The largest streaming service currently available is Netflix. Numerous Netflix originals are included in the vast selection of episodes and films it offers. These are programs that the streamer itself produces. They range in style and caliber from reality TV and low-budget comedy to high-brow dramas and classic television. What are the top Netflix series ever produced?
The top Netflix programs of all time can’t be picked simply. Are we guided by the public’s opinion? Should everything be decided by awards? Perhaps a reader survey? What if we made our selections only based on personal preference?
Simply put, “bestness” cannot be measured, but that doesn’t mean we can’t establish some guidelines.
Instead of claiming to have the perfect solution, we’ve blended a couple of these methods to provide a list of programs that are hailed as the finest by a reasonably wide margin of opinion. The majority of the Netflix series on the list below have high IMDb ratings, multiple accolades (Emmys, Golden Globes, etc.), and substantial viewership, according to Netflix. However, we’ve also added our secret sauce to the process by evaluating if previously well-received games still stand up, whether bad marketing obscured any hidden treasures, and whether less popular titles attracted fervent fan bases.
Finally, we’ve allowed a few of our individual preferences to creep in.
Here are the top Netflix shows ever, considering everything.
Orange is the new Black
Orange Is the New Black, one of Netflix’s first original programs, got 12 Emmy nominations in its debut season and four wins throughout its seven-season run. The series, which is based on Piper Kerman’s novel Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison, follows a woman’s time in federal minimum-security prison, including the bonds she develops with other inmates.
Ozark
A compelling family drama and thriller, Ozark. Jason Bateman and Laura Linney play a couple running a dangerous money-laundering plan for a Mexican drug cartel while moving their family from Chicago to the Ozarks in the television series. It’s one of the greatest Netflix programs ever and one of the service’s most popular originals.
Stranger Things
Since its 2016 debut, Stranger Things has been one of the streamer’s most well-liked programs. It is widely regarded as Netflix’s flagship original series. In this cosmic horror series influenced by classic tales by Steven Spielberg, Stephen King, and others, a little kid goes missing in a tiny Indiana town, and his companions uncover a government plot involving creatures from another dimension.
Glow
Despite being canceled after three seasons, GLOW garnered a devoted following and received favorable reviews all along the way. The program, which stars Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, and Marc Maron, gives a dramatized history of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling women’s wrestling circuit of the 1980s. It follows the prominent figures involved as a varied mix of women broke into the male-dominated wrestling business.
The Crown
The Crown, a dramatization of Queen Elizabeth II’s life, career, and reign, is based on actual events in British royal history. The series depicts the drama and intrigue surrounding the British seat of power by using diverse actors to portray royals at various points in history. It is one of the top Netflix shows of all time and a major award winner for the streaming service.
Bridgerton
Bridgerton is a massively popular epic romance movie with planned spinoffs that is set in the British Regency era. The series, which is based on Julia Quinn’s best-selling books, follows the Bridgerton siblings as they look for love and happiness. High society’s rules don’t always make things simple. There is also a local gossip who publishes a widely read newsletter that puts everyone on edge.
Squid Game
The most popular Netflix series is also one of its greatest ever. When it was released in 2021, the original Squid Game from Korea became a huge, worldwide hit. In a lethal competition, the show follows the competitors. They will all participate in humiliating and risky trials to be the final candidate standing to receive the cash prize since they are all yearning for it. This critique of capitalism resonated with viewers and emerged as a zeitgeist-defining program.
Sex Education
This insightful, humorous, and poignant Netflix comedy follows the son of a sex therapist who attempts to make money at school by giving love counseling. In the comedy-drama, a sexual revolution shocks the school and the neighborhood. Both children and adults start to challenge the current quo and fully explore their aspirations. Both improved connections and media and school board scrutiny result from this.
The Witcher
One of the most watched programs on Netflix is The Witcher. The Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s writings serve as the inspiration for the fantasy drama. It centers on a mutant monster hunter who traverses a made-up country offering his services to those in need. But he needs to be cautious of the individuals he meets.
Dark
German sci-fi thriller Dark, one of Netflix’s most popular non-English films, has been frequently compared to Stranger Things. The series, which spans decades, follows a village as it comes undone as long-buried truths come to light after a kid goes missing.