35 must-see TV shows on Netflix, including Originals and classic TV series.
Want to watch the best Netflix shows? This list of the best TV shows on Netflix US is updated every week with new suggestions of things to check out within the service’s monstrously big library. We cycle out older shows as they leave the service, and update with new suggestions of things to check out. The latest entry in our list is Midnight Mass. If you enjoyed Netflix horror series The Haunting of Hill House and Bly Manor, this comes from their same creator – Mike Flanagan. It’s definitely worth a watch as Halloween approaches. But there’s a lot more on our list of the best Netflix series besides. There are critically acclaimed Netflix originals including Stranger Things and Sex Education (whose third season has just arrived), dramas such as Manifest, and far more besides. Our best Netflix movies list covers film recommendations, while our best Netflix documentaries offers up plenty of factual entertainment options, too. If you’re here solely for something TV show-related, though, read on. The Haunting of Hill House creator Mike Flanagan returns with a new show, this time about a young man (Zach Gilford) who returns to his secluded island home of Crockett to serve a parole sentence. At the same time, a new priest (Hamish Linklater) arrives just as miraculous events start occurring across the island – leading the whole community to embrace religion in an unprecedented fashion. Something dark, however, lurks beneath the surface of this place. There’s a touch of Wicker Man-esque folk horror to this series, which honestly takes a little too long to start getting scary (three episodes, in fact), but it’s well worth binging this 7 episode miniseries. Even though some of its discussions around religion are entirely played out, the characterization here is sharp – and Linklater absolutely steals scenes as a new community leader who you don’t feel like you can trust. Seasons on Netflix: 1 The Haunting of Hill House creator Mike Flanagan returns with a new show, this time about a young man (Zach Gilford) who returns to his secluded island home of Crockett to serve a parole sentence. At the same time, a new priest (Hamish Linklater) arrives just as miraculous events start occurring across the island – leading the whole community to embrace religion in an unprecedented fashion. Something dark, however, lurks beneath the surface of this place. There’s a touch of Wicker Man-esque folk horror to this series, which honestly takes a little too long to start getting scary (three episodes, in fact), but it’s well worth binging this 7 episode miniseries. Even though some of its discussions around religion are entirely played out, the characterization here is sharp – and Linklater absolutely steals scenes as a new community leader who you don’t feel like you can trust. Seasons on Netflix: 1 This Toronto-based TV sitcom may have ended in April of this year, but it’s still one of the better situation comedy shows to emerge in the past decade or so. The series depicts the Korean-Canadian Kim family, who run a convenience store in the city’s Moss Park neighbourhood. Kim’s Convenience, though, foregoes traditional slapstick moments and pseudo-comical elements about immigration; instead choosing to focus on sharp and clever humor that provide multiple laughs throughout each episode. As the show that gave Simu Liu his big break in the industry, we ultimately have Kim’s Convenience to thank for the star of Marvel’s Shang-Chi movie. If that isn’t reason enough to celebrate it, we don’t know what is. Seasons on Netflix: 5 Starring Gillian Anderson and Asa Butterfield alongside a slew of previously unknown actors, this British comedy is a treat. It’s about the students, parents and teachers of Moordale Secondary School, where Butterfield plays Otis, the son of sex therapist Dr Jean Milburn (Anderson). He teams up with Maeve (Emma Mackey) to open their own in-school sex education clinic, and help fellow students out with their various issues. It’s a very empathetic and heartwarming show that expertly explores topical issues around sexual identity and gender, and it’s really funny to boot. With season 3 now out on Netflix, too, there’s no better time to jump in and catch up on this particular show. Fingers crossed there’s a Sex Education season 4. Seasons on Netflix: 3 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.
