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 30 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.)
‘The Hunting Wives’ (2025)
In this steamy soap opera, Brittany Snow plays Sophie, a Bostonian who moves to East Texas with her husband and son and soon finds herself drawn into a social circle unlike anything she has known before. Malin Akerman plays Margo, the free-spirited wife of a far right political bigwig (Dermot Mulroney) and the ringleader of a group of women who gather to drink, shoot guns and flirt — with hunky men and with each other. “The Hunting Wives” is twisty and trashy, loaded with dark secrets and sex. Our critic wrote, “This lustful, proudly silly drama is just the kind of thing you can be seduced by on a hot day when all you want to do is sit inside and binge.” (“The Diplomat” is another snappy show set in the world of high-stakes politics.)
‘Mom’ (2013-21)
Throughout the eight seasons of this hilarious and emotionally raw sitcom, Allison Janney gave one of the best performances of her career, playing Bonnie Plunkett, a recovering addict belatedly trying to make amends to her long-suffering daughter Christy (Anna Faris). The show tracks these women’s ups and downs as they struggle with money, suffer relapses and endure multiple failures with men, all while continuing to figure out what they want to do with their lives. Nothing ever comes easy in “Mom,” except for the sardonic jokes. Our critic wrote that it “manages the difficult trick of venturing into seriousness without growing overly maudlin or preachy.” (For a different kind of dramedy about complicated mother-daughter relationships, watch “Never Have I Ever.”)
‘Mr. Robot’ (2015-19)
When this visually stylish drama debuted in the summer of 2015, critics and audiences were struck by the show’s cinematic look and incisive take on modern anarchist activism; and they were impressed by the performance of the lead actor, Rami Malek, playing a genius hacker with profound psychological problems. In the years since, Malek has become an Emmy- and Oscar-winning star, and his cyber-terrorist character Elliot Alderson — so alienated, so angry — has become an all-too-familiar type in the political, business and cultural news. Our critic called it a “cyber-age thriller infused with a dark, almost nihilistic pessimism about the Internet, capitalism and income inequality.” But “Mr. Robot” was also incredibly prescient. (“Ripley” is another moody drama about dangerous loner.)
‘Interview with the Vampire’ (2022-present)
Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series receives its first truly worthy screen adaptation with this show, which begins with the first book and mostly follows Rice’s plot, dressed up with some modern flair. Jacob Anderson plays Louis de Pointe du Lac, a former pimp telling the story of how he met the charismatic French bloodsucker Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) in early 20th century New Orleans, beginning a romance that leads Louis down a path of depravity and destruction. Unlike some past adaptations, this TV version of “Interview with the Vampire” takes full account of the story’s historical context, considering the racial, cultural and sexual dynamics of the times. Our critic said it also has “energy and a sense of humor.” (For more sexy historical romance and genre thrills, watch “Outlander.”)
‘The Survivors’ (2025)
Based on a Jane Harper novel, this mini-series is set in coastal Tasmania, where the Elliot family is reeling from a tragedy that occurred 15 years earlier. Kieran Elliot (Charlie Vickers) is the lone survivor of a boating accident that killed his brother and another young man. When Kieran returns home, he finds his parents still traumatized and some of the townsfolk still resentful. But he also learns about another death that happened the day of the accident, and he begins to wonder if there is more to this story than he had always assumed. Our critic wrote, “The show picks up as it goes, and its plot lines nest like Russian dolls, giving the story a real sense of heft and potency.” (“Territory” is another intriguing Australian melodrama about old family secrets that continue to haunt the younger generations.)
‘Dept. Q’ (2025-present)
Based on a series of moody mystery novels by the Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen, this Scotland-set crime series stars Matthew Goode as Carl Morck, a prickly police detective who assembles a team of misfits to tackle cold cases. Written and directed by Scott Frank (best known for the Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit”), “Dept. Q” is about institutional outcasts fighting to prove their use by investigating crimes that have fallen through the cracks of the system — and that sometimes were meant to stay buried. Our critic wrote, “The influence of Nordic noir on the traditional British mystery has been established for several decades now, but Frank adds some American flavor to the cocktail.” (“Black Doves” is another twisty, character-driven British crime show.)
‘The Four Seasons’ (2025-present)
Tina Fey co-created and stars in this TV adaptation of Alan Alda’s hit 1981 romantic comedy movie “The Four Seasons,” about a group of lifelong friends whose regular shared vacations are disrupted when one of the couples — played by Steve Carell and Kerri Kenney-Silver — goes through a divorce. Fey plays Kate, a persnickety planner married to a perhaps too convivial college professor named Jack (Will Forte); while Colman Domingo and Marco Calvani play a seemingly stable couple who secretly aren’t sure if they can grow old together. Our critic wrote, “Some of Fey’s signatures, like social neurosis and a respect for sandwiches, are present here, though deployed less for jokes than for realism.” (Fey also co-created the much loopier Netflix sitcom “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”)
‘Big Mouth’ (2017-25)
Netflix has generally been a haven for adult-oriented animated series, written and voiced by comedians who know that sometimes raunchy jokes are funnier when delivered by cartoons. Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Jenny Slate and Jessi Klein are among the comics involved in “Big Mouth,” which follows a group of junior high schoolers who are tormented day and night by the monsters who embody their uncontrollable adolescent impulses. Our critic calls it “more sweet and insightful than its hormone-drenched premise might lead you to believe.” The show’s complete eight-season run is as refreshingly honest as it is hilarious. (“BoJack Horseman” is another sharp, funny animated series for adults.)
‘Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’ (2023-present)
The title character of this animated series is an elf magician renowned in her world for being part of a team of adventurers who felled a tyrannical demon. When the ageless Frieren attempts to reunite with her comrades, she is startled to find that they are all either elderly, dying or dead. In the poignant and life-affirming “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End,” the hero embarks on a new quest with a new traveling party, returning to some of the locations of her past triumphs — only this time she tries to be more mindful of the people she meets and what their comparatively brief lives are like. (For another sophisticated and sprawling animated fantasy series, watch the epic “Arcane.”)
‘Pernille’ (2021-present)
Henriette Steenstrup created and stars in this Norwegian dramedy about a social worker who has a complicated personal life, including two cranky children, a nephew she has been taking care of since his mother died in an accident, and a father who recently came out as gay. Like a lot of European shows, “Pernille” has short seasons — just six episodes each — but the five seasons that have been released so far provide a generous helping of stories. And Steenstrup is funny and winning as an everywoman who copes with multiple daily crises without ever losing hope. Our critic called it “about as lovely as shows get, endearing but mercifully resistant to treacle.” (The dramedy “Younger” also deals with a middle-aged woman juggling a lot of responsibilities.)
‘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.” Nine years later, it’s still going strong. (For another example of mind-bending TV, watch “Russian Doll,” a science-fiction dramedy about a woman stuck reliving the same day.)
‘The Eternaut’ (2025-present)
Based on a groundbreaking Argentine comic book series, this survival drama is set in a Buenos Aires that has been blanketed by a mysterious, deadly, snow-like substance. Ricardo Darín plays Juan Salvo, an ordinary guy who puts on homemade protective gear and ventures out into the city to look for other survivors. The more people he meets, the more Juan learns about this freaky weather — and about the larger threat that he and his neighbors may be facing. Our critic wrote that the series’s creators “give the snowy cityscapes full of dead bodies and dead vehicles a hushed beauty.” (For another imaginative and absorbing fantasy series, watch the postapocalyptic road trip adventure “Sweet Tooth.”)
‘Adolescence’ (2025)
Part police procedural and part social drama, this British mini-series was co-written by the actor Stephen Graham, who plays a middle-class family man watching in horror as his teenage son (Owen Cooper) is accused of murdering a classmate. Each episode of this procedural mystery takes place in real time, allowing “Adolescence” to take some big, heavy issues — like the alienation and radicalization of modern youth under the influence of the internet — and break them into smaller, intense moments. Our critic wrote, “Its distinguishing features are its depressing realism and the fact that each episode is a continuous scene, which adds to the sense of panic and hurriedness.” (The serial killer thriller “You” offers another bracing take on toxic masculinity.)
‘North of North’ (2025-present)
Set in the Canadian Arctic, this low-key comedy has Anna Lambe playing Siaja, a young Inuk wife and mother who gets tired of being taken for granted by her husband and decides to do something new with her life — which is not easy, in a town of about 2,000 people, where everybody knows everybody. “North of North” is about the quirks of this snow-covered community, far from any big city, where people rely on each other to get through the perpetual cold. But the show is mostly about Siaja trying to become more independent by doing what her neighbors have done for generations: taking whatever resources she can find and putting them to use. (If you enjoy comedies where the location and culture is central to the humor, you should also stream “Derry Girls.”)
‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ (2025)
This Korean romance jumps back and forth across decades, from the 1950s to the 21st century, to tell the story of the enduring love between the poor, ambitious poet and politician Oh Ae-Sun (Lee Ji-eun) and her quiet, decent childhood sweetheart Yang Gwan-Sik (Park Bo-gum). Set mostly in a heavily socially stratified fishing village — and mostly at a time when cultural revolution was in the air in South Korea — “When Life Gives You Tangerines” is a vivid portrait of several historical eras, focusing on the hard-working people whose everyday lives are affected by the whims of the rich and powerful. (The Japanese drama “Asura” is similarly rich, following four sisters who re-examine their family dynamic after they discover their father has been having an affair.)
‘The Clubhouse: A Year with the Red Sox’ (2025)
The documentary producer and director Greg Whiteley — whose team is behind multiple hit docu-series, including “Cheer” and “Wrestlers” — turns his attention to baseball with his latest project. Whiteley got unprecedented access to the Boston Red Sox throughout the 2024 baseball season, tracking a team that had some success but ended the year falling short of the playoffs. There is a rare level of honesty here from talented young players like Jarren Duran, Triston Casas and Brayan Bello, who share the complex preparations that go into every game, along with the mental and emotional struggles they endure whenever they make mistakes. (Be sure to watch all of the other series from “The Clubhouse” crew, starting with “Last Chance U.”)
‘The Residence’ (2025)
Shonda Rhimes’s Shondaland production company is behind this inspired adaptation of Kate Andersen Brower’s nonfiction book “The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House.” Like the book, the series explains how the White House’s domestic staff helps behind the scenes with the affairs of state. But in the TV version, the death of the staff’s Chief Usher (Giancarlo Esposito) during a swanky state dinner adds a lightly comic mystery element. Uzo Aduba plays Cordelia Cupp, a special D.C. police consultant determined to find out what happened and who learns along the way about Washington’s complicated social dynamics. Our critic called the show “fun,” with “ample Agatha Christie references, a whooshing momentum and plenty of intrigue.” (Rhimes’s breakout hit “Grey’s Anatomy” is also available on Netflix.)
‘Dark Winds’ (2022-present)
This combination neo-western and neo-noir is adapted from the detective novelist Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn and Chee book series. Zahn McClarnon plays Joe Leaphorn, a lieutenant in the Navajo Tribal Police, who looks after his people while holding a healthy suspicion of outsiders. Kiowa Gordon plays Jim Chee, Joe’s deputy, who has worked undercover for the F.B.I., gaining intel on radical Indigenous political groups. “Dark Winds” combines complex mystery plots with an insider’s take on Navajo culture for a unique spin on the crime drama that feels like it’s taking place in an older, wilder America. Our critic said the show “has a sensibility that draws you in.” (“Unbelievable” is another hard-hitting crime drama in which the investigators’ personal identities help them do their jobs.)
‘Alone Australia’ (2023-present)
Unlike nearly every other reality show about people surviving in the wilderness, the endurance competition “Alone” — as well as its international spinoff, “Alone Australia” — has no camera crews. Instead, the participants have to record themselves as they build shelters, hunt and forage for food, and try to avoid predators for days, weeks and even months all by themselves. The isolation leads to some moments of self-reflection and quiet awe that are rare for a nature series, although the primary appeal of “Alone” is the chance to watch clever outdoorsy types carve out lives for themselves, far from civilization. Our critic wrote, “The skill and determination many contestants demonstrate is a welcome dose of wonder.” (Some seasons of the original “Alone” are also on Netflix.)
‘Running Point’ (2025-present)
Kate Hudson stars in this lively sports sitcom, based loosely on the life of the Los Angeles Lakers president Jeanie Buss. When a family scandal leaves a basketball-savvy woman in charge of the pro team that her father and brothers ran for decades, she has to overcome sexism, infighting and intense public scrutiny to put the floundering franchise back into playoff contention. The writer-producer team of Mindy Kaling, Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen position this show as the story of an underdog, proving she can handle the big personalities in the world of athletics. Our critic said “Running Point” has “an affable, sunny ease.” (Basketball fans should also enjoy the documentary series “Court of Gold,” a behind-the-scenes look at the 2024 Olympic tournament.)
‘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 a reporter for 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 more complicated than the usual “underdogs versus bullies” arc. Instead, “Cobra Kai” gets into the family histories and the socioeconomic circumstances that made these characters who they are. (“House of Ninjas” is another martial arts drama about how violent family legacies can be hard to overcome.)Watch it on Netflix
‘Squid Game’ (2021-2025)
This colorful, cleverly plotted Korean thriller tells a darkly compelling story about desperate people competing in dangerous contests. In “Squid Game,” a few hundred men and women, most of them deeply in debt, play deadly versions of children’s schoolyard games, fighting for a 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. Our critic wrote, “The delight of childhood here is warped by the cruel economics of the adult world, where one person’s delight is another’s misery.” (Another addicting Korean genre series is “The Devil’s Plan,” about decades of dark secrets in a remote vacation community.)
‘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 their 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 is the one-off special “Cunk on Life”). Cunk’s 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.” (For another smart spin on nonfiction TV, watch “Documentary Now!,” which knowingly parodies classic nonfiction films.)
‘A Man on the Inside’ (2024-present)
It’s rare to see a sitcom based on a documentary, but this adaptation of Maite Alberdi’s 2020 film “The Mole Agent” is a superb adaptation of some unlikely source material, with the series’ creator Michael Schur capturing the doc’s sweet story and wistful tone. Ted Danson plays Charles, a widowed retiree who gets hired by a private detective to go undercover at an old folks’ home to investigate a theft. The more he gets to know the residents, the more Charlie begins to think of them as peers, not suspects. Our critic wrote, “The show is as gentle and mild as baby soap, though it could hardly promise no tears.” (For another humanist comedy created by Schur and starring Danson, watch “The Good Place.”)
‘Detroiters’ (2017-18)
The comic actors Sam Richardson and Tim Robinson both grew up in Michigan and did improv together in Detroit. They later returned to the city to star in this sitcom they co-created about a couple of best friends who run a small-time advertising agency, pouring their hearts and souls into goofy low-budget commercials. “Detroiters” is a salute to friendship and to Detroit, filled with local color and some hilariously raunchy jokes. Our critic praised its “likable idiocy,” and added, “There is a labor-of-love component to the show.” (Richardson and Robinson have continued to collaborate in the meme-generating sketch comedy series “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.”)
‘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.)
‘The Great British Baking Show’ (2010-present)
Home bakers gather in a tent in the English countryside, where they make pastries and breads in front of demanding judges and supportive comedians. The cooking competition show has been done in dozens of different ways, but there’s still 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 a sense of camaraderie. This remains one of the best shows in the genre, even with the multiple changes in hosts and judges over the years. Writing for The Times, Tom Whyman called it “the key to understanding today’s Britain.” (For another classy cooking competition, watch “Top Chef.”)
‘Lost’ (2004-10)
In 2004 — 20 years ago — ABC debuted the science-fiction adventure series “Lost,” beginning with a fantastic pilot episode in which a seemingly random group of airline passengers crash-lands on a mystical island. In the decades since, the show’s reputation has waxed and waned; although these days its rep is on an upswing, as old fans and new get drawn into the mind-bending puzzles, memorable characters, big-budget polish and impressive narrative scope that makes “Lost” so entertaining. Our critic wrote, “Behind all the suspense and scary music, ‘Lost’ shows traces of sly humor — and that is a rare and valuable thing on a network drama.” (The popular science-fiction and horror pastiche “Stranger Things” is one of the many series influenced by the mysteries and character-building of “Lost.”)
‘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 multitalented 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.”)
‘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.”)
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+
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