Over the past decade,Netflixhas become a new home of prestige television. When the streamer started making original programming, thanks to acclaimed shows likeMindhunter, it didn’t take long to catch up with HBO and AMC.Some Netflix shows are so good, everyone should watch them, and these masterpieces from the last 10 years are definitely on that list.
10The Queen’s Gambit
The Show That Made Chess Exciting
Scott Frank’sThe Queen’s Gambitdid the impossible: it made chess exciting. Anya Taylor-Joy gives a star-making turn as chess prodigy Beth Harmon, who rises to the level of champion while concealing her drug and alcohol addictions from the public eye. The writing has an emotional intelligence that’s rarely seen in mainstream television.
The series’ classy production design and Steven Meizler’s gorgeous cinematography bring the ‘50s and ‘60s period setting to life, andTaylor-Joy captures Beth’s emotional struggles with heartbreaking authenticity. You don’t even have to understand how chess works to find the show’s chess matches riveting, because Frank’s filmmaking provides all the context and tension you need.
9Mindhunter
David Fincher’s Serial Killer Thriller
David Fincher has been examining the psychology and behavior of serial killers — both fictional (Se7en) and real (Zodiac) — throughout his entire filmmaking career. With his Netflix crime thrillerMindhunter, he dug into the very concept of a serial killer. The series revolves around the FBI agents who studied the behavioral patterns of serial killers and coined the term to describe them.
Mindhunterwas sadly canceled after just two seasons, but it wasone of the early shows that established Netflix as a new home of prestige TV. It explores the early days of real-life serial killers like Charles Manson and the Son of Sam, but it also explores the destructive mental toll of studying these disturbed minds on a nine-to-five basis.
8The Haunting Of Hill House
Mike Flanagan’s Haunted House Horror
Mike Flanagan has made a few great horror shows for Netflix, but the first series he created for the streamer —The Haunting of Hill House— is still the best. It’s a classic haunted-house story with a twist: it’s set across dual timelines, as five adult siblings are tormented in the present day by the paranormal experiences of their childhood.
Flashbacks gradually show us what happened at Hill House, leading up to the fateful night in 1992 when the family was forced to flee their home. The series is carried by Flanagan’s brilliant direction, poignant performances by the cast, and stunning production values worthy of the big screen. It’sas much a family tragedy as it is a horror show.
7Blue Eye Samurai
A Dazzling Revenge Story
Netflix rarely misses with its animated shows, but there are really great animated shows likeBig MouthandLove Death + Robots, and there are flawless masterpieces of visual storytelling likeBlue Eye Samurai.Blue Eye Samurai’s storytelling might rely heavily on familiar tropes, but those tropes exist for a reason — when they work, they work — andBlue Eye Samuraiuses them perfectly.
Blue Eye Samuraihas dazzling animation and thrilling action sequences, butit never lets its visual spectacle overshadow the characters at the heart of the story. It takes audiences on an exhilarating adventure to dole out vigilante justice, but it’s as much about Mizu’s motivation for vengeance as the vengeance itself.
6Dark
Complex, Confounding, & Irresistible
Darkis one of the most confounding and devilishly complex shows ever made, but in a good way. It’s not alienating; it’s captivating. It’s not a straightforward TV series — it’s a puzzle that the audience has to solve. When two children go missing, it exposes the dark history and fractured relationships within a small German town.
The twisty storytelling unfolds to reveal that all the major characters have a significant connection to the town’s disturbing history, and spooky paranormal elements tie it all back to 1986. It’s a sprawling, complicated mystery thatdoesn’t spoonfeed its audience, but doesn’t leave anyone behind, either. The writers have a tight stranglehold on their intricate narrative web — you’re in safe hands.
5When They See Us
Ava DuVernay’s Call For Justice
From her Martin Luther King, Jr. biopicSelmato her prison-industrial complex documentary13th, Ava DuVernay has never shied away from telling stories of racial injustice. In her Netflix miniseriesWhen They See Us, DuVernay chronicled one of the most disturbing injustices of the 20th century: the infamous 1989 Central Park jogger case.
DuVernay doesn’t pull any punches in depicting the horrors endured by the five Black and Latino men who were falsely accused and later prosecuted on charges of assaulting a white woman in Central Park.When They See Ushumanizes the Central Park Five through their individual lives and families, and achieves an undeniable level of empathy and righteous fury.
4Arcane
The Best Video Game Adaptation Ever Made
In the past decade, shows likeFalloutandThe Last of Ushave broken the video game adaptation curse. The best video game-based TV show to come out of that broken curse isArcane, a captivating two-season animated seriesset in the world ofLeague of Legends.Arcaneis a classic example of an animated show that’s firing on all cylinders.
The visuals are stunning, the writing is compelling, the characters are well-rounded, and the voice performances (particularly by the show’s lead duo, Hailee Steinfeld and Ella Purnell) are deeply moving. Whether you’re a diehard fan ofLeague of Legendsor you’ve never even heard of it,there’s something inArcanefor everyone.
3Baby Reindeer
Richard Gadd’s Brutally Honest Semi-Autobiographical Tragedy
Richard Gadd’s semi-autobiographical miniseriesBaby Reindeeris a raw, painful, brutally honest look at the trauma of abuse.Inspired by Gadd’s own harrowing experiences with a stalker,Baby Reindeerstarts off with a bartender’s friendly gesture and culminates in a haunting battle of wits with a dangerously deranged pathological liar. It’s gripping television, but it raises some important issues.
The series digs into Donny’s horrifying backstory to explain how he ended up in Martha’s thrall.Baby Reindeeris a unique blend of pitch-black comedy and haunting drama, capturing the true terror of being followed and harassed by a stalker. It’s an unsettling psychological thriller that’ll give you a whole new perspective on surviving abuse.
2Squid Game
A Perfect Dystopian Satire Of Capitalism
Netflix really captured the zeitgeist withSquid Game. The show revolves around hundreds of people in deep financial woe, who agree to take part in a series of children’s games with a deadly twist for a chance to win a fortune of ₩45.6 billion. It’s a perfect dystopian satire of the ruthlessness of capitalism.
Hwang Dong-hyuk createdSquid Gameas a direct commentary on class disparity in South Korea, butclass disparity is such a ubiquitous problem that the series struck a chord with audiences all over the world.Squid Gameis an extreme version of the system that separates the haves from the have-nots, but it’s sadly not too far off reality.
1Stranger Things
A Blockbuster On The Small Screen
FromHouse of CardstoOrange is the New Black, Netflix had hit shows beforeStranger Thingscame along. ButStranger Thingswas the show thatturned Netflix from a promising new TV producer into an all-out powerhouse. It arrived as a bona fide blockbuster; its ‘80s nostalgia, lovable characters, and affectionate pop culture references grabbed the attention of millions of fans.
The Duffer brothers combined their love of John Carpenter, Stephen King, and the old Amblin classics into a coming-of-age sci-fi thriller that felt simultaneously familiar and fresh.Stranger ThingsthrewE.T.,The Goonies,Stand by Me,Altered States, andThe Thinginto a blender and created something that felt fiercely original.
