The Best Netflix Originals
What is the best Netflix original series? The shows on this list may never have been made had it not been for Netflix’s ability to take risks. Their completely new shows like Orange Is the New Black and Master of None have been getting rave reviews and drawing in excited audiences from all over the world. Shows like Arrested Development got the chance to have an extra season of episodes that network TV would never be brave enough to air.
For years, Netflix has been the go-to way to watch your favorite shows and movies from the comfort of your own home. Initially a DVD rental company, Netflix quickly evolved to allow subscribers to have instant entertainment, including films, entire series, documentaries, and other programming. Want to watch your favorite TV show or movie? Cancel the drive to the closest Redbox. Instead, just login to your Netflix account and press Play.
In 2013, Netflix launched its first original series, House of Cards, which featured a star-studded cast and opened to rave reviews. Now, the Netflix streaming service offers original programming with innovative new television shows that are competition for even the most prestigious, long-established networks.
The television series on this list are each examples of Netflix’s potential to outdo every cable network in creativity and entertainment, so it's not hard to see how they make money. What are your favorite Netflix originals? You can also check out this list of 2022 Netflix shows and Netflix original dramas to know what programs you should plan on binging in the near future.Â
- 1Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard
- Premiered: 2016
- Genres: Drama,Horror,Science Fiction,Thriller
Mysteries unravel in a small Midwestern town involving supernatural forces. - Jon Bernthal, Ben Barnes, Amber Rose Revah
- Premiered: November 17, 2017
- Genres: Action,Drama,Science Fiction
A former Marine becomes embroiled in a military conspiracy while trying to punish criminals. - #439 - Needs VotesFrida Gustavsson, Pollyanna McIntosh, JĂłhannes Haukur JĂłhannesson
- Premiered: 2022
- Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Historical
Vikings: Valhalla (Netflix, 2022) is an American action adventure historical drama created by Michael Hirst and Jeb Stuart, and serves as a spin-off to History channel's Vikings created by Michael ...more - Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, Timothy Hutton
- Premiered: October 12, 2018
- Genres: Drama, Horror
The Haunting (Netflix, 2018) is an American television anthology series created by Mike Flanagan and produced by Amblin Television and Paramount Television, for Netflix. The first series, titled The ...more - Yoo Ah-in, Kim Hyun-joo, Jeong Min Park
- Premiered: 2021
- Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Drama
Hellbound (Netflix, 2021) is a South Korean crime fantasy drama created by Yeon Sang-ho and Choi Gyu-seok based on a comic of the same name. Set in a fictional Earth where supernatural beings drag ...more - 5Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, Anna Torv
- Premiered: October 13, 2017
- Genres: Crime,Drama,Thriller
FBI agents develop new techniques that allow them to pursue criminals. - 6Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Esai Morales
- Premiered: 2017
- Genres: Drama
A financial adviser and his family are forced to relocate after dealings with a drug cartel go awry. - 7Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson
- Premiered: 2015
- Genres: Drama
A blind lawyer, with his other senses superhumanly enhanced, fights crime as a costumed superhero. - 8Wagner Moura, Boyd Holbrook, Pedro Pascal
- Premiered: 2015
- Genres: Crime,Drama
Real-life stories of drug kingpins and the efforts made by law enforcement to stop them. - Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda
- Premiered: February 15, 2019
- Genres: Action,Adventure,Fantasy,Mystery
A dysfunctional family of superheroes comes together to solve the mystery of their father's death. - 10Jennifer Jason Leigh, Keir Gilchrist, Michael Rapaport
- Premiered: August 11, 2017
- Genres: Comedy
A teenager on the autism spectrum decides to become more independent and search for love. - 11Anthony Mackie, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Lela Loren
- Premiered: February 2, 2018
- Genres: Science Fiction
A soldier 300 years in the future must solve a murder. - Tom Ellis, Lauren German, DB Woodside
- Premiered: January 25, 2016
- Genres: Crime,Drama,Fantasy
The original fallen angel retires to Los Angeles, where he meets an intriguing homicide detective. - 13Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter
- Premiered: August 18, 2017
- Genres: Action,Drama,Science Fiction
Four heroes realize they need to work as a team to achieve their common goal: saving New York City. - 14Penn Badgley, Victoria Pedretti, Saffron Burrows
- Premiered: September 9, 2018
- Genres: Drama,Thriller
An obsessive 20-something uses the digital age to make a woman fall in love with him. - Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan
- Premiered: December 20, 2019
- Genres: Action,Adventure,Drama,Fantasy
Geralt struggles to find his place in a world in which people often prove more wicked than beasts. - 16Taylor Schilling, Laura Prepon, Danielle Brooks
- Premiered: July 11, 2013
- Genres: Comedy,Drama
Piper Chapman spends time in a women's prison as a result of her dealings with a drug smuggler. - Mike Colter, Mahershala Ali, Simone Missick
- Premiered: 2016
- Genres: Action,Drama,Science Fiction
A man with super strength and unbreakable skin must confront his past and fight for his city. - 18Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, Rachael Taylor
- Premiered: 2015
- Genres: Drama
After a tragic end to her superhero career, Jessica Jones becomes a detective in New York City. - Alex Lawther, Jessica Barden, Wunmi Mosaku
- Premiered: October 24, 2017
- Genres: Comedy,Drama
Two confused teen outsiders decide to escape from their families and embark on a road trip. - 20Timothy Olyphant, Drew Barrymore, Liv Hewson
- Premiered: 2017
- Genres: Comedy,Horror
A married realtor and mother to a teenager undergoes a dramatic change. - 21Claire Foy, Matt Smith, Vanessa Kirby
- Premiered: 2016
- Genres: Drama
The life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II and the events that helped shape the 20th century. - Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Oh Yeong-su
- Premiered: September 17, 2021
- Genres: Drama,Thriller
Players compete in games for a cash prize, but the stakes are deadly. - 23Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Kate Mara
- Premiered: February 1, 2013
- Genres: Drama,War & Politics
Politicians plot revenge on those who have thwarted and betrayed them. - 24Ellie Kemper, Jane Krakowski, Tituss Burgess
- Premiered: March 6, 2015
- Genres: Comedy
Rescued after 15 years in a cult, Kimmy Schmidt gets reacquainted with the real world in New York. - Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Warburton, Malina Weissman
- Premiered: January 13, 2017
- Genres: Drama,Mystery
Siblings investigate the mysterious death of their parents while outsmarting their evil guardian.