Whenever Netflix brings one of its signature series to an end, it almost always tops the list of the most popular shows on Netflix. This week, that honor belongs to The Umbrella Academy, which is wrapping up its four-season run. But last week’s No. 1, A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder, is hanging on at No. 2. That’s going to bode well for its renewal chances.
Also this week, the CBS drama Fire Country has premiered on Netflix and already found a new audience. We’ve seen network shows perform very well on Netflix in the past. My theory is that the longer seasons of network shows make these series more binge-able. And few Netflix originals can match the 22 episodes that Fire Country had in its first season.
Keep reading for the rest of the best shows on Netflix right now. Then check back with us every Friday as we update this list with new shows so you can always find something fresh to watch.
We’ve also rounded up all the best movies on Netflix, the best shows on Hulu, the best shows on Amazon Prime, and the best shows on Disney+ because we take our streaming seriously. Watching while traveling abroad? Use a Netflix VPN to access your country’s catalog from anywhere in the world.
New this week
The Umbrella Academy
For its fourth season, The Umbrella Academy only gets six episodes to wrap up the entire series. Luther (Tom Hopper), Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman), Five (Aidan Gallagher), Viktor (Elliot Page), Diego (David Castañeda), and Klaus Hargreeves (Robert Sheehan) have found themselves in yet another timeline. And if they don’t fix things, this might be the end of the entire world. Again.
Their other adoptive sibling, Ben Hargreeves (Justin H. Min), might hold the key to saving the day. But the Umbrella Academy aren’t the only ones trying to find him.
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama
Stars: Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan
Seasons: 4
Fire Country
Bates Motel star Max Thieriot headlines Fire Country as Bode Leone, a young man who is serving a prison sentence in California. But because the state routinely has devastating fire seasons, Bode gets a chance to join the inmate assisted firefighter program, he potentially has the chance to shorten his time behind bars and redeem himself.
This show is one of the few current broadcast network dramas on Netflix, and that works out in favor for the streamer. Netflix only has the first season of Fire Country at the moment, but that’s 22 fresh episodes for anyone who hasn’t seen it before. It’s a solid drama, and there’s even a third season coming to CBS this fall.
Genre: Drama
Stars: Max Thieriot, Kevin Alejandro, Jordan Calloway, Stephanie Arcila, Jules Latimer
Seasons: 2
Drama
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
Wednesday’s Emma Myers gets her own franchise with A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, which is based on Holly Jackson’s novel series. Pippa Fitz-Amobi (Myers) is the titular good girl, but she’s not that good of a detective. That’s part of the fun, as Pippa throws herself into solving the disappearance of Andie (India Lillie Davies), which is a crime that was pinned on her late boyfriend, Sal Singh (Rahul Pattni).
Sal’s younger brother, Ravi (Zain Iqbal), is one of the few who sees Pippa’s investigation as a chance to clear his brother’s name. Almost everyone else is less than amused by her investigation, especially when she gets uncomfortably close to the truth.
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Stars: Emma Myers, Zain Iqbal, Asha Banks, Raiko Gohara, Jude Morgan-Collie, Yali Topol Margalith
Seasons: 1
Prison Break
Netflix really went all-in on Prison Break, as it now has the original four-season run, the extra season 4 episodes that were released as a standalone film, The Final Break, and the 2017 fifth season revival. But it’s really the first season that has the most thrills as Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) faces the death penalty for a murder he didn’t commit. Lincoln’s brother, Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller), can’t let that happen. So Michael gets himself arrested for armed robbery and sent to the same prison as Lincoln.
Michael also has audacious plans to break himself and Lincoln out of prison. But that’s more than just a two-person job. To get out, the brothers need allies. What they soon find is that not everyone surrounding them can be trusted, and if they get caught, prison is the least of their worries. The lives of their loved ones outside of the prison are also in danger, and they can’t help them from behind bars.
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Stars: Dominic Purcell, Wentworth Miller, Sarah Wayne Callies, Peter Stormare, Amaury Nolasco
Seasons: 5
All American
If you’ve ever wondered how The CW has lasted as long as it has, it’s because soapy teen dramas like All American are big performers on Netflix. The series was originally centered on Spencer James (Daniel Ezra), a high school football player in South Los Angeles who was recruited to play for a more affluent school in Beverly Hills.
That decision is paying off for Spencer in All American season 6, which catches up with him and his best friend, Jordan Baker (Michael Evans Behling), during their last year in college. Both young men are dreaming of a future in pro football, but only one of them will complete the journey that they’ve been planning their entire lives.
Genre: Drama
Stars: Daniel Ezra, Bre-Z, Greta Onieogou, Samantha Logan, Michael Evans Behling, Cody Christian
Seasons: 6
Vikings: Valhalla
Vikings: Valhalla has a lot of ground to cover in its third and final season. Seven years after the events of season 2, Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett), Freydís Eiríksdóttir (Frida Gustavsson), and Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter) each have new challenges to face. For Freydís, her life is largely about keeping her tribe alive and determining if they need to find a new home. Her brother, Leif, is given over to wanderlust as he contemplates what may be his last journey.
Elsewhere, an ideological battle is taking place between King Canute the Great (Bradley Freegard) and the Christians whose influence has spread far and wide. By the end of the season, the world of the Vikings is a very different place than when Valhalla began. And not everyone is going to get the ending they want.
Genre: Drama
Stars: Sam Corlett, Frida Gustavsson, Leo Suter, Bradley Freegard, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson
Seasons: 3
Suits
The summer of 2023 was the summer of Suits on Netflix. But the streamer only had the first eight seasons of Suits, which were largely about attorney Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), and his associate lawyer, Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams). Mike never actually went to law school or passed the bar, but his legal knowledge was so impressive that Harvey hired him and agreed to keep it a secret.
By the time season 9 of Suits arrived, Mike had already been written out the show along with his on-screen lover, Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle). That left Harvey, Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman), and others to contend with Faye Richardson (Denise Crosby), a named partner in their firm whom they desperately want to force out. Mike does show up a few times in the ninth season, leading to one last team-up with Harvey. But not before they go head-to-head in court.
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Stars: Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Rick Hoffman, Meghan Markle, Gina Torres
Seasons: 9
Bridgerton
Against all odds, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) have found the love that they so desperately needed in Bridgerton season 3. But before this couple can get their happy ending, they’ve got a few more trials ahead. Love may conquer all, but secrets have bad habit of turning up and ruining everything.
Penelope pursued a relationship with Colin without revealing that she’s Lady Whistledown, the anonymous gossipmonger who has scandalized the Ton. Penelope was playing with fire when she made up that alter ego, and now she may get burned as one former friend demands that she tell her lover the truth while a false friend also blackmails Penelope over the revelation. Events are coming to a head as Bridgerton season 3, part 2 closes out this chapter of the story.
Genre: Romance, Drama
Stars: Luke Newton, Nicola Coughlan, Adjoa Andoh, Simone Ashley, Golda Rosheuvel
Seasons: 3
Your Honor
Want to see Bryan Cranston break bad again? It’s kind of what he does in Your Honor, a Showtime original series that has come to Netflix. Cranston plays Judge Michael Desiato, an upstanding member of the New Orleans community. Judge Michael is such a straight arrow that he actually tells his son, Adam (Hunter Doohan), that he should turn himself into the police after Adam confesses his role in a fatal hit-and-run accident.
However, the teen that Adam killed just happens to be the son of a mob boss, Jimmy Baxter (Michael Stuhlbarg). Jimmy’s wife, Gina Baxter (Hope Davis), may be even more bloodthirsty than he is once she learns what happened to her son. To protect his own child, Michael slowly leaves his morals behind in the name of family.
Genre: Drama
Stars: Bryan Cranston, Hunter Doohan, Hope Davis, Sofia Black-D’Elia, Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Seasons: 2
Black Sails
Although Black Sails is a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, it really seems more like an excuse to use one of literature’s most famous pirates, Long John Silver (Luke Arnold), as one of the main characters in a sweeping historical pirate epic that pushes the limits of the TV-MA rating. The pirate at the center of this show, Captain James Flint (Toby Stephens), is only mentioned in Treasure Island. But Flint plays a much larger role in this story.
Flint may be one of the few pirates who realizes that their entire way of life is under a larger threat than just the English Navy. Civilization itself is the real enemy, and Flint believes that he’s the man who can unite the pirates of New Providence and preserve their independence. Now, Flint just needs to convince his crew, which is on the verge of committing mutiny. And if Flint can hang on to his power, there are even greater challenges that lie ahead.
Genre: Drama, Action, Adventure
Stars: Toby Stephens, Hannah New, Luke Arnold, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Tom Hopper
Seasons: 4
Baby Reindeer
The name of this British series might lead you to believe that Baby Reindeer is something that it’s not. That’s why we’ll tell you right off the bat that Baby Reindeer is an unfortunate nickname given to Donny (Richard Gadd) by Martha (Jessica Gunning), a woman he barely knows. And because Donny was kind to her, Martha starts displaying stalker-ish behavior.
On some level, Donny must really like Martha, because he turns back from some obvious chances to curb her attachment before he can’t shake her. But once Martha settles on inserting herself into Donny’s life, there’s very little he can do to dissuade her.
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Stars: Richard Gadd, Jessica Gunning, Nava Mau
Seasons: 1
Ripley
If you’ve ever seen Matt Damon’s 1999 film, The Talented Mr. Ripley, then you know the story of Ripley, which is also an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel. The key change here is that the show is filmed in black and white, and the characters are much older than they were in the film.
All of Us Strangers star Andrew Scott takes over the role of Tom Ripley from Damon, and he proves to be just as underhanded on the show as he was in the movie. In 1960, Ripley is hired by the wealthy father of Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) to convince his playboy son to come home after an extended period abroad. But after meeting Dickie and his girlfriend, Marge Sherwood (Dakota Fanning), Ripley becomes enamored with their lifestyle and with Dickie himself. And Ripley will do just about anything to make sure that their good fortune becomes his.
Genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller
Stars: Andrew Scott, Johnny Flynn, Dakota Fanning, Vittorio Viviani, Bokeem Woodbine
Seasons: 1
Vikings
The Viking Age has begun again, now that Vikings has returned to Netflix. The wildly popular historical drama was a big hit for History, as it chronicled the story of a Viking legend, Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), and his heirs during the 8th and 9th centuries.
At the start of the series, Ragnar is a farmer who simply wants to provide for his family. As the series progresses, Ragnar’s exploits and raids help him climb the ranks of the Vikings until he becomes not only their leader, but the King of Denmark as well. However, it’s a dangerous way to live, and even Ragnar’s good fortune can only last for so long.
Genre: Drama
Stars: Travis Fimmel, Katheryn Winnick, Clive Standen, Jessalyn Gilsig, Gustaf Skarsgård, Gabriel Byrne
Seasons: 6
Warrior
Ah Sahm (Boy Kills World‘s Andrew Koji) didn’t migrate from China to San Francisco to fight, but he’s going to put his martial arts skills to the ultimate test in Warrior. The show is set in the 1870s, as two rival Chinese Tongs edge closer to an all-out gang war. Ah Sahm’s fighting prowess soon brings him to the attention of the Hop Wei Tong, who recruit him to their ranks. Ah Sahm also befriends Young Jun (Jason Tobin), the man who will inherit leadership of their Tong.
What Ah Sahm doesn’t initially realize is that his long-missing sister, Mai Ling (Dianne Doan), doesn’t need saving. Instead, she’s the de facto ruler of the Long Zii Tong, which forces Ah Sahm to choose between his family and his newfound comrades.
Genre: Drama, Crime
Stars: Andrew Koji, Olivia Cheng, Jason Tobin, Dianne Doan, Kieran Bew
Seasons: 3
The Crown
Diana (Elizabeth Debicki) is gone when the second half of The Crown’s final season begins, and Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton) is feeling her own mortality at the start of the 21st century. Now, it’s time for Diana’s sons, Prince William (Ed McVey) and Prince Harry (Luther Ford), to come to the forefront.
This half of the season recreates William’s courtship of Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy), while Prince Charles (Dominic West) finally gets to wed Camilla Parker Bowles (Olivia Williams) as Elizabeth wonders what her legacy will be, and how the royal family will endure. Now that the series is over, you can also go back and check out the best performances in The Crown.
Genre: Drama
Stars: Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce, Lesley Manville, Dominic West, Olivia Williams, Elizabeth Debicki
Seasons: 6
The Lincoln Lawyer
The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 began with Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) taking a brutal beating, and that’s also where part 1 of the season left us. Season 2 part 2 picks up from there as Mickey finds himself in quite a bind. His new client Lisa Trammell (Lana Parrilla), is facing murder charges that may land her in prison for life. And the evidence that she may have done it keeps piling up.
To make matters worse for Mickey, he’s falling hard for Lisa. But a true crime podcaster named Henry Dahl (Matt Angel) seems determined to get between them so he can exploit Lisa’s story for his own gain.
Genre: Drama
Stars: Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Neve Campbell, Becki Newton, Jazz Raycole, Angus Sampson
Seasons: 2
Black Mirror
Each episode of the dark sci-fi anthology series, Black Mirror, has a self-contained story, and the first installment of the sixth season actually targets Netflix itself! Schitt’s Creek‘s Annie Murphy stars as Joan, a woman who discovers that the Netflix of her world, Streamberry, is essentially stealing her life in real-time with Salma Hayek portraying Joan’s fictional self in the original series, Joan is Awful.
As with the previous seasons, series creator Charlie Brooker has attracted a lot of big-name performers to share the small screen in his stories. And each episode of Black Mirror is a mind-bending experience.
Genre: Sci-fi, Drama
Stars: Annie Murphy, Salma Hayek, Aaron Paul, Josh Hartnett, Zazie Beetz
Seasons: 6
Beef
If you’ve ever had a moment of road rage, you know that what follows is not usually your best self. In Netflix’s black comedy, Beef, Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) and Amy Lau Nakai (Ali Wong) have a road rage encounter that transforms their lives, and not for the better.
Despite being strangers to each other before the incident, Danny and Amy’s lives become intricately tangled as their mutual rage for each other intensifies. This is not going to end well for either of them, but it’s almost impossible to look away from the carnage they leave in their wake.
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Stars: Steven Yeun, Ali Wong
Seasons: 1
Comedy
The Decameron
Netflix’s The Decameron is about to get medieval on you in a dark comedy that’s part Drunk History and part White Lotus. It’s 1348, and Italy is being ravaged by the Black Death. A group of nobles and their servants are attempting to wait out the plague at the estate of Visconte Leonardo, a man they have never met or seen.
Not even Visconte’s fiancée, Pampinea (Zosia Mamet), has had the pleasure of seeing him, and his servants, Sirisco (Tony Hale) and Stratilia (Leila Farzad), won’t explain why their master is so elusive. There are secrets and new relationships to explore, but the characters on this show can’t hide from death forever. Even their sanctuary faces potential dangers.
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Zosia Mamet, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Tanya Reynolds, Amar Chadha-Patel
Seasons: 1
The sixth and final season of Cobra Kai is being split into three parts, including two this year and one last chapter in 2025. But just because Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) have combined their dojos, it doesn’t mean the conflict is over. In fact, Johnny seems a little too eager to have a fight with their other teaching partner, Chozen Toguchi (Yuji Okumoto).
At stake is the right to send their students to the Sekai Taikai, the world championships of karate. However, their old rival, John Kreese (Martin Kove), has turned up like a bad penny to revive the Cobra Kai brand yet again.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Stars: Ralph Macchio, William Zabka
Seasons: 6
Exploding Kittens
Exploding Kittens is a mature audiences animated series that’s only loosely based on the card game of the same name. In this show’s wacky premise, God has come to Earth in the form of a cat, or Godcat (Tom Ellis), as he comes to be known. You can tell that he’s holy by his white beard. Godcat has also moved in with the Higgins, a dysfunctional family.
Naturally, the devil can’t let this go unanswered, so she becomes Devilcat (Sasheer Zamata) and moves in next door to the Higgins. Sometimes, Devilcat just wants to hang out. But more often than not, Godcat and Devilcat’s presence throws the Higgins family into complete chaos.
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Tom Ellis, Sasheer Zamata, Ally Maki, Mark Proksch, Suzy Nakamura
Seasons: 1
Monk
Can Monk follow in Suits’ footsteps and become a hit streaming series? During both shows’ time on USA Network, Monk was arguably more of a crossover hit. Tony Shalhoub stars as Adrian Monk, a brilliant detective for the San Francisco Police Department who completely unravels after the murder of his wife, Trudy (Stellina Rusich and Melora Hardin). Monk was already suffering from OCD and phobias before Trudy’s death, and his isolation only makes them worse.
Monk’s first nurse, Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram), and her eventual replacement, Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard), actually make a lot of progress with him by getting him back out into the world as a consulting detective to his former colleagues. And Monk’s various quirks often lead to hilarious situations.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mystery
Stars: Tony Shalhoub, Bitty Schram, Jason Gray-Stanford, Ted Levine, Traylor Howard
Seasons: 8
Loudermilk
Loudermilk flew under the radar when it originally aired on the Audience Network, but it’s getting a shot at a larger audience on Netflix. The series stars Sex and the City‘s Ron Livingston as Sam Loudermilk, an ex-movie critic and seemingly recovered alcoholic who has reinvented himself as a substance abuse counselor. Sam also has quite a way with words and sharp quips, which is why he’s not exactly known for his good bedside manner with the people in his support group.
Sam is very much a work in progress when it comes to his own life, but he has found some purpose in sponsoring Claire Wilkes (Anja Savcic). Will Sasso also stars as Sam’s sponsor, Ben Burns. There’s a lot of dark comedy in this series, and you’ll laugh a lot if you’re willing to go with it.
Genre: Comedy, Drama,
Stars: Ron Livingston, Will Sasso, Anja Savcic, Laura Mennell
Seasons: 3
Wednesday
Tim Burton turns his attention to Wednesday Addams in this spinoff from the Addams Family franchise, Wednesday, which focuses on the elder Addams sibling. Jenna Ortega portrays the title character, who is sent off to prep school after an incident involving a high school water polo team and two bags of piranhas. While attending the school, she soon becomes wrapped up in a series of local murders, all while trying to come to terms with her own destiny and her parents’ legacy.
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Jenna Ortega, Christina Ricci, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Seasons: 1
Mystery and Crime
Dexter
When it comes to pretending to be normal, Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) is not very good at being human. On Dexter, the title character is just ordinary enough to operate as a serial killer under the noses of his co-workers at the Miami Metro Police Department. Years before the series began, Dexter’s late adoptive father, Harry Morgan (James Remar), realized what Dexter was becoming and used that knowledge to channel his killer instinct into something “good.”
Good is a relative term, since Dexter murders bad people like killers and rapists who might otherwise get away with their crimes. But as good as Dexter is at cleaning up his messes, his secret has a bad habit of coming out. And he’s far from the only serial killer hanging around in Miami. Some of Dexter’s rival killers are even more dangerous than he is.
Genre: Thriller
Stars: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, Lauren Vélez, David Zayas, James Remar
Seasons: 8
Eric
Eric is set in the 1980s, with Benedict Cumberbatch playing Vincent Anderson, a father facing his worst nightmare. Vincent’s son, Edgar Anderson (Ivan Morris Howe), has gone missing in New York, and Vincent’s fears are personified by Eric, a seven-foot tall puppet character that Edgar came up with for his father’s show.
When Vincent begins seeing Eric as a living being, his sanity has to be called into question. Yet somehow, Eric may be Vincent’s only hope of ever reuniting with his son.
Genre: Thriller
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Ivan Morris Howe, Gaby Hoffmann, McKinley Belcher III
Seasons: 1
The Gentlemen
Much like FX’s Fargo, The Gentlemen is a spinoff of the feature film that shares its name. The key difference is that Guy Ritchie directed the movie and created the TV series, which acts as a standalone story with a brand new cast of characters. Theo James stars as Eddie Halstead, the new Duke of Halstead … but only because his older brother, Freddy Halstead (Daniel Ings), is hopelessly addicted to drugs.
Eddie’s new title comes with a catch because his recently passed father was deep in business with an incarcerated gangster, Bobby Glass (Ray Winstone), who runs an illegal marijuana empire. Now, Eddie has a piece of that empire as well, whether he likes it or not. And he definitely likes Bobby’s daughter, Susie Glass (Kaya Scodelario), even if they’re not always on the same page.
Genre: Crime, Drama
Stars: Theo James, Kaya Scodelario, Daniel Ings, Joely Richardson, Giancarlo Esposito, Vinnie Jones
Seasons: 1
The Night Agent
It took The Night Agent less than a day to race to the top of Netflix’s TV series rankings, and it seems likely to make its leads, Gabriel Basso and Luciane Buchanan, into much bigger stars. As adapted for television by The Shield creator Shawn Ryan, this intense action thriller follows FBI Agent Peter Sutherland (Basso) after he stumbles upon clues that reveal a Russian mole is working inside the U.S. government.
Realizing that the fate of the country may be at stake, Peter will stop at nothing to unravel the conspiracy and unmask the mole. He also has an unlikely ally in Rose Larkin (Buchanan), a young CEO who has already been marked for death by their mutual enemies.
For more on this Netflix show, check out The Night Agent‘s ending explained.
Genre: Mystery
Stars: Gabriel Basso, Hong Chau, Luciane Buchanan
Seasons: 1
Horror
Evil
What’s a Paramount+ original series doing on Netflix? It’s here because Evil wasn’t always exclusive to Paramount+. It was originally on CBS, and now two seasons are available on Netflix, while the third and fourth seasons remain exclusive to Paramount+.
Think of this show as a religious take on The X-Files. Dr. Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers), priest-in-training David Acosta (Mike Colter), and atheist Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi) are hired by the Catholic Church to look into potential supernatural events. Their ongoing investigations cause Kristen’s natural skepticism to be challenged. The group also draws the attention of Dr. Leland Townsend (Michael Emerson), a man who seems to be in league with the evil forces that the team opposes.
Genre: Supernatural, Thriller
Stars: Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Kurt Fuller, Marti Matulis
Seasons: 4
The Fall of the House of Usher
Horror maestro Mike Flanagan has one last miniseries for Netflix before he heads off to Prime Video. Flanagan’s final bow is The Fall of the House of Usher, a modern adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story and a few other works by Poe. In this incarnation, Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood) and his sister, Madeline Usher (Mary McDonnell), own a powerful pharmaceutical company, and they’ve passed on their ruthless streak to the next generation.
That is if there is a next generation. An enigmatic woman named Verna (Carla Gugino) may be behind the gruesome deaths of members of the Usher family. Everything that the Ushers have built is crashing down, and there may be something supernatural behind it.
Genre: Horror, Drama
Stars: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Mary McDonnell, Carl Lumbly, Samantha Sloyan
Seasons: 1
Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities
Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro curated this collection of short films from some of horror’s most visionary, creative directors and writers. The eight stories in the series’ first season hail from a wide range of filmmakers, including Vincenzo Natali (Cube), Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night), Jennifer Kent (The Babadook), and Del Toro himself.
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
Stars: Ben Barnes, Andrew Lincoln, Rupert Grint
Seasons: 1
The Midnight Club
Mike Flanagan, the creator of The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and Midnight Mass, turns his attention to young-adult scares with The Midnight Club, inspired by Christopher Pike’s 1994 novel of the same name. The 10-episode series follows a group of young, terminally ill residents of a hospice who gather each night to tell each other spooky stories. The members of the “Midnight Club” make a pact that whoever dies first will try to send a message from the afterlife. With Flanagan at the helm of this show, be prepared for big scares.
Genre: Horror/Mystery
Stars: Iman Benson, Heather Langenkamp, Igby Rigney
Seasons: 1
Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Lost
Nearly two decades ago, Lost was a cultural phenomenon for ABC on a scale that’s rarely seen, especially among genre shows. The series dropped a very large ensemble cast on a remote island following a harrowing plane crash. With little hope of rescue, Jack Shepard (Matthew Fox), Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly), John Locke (Terry O’Quinn), Sawyer (Josh Holloway), and the rest of the group have to make some hard choices to survive. And it only gets harder when they aren’t on the same page.
Those characters were a large part of Lost‘s appeal, but so were the mysteries of the island itself. There’s more happening than meets the eye, and this uncharted paradise has more than a few deadly secrets. One of the biggest obstacles awaiting the survivors are the Others, a group of people who have been living on the island for decades. Once the two sides come into conflict, only one faction can come out on top.
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Stars: Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Terry O’Quinn, Josh Holloway, Dominic Monaghan, Naveen Andrews
Seasons: 6
Supacell
If you’ve ever seen Heroes, then the premise of Supacell will be very familiar. Of course the setting is different, as five ordinary Black men and women living in South London suddenly gain superhero-like powers. Michael (Tosin Cole) takes the lead after accidentally sending himself into the future, where a dark fate awaits him unless he can bring the other four together.
The problem Michael faces upon his return to the present is that Sabrina (Nadine Mills), Andre (Eric Kofi Abrefa), Andre (Eric Kofi Abrefa), and Tazer (Josh Tedeku) all have their own issues to deal with and little interest in being heroes. Once they realize what they can do with their powers, most of the loosely connected group are only interested in what they can do for themselves.
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Stars: Tosin Cole, Adelayo Adedayo, Eddie Marsan, Yasmin Monet Prince, Nadine Mills
Seasons: 1
3 Body Problem
Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss’ new Netflix series, 3 Body Problem, is a sci-fi drama based upon the Chinese novel The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin. This is not a conventional story, although it’s not hard to guess that alien life is at the heart of the show’s premise.
Without giving too much away, a woman named Ye Wenjie (Rosalind Chao) made a decision decades ago that will eventually have grave consequences for everyone on Earth. An alien threat is coming that is beyond mankind’s ability to handle, and there’s a real question about whether anyone can do anything about it because the arrival may not take place for decades, if not longer. The only advantage that humanity has is time, and even that may not be enough to find a solution.
Genre: Sci-fi, Drama
Stars: Benedict Wong, Jess Hong, Jovan Adepo, Eiza González, John Bradley, Alex Sharp, Rosalind Chao
Seasons: 1
Resident Alien
Meet Harry Vanderspeigle (Alan Tudyk). In Resident Alien, he’s just a normal small-town doctor who’s secretly an alien plotting to exterminate humanity. No big deal, really. Harry could actually succeed in his mission, too, if these pesky human emotions weren’t giving him feelings that are completely alien to him. Harry is also so bad at pretending to be human that he fails to blend in with the crowd.
However, Harry’s most immediate problem is Max Hawthorne (Judah Prehn), the young son of the mayor who can see through his human disguise. As for Max, he’s going to have a hard time convincing anyone that Harry is out to get him.
Genre: Sci-fi, Comedy
Stars: Alan Tudyk, Sara Tomko, Corey Reynolds, Alice Wetterlund, Levi Fiehler
Seasons: 3
The Sandman
Neil Gaiman’s celebrated comic book series comes to life in this adaptation that casts Tom Sturridge as Morpheus, the lord of the world of dreams. When a cruel dabbler in the occult accidentally imprisons Morpheus, it begins a tale that unfolds across multiple generations and through myriad realms and ultimately puts the future of humanity at risk.
In development for more than two decades, The Sandman is a project long thought impossible to adapt faithfully, but the series somehow manages to weave together the enthralling stories and powerful themes of Gaiman’s acclaimed fantasy saga.
Genre: Fantasy
Stars: Tom Sturridge, Boyd Holbrook, Jenna Coleman
Seasons: 1
The Witcher
Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) and Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra) now know who’s been pulling their strings in the Continent, but that knowledge might not be enough to save them as The Witcher returns with the final three episodes of season 3.
With Geralt waylaid and fighting for his life, Ciri (Freya Allan) is off on an adventure of her own that may prove to be a transformative experience. But all roads lead back to Geralt as the series faces a turning point and a very, very long wait until the fourth season arrives.
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Action, Drama
Stars: Henry Cavill, Freya Allan, Anya Chalotra, Eamon Farren
Seasons: 3
Stranger Things
One of the most popular original series on Netflix, Stranger Things has become a cultural touchstone in the short time since its 2016 debut. The series’ opening sequence lays out its sci-fi aspirations clearly: A scientist flees down an empty hallway, pursued by some unseen force that eventually nabs him as he waits for elevator doors to close; it then cuts to a group of kids playing D&D in a suburban basement.
The series is rooted in ‘80s genre nostalgia, from the mysterious creature terrorizing the fictional Indiana town to the secret government agency chasing the group of kids who encounter it. There are pieces of Stephen King, Steven Spielberg, and John Hughes strewn throughout Stranger Things, and the result is a show that will feel immediately familiar to people who grew up with that source material.
For more info on the final season, check out Stranger Things season 5: Plot, date, and casting rumors.
Genre: Sci-Fi
Stars: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown
Seasons: 4
True crime and Docuseries
Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies and Scandal
Is it a crime to have an affair? Or is it only a crime of the heart? Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies and Scandal looks back at the dating site that built its entire business model around the idea of encouraging people to have affairs outside of their normal relationships.
The site claimed that it offered anonymity to its users, but a data breach in 2015 exposed the identities of several prominent individuals and caused a massive scandal. This three-part documentary looks back at the rise and fall of Ashley Madison, as some of the site’s users speak on camera about why they were drawn to the service.
Genre: Documentary, True Crime
Stars: N/A
Seasons: 1
Life on Our Planet
Not many documentaries can boast of having Steven Spielberg as a producer and Morgan Freeman as the narrator, but Life on Our Planet is special. Unlike many documentaries, Life on Our Planet isn’t showing viewers the present or the recent history of our species, it’s going all the way back to the beginnings of the Earth, long before humans showed up.
CGI is used for sequences that could never be filmed, including the rise and fall of the dinosaurs, mass extinction events, and the eventual arrival of humans who may yet manage to destroy themselves without any outside help.
Genre: Documentary
Stars: Morgan Freeman
Seasons: 1
Predators
There are several world-class nature documentaries on Netflix, and the latest addition to that genre, Predators, is all about some of the deadliest hunters in nature. Actor Tom Hardy narrates the series, and naturally, three of the episodes focus on the big cats: cheetahs, lions, and pumas. The remaining two episodes focus on polar bears and wild dogs.
This miniseries offers a rare opportunity to watch these wild creatures facing real challenges to their survival beyond hunting down their next meal. Unfortunately for these magnificent creatures, climate change and natural disasters may prove to be even deadlier than they are.
Genre: Documentary
Stars: Tom Hardy
Seasons: 1
Our Planet II
After a four-year hiatus, Our Planet is back for another season on Netflix, and it remains one of the most stunningly beautiful nature documentaries on the streamer. David Attenborough returns as the narrator of Our Planet II, which once again explores the impact that climate change has had on the environment and the creatures that live all over the world.
One of the major themes of this season is migration, as animals struggle to find new places to survive and thrive as they deal with both predators and pollution. As in the first season, the visuals are breathtaking and this is a unique look at the world that most people have never seen in person.
Genre: Documentary
Stars: David Attenborough
Seasons: 2
Animation
Scavenger’s Reign
In the end, Scavenger’s Reign may have been too bold for Max to handle. But Netflix may be the perfect home for a series that’s best described as the most beautiful sci-fi nightmare that you’ll ever have. The crew of the spaceship Demeter 227 — and that’s a name you should know from Dracula — have crashed on a remote planet known as Vesta, with the survivors scattered in three different groups.
Vesta is not only an alien world, but it’s also very unsuited for human life and hostile toward its unwelcome visitors. And as Vesta starts to change its latest arrivals, both physically and mentally, the planet is also changed in return. And there may be no escape for any of the survivors.
Genre: Sci-fi, Horror
Stars: Sunita Mani, Wunmi Mosaku, Alia Shawkat, Bob Stephenson, Ted Travelstead
Seasons: 1
Masters of the Universe: Revolution
There’s a crisis on Eternia in the next chapter of He-Man’s story in Masters of the Universe: Revolution. For the first time in his life, Prince Adam (Chris Wood) must choose between being the king of his people and being their champion as He-Man. Meanwhile, Teela (Melissa Benoist), undergoes a startling metamorphosis as well.
But those may be the least of Adam and Teela’s problems, as Skeletor (Mark Hamill, one of the best Joker actors ever) reemerges as the harbinger of Motherboard and the Horde. A revolution is coming, and this time He-Man and his allies are badly outnumbered.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Stars: Chris Wood, Mark Hamill, Melissa Benoist, Liam Cunningham, Lena Headey
Seasons: 1
Blue Eye Samurai
Sometimes, a show can sneak up on you and become a breakout hit when you least expect it. That’s what’s happening right now with Blue Eye Samurai, Netflix’s unconventional anime series. Logan and Blade Runner 2049 screenwriter Michael Green teamed up with his wife, Amber Noizumi, to create the series set in Japan’s Edo period when the country was closed off from the world.
Mizu (Maya Erskine) is the titular blue-eyed samurai, a distinctive physical trait that she goes to great lengths to hide in her quest for revenge. Mizu’s skills quickly make her a lot of powerful enemies, even though her greatest secret is that she’s a woman, despite passing herself off as a man. She also tends to leave behind a lot of collateral damage in her wake, because she lets nothing get between her and her deadly goal.
Genre: Anime, Drama
Stars: Maya Erskine, Masi Oka, Brenda Song, Darren Barnet
Seasons: 1
Castlevania: Nocturne
The first Castlevania anime was a crossover hit for Netflix that appealed to fans of the video games that inspired it, as well as horror and animation lovers. Castlevania: Nocturne, picks up a few centuries later and thrusts the story into the middle of the French Revolution. With Dracula out of the picture, the Vampire Queen, Erzsebet Báthory (Franka Potente), is planning an apocalypse that could bring about the end of the world.
It’s going to take some new heroes to defeat Báthory, including Richter Belmont (Edward Bluemel), Maria Renard (Pixie Davies), and a former slave-turned-sorceress named Annette (Thuso Mbedu). Each of the trio has a personal stake in this conflict, but none more than Richter. A vampire killed Richter’s mother, Julia Belmont (Sophie Skelton), and he wants his revenge.
Genre: Fantasy, Horror
Stars: Edward Bluemel, Pixie Davies, Thuso Mbedu, Franka Potente
Seasons: 1
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
This edgy, high-octane anime series is inspired by the Cyberpunk 2077 video game, but you don’t need to know anything about its source material to appreciate the brutal, bonkers adventure it offers. The series follows a young street kid in the neon- and chrome-filled Night City who falls in with a crew of mercenaries and soon finds himself struggling to hold on to his humanity in a world obsessed with cybernetic augmentation.
Genre: Animation
Stars: n/a
Seasons: 1
