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Osias Baptist
This list is weighted toward the best shows to watch on Netflix right now, which means recently released Netflix Originals take priority, though you'll find legacy Netflix shows further down the list. These are only the most relevant and worthwhile shows to watch on Netflix.
This South Korean sci-fi horror TV series from Train to Busan director Yeon Sang-ho is a live-action spin-off of the manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki, and depicts all the awful things that happen when parasitic organisms from outer space come to Earth and turn humans into killing machines. What's more, all sorts of disgusting tentacles and tendrils pop out of the host bodies' heads like jack-in-the-boxes. The story isn't too complicated, but the action sequences will keep you glued to the screen. -Tim Surette [Trailer]
What if the story of The Talented Mr. Ripley was depicted as it truly is: a chilling tale of a sociopath whose lust for deviancy leads to a murdering spree? Creator Steven Zaillian takes Patricia Highsmith's story and turns it into a polar opposite of the popular 1999 Matt Damon and Jude Law movie, filming everything in stark black and white and spending more time getting in the head of con man Thomas Ripley (played exquisitely by Andrew Scott) while he heads to Italy to convince a wealthy layabout to return home to America at the request of the father. Ripley has divided viewers, with some saying Scott is too old and the pacing is too slow, but I loved the tension and the careful character examination. -Tim Surette [Trailer]
Netflix's biggest new series in a long time is this adaptation of Cixin Liu's epic sci-fi novel from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and True Blood's Alexander Woo. Set across multiple timelines and in different countries, 3 Body Problem is a global thriller about scientists attempting to thwart an impending alien invasion. Unlike its peers in the genre, 3 Body Problem is heavily rooted in science, and the invasion will take 400 years to arrive, so it plays with theoretical solutions rather than building a big gun. Though its heady approach is not for everyone, you should at least watch through Episode 5 to see what happens to a boat carrying pro-alien cultists. It's rad. -Tim Surette [Trailer] [Review]
Warrior is a breakthrough in Asian representation on the screen, but that's just a bonus of this action drama that's reaching a new audience on Netflix after a quiet life on Cinemax and Max. Based on the writings of Bruce Lee and brought to the screen by his daughter Shannon, Warrior's depiction of the Tong Wars in San Francisco in the late 1800s is appropriately gruesome and takes more turns than Lombard Street, showing a time, place, and people that television somehow always overlooks. It's Peaky Blinders with an added layer of racial issues. It's Gangs of New York with more flying kicks. But it's also wholly original as a story of immigrants making their way in a country that only barely tolerated them and fighting back against that hatred. -Tim Surette [Trailer]
True love doesn't happen overnight, despite what romantic dramas would lead you to believe, and in this adaptation of David Nicholls' book, it takes decades. Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod will make you believe in love at 1000th sight, as we follow Dexter (Woodall) and Emma (Mod) on one day each year from the late '80s to the '00s, with all the ups and downs in between. The 14-episode limited series may seem intimidating at first, but the abbreviated run times (about 30 minutes each episode) make this a breezy binge. -Tim Surette [Trailer]
This heartwarming series is an American edition of the Australian reality documentary series following the dating lives of people on the autism spectrum. Like the original, the U.S. version is empathetic and deeply moving as it follows these lovable young people on their journeys to find love. It won the Emmy for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program in 2022. In Season 2, the show catches up with many of your favorites from Season 1 as they continue to look for love or take the next step in their new relationships. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]
Australian author Trent Dalton's debut book Boy Swallows Universe gets adapted for Netflix in this seven-episode limited series that's for anyone looking for a coming-of-age story with a dash of crime and a warm heart. It follows Eli Bell, a young teenager whose mom is a former drug addict, stepdad is a heroin dealer, brother is mute, and father is in prison, as he stumbles into a life of crime to help out his family. Despite that setup, it's a warm family drama with plenty of humor to keep it humming. Look out for strong performances from Travis Fimmel and Phoebe Tonkin, as well as a star-making turn for young Felix Cameron. -Tim Surette [Trailer]
The biggest headline surrounding Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, the upcoming anime adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novels, is that the entire cast from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Edgar Wright's 2010 cult favorite film, reassembled to reprise their roles. Everyone from Michael Cera as the titular lovelorn slacker to Chris Evans as pompous "pretty good actor" Lucas Lee is back for the series, which O'Malley and co-creator BenDavid Grabinski promised is neither a direct adaptation of the movie or the books, but its own thing entirely. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]
Netflix might not care if you watch this gorgeous, thought-provoking anime, but we do. This adaptation of Naoki Urasawa's acclaimed manga spins off from the ultra-popular Astro Boy franchise, following a series of murders of specific robots around the world. The deaths aren't random; the targeted robots possess a certain amount of power, and Urasawa tells the story as a slow-burning murder mystery taken on by a detective who just so happens to be a robot. As the robots fall victim episode by episode, their stories are told, asking questions of artificial intelligence, robot rights, sentience, and, naturally, what it means to be human. What makes the series more than the sum of its parts is the emotional bombs its drops. There are moments of robo-sadness that will stick with you for a long time. -Tim Surette [Trailer]
There are so many coming-of-age television series out there, but few are as brazenly honest and endearing as this one. The comedy, which just completed its fourth and final season, is a raunchy-on-the-outside and sweet-on-the-inside charmer about a teen boy who inadvertently becomes his school's go-to sex therapist. The series explores teen sexuality in a refreshingly non-judgemental, authentic way, and it posits that whether you're the most popular kid in school or the outcast eating lunch alone, there's a universal and terrifying confusion in growing up that can be made more manageable by a supportive community and communication. Plus, Gillian Anderson co-stars as Otis' eccentric divorce mom, who is an actual sex therapist and has a house full of phallic statues, which is just a lot of fun. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]
This cute and gentle British teen drama is based on a webcomic-turned-graphic novel that's beloved by fans of romantic coming-of-age stories. Heartstopper follows Charlie Spring (Joe Locke), an openly gay secondary school student who develops an unlikely friendship with Nick (Kit Connor), a jock with a kind heart who invites Charlie to join the rugby team. And their friendship just might be developing into something more. It's a sweet little show that keeps some comic book-inspired stylistic flourishes. Fans of the comic, and teen drama in general, will love it. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]
In this adaptation of the fantasy book series, Henry Cavill plays Geralt of Rivia, the world-weary slayer of monsters who is tasked by destiny with protecting the magical Crown Princess Ciri (Freya Allan) from many different pursuers who all want her for their own nefarious ends. While it isn't always easy to follow, Seasons 2 and 3 settle in from Season 1, which had a timeline so complicated there are jokes about it in Season 2. But it's still a hardcore fantasy show that will satisfy the nerdiest fans of Andrzej Sapkowski's multimedia franchise. Season 3 is Cavill's last as the lead as he departs the series, making way for Liam Hemsworth to take over in Season 4. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]
Mindy Kaling's warm, wickedly funny spin on a classic high school comedy stars Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Devi Vishwakumar, a high achiever desperate to reinvent herself after the sudden death of her father (Sendhil Ramamurthy, joining the ranks of TV's hot dads even in flashbacks). As she navigates a love triangle and denies the depth of her grief, short-tempered Devi's inner life is narrated, hilariously, by tennis legend John McEnroe. Who knew we all needed to hear John McEnroe say "thirst trap"? The series also ends with solid finality; Devi doesn't tiptoe around her feelings. -Kelly Connolly [Trailer]
Sometimes what you want is to see your id, your most base animal instincts, the unhinged thoughts you definitely have but rarely voice, reflected on screen. You may or may not remember Tim Robinson from his time on Saturday Night Live; honestly, they didn't really know what to do with him over there, and in retrospect it's clear that what he needed was something of his own where he could really let his freak flag fly. That's I Think You Should Leave in a nutshell! It's a madcap roller coaster of a sketch series that features Robinson playing a host of weirdo characters with big personalities and strong convictions about things that don't really matter, such as his highly memeable hot dog mascot who refuses to admit he was the one who crashed his car into a storefront. Like anything that's really, truly hilarious, it's sort of impossible to describe. You just have to watch it to understand. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]
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