From hidden-gem dramas and thrillers to underrated movies, series, and more – here are 18 titles on Netflix that don’t get enough love.
When it comes to deciding what you want to stream next on a service like Netflix, the staggering amount of content on offer can be both a blessing and a source of frustration. With an endless amount of Netflix series and movies to watch — including both original and licensed titles — you’ll certainly never want for lack of selection. The issue is finding the proverbial needle in the haystack, something that the huge selection of content makes a challenge.
Inevitably, that means there’s plenty of quality fare on the streamer that can slip through the cracks and escape people’s attention. Some of those titles, though, are exactly what we’re going to spend some time walking through in this post.
12 underrated Netflix series to check out
First up, on the TV side of the app, we’ve got 12 hidden-gem and underrated Netflix TV series to check out, many of which are international releases that didn’t necessarily make a huge splash with American audiences.
The TV shows included below encompass everything from docuseries to dramas, comedies, and much more. After that, we’ll take a look at some hidden gems in the feature film category.
Ragnarok
Seasons: 3
Stars include: David Stakston, Herman Tømmeraas, and Theresa Frostad Eggesbø
Summary: In this series’ fictional Norwegian town, the gods Thor and Loki are reincarnated as two brothers who learn how to use their power and strength to battle the forces of evil (which are presented here in the form of environment-destroying corporate titans).
Ragnarok doesn’t ever get mentioned when people talk about the best shows on Netflix, and that’s a shame. It’s definitely worth your time — and tells a much meatier story than anything you’ll get about these same characters from Marvel. All three seasons of the show include high-octane action and stunning set pieces, including one wherein the teenage Magne (who comes to realize he’s the reincarnation of Thor) is locked in a fight with one of the baddies and calls thunder down from the heavens in a way that looks super-cool.The Law According to Lidia Poet
Seasons: 1
Stars include: Matilda de Angelis, Eduardo Scarpetta, and Pier Luigi Pasino
Summary: This six-episode Netflix series dramatizes the story of the first female lawyer in Italy. Played by the fantastic, witty, and beautiful Matilda de Angelis, Lidia Poet is a strong and unforgettable protagonist as she shows off her legal prowess while also fighting for respect and the ability to practice law freely. The series also has a 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, and Netflix has thankfully already ordered a second season.Kleo
Seasons: 1
Stars include: Jella Haase, Dimitrij Schaad, and Julius Feldmeier
Summary: This Cold War-era, German-language spy thriller mixes a Killing Eve-like protagonist with an epic soundtrack and solid storytelling to make this one a no-brainer to add to your watch list — if, that is, you’re a fan of espionage thrillers.
Kleo, the character, is an East German spy who has just spent two years in prison when we meet her. She’s abruptly released upon the dismantling of the Berlin Wall and quickly sets out on a revenge spree that leads from Berlin to improvised electro clubs and Mallorcan fincas all the way to Chile’s Atacama Desert. This show also has something rarely see with spy dramas — specifically, an at-times lighthearted tone, with its refusal to take itself too seriously in evidence even before the opening shot.
There’s a title card that greets us with the following tongue-in-cheek intro:
“This is a true story.”
“None of this ever happened.” Snabba Cash
Seasons: 2
Stars include: Evin Ahmad, Dada Fungula Bozela, and Alexander Abdallah
Summary: If you love gritty crime sagas like Breaking Bad, you need to put this next Netflix series from Sweden on your watchlist right now. The Sweden in Snabba Cash is very much a land of the endless hustle, a place where entrepreneurs fetishize bling and quick cash, and where swaggering business titans with outsized egos make pronouncements like I am the system.
From hungry startup founders to ruthless dope dealers, everyone in this tense drama is after the same thing: The big score. More territory, edging out rivals, launching the next Spotify — it’s all part of the same frantic endgame. “One of the best series of all time,” Ricky Gervais tweeted after finishing Season 2. “The writing, acting, direction, casting, editing, soundtrack, design, and titles are all perfect. The Wire meets Wall Street. Stunning.”
And when you’re finished with Snabba Cash, check out Ahmad in another great Netflix series, Who is Erin Carter, which you can read more about right here.Sunderland ‘Til I Die
Seasons: 2
Stars include: N/A
Summary: This next Netflix series is sort of like a real-life Ted Lasso. It’s about an underrated football club that pretty much follows the same arc as Lasso’s AFC Richmond. Sunderland, though, has more determination than glory, it gets relegated to the lower rungs of English football, and the team fights to claw its way back into the Premier League. And whereas there’s a lot about Ted Lasso that’s absurd and eye-rollingly banal, there’s not a single bit of Lasso-ian cheesiness or eye-rollingly lame “I believe in believe” pablum to be found in this heart-on-its-sleeve Netflix gem.
“Not many people have had it easy in Sunderland,” viewers are told at one point. “It’s a hard place.”
To quote myself, from my earlier review of the show: “I love it because it’s real and because it’s all about ordinary people fighting against the odds. Because Sunderland is an indie band scratching out a living in a world dominated by major labels. It’s about a group of football players and fans who understand it’s the hope that kills you, but who still choose to believe anyway. Because the city of Sunderland is better off holding on to something together, like its beloved football club, than existing apart — every man for himself.”Vendetta: Truth, Lies, and the Mafia
Seasons: 1
Stars include: N/A (it’s a docuseries)
Summary: “If you want to stop me,” the old man with the glasses and huge mustache says to the camera in the Netflix series Vendetta: Truth, Lies, and The Mafia, “you have two options. Either you arrest me, or you shoot me.”
One of my favorite docuseries available on the streaming giant, Vendetta is a show about a small Sicilian TV news station that decided to go head-to-head with the mob.
