30 must-see TV shows on Netflix, including Originals and classic TV series.
Looking for the best Netflix shows right now? We update this list of the 30 best TV shows on Netflix every week, offering you a big spread of different types of series to choose from. We’ll help you get the most from Netflix’s original dramas and comedies, and highlight anything else besides that we think is worth adding to your Watch List. What sets Netflix apart as a service is original shows like Stranger Things, The Witcher and The Crown, which collectively justify the subscription price. We’ve just added mystery drama Manifest to this list of the best Netflix shows in the US, replacing previous entry Masters of the Universe: Revelation. In October, too, Seinfeld is finally coming to the streamer. If you’re looking for movie recommendations instead, check out our best Netflix movies list. We also have a piece on the best Netflix documentaries, too, if you’re in the mood for factual entertainment. This mystery drama about a passenger plane that lands years after it took off has proved such a hit on Netflix US that it’s reportedly saving the show from cancelation – giving it a fourth and final season of 20 episodes. The puzzle box nature of the show means it’s a good fit for streaming, and unlike Netflix’s own originals, this one clocks in at a lean and snackable 40 minutes per episode. This dense ensemble drama might sound a little Lost-y, but it goes in some pretty different directions by comparison. You’ve probably seen it haunting the Netflix charts for months now, but this isn’t a bad time to get involved, with a revival on the cards. Seasons on Netflix: 3 On paper, a show about the new chair of an English department at a fancy college sounds a little stuffy – but this comedy has a bunch of reasons to recommend it. First, Sandra Oh is the lead in an absolutely stacked cast of veteran actors. Secondly, it’s genuinely funny. Thirdly, each episode is only 30 minutes long! If you’re bored of overly long prestige dramas on Netflix, The Chair is the show you’ve been waiting for. You’ll burn through the whole thing in a weekend no problem, and have a really enjoyable time doing it. Seasons on Netflix: 1 If you’re looking for a weird, wild and definite acquired taste on Netflix right now, no one can argue that new miniseries Brand New Cherry is not that. This ’90s-set show is about Lisa Nova (Rosa Salazar), an aspiring filmmaker who comes to LA with the intention of making a movie, and pitches to a producer – but it doesn’t pan out the way she wants it to. We’ll leave it there for plot specifics, but you will not guess what happens next. This horror-infused thriller show is clearly just meant to be experienced – stylistically, there’s a lot to appreciate, and it might remind you of the works of David Lynch of Nicolas Winding Refn (The Neon Demon, in particular). Like we say, this is definitely not for everyone, but by episode 2 you’ll know if its…whole deal is for you. Catherine Keener and Manny Jacinto are among those in the supporting cast. Seasons on Netflix: 1 This was an unexpected treat. All seven seasons of 30 Rock are now available to stream on Netflix US – which is a nice way to fill The Office-shaped hole in your life. This NBC sitcom is about the behind-the-scenes goings-on of a fictional Saturday Night Live-like sketch comedy show led by showrunner Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), who hires obnoxious movie star Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) to give it a shot in the arm. If that sounds a bit Inside Baseball because it’s about the making of a TV show, know that it’s broadly enjoyable and genuinely hilarious – it helps that different characters in the show bring their own comedic energy. Alec Baldwin’s Jack Donaghy, for example, is a preposterous network exec with clever, smart line delivery, while low-ranking NBC page Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) opens it up to more slapstick and silly humor. While the show probably peaks around its third season, the whole run is worth watching. Seasons on Netflix: 7 After a heck of a long wait, offbeat but beloved sketch comedy show I Think You Should Leave returns for another season on Netflix. It won’t take you long to binge both seasons – each episode is only 15 minutes long. The basic setup of a lot of its sketches is the same: someone performs a faux pas, then takes that awkward moment to such extremes that it escalates in its strangeness. It’s definitely an acquired taste, but then so many of the best things are. Episode titles like ‚They have a cake shop there Susan where the cakes just look stunning‘ and ‚I need a wet paper towel‘ only underline the strangeness. Seasons on Netflix: 2 The word ‚Lupin‘ might make you think of a million anime movies, and this French series literally uses thief character Arsène Lupin as a point of inspiration for its protagonist. Omar Sy plays Assane Diop, the son of a Senegalese immigrant who was wrongly imprisoned for theft, at the behest of his powerful employer. Decades after his father commits suicide, Assane plots revenge on the employer’s family, using ‚gentleman thief‘ skills inspired by the Lupin character. The Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier is behind this watchable series – with only five episodes available right now, it won’t take you long to get through it. Part 2 of the show is available now, and two more are coming in the future. Seasons on Netflix: 2 (parts, rather than seasons) Netflix’s latest comic book adaptation couldn’t have less to do with superheroes. This post-apocalyptic fantasy series is about a half-human, half-deer boy who travels across the ruined world with a hardened protector – searching for a new life amid the ruins of America. If you’re in the mood for something that just about counts as warm family viewing but has an edge, don’t miss Sweet Tooth. If you enjoy it, check out Jeff Lemire’s wonderful comics that the show is based on afterwards. Sweet Tooth season 2 is officially on the way. Seasons on Netflix: 1 Adult CG animated anthology Love, Death and Robots just returned for its second, shorter season of episodes. Like all anthologies, the quality varies between episodes, but taken as a larger work, this show has a lot to give. The ideas vary wildly between comedy and drama, with a dark touch at the heart of the series – what happens if a home-cleaning unit starts trying to kill its owner? What happens if a yoghurt tries to secure world domination? Sometimes, an episode is as simple as a woman being on the run from a killer after witnessing a horrible murder. The episodes are super short, so you’ll fire through this entire series in no time. Love, Death and Robots offers some of the best sci-fi thrills on Netflix – we just wish there was more of it. If you want to watch just the best episodes, check out our handy ranked list of every Love, Death and Robots episode. Seasons on Netflix: 2 Netflix has enjoyed plenty of success with its fantasy TV offerings in recent times. Shadow and Bone, then, had plenty to live up to in a genre that also contains The Witcher, but it more than holds its own with an adventurous and twisting plot, investable characters and lots of drama. It can take a couple of episodes to get into Shadow and Bone, and there could have been a bit more in the way of action. Once you’re invested in its story and characters, though, Shadow and Bone is a world you can easily get lost in – and one you’ll want to. Netflix has confirmed it’s making Shadow and Bone season 2, too. Seasons on Netflix: 1 Highly influential sketch show Chappelle’s Show vanished from Netflix US last year, but has now returned to the service after comedian Dave Chappelle made a deal with the series‘ owners that gave him a good payday. That means you can now enjoy this innovative series‘ run of amazing jokes, recurring characters and occasional poor taste gag in full – including one of our favorite skits, which accurately portrays PS2-era Grand Theft Auto as it would play out in real life. Seasons on Netflix: 3 This bold and sexually-charged Netflix period drama, based on Julia Quinn’s romance novels, has quickly become the talk of the ‘ton’. It follows a coterie of young socialites as they navigate a season of balls, betrothals, and betrayals in 1813 London – and attempt to outmanoeuvre the mysterious Lady Whistledown, whose ‘gossip sheets’ are able to make or break a debutante’s reputation overnight. It’s largely a blast, with sharp screenwriting, costumes and backdrops bursting with color, and playful covers of Taylor Swift or Ariana Grande on period-appropriate instruments. Its diverse casting is a relief, too, underlining Bridgerton’s willingness to modernize and shake up an often stuffy genre. It’s not all smooth sailing, particularly in its troublesome treatment of sexual assault in one unfortunately memorable episode.
