The 25 best shows to watch on Netflix right now

A Killer Paradox (2024)

What retail worker hasn’t wanted to let loose on a rude customer? When meek loser Lee Tang (Choi Woo-shik) gives in to that impulse with a hammer, he’s horrified… until he finds out he accidentally murdered a serial killer. Based on the award-winning webtoon of the same name, this stylish and fantastical Korean thriller follows Tang’s progression into vigilante murder, with the dogged detective (Son Suk-ku) tracking his every kill.

Where to watch A Killer Paradox: Netflix

Cast: Choi Woo-shik, Son Suk-ku, Lee Hee-joon

Related content: The 15 best serial killer shows streaming on Netflix right now

American Nightmare (2024)

The nightmare at the center of this true crime docuseries belongs first and foremost to Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn, the home invasion victims who were unfairly accused of staging Huskins’ kidnapping, rape, and return. The American nightmare, on the other hand, belongs to all of us. Watching the police hold a press conference to paint Huskins and Quinn as Gone Girl hucksters will infuriate you, especially when the media spreads the false narrative with glee. The true crime genre is undergoing a reckoning lately, and rightly so, but this three-part examination of how institutions fail victims represents what the genre can do when filmmakers cover their topics with care and empathy.

Where to watch American Nightmare: Netflix

Cast: Denise Huskins, Aaron Quinn

Related content: The 27 best true crime documentaries on Netflix

Blue Eye Samurai (2023–present)

Set in 1600s Edo Japan, Blue Spirit Studios brings married showrunners Michael Green (Logan) and Amber Noizumi’s dizzyingly violent vision to technicolor life, especially in the fight scenes. And there are A LOT of fight scenes in this gorgeous adult animation series. Our titular hero is Mizu (Maya Erskine), a blue-eyed mixed-race woman who disguises herself as a man to become a deadly fighter, even as her interracial identity makes her the target of vicious treatment. She embarks on a journey to track down and kill the four white men left in her closed-border country, one of whom is her father. An all-star cast (Brenda Song, Randall Park, George Takei, Kenneth Branagh) bring their best to the series, but Masi Oka (Heroes) is a standout as Mizu’s optimistic, would-be apprentice.

Where to watch Blue Eye Samurai: Netflix

Cast: Maya Erskine, Brenda Song, Randall Park, George Takei, Kenneth Branagh, Masi Oka

Related content: The best anime on Netflix right now

Call the Midwife (2012–present)

The beloved British drama about young midwives in London kicked off in 1957 and currently takes place in 1969. That’s 13 highly bingeable seasons of cheering on the young nurses (and the Anglican nuns who run Nonnatus House) as they provide vital healthcare services to the poverty-stricken East End. Based on Jenny Lee’s memoirs, each season highlights England’s rapidly changing culture through the lens of motherhood (birth control, self-managed abortion, sex work, intersex births, and more). What keeps you hooked, though, are the midwives whose lives are inevitably changed by the job.

Where to watch Call the Midwife: Netflix 

Cast: Vanessa Redgrave, Jenny Agutter, Judy Parfitt, Helen George, Laura Main, Stephen McGann

Related content: The 20 best British shows on Netflix

Cobra Kai (2018–present)

We regret to inform you that it’s been 40 YEARS since the original Karate Kid movie. The sequel series is no spring chicken either, as season 6 is set to (finally!) premiere this year with senseis Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) preparing their students for the Sekai Taikai international karate tournament, where multiple old enemies are bound to complicate things. Cobra Kai is the rare show that Gen X and Gen Z can love equally.

Where to watch Cobra Kai: Netflix

Cast: Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Yuji Okumoto, Peyton List, Mary Mouser

Related content: Cobra Kai's William Zabka shows off badass moves in season 6 training video

Crashing (2016)

Before she was Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge wrote herself another absurdly messy lead role in this charming quick-binge comedy. Set in an abandoned hospital where twentysomethings live for cheap rent (a real thing in England), Crashing has Waller-Bridge’s trademark cutting wit combined with an open, bleeding heart at the center of every joke. All that plus a pre-Bridgerton Jonathan Bailey with bleached blond hair!

Where to watch Crashing: Netflix

Cast: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Jonathan Bailey, Julie Dray, Louise Ford

Related content: 35 one-season TV wonders

Cunk on Earth (2022)

Tracing human history from the earliest civilizations to the space race, reporter Philomena Cunk (comedian Diane Morgan) is on a mission to reach “every corner of the globe money and pandemic travel restrictions would allow.” The highlight of this five-episode mockumentary series is the dozens of real-life experts who patiently deal with Cunk’s deadpan cluelessness, like British historian Martin Kemp answering the question, "Which was more culturally significant: the Renaissance, or ‘Single Ladies’ by Beyoncé?" with a seriousness that couldn’t be funnier.

Where to watch Cunk on Earth: Netflix

Cast: Diane Morgan

Related content: 10 funny mockumentaries to remind us about the absurdity of life

Derry Girls (2018–2022)

Lisa McGee’s semi-autobiographical series, about growing up in the titular Northern Ireland towns during the Troubles, could have been a sentimental coming-of-age dramedy. Luckily, she went in another direction. The Derry Girls are hilariously inept teenagers dealing with constant self-created mayhem. Add an Irish family, an obnoxious Pick-Me-Girl classmate (Leah O'Rourke), and the permanently over-it Catholic school headmistress (the perfectly dry Siobhán McSweeney), and you have an absolute corker of a show.

Where to watch Derry Girls: Netflix

Cast: Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Nicola Coughlan, Louisa Harland, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, Dylan Llewellyn, Siobhán McSweeney

Related content: 5 reasons you should stop everything and watch Derry Girls on Netflix right now

The Diplomat (2023)

You can hear creator Debora Cahn’s West Wing writing roots in the rat-a-tat dialogue of The Diplomat. (This is a compliment.) Keri Russell, allowed to be slightly lighthearted for once, plays Kate Wyler, the new and reluctant U.S. ambassador to the U.K.  Everything would be fine if not for her on-again, off-again Machiavellian spouse (a rakish Rufus Sewell) who loves to scheme in her best interest, a staff who keep trying to put her in designer dresses, a too-hot guy who works for British intelligence (David Gyasi), and an international incident that could lead to World War III. Fun political dramedy is hard to come by, and this one nails it.

Where to watch The Diplomat: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Cast: Keri Russell, Rufus Sewell, David Gyasi

Related content: Keri Russell is heading back to TV after The Americans with Netflix political thriller

Documentary Now! (2015–2022)

Like a much funnier version of the Traveling Wilburys, SNL alumni Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Seth Meyers, and Rhys Thomas formed a comedy supergroup in 2015 to lovingly parody acclaimed documentaries. Each standalone episode mimics a work’s filming style, subjects, and storyline — but with a twist. When We Were Kings, about the infamous Muhammad Ali/George Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle” fight, becomes How They Threw Rocks, about a fictional Welsh sport that’s essentially dodgeball with stones. The only thing every entry has in common is an introduction from host Dame Helen Mirren, playing her role with a gravitas that dares you to laugh (and you will).

Where to watch Documentary Now!: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Cast: Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Seth Meyers, Rhys Thomas, Helen Mirren

Related content: Alexander Skarsgård, Nicholas Braun on lampooning Werner Herzog in the Documentary Now! season 4 premiere

Feel Good (2020–2021)

If you only know Mae Martin from their comedy specials or the Handsome podcast with Tig Notaro and Fortune Feimster, now is the time to watch their underseen rom-com series. The semi-autobiographical show follows Martin falling in love with shy teacher George (Charlotte Ritchie), but their romance is complicated by addiction, past trauma, late-in-life coming out, and family. Though the subject matter is serious, the execution is wry, especially when Martin’s mother Linda (Lisa Kudrow, sharply hilarious) chimes in.

Where to watch Feel Good: Netflix

Cast: Mae Martin, Charlotte Ritchie, Lisa Kudrow

Related content: Survivor alum Parvati Shallow reveals relationship with comedian Mae Martin: 'We're here. We're queer'

Friday Night Lights (2006–2011)

If Friday Night Lights was just about Coach and Mrs. Coach (Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, respectively) having one of the best marriages in television history, the series might have still made this list. But luckily, the Emmy-winning drama about high school football in a small-town Texas has plenty of other attributes. It’s hard not to fall in love with just about every character, especially those played by the young and stellar cast (Zach Gilford, Minka Kelly, Adrianne Palicki, Taylor Kitsch, Jesse Plemons, Jurnee Smollett, Matt Lauria, and Michael B. Jordan, just to name a few!). Clear eyes and full hearts, y’all. 

Where to watch Friday Night Lights: Netflix 

Cast: Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Zach Gilford, Minka Kelly, Adrianne Palicki, Taylor Kitsch, Jesse Plemons, Jurnee Smollett, Matt Lauria, Michael B. Jordan

Related content: Friday Night Lights series finale: Ranking the tear-inducing moments

The Gentlemen (2024)

Guy Ritchie created this action series as a spin-off of his 2019 movie, but it works just fine on its own. When Amy Capt. Edward Horniman (Theo James) unexpectedly inherits his father’s estate and title, he doesn’t expect to also inherit the drug operation on his land run by an incarcerated drug kingpin (Ray Winstone) and his daughter (Kaya Scodelario). Add to the mix a nefarious American billionaire (Giancarlo Esposito), an entire Liverpool crime organization, and Eddie’s messy screwup of a brother Freddy (Daniel Ings), and you’ve got a binge with plenty of high-octane hijinks.

Where to watch The Gentlemen: Netflix

Cast: Theo James, Ray Winstone, Kaya Scodelario, Giancarlo Esposito, Daniel Ings, Freddie Fox

Related content: Guy Richie’s The Gentlemen is becoming a TV show

GLOW (2017–2019)

If you weren’t watching local syndicated television in the 1980s, you might have missed the real-life Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling variety show. Have no fear, the fictionalized version is just a binge away. Sports fan and would-be producer Bash (Chris Lowell) funds a women’s wrestling program directed by a washed-up has-been (Marc Maron at his weary best) and starring the oddballs willing to take on the physically and mentally grueling job. Ruth (Alison Brie) and Debbie (Betty Gilpin) anchor the cast as the Cold War heel-and-hero combination Zoya the Destroya and Liberty Belle, who slowly realize they could run the show themselves. Even though GLOW was unfairly canceled too soon, there’s still plenty to love about this three-season gem.  

Where to watch GLOW: Netflix

Cast: Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, Marc Maron, Chris Lowell, Kate Nash

Related content: Watch the GLOW cast reunite for the first time after the Netflix series cancellation

Girls5eva (2021–2024)

Netflix rescued this Tina Fey-produced musical comedy — about a ‘90s one-hit wonder group that stages a comeback — from Peacock. And thank goodness, because season 3 has put the band back on the road for more ridiculous adventures. Each of the four women brings their own set of hilarious neurosis: Dawn (Sara Bareilles), the songwriter balancing her dreams and family life; Summer (Busy Philipps), who navigates divorce and independence; Gloria (Paula Pell), the lesbian dentist who relishes being creative again; and Wickie (Renee Elise Goldsberry) the diva determined to make it. Every song is a banger, the jokes are rapid-fire, and 4eva is definitely too short.

Where to watch Girls5eva: Netflix

Cast: Sara Bareilles, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Busy Philipps, Paula Pell

Related content: We drank three rounds with the cast of Girls5eva...cause forever's too short

The Harlan Coben Collection (2020–2024)

Harlan Coben, your dad’s favorite mystery-thriller author, writes clever, fast-paced, plot-driven books that make for a great limited series. Netflix went wisely international in its adaptations, so these eight standalone productions shot in France, Poland, England, and Spain make for visually beautiful storytelling. Starring actors you may already know (Cush Jumbo, Richard Armitage, and Michael C. Hall) as well as international stand-outs you’ll wish you’d known sooner (Mario Casas, Grzegorz Damięcki, and Magdalena Boczarska), these titles are great when you need a whodunit.

Where to watch The Harlan Coben Collection: Netflix

Cast: Cush Jumbo, Richard Armitage, Michael C. Hall, Mario Casas, Grzegorz Damięcki, Magdalena Boczarska

Related content: Stay Close showrunner breaks down the thrilling end to mystery miniseries

Insecure (2016–2021)

HBO has begun licensing content to Netflix, so there’s no better time to start binging shows you might have missed. Start with this Emmy-nominated comedy-drama about two best friends: Issa (Issa Rae), the unfocused non-profit worker stuck in a stale relationship who raps encouragement to herself in the mirror, and Molly (Yvonne Orji), the driven lawyer with sky-high dating standards. Deftly balancing the ridiculous (every instance of Issa’s white boss at the non-profit We Got Y’all) with the authentic (Issa and Molly’s rocky friendship, which dominates a stellar season 4), Insecure is about growing up when you’re already grown.

Where to watch Insecure: Netflix

Cast: Issa Rae, Yvonne Orji, Lisa Joyce, Natasha Rothwell, Jay Ellis

Related content: Why the heck Insecure and other HBO titles are heading to Netflix

Never Have I Ever (2020–2023)

John McEnroe’s brattiest days are far behind him, but he’s still the perfect narrator for how 15-year-old Devi Vishwakumar (newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) feels when her father suddenly dies while watching her band recital. Dealing with grief that leaves her angry and impulsive, Devi struggles to connect with her mother (Poorna Jagannathan), her best friends (Ramona Young and Lee Rodriguez), and her academic rival/potential suitor (Jaren Lewison). Series co-creator Mindy Kaling balances the coming-of-age comedy and drama almost as perfectly as McEnroe breathes the words “Paxton Hall-Yoshida!” every time Devi sees her not-so-out-of-reach crush (Darren Barnet).

Where to watch Never Have I Ever: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Cast: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Poorna Jagannathan, Ramona Young, Lee Rodriguez, Jaren Lewison, Darren Barnet, John McEnroe

Related content: John McEnroe talks narrating Never Have I Ever, failing to learn teen lingo

One Day (2024)

It’s a tale as old as time: A working-class girl meets an upper-crust boy, there’s a will-they-or-won’t-they tension, and they reunite once a year for two decades. Based on the 2009 David Nicholls novel and one-upping the lackluster 2011 Anne Hathaway movie, this series has three major advantages over previous incarnations: Leo Woodall as Dexter, Ambika Mod as Emma, and the undeniable chemistry between them. It’s a love story that will probably make you cry, but it’s one you won’t regret watching.

Where to watch One Day: Netflix

Cast: Leo Woodall, Ambika Mod, Eleanor Tomlinson, Essie Davis, Tim McInnerny

Related content: Inside the making of Netflix's poignant, beautiful One Day adaption

Peaky Blinders (2013–2022)

Peaky Blinders is a highly stylized, ultra-violent, fun-as-a-fixed-horse race family crime drama. World War I veteran Tommy Shelby (newly minted Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy) fights to run the successful Birmingham gang while also keeping control of his hotheaded Aunt Polly (the late, great Helen McCrory), his hotheaded brother Arthur (Paul Anderson), his hotheaded little sister Ada (Sophie Rundle), and various other hotheads who make his days difficult. Early in season 1, he meets and falls madly in love with Grace (Annabelle Wallis), who may or may not be his downfall. Once you finish your binge, you can look forward to the upcoming movie that will wrap up Tommy’s story late next year.

Where to watch Peaky Blinders: Netflix

Cast: Cillian Murphy, Sam Neill, Helen McCrory, Paul Anderson, Sophie Rundle, Finn Cole, Joe Cole, Tom Hardy, Anya Taylor-Joy

Related content: Peaky Blinders pays tribute to Helen McCrory with clapboard illustration

Resident Alien (2021–present)

Alan Tudyk leads this series as Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle, an extraterrestrial sent to destroy the human race but who instead decides to assimilate into society as the medical examiner of a small, Colorado town. Throughout three seasons, Harry deals with alien hunters, other aliens, meddling kids (he could have gotten away with it, too!) and, of course, falling in love. Not to mention pretending to be a person isn’t as easy as Law & Order made it look.

Where to watch Resident Alien: Netflix

Cast: Alan Tudyk, Sara Tomko, Corey Reynolds, Alice Wetterlund, Levi Fiehler, Judah Prehn, Elizabeth Bowen

Related content: Resident Alien cast and creator tease return of season 2 and that fatal cliffhanger

Six Feet Under (2001–2005)

Sure, this Alan Ball HBO drama has one the greatest series finales of all time, but before you get there, you’ve got 62 other episodes that are also pretty stellar. The ensemble centers around the Fisher family (Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Lauren Ambrose, and Frances Conroy) who run a funeral home in Los Angeles after the sudden loss of their patriarch, exploring death as a constant companion both literally and figuratively. Each episode begins with the demise of someone who ends up in the Fisher home — some tragic (a child dies of SIDS), some darkly comedic (a cube of airplane waste drops from the sky and lands on a woman), and all reminding the Fishers that the end is just around the corner.

Where to watch Six Feet Under: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Cast: Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy, Lauren Ambrose, Freddy Rodriguez, Mathew St. Patrick, Jeremy Sisto, Rachel Griffiths, James Cromwell, Justina Machado

Related content: Six Feet Under at 20: A look back at HBO's groundbreaking drama

Stateless (2020)

This intense Australian limited series highlights the troubled history of the country’s many detention centers for undocumented immigrants. Created by Cate Blanchett, who plays a small role as a conniving self-help con artist, we follow four stories: Sofie (Yvonne Strahovski), who ended up in detention while trying to escape a cult; Ameer (Fayssal Bazzi), a single-father refugee who flees Afghanistan; Clare (Asher Keddie), an administrator in over her head; and Cam (Jai Courtney), a new officer who’s only in it for the solid paycheck. It’s a harrowing watch, all the more so when you find out it's based on a true story.

Where to watch Stateless: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review here)

Cast: Yvonne Strahovski, Cate Blanchett, Fayssal Bazzi, Asher Keddie, Jai Courtney, Dominic West

Related content: Fayssal Bazzi on playing refugee Ameer in Netflix's Stateless: 'I knew that it was an important thing to do'

Suits (2011–2019)

If you haven’t already joined the most popular binge-watch of the last year, what are you waiting for? Part of the Blue Sky era on the USA Network, this fun legal drama tells the story of Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), a brilliant college dropout with a photographic memory who’s hired as an associate by successful corporate attorney Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht). Together, they win cases, charm clients, and hide Mike’s secret — something that gets more and more difficult over nine seasons (the first eight are streaming on Netflix). The terrific supporting cast includes true royalty (Meghan Markle, literally the Duchess of Sussex; Gina Torres, the queen of whatever screen she’s on; and Rick Hoffman, the king of my heart), who all make the most of their characters. 

Where to watch Suits: Netflix

Cast: Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Rick Hoffman, Meghan Markle, Sarah Rafferty, Gina Torres

Related Content: The cast of Suits: Where are they now?

The Tourist (2022–2024)

Jamie Dornan stars in this BBC mystery as a man who wakes up in an Australian hospital with no memory of what the audience has already seen: that his car was chased down and purposely hit by a semi-truck. Across two tense seasons, the amnesiac tries to figure out who he is and what happened with the help of sweet Probationary Constable Helen Chambers (a delightful Danielle Macdonald) and Luci, a waitress who knows more than she’s letting on (Shalom Brune-Franklin). But the more he finds out about his past, the less he wants to remember.  

Where to watch The Tourist: Netflix

Cast: Jamie Dornan, Danielle Macdonald, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Genevieve Lemon, Alex Dimitriades, Damon Herriman

Related content: Jamie Dornan agrees that end of The Tourist season 2 is ‘f---ing mad’