TL;DR Some of the most frequently recommended Netflix original series include "Stranger Things," "Dark," "BoJack Horseman," "Mindhunter," and "Arcane."
Popular Netflix Originals
Several shows consistently appear across discussions as top picks for Netflix originals. "Stranger Things" is often highlighted for its nostalgic 80s vibe and engaging storyline [1]. "Dark," a German sci-fi thriller, receives praise for its complex narrative and has been listed as a top favorite by many users
[5:10]. "BoJack Horseman," known for its unique animation style and deep exploration of mental health themes, is frequently mentioned as one of Netflix's best offerings
[4:3]
[5:6].
Critically Acclaimed Series
"Mindhunter," a crime thriller based on real FBI profiling cases, is another series that garners significant acclaim. It's noted for its gripping storytelling and character development [2:6]
[5:8]. "Arcane," an animated series set in the League of Legends universe, has been lauded for its stunning visuals and compelling plot
[4:1]
[4:5].
Diverse Genres and Unique Storytelling
Netflix's strength lies in its diverse range of genres. Shows like "The Queen’s Gambit," which combines drama with a focus on chess, have captivated audiences worldwide [3:9]. "Squid Game," a South Korean survival drama, became a global phenomenon for its intense and thought-provoking narrative
[5]. Additionally, "Love, Death + Robots" offers a collection of animated shorts that explore various science fiction themes, praised for its creativity and innovation
[4:1].
Underrated Gems
While some series receive widespread recognition, others are considered hidden gems. "Sense8," a sci-fi drama about interconnected individuals, is appreciated for its inclusivity and ambitious storytelling [5:4]. "The OA," despite its cancellation, has a dedicated fanbase that appreciates its unique narrative structure and imaginative plot
[4:4].
In conclusion, Netflix offers a wide array of original series that cater to diverse tastes, from thrilling dramas to innovative animations and heartfelt comedies. Whether you're looking for something critically acclaimed or a hidden gem, there's likely a Netflix original series that will capture your interest.
Stranger Things
Breaking Bad
Better Call Saul
Dark
Black Mirror
BoJack Horseman
Ozark
Arcane
Cobra Kai
Haunting of Hill House
You
Orange is the New Black
Sex Education
Outer Banks
Wednesday
Mindhunter
Squid Game
Bridgerton
Ginny & Georgia
Lupin
Weak Hero
Never Have I Ever
Alice in Borderland
Adolescence
Beef
The Crown
Narcos
Queen’s Gambit
Money Heist
The Umbrella Academy
One Piece (Live action)
Locke & Key
Blue Eye Samurai
Peaky Blinders
House of Cards
Love Death + Robots
Dead to Me
Mr Robot should be on the list.
It’s on Netflix??
Yes, I'm watching it as I type this
Atypical
Dept. Q
The Diplomat
The Recruit
Definitely the diplomat
The Sandman
The Glory
Well I try not to include non-Netflix Original series' like Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul in a Best of Netflix discussion. Other than that I think it's a fine list. I would add one of my favorites, Atypical to the list.
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Oh y mindhunter That’s a miss. But still a good list The first 3 seasons of stranger things are incredible
That lack of Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad...I mean, what are you doing? That's just stupid.
Top 5 best shows I've ever watched
No 'better call saul', the end of the f***ing world', 'superstore', 'arrested development', etc etc???
Best TV show of all time? Homicide: Life on the Street and you can now see it on Peacock.
Not a fan of cops in general, but how the David Simon book comes to life is incredible. Great characters, I sincerely love this show. Richard Belzer, André Braugher, Yaphet Kotto, Melissa Leo is a goddess, Michelle Forbes, Kyle Secor. It's just great show and it hasn't been available to view for decades. You can see how the Wire developed out of this incredible network show.
Mindhunter is one of the best show Netflix will ever have
If only it had just one more season!!!!
Blue Eye Samurai is one of the most beautifully animated series I’ve ever seen. Interesting characters and story, not to mention incredibly choreographed fights
Just watched it based off your recommendation, excellent show
I couldn't recommend this show enough!!
I loved Suits.
Agreed it’s an amazing show, but it’s on Prime.
Edit. I’m totally wrong. It’s on Netflix. Sorry. Pantheon absolutely deserves to be on the list.
Stranger Things
Dark
Black Mirror
BoJack Horseman
Ozark
Arcane
Cobra Kai
Haunting of Hill House
You
Orange is the New Black
Sex Education
Outer Banks
Wednesday
Mindhunter
Squid Game
Bridgerton
Ginny & Georgia
Lupin
Weak Hero
Never Have I Ever
Alice in Borderland
Beef
The Crown
Narcos
Queen’s Gambit
Money Heist
Umbrella Academy
One Piece (Live action)
Blue Eye Samurai
Peaky Blinders
House of Cards
Love Death + Robots
Not in any particular order btw
One of the most incredible limited series I’ve ever seen, as a loose fan of Poe. The way they mixed in soooo many of his works and made them all so cohesive, and still managed to keep us guessing until the end (even if you knew the stories they were based on). I’m a huge fan of Mike Flanagan in general, but I truly believe that is in his top three shows/movies.
Controversial, but The OA was a standout. The cinematography is wild. The acting is pretty solid. The story is fun. I get why it isn’t people’s cup of tea tho.
I loved the first season but couldn’t get into the second.
Season 2 lacked the “wtf is going on?” that sucked me in with the first. But it had such good world building. Really hope they get the rights back eventually and can make the remaining 3ish seasons novels/graphic novels. Those contracts are predatory as fuck.
Absolutely agree! You might enjoy the Turkish show The Gift. It’s on Netflix. Reminded me of the OA.
Santa Clarita is one of my favs! So creative and hysterical!
My biggest thing with the show was how whenever some kind of conflict came up with a character, the rest of the family would sideline the current situation and focus on helping them. When there was a disagreement, they figured it out. Every episode ended with everyone in an interpersonal good place. It was so wholesome, as well as being weird and hilarious.
You missed Scott Frank's work Queens Gambit, and the new one Dept Q
Dept Q was so good!
Such an underrated show
Dead to Me!
Godless is so underrated imo
Queens gambit.
Umbrella academy
Black mirror is immense
bojack horseman
OA but it was canceled.
Arcane
Seconding Arcane.
I’m a big fan of Castlevania, Mindhunter, Love, Death, and Robots, and so on. but Arcane simply blew it out of the water for me
dark
To qualify as a Netflix Original the show must have debuted and only aired on Netflix. I’m sure most of you know that but I thought I would be clear of the definition. My top 5 are:
The Umbrella Academy
Stranger Things
Ozark
Squid Game
Dark
What are your top 5 Netflix Originals?
Ok, it took way longer than I imagined because I didn't know any other way but to just count the damn things, but I managed to tally up everything from u/Roo2695 sorted by new. I will update it later with the new votes but I need a break.
I added The title's IMDB score mostly for you to reference but it also gave me a way to organize all of the ties. (Special shout out to u/PRguyhere for boldly picking the lowest rate Floor is Lava)
Hope this helps some people find themselves a good new show to watch. To the cool people that commented in a nice clean list form; you rock. Then there were people that didn't even use commas and I had to figure out what shows like Meat Eater Maid were...
I kept with the spirit of OP's actual question, anyone who voted 6, I just counted the first five. I didn't count the honorable mentions, and tried to only add Netflix originals according to how the comments reacted to the lists. I'm not an authority on that matter. Anyway Here's the list so far:
Stranger Things: (8.7) 113
Ozark: (8.4) 70
Squid Game: (8.2) 67
Queens Gambit: (8.6) 55
Mindhunter: (8.6) 61
Dark: (8.8) 49
Bojak Horseman: (8.7) 45
The Haunting of Hill House: (8.6) 44
Sex Education: (8.3) 42
The Witcher: (8.2) 40
The Umbrella Academy: (8.0) 36
Narcos: (8.8) 30
Black Mirror: (8.8) 28
You: (7.7) 27
DareDevil: (8.6) 25
The Crown: (8.6) 23
Kingdom: (8.4) 20
OA: (7.8) 17
House Of Cards: (8.7) 15
Castlevania: (8.3) 15
Midnight Mass: (7.8) 14
Russian Doll: (7.8) 15
Master of None: (8.3) 13
Formula 1 Drive to Survive: (8.6) 12
Sense8: (8.3) 12
Love, Death and Robots: (8.5) 11
The Last Kingdom: (8.4) 9
American Vandal: (8.2) 9
Orange Is the New Black: (8.0) 9
Alice in Boarderland: (7.7) 9
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: (7.6) 9
Atypical: (8.3) 8
Dead To Me: (8.0) 8
Bridgerton: (7.3) 8
Maid: (8.6) 7
End of the Fucking World: (8.1) 7
Big Mouth: (7.9) 7
Altered Carbon: (8.0) 6
G.L.O.W.: (8.0) 6
Never Have I Ever: (7.8) 6
Maniac: (7.7) 6
Anne With an E: (8.7) 5
F Is For Family: (8.0) 5
Shadow and Bone: (7.7) 5
The Haunting Of Bly Manor: (7.4) 5
The Punisher: (8.5) 4
Grace and Frankie: (8.2) 4
Bloodline: (7.9) 4
Into The Night: (7.9) 4
I Think You Should Leave: (7.9) 4
A Series of Unfortunate Events: (7.8) 4
Santa Clarita Diet: (7.8) 4
Elite: (7.5) 4
Lost In Space: (7.3) 4
Young Royals: (8.6) 3
After Life: (8.4) 3
Derry Girls: (8.4) 3
Money Heist: (8.2) 3
Travelers: (8.1) 3
Bodyguard: (8.1) 3
Marco Polo: (8.0) 3
On My Block: (8.0) 3
She-Ra: Princess of Power: (7.9) 3
Extracurricular: (7.7) 3
Lupin: (7.5) 3
The Ranch: (7.5) 3
The Circle: (7.3) 3
Clickbait: (7.2) 3
Black Summer: (6.5) 3
Crash Landing on You: (8.7) 2
The Dragon Prince: (8.4) 2
Unbelieveable: (8.4) 2
Godless: (8.3) 2
Somebody Feed Phil: (8.3) 2
Dorohedoro: (8.1) 2
Terrace House: (8.1) 2
Wild Wild Country: (8.1) 2
7 Deadly Sins (8.0) 2
Aggretsuko: (8.0) 2
Great Pretender: (8.0) 2
Lilyhammer: (8.0) 2
How to Sell Drugs Online Fast: (7.9) 2
Jessica Jones: (7.9) 2
Sweet Tooth: (7.9) 2
Outer Banks: (7.6) 2
13 Reasons Why: (7.5) 2
Marianne: (7.5) 2
Ragnarok: (7.5) 2
Sabrina: (7.5) 2
Tiger King: (7.5) 2
Lock and Key: (7.4) 2
The Baby Sitters Club: (7.4) 2
Virgin River: (7.4) 2
Luke Cage: (7.3) 2
Ratched: (7.3) 2
Brand New Cherry Flavor: (7.2) 2
Hemlock Grove: (7.1) 2
The Society: (7.1) 2
Girlboss: (7.0) 2
Snowpiercer: (6.9) 2
Cursed: (5.9) 2
Another Life: (5.0) 2
When They See Us: (8.9) 1
It’s Ok Not to be Ok: (8.7) 1
Lenox Hill: (8.7) 1
Love on the Spectrum: (8.6) 1
Making a Murderer: (8.6) 1
Sacred Games: (8.6) 1
Signal: (8.6) 1
Stranger: (8.6) 1
Hilda: (8.5) 1
Please Like Me: (8.5) 1
Vincenzo: (8.5) 1
Broadchurch: (8.4) 1
Last Chance U: (8.4) 1
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance: (8.4) 1
Troll Hunters: Tales of Arcadia: (8.4) 1
Longmire: (8.3) 1
Scissor Seven: (8.3) 1
Club de Cuervos: (8.2) 1
One Day at a Time: (8.2) 1
Vagabond: (8.2) 1
Dirty Money: (8.1) 1
Lovesick: (8.1) 1
Manhunt: (8.1) 1
Samurai Gourmet: (8.1) 1
Unorthodox: (8.0) 1
Suburra: (7.9) 1
Erased: (7.8) 1
iZombie: (7.8) 1
Norsemen: (7.8) 1
Alias Grace: (7.7) 1
Crashing: (7.7) 1
Glitch Techs: (7.7) 1
Hotel Beau Sejour: (7.7) 1
Teenage Bounty Hunters: (7.7) 1
The Naked Director: (7.7) 1
Working Moms: (7.7) 1
All American: (7.6) 1
Girl From Nowhere: (7.6) 1
Meat Eater: (7.6) 1
Messiah: (7.6) 1
The Serpent: (7.6) 1
Everything Sucks!: (7.5) 1
Feel Good: (7.5) 1
Ginny and Georgia: (7.5) 1
3%: (7.4) 1
Age of Samurai: (7.4) 1
Better Than Us: (7.4) 1
Sweet Home: (7.4) 1
Sweet Magnolias: (7.4) 1
W/ Bob and David: (7.4) 1
Green Frontier: (7.3) 1
Barbarians: (7.2) 1
Disenchantment: (7.2) 1
Frontier: (7.2) 1
Kakegurui: (7.2) 1
The Chair: (7.2) 1
Astronomy Club: (7.1) 1
Trese: (7.1) 1
Valhalla Murders: (7.1) 1
The Upshaws: (6.9) 1
Canon Busters: (6.8) 1
Disjointed: (6.8) 1
Gypsy: (6.8) 1
Heist: (6.8) 1
The Barrier: (6.8) 1
The Order: (6.8) x 1
Tribes of Europa: (6.8) 1
Space Force: (6.7) 1
Pokemon Journeys (6.6) 1
Detention: (6.4) 1
Dear White People: (6.2) 1
Love is Blind: (6.1) 1
Mismatched: (5.5) 1
Floor is Lava: (5.3) 1
Peaky Blinders, Cobra Kai, Suits, Vikings, Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul all were mentioned but are the more obvious ones that are not originals. They are all certainly worth a watch though.
I left in some of the controversial ones or ones that so many picked I just left it. Such as You, or Black Mirror etc. I can remove them if people want me to.
Some said the whole Marvel Series as their answer which is cool but hard to tally. Most people didn't distinguish the two Narcos so I left it as on. Most did however distinguish the Haunted Hill shows so I kept the votes separate.
I didn't add the Standups but the ones people suggested were Chapelle, Bo Burnham, and Gad
Movies that I saw listed were Bruno, Mercy, and A Marriage Story.
Bodyguard, Longmire, Last Kingdom (first two seasons), iZombie, Derry Girls, Manhunt (depending on which one) and Broadchurch aren't Netflix originals. All were made and aired somewhere else first.
Season 3 is essentially a spin off so i don’t count it. The first two seasons are perfect in my eyes
Sense8
American Vandal
Bojack Horseman
Alias Grace
Mindhunter
Finally see Sense8 on someone's list! Such a great show
Bojacks number 1 but good list
Only season 1, but 2, 3 and any other seasons going forward are Netflix Originals.
Bojack Horseman
Master of None
Stranger Things
The Dragon Prince
Atypical
BoJack Is best show Netflix ever made
Not enough Bojack on these lists.
DARK
Mindhunter
Sex Education
Stranger Things
Drive to Survive
Was not an F1 fan but absolutely loved Drive to Survive, definitely got me into it. Another good sport show is Sunderland Till I Die, all about the ins/outs and highs/lows of soccer over in England
Please list something that is actually entertaining to watch and somewhat addicting . So hard to find something decent to watch that actually catches my attention !! Just list your favorites from best to worst don’t need to go into detail . Thanks netflixers!
I just watched the Residence. I liked it a lot.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Loved that show!
Such a great show
I found that show to have very, very limited watchability. Every episode is the same. Gets a court case, and she recalls some obscure law to win it.
Way to predictable and repetitious.
a little corny, but i liked it
I thought it was going to be so predictable but we every time I thought I knew what was gonna happen they switch it up
When is that season 2 dropping?
Animal Kingdom
The Fall of The House of Usher
The Haunting of Hill house
Mindhunter
Mind hunter, so addictive
I watched this out of pure boredom - hadn't heard anything about it - one of my top 3 on Netflix. Easily. Amazing show.
I tried out a few episodes of S1 and did not like it - should I have stuck it out?
The person you’re asking just commented it as the best Netflix show in the past 10 years, I reckon yes is a safe bet
My absolute favorite show. I wish I'd never seen it just so I could watch it again for the first time.
Especially the first season. 10/10.
Second season was still solid - but maybe a 7-8/10.
Yea agreed, but would probably bump season 2 up to an 8.0-9.0. A bit rushed toward the end, but even with that I feel like it was satisfying enough for me. Definately would have been better with either a few extra episodes or a 3rd season to get the pacing right.
Season 1 was perfect. Season 2, I felt like halfway through they were told "BTW there will be no season 3, gotta wrap it up" so the writers jammed a bunch of shit in without really fully explaining it... It was still good, but not great.
1899 also. It's a shame it got axed. The first season is still well worth a watch but it ends on quite a significant cliffhanger that will never get revealed.
I've been trying to get more people to watch it, fantastic television.
I firmly believe 90% of everybody who watches it would say it's the best show ever made.
Loved Ozark. Great characters and awesome story. Was sad when it ended.
If you liked Dark, look for the show 12 Monkeys. Severely underrated gem.
Agree. As much as I'd love to answer Mindhunter, the fact it will never be finished will always irk me. Ozark is complete and was solid from start to finish.
Mass-popularity wise, I really do love Stranger Things. But I'm ready for it to wrap and time will tell if they knock it out of the park or not.
I’m your opinion what do you think is the best Netflix original tv show, I like sex education, chilling adventures of Sabrina and I think they bought the rights to lucifer but the last season of that was so bad haha
Hard to pick a favorite but I'd lean towards Mindhunter.
It's incredibly easy for me - Mindhunter.
It's the only TV show on Netflix I've ever actually enjoyed. Only one season though, I dropped off in season 2 because it got too on-the-nose.
Mindhunter is fantastic and I wish it would come back.
I want to sue the world for them canceling that amazing show, now we are getting a show about a man getting Pregent lol
I saw ep1 and was quite boring. Do I have to power through a few episodes?
Yes definitely.
Best TV show ever.
This is the kind of show that you need to watch at least 2x and the second time you watch is even more impressive when you connect the dots.
You need to get until EP-3 to get it going. Also need to keep a book & pencil to remember characters until then. Its an amazing show.
For me personally it's either Ozark, Stranger things, Queens Gambit, or Witcher.
Before season 2 I’d probably have said Witcher.
Dark doesn’t get nearly enough recognition. Great show!
The first two still give me the creeps to this day. Not because I’m scared of the ghosts, just scared of the plot. I thought Bly Manor would scare me, but I ended up crying on the last episode. Mike Flanagan truly hits different.
Ozark has been the most consistently good series I've seen as a Netflix exclusive.
Dark. One of my top5 tv series.
Not a Netflix Original series. Netflix bought the international rights to a German tv show.
Finally I knew I couldn't have been the only one to see this hidden gem of a series. 10/10 right up there if not better than stranger things. More like a dark realistic take of back to the future. IMO a great portayal of the butterfly effects that would come with messing with the manipulation of time.
Dark is definitely mentioned on any thread about good Netflix shows. I keep having trouble getting into it myself. The first episode hasn’t quite grabbed me.
> Finally I knew I couldn't have been the only one to see this hidden gem of a series.
Dark is not a "hidden gem", it is actually one of the most popular Netflix originals.
Just for comparison: Dark has 1.9m followers on TVTime. Squid Game has 1.3m followers. The Crown has 1.2m followers. House of Cards has 1.4m followers.
Stranger things was very cool and all but the political backstabbers feast that was House of Cards was insanely captivating. The way it was filmed with Spacey talking to the viewers was a great way to really keep me invested. Gonna watch it again now brb.
House of Cards is really good, but I can’t see any of the other Netflix shows that blew up as much as Stranger Things. Except maybe Daredevil. That blew up really well too.
One of my favorite Netflix shows.
Dark and Bojack should be on this list too.
Somehow not surprised to see Dark and Bojack mentioned together, even though they have essentially nothing in common. Two of my favorite shows ever.
I would have voted for House of Cards if it weren’t for the last season.
I watched like most of the first episode and then decided I wasn't going to watch it lol. Loved the other seasons, but I don't get why they would even continue the show without him.
I’ve been on the hunt for new Netflix originals to binge, and I wanted to know: what’s your all-time favorite Netflix original series? Whether it’s a drama, comedy, or documentary, I’m looking for recommendations that are must-watches. Bonus points if it’s something that really flew under the radar but ended up being amazing.
Breaking Bad was best television ever, hands down
Madmen. Squid game. Queens gambit. House of Cards.
Arcane
Dark
Stranger Things
Sons of anarchy 🙌
BEEF
GLOW.
Hands down one of the best series ever to be made by Netflix. Cancelled prematurely due to Covid.
Best Netflix original series
Key Considerations for Choosing the Best Netflix Original Series:
Genre Preferences: Identify what genres you enjoy most (drama, comedy, thriller, sci-fi, etc.) to narrow down your options.
Critical Acclaim: Look for series that have received awards or nominations, such as Emmys or Golden Globes, as these often indicate high-quality content.
Viewer Ratings: Check platforms like Rotten Tomatoes or IMDb for audience and critic ratings to gauge overall reception.
Cultural Impact: Some series have made significant cultural impacts or sparked conversations, which can enhance your viewing experience.
Length and Format: Consider whether you prefer shorter seasons with fewer episodes or longer, more in-depth storytelling.
Top Recommendations:
"Stranger Things": A blend of horror, nostalgia, and adventure, this series has captivated audiences with its engaging characters and thrilling plot.
"The Crown": A historical drama that chronicles the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, praised for its writing, acting, and production values.
"Ozark": A gripping crime drama that follows a financial planner who gets involved in money laundering, known for its intense storytelling and character development.
"Bridgerton": A romantic period drama that combines regency-era romance with modern sensibilities, it's visually stunning and has a diverse cast.
"Squid Game": A South Korean survival drama that became a global phenomenon, known for its unique premise and social commentary.
Recommendation: If you're looking for a mix of suspense and character-driven storytelling, "Ozark" is highly recommended for its intricate plot and strong performances. For something lighter and more romantic, "Bridgerton" offers a fun escape with its vibrant visuals and engaging storylines.
Get more comprehensive results summarized by our most cutting edge AI model. Plus deep Youtube search.