustration and romance, set in Los Angeles, aren’t revolutionary, but they’re funny and moving, powered by Ms. Rae’s ear for dialogue of a kind of crystalline, pitch-perfect profanity.” (The sketch series “Key & Peele” also often finds the humor in the lives of middle-class Black professionals.)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Black Mirror’ (2011-present)
Created by Charlie Brooker, the science-fiction anthology series “Black Mirror” is like a 21st century version of “The Twilight Zone,” with a roster of guest stars featuring some of today’s most talented character actors, telling stories drawn from our modern technophobic anxieties. The episodes are slyly plotted and openly cautionary, challenging the audience to ponder how artificial intelligence, social media, computer-generated images and climate change are warping our perceptions of reality. In 2016, our critic called it “hands down the most relevant program of our time.” (For another exciting example of mind-bending TV, watch “Russian Doll,” a science-fiction dramedy about a woman stuck reliving the same day.)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Seinfeld’ (1989-98)
“Seinfeld” is often referred to by its creators, Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, as “a show about nothing,” but that is only partly true. Ostensibly about a self-absorbed stand-up comic (Seinfeld) and his cranky friends, the series became one of the most popular sitcoms of the 1990s thanks to its impressively intricate plots, which convert life’s minor annoyances into complicated and absurd adventures. Reviewing the early episodes, our critic praised Seinfeld himself, saying he is “fascinated with minute details and he collects them with a keen sense of discernment.” (Seinfeld keeps exploring his persnickety obsessions while interviewing some of the funniest people in showbiz in “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.”)
Watch it on Netflix
‘I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson’ (2019-present)
The former “Saturday Night Live” and “Detroiters” writer and performer Tim Robinson created (with Zach Kanin) this fast-paced and funny sketch series, which is steeped in the comedy of obnoxiousness. Nearly every segment is about how people react when someone in their immediate vicinity behaves rudely or strangely. The show is both a sharp depiction of how social mores sometimes fail us and — through three seasons now — a reliable generator of viral memes. Our critic wrote that Robinson “channels a recognizable brand of Midwestern ticked-off-ness: a freak-out that bursts through his mild exterior like a volcano erupting out of a lake of mayonnaise.” (For another divine comedy about hellish human behavior, watch “The Good Place.”)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Beef’ (2023-present)
A road-rage incident boils over into an epic feud in “Beef,” a darkly comic thriller about how the pressures of modern life can curdle into envy and frustration. Steven Yeun plays Danny, a hard-working, self-employed contractor who has an unpleasant encounter in a parking lot with Amy (Ali Wong), a more successful small business owner who is overwhelmed with personal and professional stress. The two strangers charge into an escalating war of revenge that brings some renewed purpose to their lives, even as it threatens to wreck everything they have. Our critic wrote, “What makes this one of the most invigorating, surprising and insightful debuts of the past year is how personally and culturally specific its study of anger is.” (“The Watcher” is another offbeat mini-series about ordinary people dealing with extraordinary hostility.)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Cunk on Earth’ (2023)
For over a decade now, the English comedian Diane Morgan has played a character named Philomena Cunk: a gravely serious television host whose documentaries about culture and history get most of the facts hilariously wrong. The five-part series “Cunk on Earth” — created by the “Black Mirror” mastermind Charlie Brooker — is an excellent introduction to Morgan’s sly, knowing spoof of the stubbornly ill-informed. As Cunk talks with real historians about the evolution of human civilization, her ignorance serves as a biting satire of a certain kind of TV personality, who uses pomposity to mask incuriosity. Our critic wrote, “The show’s comic strategy is simple but relentless.” (Nearly every modern absurdist TV parody owes a debt to the seminal British series “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” which is also available on Netflix.)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ (2015-20)
Easily the most upbeat sitcom ever made about a woman who escaped from an oppressively patriarchal religious cult, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” stars Ellie Kemper as Kimmy, who somehow keeps her youthful enthusiasm when she arrives in New York City after 15 years imprisoned in a bunker. A stellar supporting cast — including Tituss Burgess as Kimmy’s perpetually jobless roommate, Carol Kane as her activist landlord and Jane Krakowski as her overprivileged boss — brings range to this show’s unusually sunny, zingy vision of 2010s New York. Our critic wrote, “The series leavens wacky absurdity with acid wit and is very funny.” (The “Kimmy” creators, Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, also produced the equally hilarious but under-seen sitcom “Great News.”)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Stranger Things’ (2016-present)
The first season of the retro science-fiction series “Stranger Things” arrived with little hype and quickly became a word-of-mouth sensation. Viewers were enchanted by this pastiche of John Carpenter, Steven Spielberg, Stephen King and John Hughes, all scored to ’80s pop. Subsequent seasons have upped the scale of this story of geeky Indiana teenagers fighting off an invasion of extra-dimensional creatures from “the Upside-Down,” while maintaining the focus on likable characters in a familiar milieu. The show has the look and feel of a big summer blockbuster from 30 years ago — “a tasty trip back to that decade and the art of eeriness,” our critic noted, but “without excess.” (If you prefer ’90s teen nostalgia, try “Everything Sucks.”)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Better Call Saul’ (2015-2022)
The “Breaking Bad” prequel series, “Better Call Saul,” covers the early days of the can-do lawyer Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) as he evolves into the ethically challenged criminal attorney “Saul Goodman.” Jimmy occasionally crosses paths with another “Breaking Bad” regular, the ex-cop Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), during Mike’s first forays into the Albuquerque drug-trafficking business. Throughout this incredibly entertaining crime story, these two very different men discover the rewards and the perils of skirting the law as they anger powerful enemies and make trouble for their own allies. Our critic wrote, “Cutting against the desperation and violence that frame it, ‘Saul,’ in its dark, straight-faced way, is one of the funniest dramas on television.” (Also a must-see? “Breaking Bad,” of course.)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Orange Is the New Black’ (2013-19)
Based on Piper Kerman’s memoir about serving time in a minimum security women’s prison, “Orange Is the New Black” is a remarkable showcase for its eclectic cast, depicting a wide spectrum of social classes and sexual orientations. The series was created by Jenji Kohan, who, as our critic wrote, “plays with our expectations by taking milieus usually associated with violence and heavy drama — drug dealing, prison life — and making them the subjects of lightly satirical dramedy.” (For another lively dramedy about feisty women, watch “GLOW,” about the 1980s rise of pro wrestling.)
Watch it on Netflix
‘Jane the Virgin’ (2014-19)
This spoof of the Latin American soap operas known as telenovelas also wholeheartedly embraces their shtick. “Jane the Virgin” starts as the story of an aspiring writer who is accidentally impregnated through an artificial insemination mix-up. The show then gets wilder, with at least one crazy plot twist per episode — all described with breathless excitement by an omnipresent, self-aware narrator. Our critic called it “delicious and dizzyingly arch.” It’s also emotionally affecting, featuring a nuanced portrait of three generations of Venezuelan-American women in Miami. (For another wild mix of heart-tugging melodrama and wacky comedy, try the musical series “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.”)
Watch it on Netflix
‘When They See Us’ (2019)
As a producer and director, Ava DuVernay has tackled the Civil Rights Movement, in her Oscar-nominated film “Selma,” and racial bias in the American criminal justice system, in her Emmy-winning documentary “13TH.” In her four-part mini-series “When They See Us,” she dramatizes the story of the Central Park Five, who were convicted of raping and almost killing a jogger in New York City in 1989, then exonerated in 2002. Salamishah Tillet wrote that the Five “emerge as the heroes of their own story — and if we pay heed to the series’s urgent message about criminal justice reform, ours too.” (For another politically pointed true-crime drama stream “Unbelievable,” which examines gender bias in policing)
Watch it on Netflix
An earlier version of this article misspelled the given name of an actress who plays Queen Elizabeth II in "The Crown." She is Claire Foy, not Clare.
An earlier version of this article referred incorrectly to the participants of “Love Is Blind.” They are in different rooms, not blindfolded.
An earlier version of this roundup misstated the educational background of the character Mike Ross, played by Patrick J. Adams, in “Suits.” He dropped out of college, not law school.
How we handle corrections
Advertisement