10 Best Netflix TV Shows Of 2025 (So Far)

You know the score by now: Every year, Netflix inundates its customers with a bevy of shows from around the globe, often with little to no visible marketing. Yet, in spite of this, there's always a handful of series that manage to break through the clutter and become massive successes on the streamer. Whether they're technically astonishing feats of topical storytelling or a splendidly "trashy" treat you can tear through in a single sitting, these titles represent the best of the best on Netflix in 2025. It's not just previous ratings monsters that unveiled brand-new seasons after a prolonged break (though there are some of those as well); this rundown also includes some hidden gems from across the pond and even a little animation on the side.

Here are /Film's picks for the best Netflix TV shows of 2025 to date, as listed alphabetically (because this list was tricky enough to assemble as is without having to also rank everything).

Considering how much the quality of Netflix's original shows have dropped in the past five to 10 years, I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham's four-episode miniseries, "Adolescence," is by far the best series the streaming giant has put out in a while. Completely dialed in — with the technically adept and awe-inspiring approach of shooting every episode in a single take — to explore multiple aspects and perspectives of a British teen murder and its immediate and long-term repercussions, "Adolescence" is simply a rare and fascinating achievement as far as television dramas go.

"Adolescence" is also a timely and crucial look at today's youth that attempts to help us understand their tumultuous thoughts, often unthinkable actions, and the root of their anger and social isolation. The series isn't an easy watch by any means (especially if you're a parent), and I get that it's too heavy and traumatic for some, but rarely has there been something so impactful and necessary in this day and age. And for once, it's actually getting the recognition it deserves, winning eight Emmys and numerous other awards. It's made a star out of Owen Cooper at only 15, but more importantly, it's brought tremendous respect to Graham, who's been putting great effort into everything he chooses to do for decades. He's truly a national treasure and one of the most humble actors England has ever had. (Akos Peterbencze)

Westerns go in and out of style, but the market has proved time and time again that it always has room for well-made Old West action. "The Revenant" scribe Mark L. Smith shows this once more with "American Primeval," one of his two shows on /Film's Best Netflix Shows of 2025 list. (The other is "Untamed," which also tinkers with elements of the genre despite its contemporary setting.)

Set around the 1857 conflict known as the Utah War, the miniseries depicts the era's clashes between settlers representing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the area's Native American people. Due to a series of misdeeds and misconceptions, tensions between locals and the Mormon militia escalate to tragic and bloody heights, and few characters — or locations, for that matter — remain unaffected.

Spearheaded by Taylor Kitch and actors like Betty Gilpin, Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Jai Courtney, Shea Whigham, and Dane DeHaan in key roles, the cast of "American Primeval" matches the gravity of the events it depicts. The show might not be a wholly accurate depiction of historical events, but watching it will give the viewer a very realistic-seeming idea of what life (and death) in and around Fort Bridger may have been like. (Pauli Poisuo)

Would it surprise anyone to learn that Netflix dropped a buzzy series helmed by acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda all the way back in January of 2025 with absolutely no fanfare at all? As is typically the case with the biggest streaming platform around, it was left to the various fans and critics who actually watched "Asura" to do the heavy lifting and champion this series as one of the year's best. Based on the 1979 miniseries "Like Asura" (itself adapted from the Kuniko Mukōda novel of the same name), this hidden gem focuses on four very different sisters of the Takezawa family — the eldest Tsunako (Rie Miyazawa), Makiko (Machiko Ono), Takiko (Yū Aoi), and the youngest Sakiko (Suzu Hirose). The quartet span extremely varied walks of life, but they're united by the sordid history of their elderly father Kotaro (Jun Kunimura) coming to light: Takiko discovers that Kotaro has been engaged in a decades-long affair with a much younger woman. With the sisters torn over whether to reveal this secret to their mother, this betrayal shakes the family to their core ... and threatens to expose secrets of their own.

In the hands of Kore-eda, this melodrama rises above its soap-opera trappings to tell a sweeping (yet specific) story about family dynamics in 1970s Japan. Those familiar with the director's work know exactly why this narrative would appeal to him. Of course the man behind movies such as "Shoplifters" and "Broker" delivered a nuanced, utterly complex retelling of Japanese women quietly fighting back against a societal system rigged against them. Oddly enough, this struggle mirrors the idea of a platform barely lifting a marketing muscle to make viewers aware of a series as quietly poignant as this one. Don't miss it. (Jeremy Mathai)

Netflix has allowed non-Hollywood properties to achieve massive success on a global scale, as evidenced by the record-breaking popularity of "Squid Game." The platform is also synonymous with dark and mysterious entertainment (hence the streamer having developed a reputation for being a true crime hotspot). In short, it's the ideal destination for a Scottish detective show like "Dept. Q," the best British sleuth drama since "Sherlock" and peak-era "Line of Duty."

"Dept. Q" centers around Carl Morck (Matthew Goode), a rude detective who heads up a department dedicated to solving cold cases in Edinburgh, Scotland. While he's great at his job, he is impolite to almost everyone he meets, at odds with his son, and wracked with guilt over a case that went wrong in the past, leaving one person dead and another paralyzed. Can he overcome his own burdens to get the job done?

Detective shows about flawed coppers are nothing new, but "Dept. Q" has a great protagonist in the form of Morck. He's deeply troubled, occasionally unlikable, and often funny, but more than anything, he feels honest. It would have been easy to turn him into a cool renegade who swears a lot (and he does cuss), but "Dept. Q" isn't that type of series. Morck's vulnerabilities are brought to the fore, and Goode does an excellent job of exploring the character's traumas with nuance and an appropriate amount of humor.

Morck also has an air of Sherlock Holmes about him, as they are both anti-social geniuses who excel with their minds as opposed to their fists. "Dept. Q" is a crime series for viewers seeking problem solvers instead of action heroes, with a chilling mystery at the heart of it all. (Kieran Fisher)

Adapted by Molly Smith Metzler from her own 2011 play "Elemeno Pea," the Netflix original miniseries "Sirens" is deliciously campy, mean, and messy — and anchored by some of film and TV's best working actors to boot. When Devon DeWitt (an always welcome Meghann Fahy, known for "The White Lotus" and "The Bold Type") needs help taking care of her ailing father and hits a breaking point, she heads to the luxurious compound owned by billionaire Michaela "Kiki" Kell (Julianne Moore) so that she can track down her estranged sister Simone DeWitt ("House of the Dragon" star Milly Alcock). As Devon makes her way through said compound and tries not to run afoul of Kiki, her husband and CEO of Kell Securities Peter (Kevin Bacon), and Simone's much-older beau Ethan Corbin III ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" stalwart Glenn Howerton), she starts to realize precisely how manipulative Kiki is, especially towards Simone.

Fahy's disheveled, acerbic, and down-on-her-luck Devon is a perfect role for this charismatic and compelling actor, and I'm sure you're shocked to hear this, but Moore, as usual, is excellent. I'm not forgetting about Milcock and Howerton, by the by; Milcock's buttoned-up yet incredibly high-strung Simone is a delight, and Howerton's Ethan is a more buffoonish, way less evil version of his "Always Sunny" character, which works perfectly in this universe. "Sirens" will fully draw you in, given the chance. (Nina Starner)

"Squid Game" has retained its global smash-hit status across three seasons, with season 3 bringing Gi-hun's (Lee Jung-jae) journey to a rather shocking finish. The previous season had already laid the foundation for the most visceral iteration of the games, upping the ante with vicious infighting, cruel manipulation tactics, and a climactic betrayal. While the final season struggles with a few narrative hang-ups, its relentless nature drills a consistent theme home: The world doesn't always reward decent behavior, and it's indifferent to human suffering. The arbitrary (and violent) deaths in the show cement this bleak sentiment, along with the fact that such cruel games will always find a way to persist (in an American spin-off nobody asked for).

There's a lot to admire here, especially in terms of the set designs for the individual games, which evoke suspense and awe. The VIPs are also re-introduced at this juncture, highlighting just how morally bankrupt obscene wealth can be (as it always hinges on the exploitation of the less fortunate). Their latest target is a newborn child, who is forced to pay the price for merely existing. Her survival is the brightest silver lining amid the explosions and the bloodbath, proving that Gi-hun's empathy helped save an innocent life, despite his inability to accomplish what he initially set out to do. The emotional impact of this sacrifice alone makes "Squid Game" memorable and hard-hitting. Everything else enriches the spectacle-heavy roller coaster that this series will always be remembered as. (Debopriyaa Dutta)

The Netflix original series "The Hunting Wives" — created by Rebecca Cutter and based on the novel of the same name by May Cobb — is a series for people, like me, who watched the "Pitch Perfect" movies and wished they'd just let Brittany Snow's character be openly queer. Still, it's plenty enjoyable even if you choose not to interact with the a capella-centric film franchise, which is totally fair. Snow, in this show, plays Sophie O'Neil, who moves from Massachusetts to the heart of Texas with her dud of a husband, Graham (Evan Jonigkeit), and meets Graham's new boss, Jed Banks (Dermot Mulroney), and Jed's beautiful wife Margo (Malin Akerman). It's not all that surprising that Sophie is immediately captivated by the charming and enigmatic Margo, but when Sophie strikes up a physical affair with Margo and ends up as the main suspect in a shocking murder investigation, it's an understatement to say the entire situation goes sideways.

Flanked by great TV staples like Katie Lowe, Chrissy Metz, and Jamie Ray Newman, just to name a few, Akerman and Snow really shine as two women who, under very different circumstances, could create a beautiful life together ... and even though the title might have tipped you off, pretty much every character, save for Sophie, is pretty quick on the draw. "The Hunting Wives" knows it's campy and over-the-top, and that kind of refreshing approach lets performances from actors like Snow and Akerman thrive. (Nina Starner)

Horror and anime don't have the best track record. Most anime shows either avoid the genre, use it to flavor a different story, or rely entirely on gore rather than any sort of scary or eerie atmosphere building. Thankfully, "The Summer Hikaru Died" not only manages to be genuinely terrifying, but it also happens to be one of the best romance anime series of the year — and a queer one at that. The show tells the story of Yoshiki, a teenager in rural Japan whose best friend Hikaru went missing six months ago. When Hikaru finally returns, however, he's now dead, with his body having been replicated by an eldritch entity.

"The Summer Hikaru Died" works great as a horror series, using every available detail on-screen — from the stillness of its village setting to the sweltering heat of the summer backdrop — to create an unsettling tone; in a sense, it's what the "Uzumaki" adaptation should have been. But it's also a phenomenal (and horrific) queer romance, with Yoshiki struggling to reconcile the grief of losing his friend with the terrifying thought that he's becoming attracted to the thing now wearing Hikaru's skin. It's wrong, and he knows that, but he can't help that it feels so right. The result is a sensual yet disturbing love story featuring elements of eldritch horror and two of the best characters of the year, regardless of the medium. (Rafael Motamayor)

First, an admission: I'm a sucker for a crime drama that takes place in an unconventional setting, so when I caught wind of "Untamed," I had already pretty much decided that I would like the show. Fortunately, my favoritism was confirmed by the fact that the series is actually very good.

"Untamed" takes place in the majestic vistas of Yosemite Natural Park, where a mysterious death draws the attention of grizzled (but troubled, of course) National Park Service Investigative Services Branch Special Agent Kyle Turner (Eric Bana). From this starting point, things proceed at a procedural pace, and fascinating characters ranging from rookie NPS ranger Naya Vasquez (Lily Santiago) to Turner's boss and mentor Paul Souter (Sam Neill) start stirring the pot in their own ways.

If that doesn't seem all that original, well, it doesn't really have to. "Untamed" gets a lot of mileage from its gorgeous setting, solid murder mystery plot, and top cast. As such, it doesn't really need to reinvent the crime drama wheel — it can simply be itself and count on the viewer to enjoy things. The world needs shows like this, and "Untamed" delivers more than well enough to belong on a list of Netflix's finest 2025 offerings. (Pauli Poisuo)

The last several years have begun to show the cracks within Netflix's business model, or at least some wear and tear starting to take root. While there's no doubt that the streaming service holds the exclusive rights to dozens of shows and films of excellent quality, it's been difficult for most of them to capture the zeitgeist in a way that most blockbuster movies and HBO Max shows have, for instance. However, for every series that strains against the bounds of the service's rules, you have a show which probably wouldn't have been as good if it were made anywhere else. "Wednesday" is an excellent example of such a series, for no better reason than its genre mash-up might've been a gamble on basic or premium cable channels.

As a matter of fact, the "Addams Family" re-imagining nearly didn't flourish on Netflix, either, as the first season's detractors almost killed "Wednesday" in its crib. Thanks to a TikTok trend and star Jenna Ortega's superlative performance as the title character, however, the show came back for a second season that's even stronger than the first. Showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar found the perfect balance of irreverent, satiric comedy, and genre shenanigans, doing away with awkward teen romance subplots for Wednesday and allowing the rest of the Addams Family to join Wednesday at the fore. Tim Burton, director of half the season, clearly felt the creative invigoration this time around, too, throwing in a stop-motion animation sequence and even directing a Lady Gaga music video on the side. Like so much of Burton's output, "Wednesday" is a treat for "spooky season is all year" people, a Goth love letter to Charles Addams, and a successor to shows like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Charmed," and the like. Two snaps in appreciation! (Bill Bria)