Dramas are the lifeblood of Netflix, especially when it comes to binge-watchers. There are plenty of comedy fans who enjoy binge-watching shows, but there’s nothing quite like powering your way through multiple hours of a drama series in one night. But when it comes to the network dramas on Netflix, it can take a much longer time to work through an entire series.
That’s not a problem with this month’s new additions to the best Netflix drama shows. Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story only has nine episodes, while Heels had just two short seasons on Starz before migrating to Netflix. Some fans of Heels are even hoping that a third season is possible, but it seems unlikely unless it’s a Cobra-Kai-level hit on Netflix.
Keep reading for the rest of the best Netflix drama shows that you can stream right now.
If you’re looking for more content, check out the best new shows to stream this week, the best shows on Netflix, best shows on Hulu, and the best shows on Amazon Prime.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (2024)
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is both a standalone story and the second season in the Monster franchise that previously featured Jeffrey Dahmer. Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik (Cooper Koch) didn’t eat anyone like Dahmer did, but they did murder their parents, José (Javier Bardem) and Kitty Menéndez (Chloë Sevigny).
The open questions in this nine-episode season are simple. Were the Menéndez brothers the callous killers of their parents as portrayed in the media? Or were the siblings the victims of abuse at the hands of their parents? There’s also an argument that they could the victims and monsters of their own story.
Watch Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Netflix.
Heels (2021-2023)
The wrestling business isn’t what it used to be in Heels, a drama series that ran for two seasons on Starz. Following his superhero turn in Arrow, Stephen Amell plays Jack Spade, the owner of a local wrestling territory in Georgia and one of the top stars as a bad guy/heel. Jack’s brother, Ace Spade (Alexander Ludwig), is a rising star in the promotion as a good guy character/face.
Sensing that Ace could displace him as the No. 1 draw of the promotion, Jack reneges on an agreement to let his brother defeat him. This sends Ace into a downward spiral that may kill his wrestling career unless he and Jack can come up with an even better gimmick for him.
Watch Heels on Netflix.
Fire Country (2022-present)
Television audiences love a good redemption story, and that’s part of the appeal of Fire Country. Fire season in California is so severe and dangerous that there really is a California Conservation Camp Program that recruits prison inmates to be volunteer firefighters in exchange for reduced sentences. Bode Donovan (Max Thieriot) is one of those inmates, and he’s wasted enough of his life behind bars.
Bode’s desire to rebuild himself gets him sent back to his hometown, where he has to reunite and reconcile with his family while working alongside his fellow inmates and professional firefighters. Fire Country is one of the handful of shows on Netflix that are still producing new seasons on broadcast television. So when you finish the two seasons on Netflix, it should be just in time for Fire Country season 3 on CBS.
Watch Fire Country on Netflix.
Prison Break (2005-2008, 2017)
Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) is a man on death row for a crime he didn’t commit in Prison Break. But Lincoln’s younger brother, Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller), is not about to let that happen. Michael is literally a genius, and he concocts a daring plan to get himself sent to the same prison as Lincoln in order to break him out. But before they can pull off that stunt, they’ll need to make allies behind bars.
Michael had to take this step because the man that Lincoln supposedly killed was the brother of the vice president of the United States. That means powerful forces are invested in keeping both brothers locked up. Lincoln’s ex-girlfriend, Veronica Donovan (Robin Tunney), leads the fight to prove his innocence, only to discover that she’s been targeted by the conspiracy that framed him.
Watch Prison Break on Netflix.
Dark Winds (2022-present)
Dark Winds is the kind of show that could only have a home on AMC or a streaming service. There aren’t many thrillers set in 1970s Navajo County, but the series does an outstanding job of adapting Tony Hillerman’s novels. Zahn McClarnon stars as Tribal Police Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, and he’s got plenty of problems before the thieves behind an armored truck heist hide in his territory.
The FBI sends Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) into the tribal police as an undercover deputy, but Leaphorn is too smart to be fooled by that trick. Instead, Leaphorn convinces Chee to help him solve a double homicide that soon proves to have a link to thieves hiding among them. There are only six episodes in each season of the series, so the storylines move quickly. And a third season of Dark Winds is on the way.
Watch Dark Winds on Netflix.
Lost (2004-2010)
You may be wondering why Lost is on the list of the best dramas on Netflix. And the answer is that we don’t exclude genre shows from this roundup, especially when Lost picked up an Emmy for Best Drama series in 2005. The early seasons of the show weren’t as heavy on sci-fi and fantasy as the later seasons were. Even after those elements were introduced, Lost‘s stories kept viewers coming back to follow the fates of a large cast of characters. That not only gave the show exceptional depth, but it also meant that nearly anyone could be killed off … even main characters.
Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox), Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly), John Locke (Terry O’Quinn), James “Sawyer” Ford (Josh Holloway), and Sayid Jarrah (Naveen Andrews) are among the survivors of a plane crash on an uncharted island. Staying alive is hard enough for this group, but the island has plenty of mysteries waiting for them to discover. And in this tropical paradise, what the survivors don’t know can definitely kill them.
Watch Lost on Netflix.
Grey’s Anatomy (2005-present)
Some shows seem destined to live forever, like The Simpsons and Grey’s Anatomy. To put this in perspective, 20 seasons used to be the record for the longest-running show on TV before the Law & Order franchise made mincemeat out of that mark. Grey’s Anatomy has now matched that mark with 20 seasons, all of which are on Netflix ahead of the season 21 premiere on ABC this fall.
One of the few cast members to stay on from the beginning of the show to the present is Ellen Pompeo, who plays Meredith Grey. Pompeo has taken a reduced role in the more recent seasons while maintaining top billing. It is her show, after all. Viewers have witnessed Meredith’s growth from a young resident doctor at Seattle Grace Hospital to a formidable researcher who is searching for new ways to defeat Alzheimer’s disease.
There’s currently a new crop of young cast members to pick up the slack now, but we’re partial to the original cast including Patrick Dempsey, Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers, T. R. Knight, Isaiah Washington, and Chandra Wilson, who, like Pompeo, is still with the show. There are currently 430 episodes streaming on Netflix, so this is one binge that you can stretch out for a long time.
Watch Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix.
Boiling Point (2023)
You may notice some thematic similarities between Boiling Point and The Bear. This miniseries is a sequel to the 2021 Boiling Point film, which depicted the worst night in the life of Andy (Stephen Graham), as his restaurant dreams went down in flames.
The show picks up a significant amount of time later, and brings Carly (Vinette Robinson) to the forefront as she runs her own restaurant with many of Andy’s former kitchen staff now working for her. This has led to some very hard feelings between Carly and Andy, with the latter harboring some resentment toward her. Unfortunately for Carly, she’s learning firsthand just how difficult it is to manage a successful restaurant. And for all of her hard work and effort, Carly’s restaurant may meet the same fate as Andy’s.
Watch Boiling Point on Netflix.
Your Honor (2020-2023)
After watching Breaking Bad (which is also on Netflix), is it really a shock to see Bryan Cranston play a father who is rapidly losing the ideals and traits that made him a good man? At least Cranston’s Michael Desiato has a more selfless reason for his moral failings. As a judge in New Orleans, Michael is respected and admired. But he’ll throw all of that away when his son, Adam (Hunter Doohan), is involved with a fatal hit-and-run accident.
Michael’s first instinct is to tell his son to confess to his crimes and face justice. Unfortunately for the Desiatos, the victim of the accident was the son of a mob boss, Jimmy Baxter (Michael Stuhlbarg). No amount of legal consequences for Michael would ever satisfy Jimmy or his wife, Gina Baxter (Hope Davis). And so, in the name of protecting his son, Michael bends his own code and does things he never would have dreamed of before.
Watch Your Honor on Netflix.
Dexter (2006-2013)
At first glance, Showtime’s Dexter could almost be mistaken for one of the endless police procedurals on CBS. Michael C. Hall stars as Dexter Morgan, a socially awkward yet respected member of Miami Metro Police Department who is a forensic analyst who has a gift for understanding blood spatter patterns. Those are all the characteristics of a police hero … if Dexter weren’t also a serial killer.
Dexter has little interest in quieting his urges to kill, but his late adoptive father, Harry Morgan (James Remar), taught him to target only the criminals who escaped justice, including rapists and murderers. This gives Dexter a sense of vigilante justice, but even these killings don’t go unnoticed. Throughout the show’s nine seasons, Dexter’s secrets threaten to unravel and bring down the otherwise ordinary life that he’s led.
Watch Dexter on Netflix.
Designated Survivor (2016-2018)
After saving the nation countless times as Jack Bauer on 24, getting to play the president on Designated Survivor may seem like a promotion for Kiefer Sutherland. But this series has its own type of thrills, and Thomas Kirkman (Sutherland) doesn’t become president in a conventional way. As the secretary of housing and urban development, Kirkman is the only surviving member in the presidential line of succession following a successful terror attack during the State of the Union.
Kirkman is quickly thrust into the nation’s highest office, which few people believe that he is capable of handling. Even if President Kirkman can silence his doubters, he has to face the prospects of more terrorist attacks while attempting to govern a nation that badly needs leadership.
Watch Designated Survivor on Netflix.
Baby Reindeer (2024)
There’s something deeply ironic about comedian and actor Richard Gadd using his real-life experience with an alleged stalker to make his hit Netflix series Baby Reindeer, only for the resulting publicity to bring the woman back into his life. Gadd changed the names for the show, including his own. The series follows Donny Dunn (Gadd) as he shows kindness to a woman named Martha Scott (Jessica Gunning) before coming to regret it.
After some initially sweet reactions, Martha becomes obsessed with Donny and sends him an unusually large number of messages. And when Donny tries to let Martha down easy, it only invites her wrath. Donny finds out too late that Martha has been convicted of stalking before, and getting her to back down will be no easy task.
Watch Baby Reindeer on Netflix.
A Man in Full (2024)
David E. Kelley’s adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s A Man in Full certainly isn’t lacking in star power. Jeff Daniels takes the lead as Charlie Croker, a real estate mogul who has fallen into bankruptcy. And while Charlie’s enemies smell the proverbial blood in the water, he plots to hold on to his empire.
Meanwhile, Conrad Hensley (Jon Michael Hill), a man who is only loosely connected to Charlie, faces the legal fight of his life with Charlie’s chosen fixer, Roger White (Aml Ameen), as his attorney. But criminal law isn’t White’s expertise, and Conrad’s freedom is on the line after he is arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer.
Watch A Man In Full on Netflix.
Queen of the South (2016-2021)
Queen of the South is not entirely unlike Breaking Bad, especially in the way that Teresa Mendoza (Alice Braga) rises from poverty to prominence in the criminal underworld. But that doesn’t happen overnight. At the beginning of the series, Teresa is forced to flee from Mexico to escape the wrath of a drug cartel. In the U.S., Teresa finds shelter in the employ of Doña Camila Vargas (Veronica Falcón), the head of the Vargas Cartel in Dallas.
Through shrewd moves born out of desperation and ambition, Teresa not only makes herself invaluable to Vargas, but she carves out her own drug empire as well. Part of the price for her rapid ascent is that Teresa loses the best parts of her self as she makes multiple moral compromises to stay alive.
Watch Queen of the South on Netflix.
Black Sails (2014-2018)
Black Sails takes place in the Golden Age of Piracy during the early 18th century, but Captain James Flint (Toby Stephens) knows that the golden age may not last long. The long and creeping reach of civilization is threatening the pirates’ way of life in New Providence, and Flint’s solution is to start positioning himself to be the pirate king.
Flint’s more immediate problem is that his crew is angry and on the verge of mutiny. Meanwhile, a new addition to Flint’s crew, Long John Silver (Luke Arnold), has his own agenda and he’s willing to do just about anything to survive. Flint doesn’t realize it yet, but his fate is linked to Silver’s, and the future of New Providence depends upon both of them.
Watch Black Sails on Netflix.
Killing Eve (2018-2022)
Killing Eve is a tale of two obsessions. The title character, Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh), is an ex-MI5 analyst who is recruited to MI6 to help them track down an assassin known as Villanelle (Jodie Comer). But the more that Eve learns about Villanelle, the more she feels drawn to her.
Similarly, Villanelle develops her own obsession with Eve that is almost romantic. It would all be very charming if Villanelle wasn’t such a remorseless killer. Eve may not be able to let Villanelle go, but this killer might end up being the death of her.
Watch Killing Eve on Netflix.
One Day (2024)
One Day gives fans 14 episodes to witness the two-decade relationship between Emma Morley (Ambika Mod) and Dexter Mayhew (Leo Woodall). On their last day of college, Dexter and Emma blew a chance to hook up, but the connection they made with each other proves to be more enduring than either of them suspected.
As the years pass, and they date other partners, Emma and Dexter keep finding their way back to each other as friends. They just need to keep working on themselves before they’ll be ready to commit to being with each other.
Watch One Day on Netflix.
The Resident (2013-2023)
The Resident was Fox’s answer to Grey’s Anatomy for six seasons, although it was less soapy than that show. Matt Czuchry headlined the series as Conrad Hawkins, the chief resident at Chastain Park Memorial Hospital, who forms a strong bond with Nicolette ‘Nic’ Nevin (Emily VanCamp), a nurse practitioner at the hospital.
As an ensemble series, The Resident has a large cast that fluctuates across the show’s run. The thing that remains the same throughout the series is that Hawkins and his fellow doctors work tirelessly to save and treat their patients while also navigating their personal drama.
Watch The Resident on Netflix.
The Gentlemen (2024-Present)
Guy Ritchie revisits the world of The Gentlemen in this Netflix original drama, but the show isn’t a rehash of Ritchie’s 2019 movie of the same name. The story follows Edward “Eddie” Horniman (The White Lotus‘ Theo James), a young man who has just inherited his father’s title as the Duke of Halstead and all the wealth and responsibilities that go with it.
If only Eddie’s dad had warned him that the family was deep in the marijuana business with a gangster, Robert “Bobby” Glass (Ray Winstone), then perhaps it wouldn’t have come as such a shock. Now, Eddie needs to work alongside Glass’ daughter, Susan Glass (Kaya Scodelario), and navigate the criminal underworld before it drags him and his family down.
Watch The Gentlemen on Netflix.
Madam Secretary (2013-2019)
Although Madam Secretary has yet to be embraced on Netflix series like some of the other former network dramas, its six-season run gave it a lot of episodes for binge-viewing. Téa Leoni stars as the title character, Elizabeth “Bess” Adams McCord, a CIA analyst who finds herself thrust to the forefront of Presidential politics when she is named Secretary of State.
Tim Daly co-stars as Elizabeth’s husband, Henry McCord, a man whose military background leads to stints at the NSA and the CIA during the course of the series. The show primarily revolves around Elizabeth’s handling of high-stakes situations in her job while attempting to balance her home life with her husband and their children. And much like a real-life Secretary of State, Elizabeth eventually sets her sights on the Presidency for herself.
Watch Madam Secretary on Netflix.
The Blacklist (2013-2023)
James Spader had the role of a lifetime as Raymond “Red” Reddington during his decade-long stint on The Blacklist. Reddington is a former U.S. Naval Intelligence officer-turned-master criminal who shocks the FBI task force assigned to capture him by suddenly surrendering at FBI headquarters. Reddington also offers his help to Assistant Director Harold Cooper (Harry Lennix) to find some of the most dangerous criminals in the world … but only if he can work directly with rookie profiler Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone).
Elizabeth is naturally suspicious about Reddington’s interest in her, but the FBI is unable to turn him down when he provides results. However, Reddington’s manipulations and true motivations are difficult to predict, and he successfully gives Elizabeth good reasons to doubt the identity of her husband, Tom Keen (Ryan Eggold).
Watch The Blacklist on Netflix.
Six Feet Under (2001-2005)
Everyone dies sooner or later in Six Feet Under, and it falls upon the Fisher family to prepare the bodies for their graves. Nate Fisher (Peter Krause) and his brother, David (Michael C. Hall), inherit their funeral home family business following the sudden death of their father. The show also follows their mother, Ruth Fischer (Frances Conroy), and their younger sister, Claire Fisher (Lauren Ambrose), as the entire family deals with their emotional traumas while also coming to terms with all of the death surrounding their family’s chosen profession.
This show was an HBO original series and one of the brand’s signature dramas. That means it won’t be around on Netflix forever, so catch it while you can.
Watch Six Feet Under on Netflix.
My Life with the Walter Boys (2023-Present)
Back when The CW network was called The WB, a soapy teenage drama like My Life With the Walter Boys would have been right at home there. Instead, Netflix is filling that void with this adaptation of Ali Novak’s novel of the same name. The story is about Jackie Howard (Nikki Rodriguez), a teenage girl who loses her entire family in a car accident. Out of compassion, Jackie’s guardians, George (Marc Blucas) and Katherine Walter (Sarah Rafferty), welcome her into their home, which forces Jackie to move from New York City to a small town in Colorado.
As the name of the show implies, the Walters already have several sons of their own, including Cole (Noah LaLonde), Alex (Ashby Gentry), and Danny (Connor Stanhope). Even while facing her personal tragedy, Jackie feels a strong connection to the brothers. Whether she’ll also find love with one of them remains to be seen.
Watch My Life With the Walter Boys on Netflix.
This Is Us (2016-2022)
The Pearson family is at the heart of This Is Us, but get ready to go on a roller coaster of emotions as the narrative jumps from the past to the present and the future, not necessarily in that order. Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia) and his wife, Rebecca Pearson (Mandy Moore), were supposed to have triplets, but only two of their children, Kate and Kevin, survived. So they adopted another son, Randall, creating “the Big Three.”
In the present, Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Randall (Sterling K. Brown) have families of their own, while Kevin (Justin Hartley) remains a work in progress. Even though their bonds are tested by time and the space between them, the Pearsons remain a family even in the face of heartache and pain.
Watch This Is Us on Netflix.
Shameless (2011-2021)
The American version of Shameless had an incredible 11-season run on Showtime before settling into its digital afterlife on Netflix. Although Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy) is the patriarch of his family, he’s also an irresponsible alcoholic who is prone to abandoning his kids for extended periods of time. That’s why it falls on Frank’s oldest daughter, Fiona Gallagher (Emmy Rossum), to take over the parental role, even at the cost of her own dreams and ambitions.
The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White co-stars as Fiona’s brother, Philip “Lip” Gallagher, alongside Cameron Monaghan as Ian Gallagher, Emma Kenney as Debbie Gallagher, and Ethan Cutkosky as Carl Gallagher. Each of the Gallagher children has their own trials to face, and most of them don’t handle adversity very well.
Watch Shameless on Netflix.
Ozark (2017-2022)
Arrested Development’s Jason Bateman got to take a dive into much darker territory in the crime drama Ozark. Bateman stars in the series as Martin “Marty” Byrde, a financial adviser who has spent nearly a decade working with a Mexican drug cartel as part of a money-laundering operation in Chicago. When the scheme comes apart, Marty saves his own life by suggesting that he can set up an even bigger operation in the Ozarks.
Marty’s wife, Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney), is with him all the way, although their children, Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) and Jonah (Skylar Gaertner), don’t have much of a say in the matter. But if Marty expected to set up shop in the Ozarks without facing any repercussions from the local criminals, then he is sorely mistaken. And the Byrde family soon has more rivals and adversaries than they can handle.
Watch Ozark on Netflix.
Friday Night Lights (2006-2011)
In the small town of Dillon, Texas, high school football isn’t just a big thing — it’s often the only thing that matters to many of the players and fans in the stands. Friday Night Lights builds on the movie that came before it and focuses on Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler), his wife Tami (Connie Britton), their daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarden), and all of the young people that he’s coaching.
During the early seasons, Taylor’s players include Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford), Landry Clarke (Jesse Plemons), Brian “Smash” Williams (Gaius Charles), and Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch). The players change over the years, but the core of Coach Taylor’s teachings remain. “Clear eyes, full hearts. Can’t lose.”
Watch Friday Night Lights on Netflix.
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (2016)
The Gilmore Girls series got a second chance at crafting an ending for the show in the four-part miniseries Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Years after the original show ended, Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) has pursued a career as a writer while carrying on an affair with her ex-boyfriend, Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry), despite his engagement to another woman.
Back in Stars Hallow, Rory’s mother, Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham), finally works out the trajectory of her romance with Luke Danes (Scott Patterson). Meanwhile, Lorelai’s mother, Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop), comes to terms with the death of her husband, Richard (Edward Herrmann), and charts a different path for herself as well. All three generations of Gilmore Girls will come back together, because they still love and need each other. They just don’t always agree about their respective life choices.
Watch Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life on Netflix.
Maid (2021)
The Leftovers standout Margaret Qualley stars in Maid as Alexandra “Alex” Russell, the young mother of Maddy Boyd (Rylea Nevaeh Whittet). Alex is willing to do anything to get away from her abusive ex-husband (and Maddy’s father), Sean Boyd (Nick Robinson), even if that means Alex has to take on a dead-end job as a maid-for-hire.
Despite having work, Alex finds that she is still dependent on government assistance and her unstable mother, Paula Langley (Andie MacDowell). As a maid, Alex gets a glimpse of a life of luxury that she could never have, wile taking on increasingly difficult and draining assignments while fighting her ex for custody of their daughter.
Watch Maid on Netflix.
Call the Midwife (2012-Present)
Call the Midwife is a popular ongoing British drama that shows no sign of slowing down. The series initially began 12 years after World War II as Jenny Lee (Jessica Raine) worked as a midwife alongside Beatrix “Trixie” Franklin (Helen George) and Cynthia Miller (Bryony Hannah) at a convent of nuns in London’s Poplar district. In this era, medical assistance wasn’t ready available for poor mothers who were due to give birth, and the midwifes were frequently called upon when women were in labor.
Each of the three original midwives eventually left the show, and the cast has greatly changed over the show’s 13 seasons, as Call the Midwife explored the larger changes in British society during the ’50s and ’60s. At the rate this show is going, it will be exploring the ’70s soon enough. Viewers can watch the new seasons of Call the Midwife on PBS, while Netflix is the streaming home for the older seasons.
Watch Call the Midwife on Netflix.
How To Get Away With Murder (2014-2020)
Before she brought Bridgerton to Netflix, Shonda Rhimes executive produced How To Get Away with Murder, the show that helped make Viola Davis a star. The series follows a prominent criminal defense attorney, Annalise Keating (Davis), and five of her favored students from her law classes at Middleton University. The Keating 5 include Wes Gibbins (Alfred Enoch), Connor Walsh (Jack Falahee), Michaela Pratt (Aja Naomi King), Asher Millstone (Matt McGorry), and Laurel Castillo (Karla Souza).
Annalise’s students will do anything for her, which is one of the reasons why they murder her husband, Sam Keating (Tom Verica), after his mistress, Lila Stangard (Megan West), is also killed. Now, Annalise has to help her students keep out of jail, while also keeping police unaware of anything that could implicate her in the murder as well. More secrets come out as the series progresses, as Annalise’s legal expertise is put to the test in court and she works to evade the consequences of her actions.
Watch How To Get Away With Murder on Netflix.
The Crown (2016-2023)
Queen Elizabeth’s life and reign have been chronicled across six seasons of The Crown, one of Netflix’s most acclaimed series. When the series begins, Elizabeth (Claire Foy) is still a young woman attempting to settle into her reign. Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton portray Elizabeth at later points in her life when The Crown jumps forward in time.
The fifth and sixth seasons have largely centered on the marriage of Prince Charles (Dominic West) and Princess Diana (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s Elizabeth Debicki), as well as their divorce and public falling out. The newly released episodes on Netflix also retell the last days of Diana’s life as the royal family is taken aback when even in death, the Princess of Wales continues to overshadow them.
Watch The Crown on Netflix.
Beef (2023)
Beef was one of the breakout shows on Netflix in 2023, and it left quite an impression on viewers. Steven Yeun and Ali Wong co-headline this limited series as Danny Cho and Amy Lau, two strangers who might have otherwise never met each other if they hadn’t had a mutual road rage incident. Danny and Amy could have simply let it go, but they keep escalating the situation by tracking each other down and retaliating.
It gets to the point where the feud between Danny and Amy is destroying their lives and each other. And neither of them cares as long as the other person goes down first.
Watch Beef on Netflix.
Peaky Blinders (2013-2022)
Oppenheimer‘s Cillian Murphy headlined all six seasons of Peaky Blinders, the BBC’s original crime series that never seemed to lack established co-stars including Sam Neill, Adrien Brody, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sam Claflin, and House of the Dragon‘s Paddy Considine.
The series begins in the aftermath of World War I, as Tommy Shelby (Murphy) and his Peaky Blinders gang attempt to expand their criminal empire. However, this earns both Tommy and the gang new enemies on both sides of the law. And no matter how much power Tommy amasses for the gang, it never seems to be enough for him.
Watch Peaky Blinders on Netflix.
Band of Brothers (2001)
HBO’s Band of Brothers is on loan to Netflix, so it won’t be around on the streamer forever. But while it’s here, it is unquestionably one of Netflix’s best dramas. Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg co-created the miniseries which follows Major Richard “Dick” Winters (Billions‘ Damian Lewis) and the rest of Easy Company, a Parachute Infantry unit during World War II.
The miniseries is based on the true exploits of Easy Company, which begin in training and extend to Europe for some of the most memorable battles of the war, including the invasion of Normandy. The reason why Band of Brothers remains so beloved by fans is that it never loses sight of the fact that these characters were ordinary men who were thrust into incredibly dangerous situations. And not all of them got to go home again.
Watch Band of Brothers on Netflix.
Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
Although Netflix no longer has the streaming rights to Mad Men, it still has the other show that has been hailed as one of the best of the 21st century: Breaking Bad. Malcolm in the Middle‘s Bryan Cranston leaves sitcom silliness behind as he fully inhabits the role of Walter White, a high school science teacher who is dying from cancer. Out of a desire to provide for his family, Walt approaches his former student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), to help him cook and sell meth.
Walt may have had the best intentions when he started, but once he goes down this road, he becomes capable of murder, poisoning, and all sorts of crimes that ultimately horrify Jesse. That slow transformation and the incredible way it unfolds is the primary reason why Breaking Bad is so beloved by critics and fans. The show has been over for a decade, and its reputation has not diminished.
Watch Breaking Bad on Netflix.
Better Call Saul (2015-2022)
Where Breaking Bad goes, the spinoff series, Better Call Saul, isn’t far behind. This show is both a prequel and a sequel to the series that spawned it. Some even argue that it surpasses Breaking Bad in part because of the way it presents Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) before he became the corrupt “criminal lawyer,” Saul Goodman. In this series, Jimmy is a struggling lawyer who just wants to prove himself to his older brother, Chuck McGill (Michael McKean). In the beginning, Jimmy is very sincere about wanting to be a good man and a good lawyer.
Unfortunately, Jimmy just can’t escape his roots as a con artist, or the lower expectations that it gives his brother. On the upside, Jimmy’s darker impulses help him attract Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn), a brilliant lawyer who loses sight of her moral compass when Jimmy is around. This show also explores the backstory of a beloved supporting character, Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), and the origins of Breaking Bad‘s cartel storyline. Yet it’s the relationship between Jimmy and Kim that drives this show all the way to the end.
Watch Better Call Saul on Netflix.
NCIS (2003-Present)
When someone calls NCIS one of the most popular shows on TV, it isn’t an exaggeration. Only 15 of the show’s 20 seasons are on Netflix, but that should be more than enough for fans of the series. The show follows the agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, an agency that has broad authority to look into any crimes relating to the Navy and the Marines.
Mark Harmon headlined the show for 18 seasons as the leader of the show’s NCIS team, Supervisory Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Over the years, the fan-favorite characters tend to leave after lengthy stays. But the franchise just keeps on going.
Watch NCIS on Netflix.
The Lincoln Lawyer (2022-Present)
While many of the shows on this list originated with other studios and networks, The Lincoln Lawyer is one of Netflix’s homegrown hits. Veteran TV showrunner David E. Kelley adapted the novels by Michael Connelly about Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), a lawyer who operates out of his Lincoln Navigator instead of maintaining a law office.
Mickey also keeps his second ex-wife, Lorna Crane (Becki Newton) as his legal aide, while his former client, Izzy Letts (Jazz Raycole), works as his driver. In season one, Mickey lands the case of a lifetime when billionaire Trevor Elliott retains him for his defense against a double murder charge. To win this case, Mickey will have to face his first ex-wife, Maggie McPherson (Neve Campbell), who is in court as the prosecuting attorney.
Watch The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix.
Outlander (2014-Present)
Only five of the six-and-a-half seasons of Outlander are currently on Netflix, but it’s a great sampler of the hit historical fantasy based on Diana Gabaldon’s novels. Caitríona Balfe plays Claire Fraser, a married nurse during World War II, who is unexpectedly sent back in time to 1743. With no apparent way home, Claire is forcibly taken in by Clan MacKenzie from the Highlands of Scotland.
Despite being married in her own time, Claire marries one of the clan members, Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), for both protection and for love. While Claire lives with her new extended family, she attempts to remain free from the clan’s mortal enemy, Jonathan “Black Jack” Randall (Tobias Menzies), the direct ancestor of Claire’s husband, Frank Randall (Menzies).
Watch Outlander on Netflix.
Mindhunter (2017-2019)
Mindhunter only had a two-season run on Netflix, but this serial killer series was a cut above the rest. A lot of the credit for that has to go to showrunner and creator Joe Penhall and executive producer David Fincher, who helmed several episodes of the show. The series starts in the late ’70s when serial killers were known, but not understood. FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), as well as psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), decide to change that because they believe it will help them track and capture active killers.
But to breakdown the mindset of these serial killers, the trio has to actively engage with the murderers that have already been captured. And there are always more monstrous killers running loose that Ford and Tench have to find before they can strike again.
Watch Mindhunter on Netflix.
New Amsterdam (2018-2023)
We should all have doctors like Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold), the lead character in New Amsterdam. He blows into New Amsterdam Medical Center like a force of nature on the day he takes over and immediately starts cutting through the red tape and taking advice from the other doctors about how he can help them provide better care for their patients.
Max’s personal life isn’t as easy to corral. This is a drama after all, and his relationship with Dr. Helen Sharpe (Freema Agyeman) has a lot of ups and downs. But they are far from the only doctors at New Amsterdam with personal entanglements at work. All five seasons of the series are now on Netflix, which makes this show a perfect binge-watch for anyone who wants to see the storylines run from beginning to end.
Watch New Amsterdam on Netflix.
S.W.A.T. (2017-Present)
Most television viewers probably aren’t aware that S.W.A.T. is a reboot of a TV series that first aired in the ’70s. The current show is more modern and deals with the complexities facing both the police and the people of Los Angeles. That’s exemplified through the lead character, Daniel Harrelson (Shemar Moore), who shares a bond with his fellow cops and the ordinary citizens that they are meant to protect.
Harrelson’s Special Weapons and Tactics team includes Jim Street (Alex Russell), David Kay (Jay Harrington), and III Victor Tan (David Lim). This unit goes into the most dangerous situations that ordinary cops can’t handle by themselves. And the team’s personal lives also add a lot of drama to the show.
Watch S.W.A.T. on Netflix.
Virgin River (2019-Present)
Virgin River is one of Netflix’s most successful original dramas, but it has largely flown under the radar compared to the streamer’s flagship series. Alexandra Breckenridge stars as Melinda “Mel” Monroe, a nurse practitioner who has moved to the town of Virgin River, California in order to start fresh and leave her more complicated past behind her. However, Mel quickly comes into conflict with her new employer, Vernon “Doc” Mullin (Tim Matheson), when they don’t see eye-to-eye about her role as a midwife.
There’s also a potential romance on the horizon between Mel and Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), a bar owner whose past romances may be just as messy and complex as Mel’s. But sometimes everyone needs a second chance to find the person they were meant to be with.
Watch Virgin River on Netflix.