Ripley.
Photo: Stefano Cristiano Montesi/Netflix
This post is updated frequently as TV shows leave and enter Netflix. *New additions are indicated with an asterisk.
Netflix forever changed the way people watch television, moving to full-season drops instead of a weekly format and creating the concept of binge viewing. With a mix of original programming and shows they’ve picked up from other networks, Netflix became the on-demand home for millions of subscribers. Alongside the best movies on Netflix, people consume its television offerings to the tune of billions of hours a year, whether they’re sampling their favorite old episodes of shows like Seinfeld or checking out original programs like Squid Game or Stranger Things. Distilling a massive catalog down to only 30 shows is tough, but these are the best the streaming giant has to offer, the ones that everyone with a Netflix subscription should watch first, regularly updated as shows leave the service and new ones take their place.
Year: 2024
Length: 1 season, 8 episodes
Creator: Steven Zaillian
The first adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s infamous novel since Matt Damon and Jude Law cavorted around Italy stars the phenomenal Andrew Scott as the title character, Tom Ripley. This version hews a little closer to the source and also has the coldest, most clinical take so far, courtesy of Robert Elswit’s gorgeous black-and-white cinematography and Steven Zaillian’s ace direction. It’s one of the best Netflix originals ever.
Year: 2001
Length: 1 season, 10 episodes
Creators: Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg
One of the best limited TV series of all time, Band of Brothers was a momentous achievement, something that really doesn’t get the attention it deserves for shifting the TV landscape. This landmark in the medium was created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, adapted from the WWII history book of the same name by Stephen E. Ambrose, and it’s quite simply one of the best things that ever aired on TV. Pay tribute to the brave men who fought in WWII in this deeply personal, moving blend of history and filmmaking. Note: Masters of the Air, produced by Hanks and Spielberg, premieres on Apple TV+ in January 2024, and should bring people back to the original.
Years: 2023-
Length: 1 season, 10 episodes
Creator: Lee Sung Jin
One of the best shows of 2023, and a multiple Emmy winner for Best Limited Series (even though it’s reportedly returning for a second season – the Emmys are weird), Beef is near the top of Netflix original programming all time. The writing is razor sharp in this tale of road rage gone wild, but it’s greatest asset is its pair of performers: the amazing Ali Wong and Steven Yeun. There’s a reason they’ve both won basically every award they were eligible to win.
Years: 2015-2022
Length: 6 seasons, 63 episodes
Creators: Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould
It shouldn’t have been so good. Prequel spin-offs that are as good as the original would make for a very small chapter in the book about the history of television. Saul Goodman broke the rules. With a stunning performance from Bob Odenkirk in the central role, the creators of this show used the origin story of a criminal attorney to unpack a story about the pull of being bad. If Breaking Bad was a show about a man willingly becoming evil, Better Call Saul was a show about a man trying so hard to take the righteous path, but falling victim to everything put in his way. This drama has some of the best writing and acting in the history of TV. It’s essential.
Years: 2008-2013
Length: 5 seasons, 62 episodes
Creator: Vince Gilligan
On the Mount Rushmore of modern dramas for most people, this AMC hit stars Bryan Cranston as the legendary Walter White, a normal New Mexico science teacher who makes a radical decision when he’s diagnosed with stage-three lung cancer — he becomes the king of meth in the Southwest. A complex study of morality that allows its protagonist to, well, live up to the title, this show made Cranston a star (and the great Aaron Paul too) but it’s really the writing that made it so incredible. It’s also one of those great shows that didn’t overstay its welcome, wrapping up before it got stale.
Year: 2021
Length: 1 season, 10 episodes
Creator: Molly Smith Metzler
Margaret Qualley does the best acting work of her career to date in this adaptation of Stephanie Land’s memoir about class, trauma, and perseverance. She plays a young woman who flees an abusive partner (played by Nick Robinson) with her daughter. She struggles to make ends meet and keep her child safe, finding her way through housekeeping work to keep her head above water. Qualley’s actual mother Andie MacDowell is also fantastic here, as is Anika Noni Rose. It’s a heartfelt mini-series that never strikes a false, manipulative note.
Years: 2017-2019
Length: 2 seasons, 19 episodes
Creator: Joe Penhall
Joe Penhall and David Fincher’s loose adaptation of the story of the man who invented profiling serial killers is a tense, riveting drama with some of the best performances and visual language to date in a Netflix series. The first season saw the creation of the Behavioral Science Unit and interviews with real serial killers based on actual conversations. The second got even richer, digging into the role doubt plays in the lives of men trying to stop pure evil. It’s only a shame that the budget for a planned third season got too high for Netflix. Maybe if enough of us watch it again, they’ll change their mind.
Years: 2023-present
Length: 1 season, 10 episodes
Creator: Shawn Ryan
One of the biggest hits in the streaming world of 2023 was this old-fashioned thriller from the creator of The Shield. Who could have guessed that this would become the third-most-viewed series in Netflix history? People of all ages were drawn to the tale of an FBI Agent (Gabriel Basso) who ends up getting a fateful call one night that draws him into an international plot that culminates in an assassination attempt on the President. It’s a fun, smart, well-made thriller.
Years: 2017-2022
Length: 4 seasons, 44 episodes
Creators: Bill Dubuque, Mark Williams
One of Netflix’s biggest hits came to a close in 2022 with a critically acclaimed and Emmy-winning final season. Clearly inspired by Breaking Bad, this is a riveting thriller about an ordinary guy who ends up becoming a major player in the international drug trade. Jason Bateman does the best work of his career as Marty Byrde, who moves to the Ozarks with his family and becomes a major money launderer. Bateman, Laura Linney, and Julia Garner earned raves for their work in a show that works from beginning to bloody end.
Year: 2010
Length: 1 season, 10 episodes
Creator: Bruce C. McKenna
A companion piece of Band of Brothers, this miniseries sometimes feels like it lives in the historical shadow of that massive critical and commercial hit. It deserves an audience too as it tells the story of the Pacific theater of World War II, focusing on the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the Marine Corps. Once again, the production values here are remarkable, and should provide a nice reminder of this kind of prestige television before the launch of Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air next year.
Year: 2020
Length: 1 season, 7 episodes
Creator: Scott Frank
One of the best mini-series of the current decade, this one was there for people during the first year of the pandemic, turning chess into a new kind of dramatic phenomenon. Based on the book of the same name by Walter Tevis, it stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon, a chess prodigy who rises in the male-dominated world while also battling her own addictions. Taylor-Joy is spectacular but it’s the sharp writing here that makes it a TV checkmate.
Years: 2001-2005
Length: 5 seasons, 63 episodes
Creator: Alan Ball
Peter Krause headlined this HBO drama from Alan Ball that incorporated issues of family and grief in ways that television hadn’t really done before. Sure, there had been family dramas on network TV for generations but none that explored the issues of how much family ties can bind with the adult flavor of what was often one of the best shows on TV. Ball & Co. couldn’t quite keep the quality level up for the entire run, but they did stick the landing with one of the best series finales of all time.
Years: 2021-present
Length: 1 season, 9 episodes
Creator: Hwang Dong-hyuk
The most-viewed show in the history of Netflix rose to that pedestal for multiple reasons. The main one is the incredible accessibility of the concept — a game show with mortal stakes. Released during the pandemic, Squid Game tapped into a worldwide desperation. What would you do to change your fate? The story of a contest for a fortune also became one of Netflix’s biggest critical darlings, landing 14 Emmy nominations, with star Lee Jung-jae becoming the first Asian actor to win Best Actor for a non-English performance. Say what you will about Netflix, the success of this show helped stories from around the world find audiences in America.
Years: 2022-present
Length: 2 seasons, 12 episodes
Creators: Harry Williams, Jack Williams
After premiering on BBC One, this excellent thriller hopped the pond to Max, but that weird nightmare over at WBD caused them to let it go, sliding it over to Netflix. Of course, it’s already a huge hit for them. Why? Because it’s thoroughly entertaining. Jamie Dornan is great as a guy who wakes up in the middle of nowhere with no idea who he is, only to discover he may not have been a good dude. The second season, produced by Netflix, drops on February 29th.
Year: 2019
Length: 1 season, 8 episodes
Creators: Susannah Grant, Ayelet Waldman, Michael Chabon
Based on the article “An Unbelievable Story of Rape,” this award-winning mini-series is one of the toughest watches on Netflix, but it’s also so dramatically rewarding. The show dramatizes a series of rapes in Washington and Colorado from 2008 to 2011, focusing on a survivor named Marie (Kaitlyn Dever) and the two detectives trying to solve the case, played brilliantly by Toni Collette and Merritt Wever. Sharply written and deeply moving, this is an essential piece of work.
Years: 2010-2022
Length: 11 seasons, 177 episodes
Creator: Frank Darabont
The Walking Dead helped redefine appointment television just when ratings were starting to erode to streaming services and DVRs. The show became a massive hit because everyone had to watch it on Sunday night, largely so they wouldn’t hear spoilers about a major character death. It kind of lumbered to a conclusion in 2022, but the show is still producing spin-offs, including a new one in January 2024. It truly will never die.
Years: 2003-2006, 2018-2019
Seasons: 5
Creator: Mitchell Hurwitz
One of the best comedies of all time had to get canceled to really find its audience. And then had to be rebooted to kind of lose it. Listen, everyone agrees that the two Netflix seasons of the story of the Bluth family are a bit underwhelming, but they have their moments. It’s just that they can’t touch the absolute brilliance of the three FOX seasons. Maybe just watch those and leave the rest to history.
Years: 2014-2020
Length: 6 seasons, 77 episodes
Creator: Raphael Bob-Waksberg
There is a lot of solid adult animation on Netflix — don’t miss Big Mouth or its anime offerings, either — but the best of the medium is this ingenious examination of celebrity culture, depression, and failed attempts at connection. It just happens to feature talking animals. Will Arnett does fantastic voice work as the title character, the star of a ‘90s sitcom who is struggling to find his way back to the spotlight. Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins, and Aaron Paul co-star in a show that felt at first like just another Hollywood satire, but became richer and more emotionally complex with each season.
Years: 2013-2021
Length: 8 seasons, 153 episodes
Creators: Dan Goor, Michael Schur
Accused of copaganda near the end of its run, this NBC/Fox show was always more progressive and cleverer than it got credit for with critics. Created by two of the geniuses behind Parks and Recreation, it gave Andy Samberg his best part, but he was only one player in a consistently hysterical ensemble, including Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, and an absolutely hysterical Andre Braugher, who gave one of the best comedy supporting performances of the 2010s. Watch it in his honor.
Years: 2003-2006
Length: 3 seasons, 28 episodes
Creators: Dave Chappelle, Neal Brennan
Everyone has an opinion on Dave Chappelle in the 2020s, but back in the 2000s, he wasn’t yet a household name when his sketch comedy show premiered on Comedy Central. Everything changed. In instant hit, Chappelle’s Show felt like the new wave of comedy unfolding before our eyes. It was what was going to replace your parents’ sketch comedy in shows like Saturday Night Live. And then Dave walked away from it. It holds up incredibly well, and it’s easy to see its influence on so many imitators since.
Years: 2019-2022
Length: 4 seasons, 27 episodes
Creators: Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Seth Meyers, Rhys Thomas
TV doesn’t get much more creative than this loving comedic ode to the form of non-fiction filmmaking. Framed as a long-running news magazine hosted by Helen Mirren of all people, Documentary Now! satirizes a different real documentary in each episode. Highlights include the premiere “Sandy Passage,” “Globesman,” “Batsh*t Valley,” “Original Cast Album: Co-Op,” and “Soldier of Illusion,” the premiere of the recent 2022 season. The writing here is brilliantly hysterical, especially if you know the source being satirized. It’s kind of perfect.
Years: 2016-2020
Length: 4 seasons, 53 episodes
Creator: Michael Schur
The brilliant creator of Parks and Recreation moved on to one of the most ambitious comedies to ever air on network television with this follow-up. Honestly, it’s crazy it lasted four seasons. Kristen Bell plays Eleanor, a recently deceased woman who finds herself in Heaven … maybe. Eleanor meets Michael (Ted Danson), the man who runs the joint, and befriends memorable characters played by William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil and Manny Jacinto as they discover the truth behind where they are and what it means to be “good,” in this life or the next.
Years: 2019-present
Length: 2 seasons, 12 episodes
Creators: Tim Robinson, Zach Kanin
If you’re a fan of left-of-center humor like Mr. Show or the 12:55pm SNL sketches written by Kyle Mooney, you owe it to yourself to watch one of the most buzzed-about Netflix Originals that’s still producing new episodes, Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin’s totally bizarre comedy hit. How do you describe one of the weirdest comedy shows on Netflix? You really can’t. Just watch it. And then prepare yourself for the third season, which is coming soon.
Years: 2012-2015
Length: 5 seasons, 53 episodes
Creators: Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele
Sketch comedy doesn’t get funnier than this massive Comedy Central hit that reunited a pair of Mad TV stars and let their genius run wild. Hitting hot button issues with fresh insight and hysterical precision, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele revealed themselves to be two of the best comedy writers in the business, leading to a Peabody Award, two Emmy Awards, and millions of fans. You can see their fingerprints on so much of what people find funny and clever in the 2020s.
Years: 1989-1998
Length: 9 seasons, 180 episodes
Creators: Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld
Maybe you’ve heard of it? One of the biggest comedies of all time became a hit again in the streaming era when Netflix paid a fortune to have exclusive streaming rights to the misadventures of Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer. Some of it plays a little more problematically now than it did three decades ago, but most of it is still razor-sharp and funnier than anything on TV right now.
Years: 2011-present
Length: 5 seasons, 22 episodes
Creator: Charlie Brooker
Has the world gotten too weird for Black Mirror? Creator Charlie Brooker implied as much not long ago, but has recently revealed that he’s working on a new season of this Twilight Zone–inspired gem. Released in 3-episode seasons in the U.K. originally (and a Christmas special after season two), Black Mirror shifted when it became a Netflix original in 2016, releasing 6-episode seasons in 2016 and 2017, an interactive film in 2018, and a 3-episode season in 2019. Standouts include “The Entire History of You,” “Be Right Back,” “San Junipero,” and “USS Callister.” Start there and you’ll end up watching them all.
Years: 2018
Length: 1 season, 10 episodes
Creator: Mike Flanagan
The director of Doctor Sleep has become the king of horror at Netflix, and it really started with this masterpiece, his best TV series to date. Flanagan distilled the influential source material here into something altogether new, terrifying, and heartbreaking. Most horror TV shows aren’t honestly scary, but Hill House is legit terrifying in the way it blends an old-fashioned ghost story with more human fears like addiction and suicide. It’s really going to stand the test of time.
Years: 2019-present
Length: 2 seasons, 15 episodes
Creators: Natasha Lyonne, Leslye Headland, Amy Poehler
One of Netflix’s most critical darlings on the comedy scene was this sci-fi gem, a riff on Groundhog Day about a woman living the same day over and over again. More than just a straight comedy, this Natasha Lyonna vehicle uses its concept to comment on trauma, isolation, and general midlife ennui. In the first season, Lyonne’s character kept reliving her 36th birthday party until she met someone locked in a similar cycle. The second season was a bit less successful but arguably more ambitious.
Years: 2016-present
Length: 4 seasons, 34 episodes
Creator: The Duffer Brothers
More than just nostalgia farming, this ‘80s-inspired hit became a worldwide phenomenon through the power of its riveting storytelling. Sure, it’s easy to see the influences of King and Spielberg here, but characters like Hopper (David Harbour) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) have become icons in their own right. The fourth season was arguably a bit bloated, but the show is reportedly coming in for a landing with a fifth and final season. Make sure you’re caught up before that happens.
Years: 2005-2020
Length: 15 seasons, 327 episodes
Creator: Eric Kripke
Isn’t it kind of appropriate that a show about ghost hunters wouldn’t die? Supernatural premiered way back when The CW was still The WB in 2005 and then just kept going for an amazing fifteen seasons before coming to an end. That’s a lot of spooky adventures for Sam and Dean Winchester, two of fantasy television’s most beloved characters. Supernatural vacillated wildly in quality over its 300+ episodes but there are some true gems in here, especially for fans of urban legends and things that go bump in the night.
