With thousands of TV shows to choose from onNetflix, finding the right one to get into can be a challenge, especially those with multiple seasons or series that were recently released. Fortunately,Screen Ranthas got you covered with the absolute best TV shows and limitedseries to binge-watch on Netflixthis week, August 18–22, 2025.
Between an underrated millennial 3-season rom-com, an unnerving vampire thriller, an Emmy-nominated feel-good romance, a one-of-a-kind genre-blending coming-of-age story, and an all-time classic crime series, one or more of these five original Netflix series will surely keep you entertained throughout one of the final weeks of summer 2025.
5Love
Loveis an overlooked but hilarious and heartfelt 2010s Netflix comedy show by comedic genius Judd Apatow. Starring Gillian Jacobs (The Bear) and Paul Rust (Saturday Night),Lovereceived an outstandingRotten Tomatoesscore of 94% across all three of its seasons.
Fans ofApple TV+’s Seth Rogen comedyPlatonic, which is currently in its second season, will find a lot to like aboutLove, if they haven’t seen it already. In many ways, including comedic style and cultural reflexivity,Loveis just likePlatonicexcept the two lead characters are actually dating.
ApatowandRustco-created the series along with Lesley Arfin ofBettyandGirlsacclaim. It’s mainly meant to be a sort of “this is what modern dating is actually like” type of series that doesn’t try too hard to get that point across.
At its core,Loveis a quirky and clever TV show that doesn’t need to rely on a laugh track. Instead, it’s supported by sharp writing that thoughtfully alternates between comedy and drama. It makes for greatlight-hearted and stress-free entertainment that aims to make viewers laugh, featuring supporting cast members like Brett Gelman, Bobby Lee, Chris Witaske, and David Spade.
Lovewas released on Netflix back in 2016 and concluded in 2018. There are a total of 34 episodes, each averaging about half an hour in length. The show did not win any notable awards but remains one of the more underrated lifestyle comedies on Netflix.
4Midnight Mass
If you’re already over the summer heat and can’t wait for spooky season, start Fall early with one of the best horror thriller miniseries on Netflix,Midnight Mass.
Created by horror auteur Mike Flanagan, known for his other Netflix series such asThe Haunting of Hill HouseandThe Fall of the House of Usher, this show remains one of Netflix’s all-time great psychological horror miniseries.
Mignight Masstakes place on a remoteisland community where miraculous events take place as well as unsettling omens. Soon after the disgraced native Riley Flynn, played by Zach Gilford, returns to the island, a charismatic priest named Father Paul also arrives as the so-called miracles all begin to occur.
Midnight Massis chilling and suspenseful throughout, with plenty of unexpected twists along the way. The series is wildly immersive and is widely considered one of Flanagan’s best works in both TV and film. The series earned one Emmy nomination and a Certified FreshRotten Tomatoesscore of 87%.
In addition to Gilford and Hamish Linklater, who plays Father Paul, the series is led bylongtime Flanagan collaborators Kate Siegel and Henry Thomas. If you’ve already seen some of Flanagan’s work, you will surely see some more familiar faces inMidnight Mass.
3Nobody Wants This
IfLovefeels a bit too outdated for a modern watch, but you’re still looking for an easy-breezy feel-good romantic comedy series, check out 2025’s Emmy nomineeNobody Wants This. The series earned three Emmy noms, including Outstanding Comedy Series, and earned a phenomenalRotten Tomatoesscore of 95%.
Nobody Wants Thishas a sort of Celine Song vibe, for fans of her moviesPast LivesandMaterialists. It takes Adam Brody ofThe O.C.acclaim back to hisIn the Land of Womenrom-com days.Kristen Bell is infectious as Joanne, and her comedic timing is on point, as always.
Succession’sJustine Lupe, who played Willa, Connor Roy’s love interest, is also hilarious as the aloof and blunt sister of Bell’s protagonist, Morgan. The first season consists of ten succinct episodes, with most of them less than 30 minutes each. Since it debuted back in September 2024, it could also be the perfect time for a rewatch.
Nobody Wants Thisfollows the unlikely, and in many ways, unsupported, romance between a podcaster named Joanne (Bell) and a rabbi named Noah (Brody). The chemistry between Joanne and Noah works well; it’s just the various external factors, such as lifestyle, belief systems, and the inescapable pressures of their families, that raise questions about their shared future.
With the 2025 Emmy awards coming up in less than a month, now is the perfect time to check outNobody Wants Thisif you haven’t already. Additionally,season 2 is coming out on July 04, 2025, so there’s more to look forward to from series creator Erin Foster ofThe New Normalacclaim.
2Boy Swallows Universe
Boy Swallows Universeblends crime thriller, comedy, coming-of-age, and even horror genres that result in a rare, one-of-a-kind hidden gem set in Brisbane, Australia. Simultaneously charming and thrilling, the series is told through the lens of a young boy whose optimism outshines the events of the various criminal underworlds around him.
Based on the book by Trent Dalton and developed for TV by John Collee,Boy Swallows Universeis surprisingly rich in storytelling and character development. It takes viewers on a wild ride led by breakout actor Felix Cameron, who plays the young protagonist Eli Bell.
Boy Swallows Universeis somehow criminally underappreciated despite receiving aRotten Tomatoesscore of 87%. The series, which was filmed in Queensland, Australia, also has a wonderful summertime feel, which is perfect for a mid-August watch.
At just seven episodes, all roughly an hour each,Boy Swallows Universecan feasibly be streamed in just a matter of days. The plot is so gripping that a couple of days is all you’ll want to spend getting to its satisfying and unpredictable finale.
Boy Swallows Universehas an elite cast of Australian actors, including Simon Baker (The Mentalist), Bryan Brown (Anyone But You), Phoebe Tonkin (Babylon), and Travis Fimmel (Dune: Prophecy). It won theAACTA Award, the Australian equivalent of the Emmys, for Best Miniseries earlier this year, and won 11 other honors at the ceremony.
1Ozark
Speaking of Emmys, Netflix’s Emmy-winning crime drama starring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney,Ozark, is still available to stream on Netflix. The series was released in 2017 and gradually became one of the most critically acclaimed original Netflix shows in the streamer’s history.
If you just watchedWeaponsand are looking for more Julia Garner, you should watch (or re-watch) the Netflix crime thriller series that made her a household name and a 3-time Best Supporting Actress Emmy Winner.
Ozark follows Bateman’s Marty Byrde and his wife, Wendy (Linney), who live a seemingly normal life in the Missouri Ozarks, where they just moved to from Chicago at the start of the series. Marty’s line of work is accounting, but he also runs the numbers fora money laundering operation for a powerful and dangerous Mexican drug cartel.
While Bateman and Linney are fantastic and husband-and-wife co-conspirators, the supporting acting inOzarkis just as spectacular. Garner is iconic as a local townie named Ruth Langmore, with other great performances by Charlie Tahan, Lisa Emery, and Tom Pelphrey.
Several Netflix shows have tried to capitalize on the giant spaceOzarkleft when it wrapped up after four seasons in 2022. Instead of looking for something to fill the void onNetflix, it may just be time for another immersive and tense rewatch of one of the greatest TV dramas of the 21st century.
