Top 50 Best TV Shows on Netflix Right Now
Top 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.
Top 50 Best TV Shows on Netflix Right Now
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 and Amazon Prime Video, along with the best TV and movies on Hulu and Disney+.
ImageGuillermo del Toro in one of the introductions to an episode of “Cabinet of Curiosities.” He created the series with the goal of highlighting stories, storytellers and filmmakers he loves.
Guillermo del Toro in one of the introductions to an episode of “Cabinet of Curiosities.” He created the series with the goal of highlighting stories, storytellers and filmmakers he loves.Credit...Netflix
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities’ (2022-present)
The Oscar-winning director-producer Guillermo del Toro is both the host and the creator of this high-class horror anthology series, which features tales of suspense and the supernatural rooted as much in character and atmosphere as in shocks and gore. An ace team of adventurous directors (including Jennifer Kent, Panos Cosmatos and Ana Lily Amirpour) and quirky actors (including Essie Davis, Crispin Glover and Tim Blake Nelson) tackle original scripts and adaptations of short stories by the likes of H.P. Lovecraft and Henry Kuttner. (For another visionary, auteur-driven anthology series, watch “Love Death & Robots.”)
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From left, Eugenio Mastrandrea, Zoe Saldaña, Judith Scott and Keith David in a scene from “From Scratch,” which begins in Florence, Italy.
From left, Eugenio Mastrandrea, Zoe Saldaña, Judith Scott and Keith David in a scene from “From Scratch,” which begins in Florence, Italy. Credit...Aaron Epstein/Netflix
‘From Scratch’ (2022)
Based on Tembi Locke’s memoir of the same name, this mini-series stars Zoe Saldaña as Amy, a lightly fictionalized version of the author: an American who lived abroad in Italy, where she met the love of her life and changed her entire career path. Tembi’s sister, Attica, is the showrunner of the series, which depicts how the heroine’s choices rocked her family back home before an unexpected tragedy helped bring everyone back together. “From Scratch” is a small, personal story that touches on racial and cultural divisions, but it is mostly about the bonds and the passions that make life worth living. (The melodrama “Virgin River” also balances romance, heartbreak, conflict and warmth in another stunningly beautiful location.)
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From left, Joi Schweitzer, Kesi Neblett and Will Richardson in a scene from “The Mole.”
From left, Joi Schweitzer, Kesi Neblett and Will Richardson in a scene from “The Mole.”Credit...Netflix
‘The Mole’ (2001-present)
In this exciting reality competition series, contestants work together to solve puzzles and complete challenging tasks, all while someone in their party is subtly trying to sabotage their missions. The first two seasons of “The Mole” (also available on Netflix) aired in 2001 and 2002 and became a favorite among fans of the genre, though never a big enough hit to compete with the likes of “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race.” After a few attempts to tinker with the format — followed by a long hiatus — the show is back in its original form, with ordinary people trying to identify the secret enemy among them. (For another captivating contest, watch “Alone,” in which solo survivalists try to last as long as they can out in the wilderness.)
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Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale in a scene from “The Watcher.”
Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale in a scene from “The Watcher.”Credit...Eric Liebowitz/Netflix
‘The Watcher’ (2022)
The accomplished TV producer Ryan Murphy puts his distinctive stamp on a strange but true story in the mini-series “The Watcher,” which he created with his frequent collaborator Ian Brennan. Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale play an ordinary couple who find an ideal suburban New Jersey home in which to raise their kids, but then they start receiving disturbingly threatening letters from an anonymous stalker who seems to know a lot about them and their house. The real-life case remains an unsolved mystery, so “The Watcher” creative team has some fun with it, introducing a succession of eccentric characters and suspicious types to keep the audience entertained and unsettled. (“Mindhunter” is another distinctive true-crime saga, about the F.B.I. unit that pioneered the art of criminal profiling.)
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Philip Froissant as Emperor Franz Joseph II and Devrim Lingnau as Elisabeth in “The Empress,” a new Netflix series.
Philip Froissant as Emperor Franz Joseph II and Devrim Lingnau as Elisabeth in “The Empress,” a new Netflix series.Credit...Netflix
‘The Empress’ (2022-present)
The long reign of the 19th century Austrian Empress and Hungarian Queen Elisabeth has been the subject of stage plays, ballets, operas, novels and movies, including the popular 1950s “Sissi” film trilogy. In the latest TV adaptation, “The Empress,” Devrim Lingnau plays Elisabeth as a teenager, who meets and marries Franz Joseph (Philip Froissant) and finds herself at the center of a royal court’s complicated politics and conspiracies. The show plays up the soapy romance and melodrama of this story. A New York Times article about pop culture’s various takes on Elisabeth describes this version as “feistier, wilder and edgier.” (For another addicting take on royalty, watch “The Crown,” about the life of England’s Queen Elizabeth II.)
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Saoirse-Monica Jackson, left, and Nicola Coughlan in the third and final season of “Derry Girls.”
Saoirse-Monica Jackson, left, and Nicola Coughlan in the third and final season of “Derry Girls.”Credit...Hat Trick Productions and Netflix
‘Derry Girls’ (2018-22)
The Northern Irish playwright Lisa McGee spins some bawdy coming-of-age comedy out of her own experiences of growing up in Londonderry in the early ’90s, during a time of intense sectarian violence between Catholics and Protestants. A cast of very funny young women bring a zany energy to the rapid-fire dialogue and fast-paced stories, which are more about typical teenage high-jinks than about bombings and riots. Our critic called the show’s third and final season “a bubblegum-punk document of growing up in a conflict zone, with a feisty, optimistic spirit.” (For a more dramatic take on the turbulent history of the British Isles, watch “Peaky Blinders,” which tracks the changes in the English and Irish criminal underworlds after World War I.)
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Camila Mendes in a scene from “Riverdale.”
Camila Mendes in a scene from “Riverdale.”Credit...The CW
‘Riverdale’ (2017-present)
The original concept for this wildly unpredictable show involved taking the teenage characters from the kid-friendly Archie Comics line and dropping them into a dark and sexy adult mystery, inspired by film noir, soap operas and “Twin Peaks.” Six seasons later, it’s hard to describe what “Riverdale” has become. The head writer, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, and his team have introduced serial killers, demonic cults, supernatural oddities, superheroes, time-jumps, alternate realities and musical episodes. Our critic said, “It chucks the comics’ old clichés for a new pastiche, drawn from decades of moody teen dramas, that occasionally adds up to something new.” (For another twisted riff on Archie characters, watch “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.”)
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Kim Go-eun in a scene from the Korean drama “Little Women.”
Kim Go-eun in a scene from the Korean drama “Little Women.”Credit...Netflix
‘Little Women’ (2022-present)
The Louisa May Alcott novel “Little Women” has been adapted many times, but never quite as it has for this Korean series, which updates the premise to the modern day and then throws in the kind of melodramatic twists that Jo March would love. The show follows three sisters from the financially struggling Oh family: In-joo (Kim Go-eun), an office worker who wishes she could be as fashionable as her colleagues; In-kyung (Nam Ji-hyun), a TV reporter tirelessly pursuing the corrupt; and In-hye (Park Ji-hu), a talented teenage artist. Each woman gets kicked around and then fights back as they stand up to the crooks and phonies among their peers. (“Money Heist: Joint Economic Area” also puts a Korean spin on a popular story, re-imagining the hit Spanish heist drama “Money Heist.”)
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Tom Waes in a scene from “Undercover.”
Tom Waes in a scene from “Undercover.”Credit...Netflix
‘Undercover’ (2019-present)
Set on the border between Belgium and the Netherlands, this complex crime saga follows two mismatched cops (played by Tom Waes and Anna Drijver), posing as a dating couple at a trailer park frequented by an elusive mob boss. While the agents secretly investigate the region’s lucrative ecstasy trade, they also have to figure out whether they can trust each other, given their divergent policing methods: one is methodical, the other more impulsive. With its surprising turns and tense confrontations, “Undercover” dramatizes the danger that comes with cozying up to criminals, even when the ultimate goal is to take them down. (The Israeli action series “Fauda” is another punchy crime story about undercover agents getting in deep.)
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William Zabka in “Cobra Kai.”
William Zabka in “Cobra Kai.”Credit...YouTube
‘Cobra Kai’ (2018-present)
A “30 years later” sequel to the hit 1984 movie “The Karate Kid,” this fan-friendly series — which packs “a surprising emotional punch,” according to Bruce Fretts in The Times — brings back the original’s hero and villain, still played by Ralph Macchio and William Zabka. The story sees them facing off against each other again as mentors to a new generation of karate students. The show has enormous nostalgic appeal, but it is also more complicated than the usual “underdogs versus bullies” story. Instead, “Cobra Kai” gets into the family histories and the socioeconomic circumstances that made these characters who they are. (“Raising Dion” is another family-friendly action-adventure story.)
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Sue Perkins, left, and Mel Giedroyc of “The Great British Baking Show.”
Sue Perkins, left, and Mel Giedroyc of “The Great British Baking Show.”Credit...Des Willie/Love Productions
‘The Great British Baking Show’ (2010-present)
A handful of home bakers gathers in a tent in the English countryside, where they make baked goods in front of demanding judges and supportive comedians. The cooking competition show has been done dozens of different ways, but there’s something special about “The Great British Baking Show,” a life-affirming series in which contestants of various ages and socio-ethnic backgrounds hug one another, cry together and enjoy one another’s company. Writing for The Times, Tom Whyman called it “the key to understanding today’s Britain.” (For a similarly heartwarming food and culture show, watch “Somebody Feed Phil.”)
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Mohammed Amer stars in “Mo.”
Mohammed Amer stars in “Mo.”Credit...Netflix
‘Mo’ (2022-present)
The stand-up comic Mohammed Amer turns his memories of growing up as a Palestinian refugee in Houston, Tex., into a well-balanced mix of comedy and drama in his series “Mo.” Amer plays the title character: a burly, wry, Muslim American hustler, trying to make a life for himself while staying off the government’s radar because his citizenship status is shaky. The show thoughtfully explores what it’s like for this man to grow up in a country — and to embrace its culture — while often being made to feel unwelcome. Our critic wrote, “The show slides among English, Spanish and Arabic — and between goofy and serious — to create a rich and vivid portrait.” (For another look at the immigrant experience — but in Toronto’s Korean Canadian community — watch “Kim’s Convenience.”)
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A scene from “Lost Ollie,” which mixes live-action and computer animation.
A scene from “Lost Ollie,” which mixes live-action and computer animation.Credit...Netflix
‘Lost Ollie’ (2022)
Based on William Joyce’s 2016 illustrated children’s novel “Ollie’s Odyssey,” this mini-series mixes live-action and computer animation to tell the story of a stuffed bunny who wakes up unexpectedly in a thrift store and then urgently tries to make his way home to Billy, the hard-luck little boy he loves. Jonathan Groff voices Ollie, who has an adorable character-design that makes his sometimes harrowing adventures easier to take. The plot may remind people of the “Toy Story” movies, but while “Lost Ollie” is aimed at kids, its themes are heavier than Pixar’s. (“The Cuphead Show” is another stylish animated series with a look that will appeal to children and themes that resonate with adults.)
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Jack Black returned to voice Po in the series “Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight.”
Jack Black returned to voice Po in the series “Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight.”Credit...Netflix
‘Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight’ (2022-present)
The comedian Jack Black returns to the “Kung Fu Panda” franchise for an animated series with a polished look and an action-packed story that stands with the best of the Panda movies. Black again voices Po, the unlikely martial arts master, who in “The Dragon Knight” loses the confidence of the Chinese emperor and citizenry when he accidentally wrecks a village while fighting two thieving weasels. To salvage his reputation, Po joins forces with an English knight (Rita Ora) on a globe-hopping mission to track down those bandits. (For another richly plotted animated fantasy series for the younger set, try “The Dragon Prince.”)
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Chef Curtis Stone, left, and the host Alton Brown “Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend.”
Chef Curtis Stone, left, and the host Alton Brown “Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend.”Credit...Netflix
‘Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend’ (2022-present)
The offbeat cooking competition series “Iron Chef” debuted in Japan in the early 1990s and became popular in the United States a few years later when dubbed episodes started airing on the Food Network. Since then, multiple American versions have been produced, each keeping the original’s quasi-fantasy format, where brave chefs challenge their super-heroic colleagues in a grand stadium under the watchful eye of a capricious “Chairman.” The “Iron Chef” veteran Alton Brown is among the hosts of the Netflix version “Quest for an Iron Legend.” Writing about the franchise back in 2000, our critic called it “a rococo blend of highbrow and low, of culinary artistry and wrestling match vulgarity, of fantasy and practicality.” (For another over-the-top food-themed game show, watch “Is It Cake?.”)
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Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Devi in the third season of “Never Have I Ever,” a semi-autobiographical sitcom based on the writer-producer Mindy Kaling’s teen years.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Devi in the third season of “Never Have I Ever,” a semi-autobiographical sitcom based on the writer-producer Mindy Kaling’s teen years.Credit...Netflix
‘Never Have I Ever’ (2020-present)
For “Never Have I Ever,” Mindy Kaling draws on her own teenage experiences as an overachieving first-generation Indian American who yearns to be part of the popular crowd. This clever and heartfelt sitcom is partly a soapy high school romance and partly a portrait of a well-meaning kid who keeps messing up her social life; and it should be relatable to anyone who remembers the family pressures, personal traumas and unrealistic expectations that keep some youngsters from feeling “cool.” Our critic said this show “moves like a teen comedy and has a sort of ‘Mean Girls’ gloss on high school in terms of its anthropology of teendom and its school aesthetic.” (The latest TV adaptation of “The Baby-Sitters Club” novels is another wonderful coming-of-age dramedy.)
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The British actor Tom Sturridge stars as Morpheus/Dream in “The Sandman.”
The British actor Tom Sturridge stars as Morpheus/Dream in “The Sandman.”Credit...Netflix
‘The Sandman’ (2022-present)
The fantasy author Neil Gaiman’s comic book series “The Sandman” is his signature work: an epic saga that touches on centuries of world folklore and mythology in a story about the Lord of Dreams’s turbulent interactions with the human world. Gaiman is one of the writers and producers of the long-gestating TV series adaptation, which has Tom Sturridge playing Lord Morpheus. The show follows the comic’s episodic structure fairly faithfully, tracking the Dream King’s quest to repair the damage done to reality after he has endured decades of imprisonment. Our critic wrote, “The original series remains a seminal work in the world of comics and beyond.” (For another imaginative and absorbing fantasy series, also based on a DC/Vertigo comic book, watch the post-apocalyptic road trip adventure “Sweet Tooth.”)
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Hunter Moore, as seen in the docu-series “The Most Hated Man on the Internet.”
Hunter Moore, as seen in the docu-series “The Most Hated Man on the Internet.”Credit...Netflix
‘The Most Hated Man on the Internet’ (2022)
One of the more popular subgenres of true crime documentaries is the comeuppance story, in which a person or an organization that has behaved abominably is exposed and punished. With this three-part series, the director Rob Miller and his crew serve up a healthy portion of schadenfreude, telling the story of Hunter Moore, the man behind a popular “revenge porn” site and the women who enlisted the F.B.I. and a hacker collective to bring him down for posting nude photos and videos without the subjects’ permission. It’s a gripping and satisfying tale, rich with irony. (For another fascinating true crime docu-series but with a more ambiguous set of heroes and villains, watch “Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.”)
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Tracee Ellis Ross, Golden Brooks and Jill Marie Jones in “Girlfriends.”
Tracee Ellis Ross, Golden Brooks and Jill Marie Jones in “Girlfriends.”Credit...Ron Tom/UPN
‘Girlfriends’ (2000-07)
This long-running sitcom is similar to hit shows of its era like “Friends” and “Sex and the City” in that it’s also about the professional and romantic highs and lows for an eclectic circle of pals. The key difference? The main characters in “Girlfriends” are all Black women, living in Los Angeles. The group gathers around Joan (Tracee Ellis Ross), an attorney who meddles in her friends’ affairs while often overlooking her own problems. “Girlfriends” offers an alternately funny and soapy look at women who sometimes have to work hard to remain a part of each other’s lives as careers, romance and family keep pulling them apart. (The “Girlfriends” spinoff “The Game” is also available on Netflix.)
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Henry Cavill is a monster hunter with a heart of gold in “The Witcher.”
Henry Cavill is a monster hunter with a heart of gold in “The Witcher.”Credit...Katalin Vermes/Netflix
‘The Witcher’ (2019-present)
This adaptation of the Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels and short stories provides plenty of rip-roaring pulp adventure. Henry Cavill plays the masterly monster hunter Geralt, who travels the land, plying his trade while crossing paths with aristocrats and peasants. The show’s focus is mainly on intense sword-and-sorcery action — with the amusingly jaded Geralt at the center — but there is some complexity to the storytelling in “The Witcher” thanks to the hero’s fascinating history and a narrative that weaves together different timelines. Praising Cavill, our critic said he “brings a convincing physical presence and some wry humanity and emotional depth.” (People who like stories about witchcraft and demons should also watch “Midnight Mass,” a Stephen King-like series about supernatural phenomena in a tiny fishing village.)
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Yoon Chan-young, left, and Lomon in a scene from “All of Us Are Dead.”
Yoon Chan-young, left, and Lomon in a scene from “All of Us Are Dead.”Credit...Netflix
‘All of Us Are Dead’ (2022-present)
This Korean high school horror saga offers an original take on the post-apocalyptic zombie genre, featuring a cast of characters whose daily lives as teenagers are already pretty savage with or without an invasion of the undead. Based on a digital comics series, “All of Us Are Dead” begins at the start of the outbreak and then follows its step-by-step escalation as some students become infected while others try to execute cunning escape plans. The action is bloody and intense. But a big a part of why this show is so popular is some old-fashioned adolescent angst, as these teens must continue coping with cliques and bullying even as society collapses. (For another clever zombie show, watch the Norwegian drama “Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes,” about a woman who rises from the dead with a thirst for blood and a mystery to solve.)
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From left, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Elliot Page and Tom Hopper in “The Umbrella Academy.”
From left, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Elliot Page and Tom Hopper in “The Umbrella Academy.”Credit...Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix
‘The Umbrella Academy’ (2019-present)
The surreal superhero comics series “The Umbrella Academy” was created and written by Gerard Way, the lead singer for the rock band My Chemical Romance. The television adaptation (created by Steve Blackman) retains the original’s wildness, channeling Way’s obsessions with superheroes, science-fiction and teen angst. The result is a visually stylish and unpredictable show about a family of superpowered celebrities who reunite when their adoptive father dies and then have to put aside old grudges to help save the world. Elliot Page leads an eclectic cast, in an adventure where reality is fluid and anything can happen. (For another intense show about strange, intricate conspiracies, try “Archive 81.”)
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An archival photograph of women and girls from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, as seen in “Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey.”
An archival photograph of women and girls from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, as seen in “Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey.”Credit...Netflix
‘Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey’ (2022)
This four-part true crime docu-series doubles as an in-depth study of indoctrination, covering the scandalous story of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its leaders Rulon Jeffs and his son Warren. The directors Rachel Dretzin and Grace McNally, interview former F.L.D.S. members, as well as the journalists and the detectives who investigated reports of child sexual abuse within the church. What emerges is a case study in how authoritarian leaders use isolation, fear and the fostering of an “us against the world” mentality to make the appalling seem normal. (For another riveting true-crime mini-series with a similar setting and themes, watch “Murder Among the Mormons.”)
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A scene from “Dead End: Paranormal Park.”
A scene from “Dead End: Paranormal Park.”Credit...Netflix
‘Dead End: Paranormal Park’ (2022-present)
Based on a Hamish Steele graphic novel series — which was itself based on an animated short Steele wrote and designed — the supernatural adventure cartoon “Dead End: Paranormal Park” is aimed at creative types looking for stories about similarly unique youngsters. Zach Barack voices Barney, a trans boy who along with his autistic friend Norma (Kody Kavitha) gets a job a local theme park’s haunted house attraction, then discovers the rickety old ride contains a portal to a demonic dimension. The two go on to face a variety of strange phenomena together while also learning how to be themselves in a sometimes hostile world. (For another inventive animated series about resourceful kids, watch the Peabody-winning “City of Ghosts.”)
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Ewan McGregor as Halston and Krysta Rodriguez as Liza Minnelli in “Halston.”
Ewan McGregor as Halston and Krysta Rodriguez as Liza Minnelli in “Halston.”Credit...Patrick McMullan/Netflix
‘Halston’ (2021)
Ewan McGregor won an Emmy for playing the American fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick in this five-part mini-series. The fast-paced drama covers several pivotal moments in Halston’s career, from his rise in the 1960s to his decline in his 1980s, as his work with famous clients like Jackie Kennedy, Liza Minnelli and Martha Graham allowed this middle-class Midwesterner to reinvent himself as a cosmopolitan aesthete. Our critic wrote, “See it if you like Ultrasuede, Studio 54 nostalgia and people who speak in aphorisms.” (For an artful and gripping mini-series from a different perspective, watch “Maid,” starring Margaret Qualley as a broke mom trying to catch a break.)
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Sidse Babett Knudsen reprises her role as a powerful politician in “Borgen: Power & Glory.”
Sidse Babett Knudsen reprises her role as a powerful politician in “Borgen: Power & Glory.”Credit...Mike Kollöffel/Netflix
‘Borgen’ (2010-present)
The first three seasons of this Danish political drama first became a favorite of TV connoisseurs back when foreign-language shows were often available only on hard-to-find DVDs and marginal cable channels. Then Netflix made the series more widely available and even more popular, prompting a fourth season, titled “Borgen: Power & Glory.” Throughout its run, this riveting drama has told the story of the pragmatic politician Birgitte Nyborg (Sidse Babett Knudsen), who tries to maintain her ideals and while dealing with the rivals and the press who criticize her initiatives. Our critic wrote, “It is remarkable how much suspense and psychological drama the show squeezes out of cabinet shuffles and health-care-reform bills in a small Scandinavian nation.” (For an equally addicting political thriller about a different era and country, stream “Babylon Berlin.”)
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Jason Bateman in “Ozark.”
Jason Bateman in “Ozark.”Credit...Jackson Davis/Netflix
‘Ozark’ (2017-22)
In this Emmy-winning crime drama, Jason Bateman plays a shady money manager who moves his family to a Missouri resort community, where they adjust to the culture while finding themselves increasingly beholden to criminals. Bateman is also a producer and a director of “Ozark” and is canny enough to give his co-stars room to shine. Julia Garner is especially strong as a damaged young femme fatale while Laura Linney gives one of the best performances of her career as a wife making impossible choices to keep her loved ones safe. Our critic said, “The show isn’t a tragedy — most of the time, it’s a satirical (though quite violent) culture-clash caper with pretensions.” (For another gritty take on crime cartels, watch “Narcos.”)
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Natasha Lyonne in “Russian Doll.”
Natasha Lyonne in “Russian Doll.”Credit...Netflix
‘Russian Doll’ (2019-present)
The most obvious point of comparison for this oddball science-fiction dramedy is the movie “Groundhog Day,” given that the first season of “Russian Doll” is also about a character who keeps reliving the same 24 hours. Here, the trapped person is a sad-sack software engineer named Nadia (played by Natasha Lyonne, who also created the show with Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler). On the night of her 36th birthday, Nadia keeps dying and rebooting — like a video game character — and has to figure out what she needs to change about her life to survive. In Season 2 things get even weirder, as time travel enters the mix. Our critic wrote, “This is a show with a big heart, but a nicotine-stained heart that’s been dropped in the gutter and kicked around a few times.” (For another series about alternate realities, watch the anthology “Black Mirror.”)
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Millie Bobby Brown in the new season of “Stranger Things,” which features longer episodes and older kids but many familiar moments and themes.
Millie Bobby Brown in the new season of “Stranger Things,” which features longer episodes and older kids but many familiar moments and themes.Credit...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.”)
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Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan in “Outlander.”
Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan in “Outlander.”Credit...Starz
‘Outlander’ (2014-present)
“Game of Thrones” may get more attention, but “Outlander” has been just as successful at adapting a sprawling book series that mixes 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 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 German science-fiction series “Dark” features a similar mix of earnest drama and time-travel.)
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Bob Odenkirk in “Better Call Saul.”
Bob Odenkirk in “Better Call Saul.”Credit...Ursula Coyote/AMC
‘Better Call Saul’ (2015-present)
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.)
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Isabelle Huppert guest starred in an episode of ”Call My Agent”.
Isabelle Huppert guest starred in an episode of ”Call My Agent”.Credit...Netflix
‘Call My Agent!’ (2015-present)
Agents are often depicted as the bottom-feeders of showbiz, cynically urging their clients to pursue the most lucrative gigs available, regardless of how undignified. The fun, fascinating French dramedy “Call My Agent!” offers a different perspective, showing the employees of a Paris-based talent agency as passionate advocates for excellence. The characters’ various crises are rooted in the real-life situations agent face, including embarrassing scandals and creative conflicts; and the episodes often feature real European actors, playing themselves. Our critic wrote, “The prickly relationship between fame and art runs through the entire series.” (For another fun and popular French series, watch the twisty heist adventure “Lupin.”)
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Navarro College Cheer during a practice, as seen in Season 2 of “Cheer.”
Navarro College Cheer during a practice, as seen in Season 2 of “Cheer.”Credit...Netflix
‘Cheer’ (2020-present)
At a community college in the small Texas city of Corsicana, a cheerleading program overcomes incredible obstacles to compete for championships every year. “Cheer” documents the pressures faced by Navarro College’s coach, who tries to put the best athletes on the mat while managing injuries, egos and the dreams of these kids — who come mostly from poor and working-class backgrounds. In Season 2, the team and its leaders also deal with downsides of this show’s popularity and the abuse accusations against Jerry Harris, a star of Season 1. Our critic wrote, “Its heart is set less on the question of whether the team will win or lose and more on the players, whose personal lives and emotions rush to the surface as they chase athletic perfection.” (For another engaging docu-series about sports struggles, try “Losers.”)
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A scene from the racing docu-series “Formula 1: Drive to Survive.”
A scene from the racing docu-series “Formula 1: Drive to Survive.”Credit...Netflix
‘Formula 1: Drive to Survive’ (2019-present)
Sports seasons can be a lot like reality series, with characters and story lines that develop across months, one competition at a time. Through its three seasons — with a fourth on the way — “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” has offered auto-racing fans a rare backstage look at everything that goes into a typical race: the business side, the mechanical tinkering and the mental and physical preparation. It’s like “The Great British Baking Show” or “Survivor,” but with superfast cars. In a Times article about the show’s popularity, Luke Smith wrote, “A large part of the success of ‘Drive to Survive’ has come from showcasing the personalities and lives of drivers off the track.” (For another great long-form sports documentary, watch “The Last Dance,” about the triumphs and tussles of the 1990s Chicago Bulls.)
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Kyle Mooney (playing twins) in an episode of “Saturday Morning All Star Hits!”
Kyle Mooney (playing twins) in an episode of “Saturday Morning All Star Hits!”Credit...Netflix
‘Saturday Morning All Star Hits!’ (2021-present)
In this funny, twisted take on 1980s and ’90s cartoons, the “Saturday Night Live” comedian Kyle Mooney plays the SoCal surfer bro twins Skip and Treybor, who swap stale banter while introducing a slate of cheap-looking children’s shows mostly based on toys. The animation producer Ben Jones and the director Dave McCary (who both created the series with Mooney) capture the stiff look and forced enthusiasm of old pop junk while also craftily telling a larger story about the desperate fringes of American showbiz. Our critic wrote, “Mooney’s signature flat affect helps some of the more peculiar elements sneak through, and the show’s aesthetic details are superb.” (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.)
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A scene from Episode 1 of "Voir."
A scene from Episode 1 of "Voir."Credit...Netflix
‘Voir’ (2021-present)
This film-focused docu-series is like the video equivalent of a well-edited movie magazine, with episodes that alternate between thoughtful criticism, personal essays and probing reporting on the art of cinema. Produced by a team of smart cinephiles (one of whom is the director David Fincher), “Voir” is committed to exploring what viewers actually take away from movies, whether it is a feeling of escape, the thrill of the forbidden, a reflection of real life or something else entirely. The series is intended to engage and surprise even the most fervent film buff. (Another must for movie-lovers: the three-part documentary adaptation of Mark Harris’s book “Five Came Back,” about the ways World War II affected Hollywood.)
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From left, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jerry Seinfeld in a scene from the final season of “Seinfeld.” All nine seasons are streaming on Netflix.
From left, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jerry Seinfeld in a scene from the final season of “Seinfeld.” All nine seasons are streaming on Netflix.Credit...NBC
‘Seinfeld’ (1989-98)
“Seinfeld” is often referred to by its co-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, featuring intertwining story lines that convert the minor annoyances of everyday life into a source of complicated and absurd adventures, rewarding to watch and rewatch. Reviewing the early episodes, our critic praised Seinfield himself, saying he is “fascinated with minute details and he collects them with a keen sense of discernment.” (For another landmark show created by a stand-up comedian, watch the sketch comedy series “Chappelle’s Show.”)
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Tim Robinson in “I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson.”
Tim Robinson in “I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson.”Credit...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 two 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 comedy about hellish human behavior, watch “The Good Place.”)
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The masked guards in “Squid Game” mete out violence during the competitions.
The masked guards in “Squid Game” mete out violence during the competitions.Credit...Netflix
‘Squid Game’ (2021-present)
This colorful, cleverly plotted Korean thriller is similar to horror and fantasy films like “Saw” and “The Hunger Games,” with its darkly compelling story of desperate people who must compete in dangerous contests. In “Squid Game,” a few hundred men and women, most of them deeply in debt, find themselves playing deadly versions of children’s schoolyard games, risking their lives for the chance to win an enormous sum of money. The show has become an international sensation in part because of its flashy visual style but also because it speaks to some common anxieties in an age of stagnant wages and diminished social mobility. (Netflix carries a lot of addicting Korean genre series. Next, try “Kingdom,” about an ancient realm confronting a spreading plague.)
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From left, Sierra Capri, Jason Genao and Brett Gray in “On My Block” on Netflix.
From left, Sierra Capri, Jason Genao and Brett Gray in “On My Block” on Netflix.Credit...John O Flexor/Netflix
‘On My Block’ (2018-2021)
There are plenty of snappy teen dramas and sitcoms set among the comfortably middle class and the fabulously wealthy. But across the four seasons of “On the Block,” all that adolescent angst, romance and camaraderie was transplanted to South Central Los Angeles, where a handful of African-American and Hispanic high schoolers handled the usual high school melodrama by day and the complications of living on tight budgets on nights and weekends. Lauren Iungerich, who created the darkly comic MTV series “Awkward,” was one of the creators of “On My Block,” which our critic said has Iungerich’s “off-center charm and quirky comic rhythms.” (For another vibrantly realistic show about Los Angeles natives striving for a better life, watch “Gentefied.”)
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Logan Browning, left, and Antoinette Robertson as fellow students in “Dear White People.”
Logan Browning, left, and Antoinette Robertson as fellow students in “Dear White People.”Credit...Adam Rose/Netflix
‘Dear White People’ (2017-21)
This lacerating social satire loosely adapts the 2014 film by Justin Simien about a group of African-American students managing microaggressions and intra-racial infighting at a mostly white Ivy League university. The show addresses modern collegiate controversies using character-driven, episodic storytelling and a sharp sense of humor; over the course of its run it becomes more daring, culminating in a final season that employs flash-forwards and musical interludes. Our critic wrote that “Dear White People” “keeps the movie’s essence but recognizes that TV is not just the movies with smaller screens and longer run times.” (For another look at contemporary Black culture, watch Spike Lee’s “She’s Gotta Have It.”)
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Michael Aloni in scene from “Shtisel.”
Michael Aloni in scene from “Shtisel.”Credit...Netflix
‘Shtisel’ (2013-present)
After a long layoff, this quietly compelling Israeli series recently returned for a third season, picking up the story of one Haredi Jewish family in Jerusalem a few years after the events of Season 2. Collectively, the entire run of “Shtisel” to date removes some of the mystery of an ultra-Orthodox Haredi community by following one traditionalist rabbi and his grown children as they cope with everyday relationship and career struggles. In a Times article about the show’s popularity, Joseph Berger wrote, “The tension between the Jewish laws that guide their daily lives and the yearnings and whims of the characters make for emotionally powerful television.” (For a different take on faith try “Unorthodox,” an adaptation of a memoir about a woman escaping her strict religious upbringing.)
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Tina Fey having a vision of meeting Oprah Winfrey in an episode of “30 Rock.”
Tina Fey having a vision of meeting Oprah Winfrey in an episode of “30 Rock.”Credit...Nicole Rivelli/NBC
‘30 Rock’ (2006-13)
After Tina Fey’s stint as a “Saturday Night Live” head writer, she created and starred in this Emmy-winning sitcom, set behind the scenes of an “S.N.L.”-like sketch comedy show. “30 Rock” has Fey playing a frazzled writer-producer managing two eccentric, egotistic stars (played by Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski), along with a network boss who is more into profits than art (Alec Baldwin). Fast-paced and madcap, “30 Rock” lovingly savages the modern media business; but it is also, in its own weird way, a sentimental show about co-workers who take care of one another. Writing about the series as a whole, our critic called it “a witty sendup of network television that cut uncannily close to the bone.” (Fey also cocreated the Netflix sitcom “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” which has a similarly loopy sensibility.)
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Stephen Satterfield, left, and Jessica B. Harris on the first episode of “High on the Hog.”
Stephen Satterfield, left, and Jessica B. Harris on the first episode of “High on the Hog.”Credit...Netflix
‘High on the Hog’ (2021)
Based on a book by the culinary historian Jessica B. Harris, this docu-series connects African recipes to American recipes, by way of the experiences of slaves and their descendants. Hosted by Stephen Satterfield, “High on the Hog” is both a vibrant travelogue and a valuable education, going in-depth into the reasons ingredients like rice, ham, okra and yams have become staples. In an essay for the Times, the James Beard award-winning food writer Osayi Endolyn called the series “an incredible reframing of history that reintroduces the United States to viewers through the lens of Black people’s food — which is to say, American food.” (For another globe-hopping culinary docu-series, watch “Salt Fat Acid Heat,” hosted by Samin Nosrat.)
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David Attenborough is more of a presence in “Life in Color,” his new Netflix series, than he has been in many of his nature documentaries.
David Attenborough is more of a presence in “Life in Color,” his new Netflix series, than he has been in many of his nature documentaries.Credit...Gavin Thurston
‘Life in Color’ (2021)
The veteran naturalist and TV host David Attenborough has realized one of his career-long ambitions with the new three-part series “Life in Color,” which relies on special cameras to help depict the world the way animals see it. Shot in exotic locations across the planet, the series emphasizes how color affects a wide variety of creatures as they hunt, eat and mate. Our critic hailed the show’s “dazzling images, here made even more arresting because of the series’s focus on varicolored plumage and skin.” (For a more cautionary take on the natural world, watch Attenborough’s docu-series “Our Planet,” which emphasizes the effects of human progress and climate change on the animal kingdom.)
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From left, Vicky Jeudy, Taylor Schilling and Dascha Polanco in “Orange Is the New Black.”
From left, Vicky Jeudy, Taylor Schilling and Dascha Polanco in “Orange Is the New Black.”Credit...Barbara Nitke/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.)
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Gina Rodriguez in a scene from “Jane the Virgin.”
Gina Rodriguez in a scene from “Jane the Virgin.”Credit...Kevin Estrada/CW
‘Jane the Virgin’ (2014-19)
This spoof of the Latin American soap operas known as telenovelas also wholeheartedly embraces their schtick. “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.”)
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In “The Queen’s Gambit” on Netflix, Anya Taylor-Joy stars as a chess prodigy fueled by copious amounts of alcohol and downers.
In “The Queen’s Gambit” on Netflix, Anya Taylor-Joy stars as a chess prodigy fueled by copious amounts of alcohol and downers.Credit...Phil Bray/Netflix
‘The Queen’s Gambit’ (2020)
Based on a 1983 novel by Walter Tevis — an eclectic writer best-known for “The Hustler” and “The Man Who Fell to Earth” — the seven-part mini-series “The Queen’s Gambit” is about a chess prodigy who struggles with addiction and self-doubt while rising through the international ranks in the 1960s. Anya Taylor-Joy plays the young master, who has a tough childhood she finds hard to shake, even as she’s clobbering her competition. The creators, including Scott Frank, bring just enough ornate visual style to frame Taylor-Joy’s outstanding performance as a woman who gets lost whenever she looks beyond an 8x8 grid. Our critic wrote, “Frank wraps it all up in a package that’s smart, smooth and snappy throughout, like finely tailored goods.” (For more of Frank’s work, watch his western mini-series “Godless.”)
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Aunjanue Ellis and Ethan Herisse in “When They See Us.”
Aunjanue Ellis and Ethan Herisse in “When They See Us.”Credit...Atsushi Nishijima/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)
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BoJack Horseman and Princess Carolyn in “BoJack Horseman.”
BoJack Horseman and Princess Carolyn in “BoJack Horseman.”Credit...Netflix
‘BoJack Horseman’ (2014-20)
It’s hard to explain “BoJack Horseman” to the uninitiated. It’s a showbiz satire about a self-absorbed former TV star trying to mount a comeback. It’s an existential melodrama about the fear of fading relevancy. Oh, and it’s a cartoon in which that former star is an alcoholic horse. Our critic wrote, “The absurdist comedy and hallucinatory visuals match the series’s take on Hollywood as a reality-distortion field. But the series never takes an attitude of easy superiority to its showbiz characters.” (One of the “BoJack” production designers, the cartoonist Lisa Hanawalt, also created the wonderful Netflix animated series “Tuca & Bertie.”)
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