From the Squid Game phenomenon to the historic Stranger Things via Queen The Crown, but also Mindhunter, Hill House, Lupine. We know scrolling through the huge selection on the streaming service can be intimidating, so we’ve put together the best of what’s out there. We’ve included selections for audiences of all ages, with something to suit every taste.
There are family – friendly TV shows to enjoy with the kids, classic comedies and glamorous dramas, faith-based shows, thought-provoking science fiction, insightful documentaries, addicting reality shows, spooky horror shows And much more. This listing covers Netflix original series and network / cable imports.
Here are the best streaming TV shows on Netflix to binge-watch. We’ve even included honorable mentions at the end of the list.
The Best TV Shows on Netflix
Streaming services have been a boon during the COVID pandemic, allowing people to watch or re-watch great shows when many other entertainment options were not available. In some ways, Netflix is everyone’s grandfather. Founded by Reed Hastings in 1997, it began selling and renting DVDs by mail. It introduced streaming in 2007 and began producing its own content in 2012. It now has an extensive library of original and non-original movies and TV shows, and hundreds of millions of subscribers around the world. It’s every state’s favorite show on Netflix.
1. Squid Game
It’s the biggest phenomenon in Netflix history. To the point of becoming the most viewed series in the annals of the platform, with 111 million households affected in 28 days. However, on paper, this shocking South Korean series that took more than ten years to see the light of day did not seem predestined for such success. But his uncompromising ultra-violence, his harsh criticism of capitalist society and this plea against the widening of inequalities between the richest and the poorest spoke to a large number of subscribers all over the world.
2. Firefly Lane
They met at Firefly Lane when they were children. Tully and Kate will go through the ups and downs of life together, in a great friendship story spanning thirty years. The duo Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke shine and bring a vibrant sincerity to this series that has spoken to many female viewers (and even viewers).
3. 13 Reasons Why
Doing a series on the suicide of a high school student, produced by Selena Gomez the project was a puzzle. And yet screenwriter Brian Yorkey did a great job of adapting Jay Asher’s book. Hannah Baker’s tragic but never tearful story simply moved the entire planet last year. Thanks to a bluffing young cast ( Dylan Minnette and Katherine Langford in particular), 13 Reasons Why has managed to go beyond the simple buzz, to make concrete talk about a particularly sensitive subject: that of school bullying and teenage suicide.
4. Umbrella Academy
Much more than just a series of superheroes! The adaptation of Gabriel Ba and Gerard Way results in an endearing, fascinating family drama that at times turns into a hard-core science fiction series – until its breathtaking finale – playing with time travel gimmicks, of the famous “butterfly effect”, and reveals before our astonished eyes a whole fantastic world, which does justice to the delicious extravagance of comics. Netflix has put the means to make this new super-series a real phenomenon of the small screen.
5. Lupine
Netflix cleverly modernizes the myth of Arsene Lupine with an imperial Omar Sy as a burglar gentleman obsessed with his thirst for revenge. A series that transforms Maurice Leblanc’s literary monument into a contemporary blockbuster. Directed by Louis Leterrier (Insaisissables), the French mini-series offers impeccably executed action scenes, popping dialogue and a stylish staging, which have made this modern-day Lupine a huge global hit.
6. Unbelivable
The words of rape victims handed over to the first with this transposition of a real, absolutely chilling news item. Sometimes clinical and cold, sometimes deeply human, the series has the intelligence to show the disastrous consequences of victim blaming through an implacable suspense machine, thus never depriving the viewer of the thrill of the true crime that he initially came to seek. Toni Collette and Merritt Wever play two perfect investigators.
7. Big Mouth
This initiatory comedy is certainly one of the streamer’s rawest series. Trashy, in a way, and sometimes even a little awkward to watch. But still sincerely honest. Even in its most politically incorrect valves, Big Mouth constantly seeks to show the truth of puberty. Without filter. This gives a completely crazy, totally jubilant teenage cartoon. And disconcerting too.
8. Bridgerton
With a Gossip Girl fondness in silk stockings very assumed, the first Netflix series produced by Shonda Rhimes is a success. A refreshing and ingenuous historical romance, like its heroine Austenienne, who has fun with a cheerful modernity, dusting off the English kingdom of the 19th century, while playing a jubilant Downton Abbey side. A pure blue flower drama, alternating between comedy of morals and fairy tale, became the biggest series in the history of Netflix.
9. The Kominsky Method
When Michael Douglas returns to television, 40 years after The Streets of San Francisco, it’s not to do things by halves. His Kominsky Method, created by Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory) won the Golden Globe for Best Comedy last January and gave him the Golden Globe for Best Actor as a bonus! It must be said that the series – also carried by the excellent Alan Arkin- speaks wonderfully well of old age, as seldom on television, through this touching, endearing, and intelligent Hollywood bromance. We follow with happiness the tribulations of this duo of tired, worn and disoriented Californian octogenarians, who connects the valves on the prostate, the impotence and the fear of dying, without forgetting to keep room for the bottom.
10. Trolls Hunters
Guillermo del Toro’s fantastical delusions fit admirably well into the animated format. The first season of Trollhunters was one of the very beautiful surprises of the end of 2016 and season 2, released at the end of 2017, confirmed the beautiful promises, opening the passage to a universe extended to Aliens and Wizards. A classic story, certainly, but carried by an exhilarating mythology, characters too cool and by a light animation (thank you Dream Works studios). Pure geeks’ pleasure, with no age limit.
11. The Witcher
Dantesque ways to make beautiful, spectacular fantasy. Netflix has spared no expense in adapting the novels and the famous video game. Swords clashing, magic on every level, larger-than-life monsters, Kingdoms that hate each other. Pure entertainment that manages to engage the viewer, in a classic style, with the tunes of an old tale “Fantasy” of yesteryear.
12. Maniac
Netflix has assembled an incredible cast, with Jonah Hill and Emma Stone, who play two suffering beings, bound by fate, in the midst of clinical experimentation. A captivating and surprising concept, signed Cary Fukunaga (from True Detective ). Maniac is going crescendo through genres and trying something totally new in the series landscape. A success.
13. Queens Gambit
Such a global phenomenon that sales of chess sets exploded in the fall of 2020! This fascinating mini-series is a very pretty piece of history, on the place of women in the 1950s and on … chess! The magnetic performance of Anya Taylor-Joy has a lot to do with the success of this Queens Gambit. The exploits of Beth Harmon are very quickly intoxicating. In a carefully recreated 50’s atmosphere, she unfolds her story of genius, with an almost disconcerting affability and moves her pawns where they are not necessarily expected, thus managing to lower our guard.
14. Dark
For its first original creation in German, the platform was strong. With this mind-boggling labyrinthine thriller, she takes us on a unique journey through time, between 1953, 1986 and 2019. So who is where? And above all who is when? The puzzle never ceases to turn heads, but the pieces end up being put back in the right order in a stunning final chapter, which manages to meet all expectations. A tour de force, given the complexity of the stuff.
15. Orange Is The New Black
She is one of the pioneers in the vast universe of Netflix creations. This feminist and prison series, launched in the summer of 2013, quickly became a social phenomenon, even if it lost its aura from year to year. From one season to another, the level is uneven, but Jenji Kohan’s show keeps a special place in the hearts of subscribers.
16. Selma
The director of Selma tells the story of the Central Park Five, a terrible news item that shocked the African-American community (and America more generally) at the end of the 80s in New York. A poignant drama about systemic racism in post-Reagan America.
17. Sense 8
Huge surprise of the summer of 2015, the Wachowski series has become a worldwide phenomenon. A totally unique sensory tale, with surprising mythology, and magnificently mastered. We quickly became attached to these 8 characters suddenly connected intellectually, emotionally and even sexually! Especially since Sense8 conveys a message of love, compassion and solidarity which is good. Fans of the series now number in the millions, and were treated to a full, well-deserved conclusion.
18. Sex Education
Another little nugget that nobody had seen coming and that Netflix pulled out of its hat, at the beginning of the year 2019. The story of the rebel Maeve, which leads Otis, inexperienced but with a sex therapist mother, in the creation of a clandestine sex therapy cell, within their high school, has already delighted millions of subscribers. A wonderfully refreshing wonder of British humor that takes an intelligent and sensitive look at teenagers. A series which brought to light a young Franco-English talent named Emma MacKey.
19. Ozark
There is a certain Breaking Bad vibe, in this icy thriller, released without fanfare, in early summer 2017. Be careful, we are not saying that Ozark is the new Breaking Bad or even that it will ever arrive at the ankle of Vince Gilligan’s masterpiece . But this black series shares with its glorious ancestor the same spirit, a persistent desire to intelligently question human psychology and, at the margin, the underground economy which fuels crime. In the shoes of the desperate man, stuck in a desperate situation, Jason Bateman is simply perfect. Bluffing even.
20. Bojack The Horseman
Probably one of the craziest animated series on the small screen. A true darling of the American press, the improbable BoJack Horseman ferociously sketches the big shots of Hollywood, with a subtlety sadly rare on US TV. And with its fourth season, the most incredible horse on the small screen has turned into a real tear gas bomb. At the center of the story, complicated family relationships, but above all the exploration of loneliness, identity, fear of the future and even dementia! Brilliant from start to finish, but devilishly depressing.
21. Narcos
After offering a hunt for Pablo Escobar as terrifying as it is exhilarating, the thriller was able to renew itself last year, by centering its plot on a whole new cartel (the Cartel of Cali) and new characters. As a result, the series was once again praised by the American press, thanks to lush cinematography and a lot of suspense. And then the prequel to Mexico, led by Diego Luna, showed itself up to the saga. Always so fierce, always so fascinating.
22. Stranger Things
This incredible tribute to the Amblin films of the 1980s (notably ET and The Goonies ) struck a chord with millions of viewers around the world. With its endearing world and its scary and fascinating atmosphere, Stranger Things has established itself as the platform’s most popular original creation. And season 3, even more fun and spectacular, only increased the enthusiasm for Eleven and her friends.
23. The Haunting Of Hill House
What a horrible and delicious surprise! Released in the fall of 2018, this adaptation of the eponymous cult novel by Shirley Jackson (dating from 1956) was not really expected. She wowed her world. Ten episodes of slow angst perfectly mastered by its creator and director, Mike Flanagan, preferring a chilling atmosphere of a haunted house to easy “jump scares”. The story of the Crain, through the ages – and told in flashbacks – passes with disconcerting ease from the captivating family drama to the terrifying horror tale. A series that manages to be as scary as it is endearing.
24. Mindhunter
David Fincher’s first series goes back to the origins of FBI profiling techniques. Or how to make people understand, in the middle of the 70s, that it is better to try to understand serial killers, rather than to grill them. A psychological thriller masterfully written and carried by interrogation scenes masterful, with delightful dialogues. From the director of Seven and Zodiac, we expected no less.
25. The Crown
It’s Netflix’s most expensive series right now. And it’s worth every dollar spent. Beautifully written, lushly filmed, in breathtaking settings, The Crown is a masterpiece of the small screen. A rare, touching and fascinating historical reconstruction. After a bluffing first season, season 2 still managed to dazzle us, thanks in large part to the performance of Claire Foy. And in seasons 3 and 4, the new cast got up to speed: Olivia Colman showed the extent of all her talent, just like Helena Bonham-Carter. We are now waiting to see how Imelda Staunton will fare.
26. Black Mirror
Today, new technologies are with us on a daily basis. They help us work, communicate and have fun. But as with many things, it can be abused to the point of losing control. This series depicts our relationship to these new technologies in the fairly near future. What we like about this anticipation series is its mix of genres: science fiction, horror, satire, thriller and drama.
27. Peaky Blinders
Could a dip in Birmingham at the end of the 19th century tempt you? In the midst of the Industrial Revolution, England’s 2nd largest city is plagued by crime and gang wars, including the Peaky Blinders.
28. Locke and Key
Nina Locke, a young widow, and her three children attempt to rebuild their lives after the appalling murder of the father. The decision is made that they will move into the ancestral family home, however their new cocoon turns out to contain mysterious keys to supernatural powers. These could be related to the tragic fate of Rendell Locke.
29. Castamar’s cook
Immerse yourself in 18th century Madrid and follow a young cook who will be appointed to a duke’s domain. Widower, after his wife’s riding accident, he will do everything to regain his status even if it means marrying any woman.
30. Riverdale
The tranquility of the town of Riverdale will soon change, with it, the life of young Archie and his friends. Indeed, the rather mysterious death of their classmate Jason Blossom will bring to the surface secrets, hitherto well hidden. Add to this tragic event the arrival of a New Yorker. Riverdale will definitely not be like before.
31. Snowpiercer
It’s been 7 years since the world became ice. The survivors took refuge in a constantly moving 1,001 car train. Inside, the occupiers are divided into classes, this division, injustice and politics eventually spark a revolt. Snowpiercer is inspired by the film by Bong Joon-ho Snowpiercer, le transperceneige, which itself had adapted the French comic Le Transperceneige, by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette.
32. Fargo
Don’t miss the serial adaptation of the Coen brothers’ eponymous thriller. The Fargo series is built on the model of the anthology: every season tells a story. We follow eccentric inhabitants of Minnesota who find themselves immersed in murder cases. The first season thus reveals the turpitudes of an insurance salesman a little loser manipulated by a criminal, and who quickly finds himself with two police officers on the heels. Brilliant casting, icy landscapes, the particular tone of the Coen brothers, it’s all there.
33. Russian Doll
Fiction has often explored the figure of the time loop, where the person usually relives the same day over and over again. Popularized in 1993 by the film Un jour sans fin, she is revisited with brio and not without cynicism in Russian Doll, by Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler and Leslye Headland.
The first camped there Nadia, a developer who returns, every time she dies, in front of the bathroom mirror in her friend’s apartment, who threw her a birthday party. Same day, same time, same heady music in the background: Nadia may try to change her course, she dies each time, and is reincarnated in the same place. The loop seems to get complicated when Nadia meets Alan (Charlie Barnett), who suffers more or less the same fate. Russian Doll elegantly explores themes such as individualism, forgiveness, sanity or identity while playing on space-time. With a lot of dark humor, a good dose of tragicomics, and a bit of metaphysics. Season 2 is expected soon.
34. Love is blind
Love is Blind was Netflix’s reality TV phenomenon in 2020. The dating show has been binge-watched by millions of subscribers across the globe. Love is Blind connects singles from all walks of life. Women and men are separated in different accommodation. They have regular romantic dates for several days, but never see each other. Those who wish can get engaged, to finally discover themselves physically. They then go on a pre-honeymoon to a romantic hotel in Mexico, then eventually settle in together and say yes.
35. Too Hot To Handle
14 singles, each more attractive than the other, go to an island to try to win 100,000 euros: this is the concept of Seduction under High Tension. Men and women must learn to forge sincere and real relationships, far from networks and their hyperconnected daily life. They cannot kiss or have sex under penalty of punishment. An inverted island of temptation if you prefer.
36. Sweet Tooth
Based on Jeff Lemire’s comic series, “Sweet Tooth” is set in a post-apocalyptic world where a mysterious pandemic has collapsed human civilization and given birth to mysterious half-human, half-animal hybrids. It is not yet known whether these hybrids are a consequence or the cause of the virus, and for this reason many are hunting them.
After living ten years in a remote wood, Gus (Christian Convery), half deer and half child, becomes friends with the lonely Jepperd (Nonso Anozie). The two set out on an extraordinary adventure through what remains of America, in search of answers to Gus’s origins, Jepperd’s past and the true meaning of the word home.
37. Elite
Mix between “Gossip Girl” and “The rules of the perfect crime”, “Elite” is a Spanish series by Netflix that takes us through the corridors of Las Encinas, the most prestigious and exclusive school in Spain where the children of the most important personalities study of the country. Following the collapse of the public school in the neighborhood, three new students, sons of workers, arrive in Las Encinas. Their arrival gives rise to a social confrontation that culminates in a tragedy.
38. Summertime
Inspired by Federico Moccia’s novel “Three meters above the sky”, “Summertime” tells the love story between Summer (newcomer Coco Rebecca Edogamhe ) and Ale ( Ludovico Tersigni, known for the role of Giovanni in “Skam Italia” ). She is an independent and responsible girl who dreams of leaving the Riviera; he is a rebel former motorcycle champion who is determined to settle down and start a new chapter in his life. A normal summer will turn into a journey to discover each other and themselves.
In the new season, it’s summer again and Summer and Ale are no longer together, but neither has really forgotten the other. After graduation they will meet again and things will get complicated.
39. Lucifer
Based on the comic book character created by Neil Gaiman, “Lucifer” revolves around Lucifer Morningstar, lord of the underworld, who decides to leave his kingdom to move to Earth because he is bored with his hellish affairs. In Los Angeles he opens a night club and, after a series of vicissitudes, finds himself helping Detective Chloe Decker with her cases. But it will also have to contend with supernatural threats.
40. Love, death and robots
Produced by David Fincher and Tim Miller, Love Death & Robots is an animated anthology series made up of short episodes (running from 5 to 15 minutes) ranging from science fiction to horror, from fantasy to comedy. Thinking dairy products, soldier werewolves, crazed robots and trash monsters are just some of the protagonists of the short films, strictly intended for an adult audience.
41. Zero
Netflix’s new Italian original production revolves around Omar called Zero, a second generation Italian boy with a superpower: he is able to become invisible. When some guys from the barrio discover this particular ability, the neighborhood in the Milanese suburbs where he lives, Zero will find himself involved in a mission to protect the barrio from the criminals who threaten him.
42. Vikings
Set in the ninth century between Scandinavia and the British Isles, “Vikings” tells the deeds of the legendary Norse hero Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), a farmer who manages to raid England acquiring fame and power that will lead him to become king of Scandinavia. After the fourth season, the show moves on to tell the adventures of Ragnar’s children between Scandinavia, England and the Mediterranean.
43. Modern family
Started in 2009 and ended in 2020 with the eleventh season, “Modern Family” is a beloved comedy series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, focused on the events of an extended family far removed from traditional canons: there is the head of the family Jay Pritchett, who remarried to Colombian Gloria, much younger than him and already with a dependent child; and Jay’s kids, Claire and Mitchell. Claire has a real estate agent husband and three children, while Mitch and husband Cameron have adopted a Vietnamese girl named Lilly.
44. The Good place
In addition to making people laugh thanks to the surreal situations and over the top characters, “The Good Place” also offers the opportunity for some reflections on human existence and free will. It revolves around Eleanor Shellstrop ( Kristen Bell ), who dies overwhelmed by a truck and wakes up in the Good Part, the Good Place, a paradise where people who have distinguished themselves in life with their good deeds end up. There is only one problem: Eleanor in life was a selfish and foul-mouthed wimp, and ended up in the Good Part for a case of homonymy.
His presence in the Good Part begins to alter the balance, so he decides to try to become good seriously, taking ethics lessons from Chidi (William Jackson Harper), a philosophy teacher who after finishing in the Good Part was joined by Eleanor in quality of soul mate.
45. Fate: The Winx Saga
“Fate: The Winx Saga” is a darker and more mature reinterpretation of the Winx Club saga, a cartoon created by Iginio Straffi. The series tells the training journey of five fairies who attend Alfea, a magical college where they learn to control and manipulate their powers between love, rivalry and terrifying monsters that threaten the school and the community.
46. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Among the funniest series currently in circulation there is certainly “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”, of which you can find the first four seasons on Netflix (in America they have reached the sixth). The series, which has won two Golden Globes and has shown that it is able to tackle current and delicate issues – from harassment at work to the racism of the police force – with lightness and disenchanted irony, tells the story of agents and detectives of the imaginary 99th district of NYPD.
A curiosity: after five seasons, in May 2018, Fox announced the cancellation of the show, and after just 24 hours, NBC announced the rights for the series. All thanks to the uproar born on Twitter, with fans from all over the world demanding the renewal of the show. And what a fan: director Guillermo Del Toro, Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars saga) and Sean Astin (best known for his role as Sam in “The Lord of the Rings”) also joined the chorus of fans on Twitter in the hope that some other television network would save the series. In the sixth season, Sean Astin also appeared in a cameo.
47. New girl
Composed of seven seasons, “New Girl” is a comedy series created by Elizabeth Meriwether that chronicles the problems and relationships of four thirty-something roommates. Jess (Zooey Deschanel) finds herself single and homeless after surprising her boyfriend and living with someone else. He responds to an ad and goes to share the apartment with Nick (Jake Johnson), Winston (Lamorne Morris) and Schmidt (Max Greenfield), with whom he soon befriends.
48. Derry girls
“Derry Girls” is a little gem of the Netflix catalog (some refer to it as the best teen comedy currently out there). The series follows the lives of five teenagers in the Northern Irish city of Derry in the 1990s of the Troubles, the Northern Irish conflict. Border city remembered abroad above all for having been the scene, in 1972, of Bloody Sunday, Derry is here the background to the ordinary and typically adolescent misadventures of Erin, her cousin Orla, the neurotic Clare, the arrogant Michelle and the cousin of this last, James, just moved from England (and constantly made fun of for being English).
They attend a female Catholic institute (yes, James too, because in a male institute he would have been harassed by bullies as an Englishman) and face the problems of any other teenager, often with hilarious finds for a series that demonstrates how it is possible to live a normal life, being teenagers and laughing even amid police searches and bomb scare.
49. The Haunting of Bly Manor
After “The Nightmare of Hill House”, “The haunting of Bly Manor” is the new chapter in Mike Flanagan’s anthology horror series. From the United States we pass to England in the 1980s: after the tragic death of the governess, Henry Wingrave (Henry Thomas) hires a young American nanny (Victoria Pedretti) to take care of orphaned grandchildren ( Amelie Bea Smith and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) who live at Bly Manor with the cook Owen (Rahul Kohli), the gardener Jamie (Amelia Eve) and the housekeeper, Mrs Grose (T’Nia Miller). But appearances are deceiving at the castle and centuries of dark secrets of love and death are about to come back to the surface.
50. Emily in Paris
Lily Collins plays Emily, an ambitious 25-year-old American marketing director who unexpectedly gets her dream job in Paris, where she will have to take care of revamping the social media strategy of the luxury company just acquired by her company. Emily’s new life is filled with high-alcohol adventures and surprising challenges that will see her busy winning over co-workers, making new friends and juggling new love stories.
51. Grace and Frankie
Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are Grace and Frankie, two in their seventies who find themselves sharing homes and old age problems after their husbands, business partners, confess to them that they have been lovers for more than twenty years and that they finally want to go out discovered and live together. Grace is a meticulous and cynical business woman, while Frankie is a creative and dreamer hippie: amidst the ups and downs of the relationship between the two protagonists, the series tells with irony and delicacy the difficulty of aging in a world that seems to want pretend that the elderly don’t exist.
52. How I met your mother
In 2030, architect Ted Mosby begins to tell his two teenage children about the events that led him, over twenty years earlier, to meet their mother. From this pretext nine seasons unfold that revolve around the life of Ted (Josh Radnor) and his group of friends, made up of Marshall (Jason Segel), Lily (Alyson Hannigan), Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) and Robin (Cobie Smulders), between sentimental and life problems.
53. Unorthodox
Loosely inspired by Deborah Feldman’s autobiography, “Unorthodox” is a four-episode miniseries revolving around Esther ( Shira Haas) known as Esty, a nineteen-year-old who runs away from her husband and the Hasidic community of the New York neighborhood of Williamsburg to take refuge in Berlin, where she hopes to start a new life and pursue those dreams that were previously closed to her. “Unorthodox” is a coming-of-age story that brings us closer to a generally little known reality, that of ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities.
54. Money Heist
The most viewed non-English series on Netflix is “La casa de papel”, a 2017 Spanish series that follows the events of a group of thieves determined to land the biggest robbery of all time: they want to steal two billion and four hundred million euros to the Spanish Mint. In the fourth part, the Professor is convinced that Lisbon has been executed, Rio and Tokyo have destroyed a tank and Nairobi is fighting between life and death. The gang is facing one of the most difficult times ever and the presence of an enemy among its own ranks seriously hinders the success of the coup.
55. The Politician
Ryan Murphy’s first series exclusively for Netflix follows the political events of Payton Hobart (Ben Platt), a wealthy student at a Santa Barbara school who is determined to become President of the United States. He has already planned his life and academic career in order to increase his chances of succeeding, and a key step of course is getting himself elected as student body president.
We therefore follow him in an electoral campaign with no holds barred, which has nothing to envy to the campaigns of the great politicians in terms of subterfuges, stratagems and Machiavellian machinations. The series, already renewed for a second season, for Murphy should ideally consist of five seasons, each on a different election challenge from Payton. Also in the cast are Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Lange.
56. Pose
Acclaimed series by Ryan Murphy, “Pose” catapults us into the New York of the late 1980s and guides us into the Latin American and African American LGBT subculture of ballrooms, the so-called ball culture, in which rival teams competed in competitions based on costumes, moves of dance and precisely “poses” to win a trophy.
The series, which also follows the rise of the yuppies and the spread of HIV, focuses in particular on Blanca, an HIV-positive transsexual who decides to found a new home (i.e. a new team), the Casa di Evangelista, where she welcomes outsiders to compete in the balls.
57. Glow
Created by Carly Mensch and Liz Flahive, “GLOW” is inspired by the 1980s women’s wrestling program of the same name (“Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling”). The series, composed for the moment of three seasons (the third was released in the summer of 2019), follows the story of Ruth Wilder (Alison Brie), aspiring actress, who finds herself starring together with other women in a television show on the wrestling.
58. Friends
Watching an episode of “Friends” is the best remedy for a bad day, and all ten seasons of the iconic 90s sitcom are available on Netflix. Twenty-five years after the first episode aired (it was September 22, 1994), the adventures of Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey remain timeless.
The rewatch in the original language is highly recommended, so as not to miss some puns that have inevitably been lost in the Italian adaptation, as well as some of the symbolic lines of the series (the famous greeting from Joey, “How you doin ‘?” , Then actually entered in common parlance in America, it is an example of this, as is Ross’s recurring “We were on a break!” – “We were broken!”: both sentences have had different translations over the seasons).
59. Homeland
Winner of several awards including an Emmy Awards for Best Drama Series and consisting of eight seasons, Homeland stars a CIA agent, Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) with bipolar disorder. The events start with the release of a Marine sergeant believed to have disappeared in Iraq; while everyone hails him as a hero, Carrie is the only one who believes he poses a threat to the country.
60. Daredevil
If the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe fight for the good of the planet and the galaxy, on the small screen the paladins are content to protect their city, to damn themselves for their neighborhood. The Netflix microcosm dedicated to the heroes of the House of Ideas, in which the exploits of Matt Murdock, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist coexist, was born from here. Daredevil, the first piece of a larger world, is skilled in recreating leaden atmospheres and the dramatic story of a blind lawyer, whose blasphemous faith leads him to lend his soul to the devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Daredevil is a realistic, urban superhero plagued with credible moral dilemmas.
61. Sherlock
Forget smoky nineteenth-century London, muddy alleys and the over-the-top investigations of Robert Downey Jr.’s heroic Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock updates the myth of the fascinating detective born from the pen of Arthur Conan Doyle to the present day. Elusive, vain, ingenious and arrogant, the Sherlock Holmes of the enigmatic Benedict Cumberbatch moves in the frenetic contemporary world accompanied by the faithful and trusted Waston of the exceptional Martin Freeman. It is precisely the duets between Sherlock and John that make the series brilliant, wordy and courageous, where the dialectical clash becomes the absolute protagonist of a high-tension show.
62. Death Note
We are not afraid to exaggerate in defining Death Note one of the most brilliant stories ever read in a comic and never seen on the small screen. Conceived by Tsugumi Ôba and drawn by Takeshi Obata, Death Note is a refined and bizarre psychological thriller that delves into the shadows of the human being. The evil temptation falls from heaven: a black book in which it is possible to write the name, surname and cause of death of the unfortunate person on duty, ready to leave this world once the ink has written his sentence. All in the hands of a model student who gives vent to his boredom and his total lack of empathy.
63. The Alienist
If you are a lover of the most dismal and decadent atmospheres of the late nineteenth century, you are in the right TV series to see on Netflix. Indeed, you have come to the right city, that is the industrious New York of 1896. Based on the novel of the same name by Caleb Carr, The Alienist tells a murky story of serial killings in a rather bleak urban context. It all starts with the gruesome discovery of a horribly mutilated corpse: that of a boy forced into prostitution. A delicate case in which three characters as different as they are complementary are involved: the alienist (a kind of ante litteram psychiatrist) Laszlo Kreizler, the illustrator John Moore and the police secretary Sara Howard. Moving with elegance and patience in the thriller territories, The alienist keeps intact the literary style of the story (very introspective and careful to outline the psychology of the three protagonists), without giving up some dose of action and mystery that make it one of the most intriguing nineteenth-century TV series never seen on the small screen.
64. The end of the f***ing world
A profound evil of youthful living, rebellions repressed for too long and uncoordinated reactions. The essential stages of The End of the F *ing World, a series based on the homonymous comic by Charles Forsman, have the flavor of adolescent turmoil brought to exasperation. James and Alyssa are two restless 17-year-olds who decide to escape their asphyxiating lives to embark on a crazy adventure on the road. Bitter, cynical and easy to devour, The End of the F*ing World is loved from start to finish. “The arrival of the second season, just released on Netflix, was an absolutely inevitable necessity.
65. Sabrina
The magic concoction works: more than a pinch of horror, good doses of teen drama and sentimental problems to season it all. Within a few years The terrifying adventures of Sabrina has established itself as one of the flagship shows of Netflix, because it is able to embrace an audience of fans immediately involved in a show without half measures and with a lot of personality. The training path of the half-witch Sabrina is exaggerated, grotesque, over the top and full of those disturbing moments that are not seen very often in shamelessly adolescent series.
66. Titans
Started quietly, far from the spotlight and expectations, Titans showed the muscles of a choral, mature, dark and really well structured TV series. Based on the DC Comics saga dedicated to the exploits of the Young Titans, the series mixes various genres, passing with ease from crime to supernatural, without forgetting a superhero background in which the amalgamation of the group is always at the center of the action. Robin and his companions involve us in a fight against crime in which the bar is raised episode after episode, up to a second season in which a certain Bruce Wayne also appears.
67. Freud
Set in late 19th century Vienna, Freud is a TV series that chronicles the life and innovative theories of the young neurologist, played by Robert Finster. After returning from France where he studied a particular hypnosis technique for the treatment of hysteria, Freud struggled to get the approval of his colleagues. The meeting with the medium Fleur Salomé (Ella Rumpf), however, will completely disrupt his life, dragging him into a spiral of murders and supernatural events.
68. Cursed
Based on the illustrated novel of the same name by Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler, Cursed is a fantasy television series that reinterprets the myth of King Arthur from the point of view of the teenager Nimue (Katherine Langford), a young man destined to become the Lady of the Lake. The girl’s task will be to deliver a powerful sword to Merlin Wizard; to do so, he will have to undertake a journey full of dangers, in the company of the young mercenary Arthur.
69. Jupiter’s Legacy
Jupiter’s Legacy is an American television series created by Steven S. DeKnight and based on the graphic novel of the same name by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely. It is the thirties when Sheldon Sampson (Josh Duhamel) decides to create a team of superheroes with very specific ideals, including not killing and having their enemies have a fair trial. After spending ninety years protecting humanity, the first generation of superheroes must pass the baton to their children; the new recruits, however, are struggling to prove themselves up to par with the feats accomplished by their parents.
70. Darkness and Bones
Darkness and Bones is an American TV series based on the first two novels (Darkness and Bones and Six of Crows) of the fantasy trilogy by writer Leigh Bardugo. The show, set in a world divided in half by a huge barrier of darkness, the Shadow Fault, stars Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li), an orphaned apprentice cartographer part of Ravka’s army. Although she only desires a quiet life, Alina will soon discover that she possesses enormous power, a characteristic that will lead her to be enlisted, in defense of the kingdom, by the magical creatures Grisha.