Get the most from your streaming subscription with this list from The Times of handpicked choices.
Overwhelmed by the number of TV shows on Netflix? Finding you spend more time scrolling than you do watching these days? Looking for new TV series that break out of the echo-chamber of algorithmic recommendations? Our list of the 50 best TV shows to watch on Netflix right now may be just what you’ve been looking for.
Below we’ve collected our critics’ pick of some of the best TV shows to help you make the most of your Netflix subscription. Whether you’re looking for gripping dramas and novel entertainment, or immersive sci-fi and fantasy experiences and thought-provoking documentaries we’ve scoured the streaming service for shows we think you’ll like.
We’ve included a mix of some of the best shows presently on Netflix as well as some classics that we think everyone should try.
Kohrra
The title translates as “fog” and this utterly captivating Hindi-language mini-series is perfectly named. Beginning as a standard police procedural with violent cops Balbir (Suvinder Vicky) and Garundi (Barun Sobti) investigating the murder of a young London-based lawyer in the Punjab countryside on the eve of his arranged marriage, Kohrra gradually descends into a murky underworld of warped patriarchy and family trauma. With its doomed characters and morally ambiguous universe this is effectively modern-day film noir, with the director Randeep Jha expertly capturing the disillusionment and dislocation at the heart of Punjabi society.
Mark Cavendish — Never Enough
He may have sadly crashed out of his final Tour de France on July 8, losing his chance of breaking Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 Tour stage wins (and breaking his collarbone in the process) but the Isle of Man’s Mark Cavendish remains the best British sprint cyclist ever and, arguably, the greatest of all time. Despite his prickly relationship with the media this is a surprisingly intimate and honest profile, offering a rare insight into the man’s resilience and self-belief in the face of endless challenges (including five agonising years of injury, illness and depression) and the psychology of the super-sportsman.
Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case
In July 2000, Lucie Blackman, a young British woman working in Tokyo, vanished. The subsequent investigation eventually led Japanese police to arrest Joji Obara, one of Japan’s worst serial rapists. Hyoe Yamamoto’s documentary is tense, bleak and sometimes obtuse but offers a fascinating, sometimes angering insight into Japanese law enforcement.
The Deepest Breath
An aquatic contest in which the aim is to descend deeper and stay down longer than your opponent, freediving is the stuff of nightmares. Focused on Italian champion Alessia Zecchini and Irish expert Stephen Keenan, Laura McGann’s documentary is both beautiful and terrifying, a profound insight into a sport where near-death states are the norm.
The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders
When a series of murders of elderly women in Mexico City in 2000 sparked a nationwide police hunt, eyewitnesses described the killer as a tall, strong man. The truth was quite different. A bizarre tale of pop culture, pro wrestling and police incompetence, told with a respectful style by the documentary director Maria Jose Cuevas.
Devil’s Advocate
In 2015, the director Essam Abdel Hamid co-directed the brilliant Egyptian thriller Nawara about a housemaid (Mena Shalabi) who, on the eve of the 2011 revolution, begins working for a family closely linked to the Mubarak regime. For his Netflix debut, Hamid helms this seemingly sensationalist series about a determined defence lawyer (Haya Abdulsalam) who takes on the controversial case of a footballer who is accused of murdering his wife. However, much like Nawara, this is a tense drama that also works well as a neat parable about life in modern Kuwait, specifically addressing the theme of domestic violence.
The Diplomat
Keri Russell is the standout star of this thriller, the story of a top American diplomat, Kate Wyler, who is made the US ambassador to the UK despite spending her professional life preparing to serve in the Middle East. Accompanied by her husband, Hal (played by Rufus Sewell), Wyler is soon embroiled in a complex and fast-changing world of political and personal affairs that threaten to spiral out of control. A slick and well-crafted new show in the tradition of the best political dramas.
Tour de France Unchained
Netflix users will be no strangers to the behind-the-scenes sports documentary, with Formula One (Drive to Survive), golf (Full Swing) and tennis (Break Point) providing compelling series, so it’s perhaps no surprise that the world’s most famous cycling race would eventually become a subject. This eight-part series takes cycling enthusiasts and casual observers behind the 2022 tour, illustrating the physical and mental strength required to win, and the personal and team battles that rumble on across the 21 stages.
Beef
Described by our TV critic Camilla Long as “possibly the best thing I’ve seen this year” the black comedy set among Asians in Los Angeles stars Steven Yeun and Ali Wong as Danny Cho and Amy Lau, a pair who are involved in a road rage incident that sees them pitted against one another. “This is a nerve-jangling, synapse-zinging ride into madness, and it’s great.” High praise, indeed. Sound good?
The Night Agent
Created by Shawn Ryan and based on Matthew Quirk’s book of the same name, this action spy thriller follows the adventures of Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso), an FBI agent who finds himself looking for a mole in the US government. He must track down the traitor and stop them while ensuring the safety of tech expert Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan). This is adrenaline-fueled fun.
Pamela: A Love Story
Perhaps one of the most photographed and written about celebrities of the 1990s, Pamela Anderson takes control of the narrative in the director Ryan White’s documentary Pamela: A Love Story as she explains her life and career. The viewer is introduced to another side of the Playboy centrefold and Baywatch actress as through home video, diaries, photographs and interviews we begin to understand what it must have been like to live in the glare of the tabloid spotlight for so many years.
Chimp Empire
This captivating series tells the story of warring chimp troops in Uganda. Narrated by the American actor Mahershala Ali, the well crafted four-film set explores the turf-wars and personal relationships in the communities as they battle for supremacy. Full of energy, this is a visually arresting series.
Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now
One of the most celebrated British music stars of the last few years, Capaldi has not only produced chart-topping hits like Someone You Loved, but also very publicly battled issues of mental health. This intimate portrait of the singer-songwriter offers up a first-hand account of a meteoric rise to stardom and the many highs and lows that he has experienced.
Returning favourites: The best shows with a new season in 2023
Untold — Swamp Kings
Season three of this much-garlanded sports series goes out on a high with an extraordinarily entertaining four-parter on US college football team the Florida Gators. Between 2005 and 2010 this lawless pack of underdogs were transformed into unbeatable giants under the controversial combative guidance of head coach Urban Meyer. As with all Untold documentaries, lack of knowledge or interest is not a barrier to entry. In fact, the less you know or care about Meyer and the Gators’ rise and fall the better. Take it from this writer who cares little for televised sport but never misses an episode of Untold.
Sintonia
Now into its fourth season, this Portuguese-language series about life in the favelas of Sao Paulo follows young Paulistano friends Rita (Bruna Mascarenhas), Nando (Christian Malheiros) and Doni (Jottapê) as they try to break away from the pull of criminal life and evangelical religion in the hope of capturing a fleeting moment of fame or redemption. With its young cast, a relentless hip-hop soundtrack and wild shifts in tone it is superficially reminiscent of Baz Luhrmann’s 2016 hip-hop drama The Get Down but with a mix of soapy drama and galvanic realness that the American series always strove for but lacked.
The Lincoln Lawyer
Adapted from Michael Connelly’s 2008 novel Brass Verdict, by the Big Little Lies creator David E Kelly, this show has a title that’s nothing if not descriptive — it is based on the adventures of a lawyer called Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) who operates his Los Angeles defence practice out of a Lincoln Navigator car. After having been out of the game for some time and recovering from a drug habit, Haller inherits the practice of a murdered Hollywood lawyer — but could the high-profile defence case of a tech billionaire make him a target himself?
Black Mirror
Charlie Brooker’s dystopian anthology started out life on Channel 4 but has grown into a global phenomenon since it became a Netflix Original series. Now attracting some of the biggest stars to episodes from Salma Hayek and Jon Hamm to Miley Cyrus and Bryce Dallas Howard the chilling visions of things that may come are largely based on technology. In the most recent sixth series the show turned its attention on television with excellent results.
Stranger Things
Stranger Things is a TV phenomenon and a show that has been responsible for a huge amount of Netflix’s global success as a streaming business. The Duffer brothers’ sci-fi set in the 1980s about a group of kids in Hawkins, Indiana, who battle supernatural evil in a parallel dimension known as The Upside Down has won an army of fans. With a final chapter of the series still to come, now is the perfect time to find out what all the fuss is about if you missed the first few waves of Stranger Things-mania.
Formula 1: Drive to Survive
The godfather of the modern sporting documentary, spawning spin-offs in tennis (Break Point) and golf (Full Swing), this Netflix documentary is the original and the best when it comes to this form of storytelling. Offering unprecedented access to the glamorous world of Formula 1, each series takes us behind the scenes of a year in the motorsport, combining the drama on the track with footage of the drivers and their teams.
The Witcher
The Witcher is a fantasy drama that follows the story of Geralt of Rivia. Starring Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra and Freya Allan, the show is set on the medieval-inspired landmass called the Continent. Filled with magic and monsters, this gripping show, based on the novel The Witcher by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, has gained a large fanbase.
The Last Kingdom
The historical drama based on the Saxon Stories novels of Bernard Cornwell began life on the BBC before being co-produced by Netflix and eventually becoming a Netflix Original. Starring Alexander Dreymon as Uhtred, a Saxon raised by Danes living against the warring backdrop of a divided England, the show begins following his story as King Alfred of Wessex holds out against the marauding armies. Politics, power and battles are plenty in this gripping series.
Bridgerton
On Christmas Day 2020 Bridgerton exploded on to the drama scene breaking Netflix viewing records and delivering a fresh take on costume dramas. Telling a fictional story of racially diverse regency London, the fun and at times quite steamy show propelled its lead actors Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor to superstars for their portrayals of Simon Basset and Daphne Bridgerton. Devised by the American TV producer ShondaRhimes, Bridgerton has gone from strength to strength.
The Crown
A drama inspired by true events, The Crown tells the story of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II and is one of the earlier and most successful original dramas Netflix has produced. Notable for its cast changes every two series, the show has seen three actresses play the Queen; Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton the lavish and beautifully produced historical drama is an international hit but has had more than its fair share of controversies for the way it has portrayed some events.
Best drama
Heartstopper
Based on the author Alice Oseman’s graphic novel of the same name, Heartstopper was one of the most talked about Netflix Originals of 2022, capturing the imagination of audiences with a beautifully well-told coming out and coming of age story. The show tells the tale of Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) developing a crush on his classmate Nick Nelson (Kit Connor).
Ozark
One of the finest Netflix Original dramas, Ozark tells the story of the Byrde family who are forced to flee their city lives to the Missouri lakes after dad Marty’s (Jason Bateman) money laundering operation goes wrong. But life in the countryside is just as dangerous as Marty, wife Wendy (Laura Linney) and their kids quickly get drawn into a dangerous world of cartels, local criminal families and corrupt political deals. A mesmerising and moody Breaking Bad-style crime drama.
Better Call Saul
It’s rare that spin-off shows are anything to write home about, let alone something that can be compared with the original in any serious sense, but this Breaking Bad prequel, an origin story of Walt and Jessie’s lawyer Jimmy “Saul Goodman” McGill, certainly breaks the mould. Once again set against the backdrop of the scorching Albuquerque desert the series delivers a brilliantly crafted slow-burn crime drama led by accomplished performances from Bob Odenkirk as the titular Saul, Rhea Seehorn as fellow lawyer Kim Wexler and Jonathan Banks as the enigmatic Mike Ehrmantraut.
The Queen’s Gambit
For those who believe there aren’t enough TV shows made about the world of chess, this fabulous period drama starring Anya Taylor-Joy will be well received. The stylish and glossy mini-series charts the rise of a fictional chess prodigy Beth Harmon as she takes on a male-dominated sporting establishment while fighting her own demons. Rightfully scooping 11 Emmy awards, this story will draw you into a world of emotional turmoil and surprises framed by a well recreated 1960s setting.
Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities
The director Guillermo del Toro brings together a collection of eight sophisticated horror stories in this anthology series. Del Toro has co-written two of the stories, while the other six are from the imaginations of other filmmakers. The series features the actors Dan Stevens, Rupert Grint, Andrew Lincoln and F Murray Abraham. Originally released around Halloween, these creepy stories are perfect for horror fans any time of year.
Mindhunter
A psychological thriller based within the FBI’s academy in Quantico, Virginia, Mindhunter is an impressive and eerie exploration of the mind and thinking of serial killers. The show is set in the late 1970s and 1980s as the FBI agents attempt to learn from those who have offended in an attempt to predict behaviours and stop similar incidents in the future. It’s not exactly light-hearted viewing, but it is very rewarding for fans of immersive and powerful drama.
Breaking Bad
Starring Bryan Cranston as Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher who starts a drug empire with a former student, Jesse (Aaron Paul) after a cancer diagnosis, this masterpiece of slow burn television takes the audience on an addictive journey as you’re immersed in the dusty Albuquerque world of the good, the bad and the ugly. It is the second-highest ranked TV show ever made by IMDB users (Planet Earth II is top) you will not regret your time spent with Vince Gilligan’s impeccably crafted series.
Narcos
Focusing its attention on the life and criminal empire of Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, Narcos is an intriguing and at times bloody dramatisation of the powerful Medellin cartel and their multi-billion dollar narcotics business. And as Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents and rival cartels plot to bring down Escobar the screw begins to turn in this excellent crime drama that later spawned a new show Narcos: Mexico, which is also worth checking out. Narcos is the cartel drama fix you’ve been looking for.
Best comedy
After Life
There’s not much funny sounding about a man whose wife dies of breast cancer and becomes suicidal, but if anyone can pull it off, Ricky Gervais can, and he does. His comedic work has always touched on dark places, and in this black comedy Gervais once again blends the philosophical with the absurd and the sentimental with the silly as he takes the viewer on an emotional rollercoaster. Assisted by a wonderful cast, including Kerry Godliman and Ashley Jensen, this is Gervais at his very best.
Bojack Horseman
The quirky, dark and at times rather unsettling adventures of humanoid horse BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett) has become a cult hit on Netflix. Held back by his consumption of booze and feelings of inadequacy, Bojack, who was a big star in the 1990s in comedy is keen to relive his former glory with a comeback. Enlisting the help of a human friend Todd Chavez (Aaron Paul), he realises that life has changed a lot since he was last on top. If you’ve never seen BoJack you will be surprised and delighted.
Russian Doll
Natasha Lyonne, who has been wowing audiences recently in the murder-mystery series Poker Face, co-created this quirky comedy series with Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler. Telling the offbeat and at times very sad story of a woman called Nadia Vulvokov who is caught in a time loop as the guest of honour at her 36th birthday party, this show is as inventive as it is amusing and intriguing. A rare gem of a programme that defies being defined, it’ll keep you guessing.
The Chair
If ever a cancelled series deserved a second season it was Amanda Peet and Annie Julia Wyman’s campus comedy drama in which the utterly wonderful Sandra Oh played Professor Ji-Yoon Kim, the newly appointed head of English at a struggling liberal arts college. The script was sharp and the roll-call of eccentrics highly delightful, especially Holland Taylor’s tough but tired woman professor, Joan Hambling, and a perfect cameo from David Duchovny. In fact, the only wrong note was struck by Jay Duplass’s self-entitled alcoholic English lecturer. Maybe he would have got his comeuppance in season two. Sadly, we will never know.
Schitt’s Creek
Maybe you still haven’t got round to watching it. If so, look beyond the broad premise — bankrupt American family relocate to the titular Canuck town they once purchased as a joke —and embrace Dan and Eugene’s Levy’s sitcom for what it eventually becomes: a sweet-hearted moral parable about wealth and friendship, distinguished by four faultless comic performances.
Arrested Development
Arrested Development has had two lives – first, as a network sitcom on the TV channel Fox before being cancelled and then as one of the most high-profile streaming revivals when Netflix brought it back for more episodes in 2013. Although purists would say the revived show never lived up to the original, the story of the wealthy dysfunctional Bluth family who lose everything is an outstanding piece of comedy. With an all-star cast including Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Michael Cera, Will Arnett and Tony Hale to name but a few, this is absurdist sitcom silliness at its best.
Seinfeld
A well-known and influential comedy series in America, Seinfeld has never been as big in the UK. Unlike shows sitcoms such as Friends and The Big Bang Theory, it hasn’t benefited from the constant repeats on network television. However, for the uninitiated, the “show about nothing” is well worth a binge as you’ll quickly get caught up in the world of Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer as they get themselves in and out of trouble week in week out.
Best foreign language
Ragnarok
Another Scandinavian saga from Borgen creator Adam Price, this modern-day remix of the Norse legends stars David Stakston as Magne Seier, an angsty teen who becomes embroiled in a battle with local businessman Vidar (Gisli Orn Gardarsson). However, it’s not long before you realise Magne is the reincarnation of Thor, Vidar is his arch mythological enemy, Jotunn, and the end of the word is nigh. Now into its third and final season, this is bold-strokes young-adult drama but one that perfectly mixes big themes (big business, climate change, LGBTQ+ issues) with an authentic feel for small-town Norwegian life.
Fauda
This gripping drama is developed by Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff, screenwriters who served in the Israel Defense Forces and took inspiration from their experiences for the show. It is set against the brutal and bitter conflict between Palestinian terrorists and Israeli authorities and explores a cat-and-mouse relationship between the terrorist ringleader Abu Ahmad (Hisham Sulliman) and the key Israeli special operative Doron (Lior Raz). A fast-paced show filled with action, political manoeuvring and shocking twists, Fauda has won a large fanbase across the globe.
Borgen
One of the great success stories of the Scandinavian TV movement of the early 2010s, Borgen tells the story of Birgitte Nyborg Christensen (Sidse Babett Knudsen) a centrist politician from a minor party who becomes the first Danish prime minister. A masterclass in intriguing and absorbing small-screen political shows, Borgen has been described as Denmark’s answer to the American series The West Wing. It is definitely another box set classic for fans of political drama.
Call My Agent!
A show from France, Call My Agent! is primarily concerned with the business at the ASK (Agence Samuel Kerr) talent agency in Paris. The four main agents are left to keep the business alive after the founder dies, while managing the egos of their clients and their own often chaotic private lives. The sharp satire has spawned a number of remakes, including Prime Video’s Ten Percent.
Money Heist
This Spanish heist drama is based initially in Madrid. A man who calls himself the Professor recruits eight people to assist him in a heist that involves entering the Spanish royal mint and escaping with hundreds of millions of euros. After taking hostages, the gang end up stuck in the building printing money as a tremendously exciting and artistically crafted drama unfolds.
Squid Game
This South Korean survival drama series took the TV world by storm in the autumn of 2021 when it became one of the most-watched shows on the streaming platform. In the show, down-on-their-luck people are recruited to play deadly children’s games for a huge cash prize. If you haven’t already seen this dystopian mega-hit, now is the time to take a leap into Squid Game ahead of the second series.
Best documentaries
Pepsi: Where’s My Jet
Pepsi ran a promotion in the mid-1990s that allowed customers to earn or buy points and exchange them for gift items like T-shirts and sunglasses. In one advert for the promotion they featured a fighter aircraft and wrote across the screen that it was seven million points. Business student John Leonard saw the ad and worked out that you could buy seven million Pepsi points for $700,000, which would be enough to claim the $32m piece of military hardware. After raising the money through investors he was denied the plane by Pepsi who claimed the advert was clearly a joke. This is the fascinating story of how it all happened.
The Last Dance
This absorbing basketball documentary about the Chicago Bulls star player Michael Jordan during his final season with them in 1998 was a hit during the 2020 lockdown. The show’s success was not based on the sport but the storytelling and the way the series blends archive footage and interviews with players, coaches, fans and even two former Presidents (Obama and Clinton).
The Andy Warhol Diaries
This isn’t the first and it won’t be the last documentary about Warhol. But this absorbing six-part series, directed by Andrew Rossi and executive produced by Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story), offers a carefully crafted portrait of the artist in his own words. Based on Warhol’s diaries, which themselves were transcriptions of telephone conversations with his friend Pat Hackett between 1976 and Warhol’s death in 1987, we are taken deep into the mind of a troubled and conflicted man struggling with sexuality, religion and his place in the world.
Best sci-fi/ fantasy
Snowpiercer
Pivoting on the central theme of a giant train hurtling around a frozen, post-apocalyptic wasteland, the Netflix adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name is a refreshing watch for sci-fi fans. Starring Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs the show treads the fine line between far-fetched dystopian ideas and very real human problems, while tackling ethical conundrums along the way.
The OA
Starring Brit Marling as Prairie Johnson, a woman who had been missing for seven years before mysteriously returning, this supernatural sci-fi mystery series is one of the most intriguing on Netflix. On her return, Johnson is calling herself “the OA” and refuses to cooperate with the FBI but instead reveals her story to a small group of locals who she recruits for a mission that involves a portal to another dimension.
The Sandman
An adaptation of the author Neil Gaiman’s comic-book epic that tells the story of the King of Dreams who is captured in an occult ritual, it follows him as he influences other people’s dreams. Tom Sturridge as Dream leads an all-star cast that includes Charles Dance, who plays Dream’s captor, Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer and even Mark Hamill voicing a man with a pumpkin for a head.