Why it belongs on this list
The reign of Queen Elizabeth II, recast every two seasons as the decades pass. Lavish and superbly acted.
Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Cinearium Picks Streaming
50 Best Netflix Series
50 of the best series made for or on Netflix, from Stranger Things, Dark and The Crown to Squid Game, Arcane, Adolescence, Baby Reindeer and Sacred Games.
Netflix built one of the deepest libraries of original series anywhere, across English and international television. This ranked collection gathers the essential dramas, thrillers, comedies, limited series and animation made for or long associated with Netflix. Catalogues differ by country, so each card checks live availability for your region. Every recommendation is spoiler-safe.
A good place to start
Three picks for your shortlist
Find your next watch
Explore this collection. Start with our picks, or narrow it down.
50 of 50 picks
Streaming availability follows your region in the navbar. Service filters include subscriptions; rentals and purchases are shown separately.
- Series details ↗
Why it belongs on this list
Two FBI agents interview imprisoned serial killers in the 1970s. Cerebral, chilling and precise.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
Two sisters end up on opposite sides of a conflict between two cities. Breathtaking animation set in the League of Legends world.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
Debt-ridden contestants play deadly children's games for a huge prize. The Korean series that became Netflix's biggest hit.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
Five Harlem teenagers are wrongly convicted in the Central Park jogger case. Ava DuVernay's powerful limited series.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
Two detectives connect a series of assaults while a young woman is disbelieved. A compassionate, gripping true story.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
An orphaned chess prodigy rises through the 1960s chess world. Stylish, addictive and moving.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A thirteen-year-old is arrested, and his family tries to understand why. Each episode is filmed in one continuous shot.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A road-rage incident sparks an escalating feud between two strangers. Funny, tense and surprisingly profound.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A struggling comedian's act of kindness leads to a stalker, and much more. Raw, uncomfortable and brave.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
The DEA hunts Pablo Escobar in Colombia. A gripping, bilingual true-crime saga.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A financial adviser moves his family to the Ozarks to launder cartel money. Tense, dark and addictive.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
Standalone stories about technology's dark side. It began on Britain's Channel 4; later seasons were made for Netflix.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
Siblings who grew up in a haunted house confront its memories. Scary and deeply emotional.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A charismatic priest arrives on a dying island community. Mike Flanagan's eerie meditation on faith.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A woman keeps dying and restarting the same night in New York. Clever, funny and existential.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A young mother escapes an abusive relationship and cleans houses to survive. Honest and moving.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A mastermind leads robbers in an audacious heist on Spain's Royal Mint. It began on Spanish TV before Netflix made it a global hit.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A crown prince confronts a mysterious plague in Joseon-era Korea. A thrilling period zombie series.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A Mumbai cop is warned of disaster by a legendary gangster. Netflix's first Indian original.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
Delhi Police investigate a crime that shocked the nation. An International Emmy-winning procedural.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A mixed-race swordmaster seeks revenge in Edo-period Japan. Stunning, mature animation.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
Short animated stories spanning sci-fi, horror and comedy. Each episode has a completely different style.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A monster hunter fights Dracula's armies. A dark, action-packed game adaptation.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A sex therapist's awkward teenage son starts a clinic at school. Funny, frank and kind.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
An actor in New York navigates love, work and family. Thoughtful, funny and stylish.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A gentleman thief inspired by Arsène Lupin seeks revenge in Paris. A slick French heist series.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A woman plots meticulous revenge against her childhood bullies. A gripping Korean revenge drama.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
Young people are trapped in an empty Tokyo and forced to play deadly games. A tense Japanese survival thriller.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
The rise of the Guadalajara cartel in 1980s Mexico. A gripping follow-up to Narcos.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
An outlaw hides in a New Mexico town run mostly by women. A beautifully shot Western.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A young woman leaves her ultra-Orthodox community for Berlin. Short, powerful and moving.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A blind lawyer fights crime at night in Hell's Kitchen. Gritty action with great fight scenes.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A ruthless congressman schemes his way to power. Netflix's first major original series.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A woman serves time in a women's prison. Funny and moving, with a huge ensemble.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
Wednesday Addams investigates murders at her new school. A gothic comedy mystery and a huge hit.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A monster hunter's fate becomes tied to a sorceress and a princess. A dark fantasy adventure.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
Romance and scandal in Regency-era London high society. Lush, playful and bingeable.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
Estranged adopted siblings with powers reunite to stop an apocalypse. Quirky superhero fun.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
The Karate Kid rivalry reignites decades later. It started on YouTube before Netflix made it a hit.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
Scientists uncover a threat from another world. A big-scale adaptation of Liu Cixin's novels.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A rubber-bodied pirate sets out to find a legendary treasure. A colourful, faithful live-action manga adaptation.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
The heirs of a pharmaceutical dynasty begin to die. Mike Flanagan's gothic Poe remix.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A con man is sent to Italy to bring home a rich man's son. Gorgeous black-and-white suspense.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
The crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer and the failures that let them continue. Disturbing and hard to watch.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
Two British schoolboys become friends and fall in love. A gentle, joyful queer romance.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A charming bookstore manager becomes dangerously obsessed with women. A twisty, darkly funny thriller.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
Kids in a 1980s Indiana town face a secret lab and a monstrous other world. Netflix's defining global hit.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
Children vanish in a small German town, revealing a time-bending mystery across generations. Netflix's first German original.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Why it belongs on this list
A washed-up sitcom horse struggles with fame and himself. Funny, devastating and one of TV's most honest shows.
Series details ↗Regional streaming options load when you open this guide.
Behind the picks
How we chose this collection
The ranking balances writing, performances, consistency and cultural impact. It focuses on Netflix original series, plus a few series that began elsewhere but became Netflix titles (noted in their entries). Availability varies by country and changes over time; card-level data follows your selected region. Rankings are Cinearium editorial choices.
Movie facts and community ratings come from TMDB. Streaming information is provided by JustWatch through TMDB and varies by country. Missing availability means no option was returned by the provider; it does not prove a film is unavailable everywhere. Dates above refer to editorial updates.