15 Best Netflix Original Shows Of All Time, Ranked

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Netflix has been a dominating streaming service for over a decade now, ever since they started producing original content in the late 2010s. By now, they've been responsible for hundreds of shows that have pierced through the cultural zeitgeist, from true crime docuseries to comedies that have begun to influence new generations of performers. While many people use Netflix to re-watch classics like "The Office" or "Breaking Bad," the original series created exclusively for the streamer have given people new TV obsessions. 

The 15 television series that make up this list all have two things in common: They were all produced solely for streaming on Netflix's platform, and they are not limited series. Though some of the best Netflix limited series (see: "The Queen's Gambit," "Adolescence," "The Haunting of Hill House") could have arguably made this list, the ones we chose to highlight were some of our favorites for the entirety of their run, even if those favorites may be controversial among the most die-hard TV fanatics nowadays. 

Here are the best Netflix original series of all time. 

As Netflix's very first self-produced television series, "House of Cards" definitely deserved a place on this list, even if that place is the very bottom. The series is a political thriller following the Shakespearean ambition of Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), a U.S. Congressman who strives for the highest seat of power in the country. The show was a huge hit for Netflix and established them as a major competitor in the TV landscape as the first streaming series to garner nominations at the Emmy Awards. 

However, the show's final season encountered setbacks when Spacey was fired for sexual assault allegations, forcing Netflix to replace him and re-center the show on Robin Wright's Claire Underwood, Frank's wife, who assumes the presidency after Frank is forced to resign and later dies off-screen of mysterious circumstances. Though some felt the final season of "House of Cards" was the best it'd been in years, the behind-the-scenes turmoil definitely affected its legacy as one of the all-time great shows of the 2010s. 

Much like "House of Cards," "Orange is the New Black" was an early hit for Netflix as a streaming service, a comedy based on a memoir by former women's prison inmate Piper Kerman, played by Taylor Schilling. Piper is sentenced to 15 months at Litchfield Prison, where she befriends inmates like Nicky (Natasha Lyonne), Claudette (Michelle Hurst), and Crazy Eyes (Uzo Aduba). Not only was it a ratings hit for Netflix, but it garnered critical acclaim throughout its run, thanks to its progressive depiction of life in prison.

Though Schilling was always a central presence on the series, it really stands out thanks to its diverse and eclectic ensemble, which also includes Laura Prepon as Piper's love interest Alex, Yael Stone as Nicky's love interest Lorna, and recurring guest stars like Laverne Cox, Mike Birbiglia, and Barbara Rosenblat. However, the show also divided fans as it went on for decisions like killing off Samira Wiley's character Poussey, a beloved fellow inmate whose death is one of the show's most powerful moments. 

Since its debut on Netflix in 2020, "Bridgerton" has become one of the most popular shows on the platform, even if it arguably hasn't remained the same exact show all throughout its run. Based on Julia Quinn's series of British Regency-set romance novels, it follows the titular royal family navigating the politics of marriage, often centering on the slow burn romances of its family members. The first season's love story between Phoebe Dynevor's Daphne and Regé Jean-Page's Simon, a classic enemies-to-lovers trope, particularly drew interest from fans, despite a troublesome dynamic between the two's arranged marriage.

However, the future seasons of "Bridgerton" have been a masterclass of slow romance, centering on characters like Jonathan Bailey's Lord Anthony and Nicola Coughlan's Penelope. It may not exactly appeal to the same fanbase of fans as, say, "House of Cards," or even some of the other most popular Netflix series, but if you're a sucker for a period romance like "Pride & Prejudice" or "Downtown Abbey," this is the show you should be watching, as long as you can get past some of its somewhat problematic aspects. 

Mindy Kaling has been a huge part of South Asian representation in Hollywood lately, and Netflix's "Never Have I Ever" is no exception. Loosely based on Kaling's own life, it stars Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Devi, a high schooler who juggles average teenage melodrama with the grieving of her father, which she attends therapy for with Dr. Ryan (Niecy Nash). John McEnroe narrates as the voice of Devi's thoughts, with other episodes exploring the thoughts of her love interests Ben (Jaren Lewison), his thoughts voiced by Andy Samberg, and Paxton (Darren Barnet), his thoughts voiced by Gigi Hadid. 

Although high school dramedy may be a tired sub-genre of TV at this point, "Never Have I Ever" is a surprisingly poignant examination of grief through a horny teen lens, even with its representation of non-South Asian cultures being imperfect. Additionally, Ramakrishnan's portrayal of Devi as an incredibly complicated character and not some type of Indian Mary Sue was appreciated by many critics who, no matter what cultures they come from, related to her oftentimes erratic behavior in the face of trauma. 

Obviously, we have "Wednesday" to thank for turning Jenna Ortega from a Disney Channel darling into an A-list star. The series, both executive produced and co-directed by the legendary Tim Burton, stars Ortega as the titular daughter of the Addams Family, who is sent to her parents' alma mater Nevermore Academy, begrudgingly befriending her bubbly roommate Enid (Emma Myers) and discovering she's inherited her mother's telekinetic abilities as she investigates the local disappearance of a boy, involving the academy's enigmatic principal Weems (Gwendoline Christie).

Aside from Ortega's now-iconic dance, "Wednesday" attracted an ardent fanbase thanks to its delightfully demented lead performance, though it wasn't until season 2 that the Addams Family were wisely given more to do. The show also features an impressive roster of guest stars, including Lady Gaga, Fred Armisen, Billie Piper, and even the former portrayer of Wednesday herself, Christina Ricci. Yes, the hype may have died down between the first season's release in 2022 and the second's in 2025, but hopefully not that much time passes before season 3. 

"American Vandal" came and went on Netflix in the late 2010s, airing for two seasons in 2017 and 2018, respectively. However, the streaming service hasn't seen a mockumentary series since that's as gut-wrenchingly funny and incisive of the platform's plethora of true crime documentaries. The series follows a pair of high schoolers, Peter (Tyler Alvarez) and Sam (Griffin Gluck), whose amateur documentary filmmaking uncovers a heinous vandalizing spree at their school in which penises are graffitied on many teachers' cars, with the school's class clown Dylan (Jimmy Tatro) the prime suspect.

The second season goes even bigger with the crime at the center, a school-wide contamination of cafeteria lemonade laced with laxatives. Particularly, the way the show portrays Gen Z's reliance on social media was so ahead of its time for a show that came out pre-pandemic. Even its cast features future stars like Jeremy Culhane, now a cast member on "Saturday Night Live," and Taylor Dearden, now one of the stars of HBO's "The Pitt." Sadly, the cancellation of "American Vandal" was a true crime that won't ever get solved.

No one could've predicted one of the most fascinating experiments in TV across the past decade would be a historical drama following the history of the British Royal Family, beginning with Queen Elizabeth's ascension to the throne and ending with the divisive marriage between future King Charles and his wife Camilla Parker-Bowles. Along the way, different cast members took the role of integral characters of the British family, with Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, and Imelda Staunton sharing duties as the queen herself, and Matt Smith, Tobias Menzies, and Jonathan Pryce as her husband Philip.

Though every season of "The Crown" covers a stretch of time in recent history, the show does an incredible job dramatizing the lives of many characters aside from the queen, including Elizabeth's sibling Margaret (played by Vanessa Kirby, Helena Bonham Carter, and Lesley Manville), her son Charles (played by Josh O'Connor and Dominic West), and Charles' first wife Diana Spencer (played by Emma Corrin and Elizabeth Debicki). Other incredible cast members throughout the show's run include Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher, John Lithgow as Winston Churchill, and Michael C. Hall as U.S. President John F. Kennedy, who all make the show's historical events depicted feel appropriately larger than life. 

The second show on this list to feature Natasha Lyonne, "Russian Doll" was a long-overdue starring TV role for the actress, who also co-created the series with Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler. Lyonne plays Nadia, a woman who dies on her 36th birthday, only to be stuck in a time loop forcing her to repeat the day's events over and over again, a la "Groundhog Day." Though it's a series whose premise seems doomed to become repetitive, "Russian Doll" finds endless ways to keep it interesting, and it's mostly thanks to Lyonne's charismatic, albeit manic, performance. 

Season 2 of "Russian Doll" also goes off the rails in a very unexpected way, thrusting Nadia into the 1980s reliving the life of her pregnant mother (Chloë Sevigny). There's a lot to talk about with ending of "Russian Doll," but the series is probably best experienced if you know very little, so we highly recommend you check it out, especially if you're a fan of Lyonne's performance in "Orange is the New Black," or more recently in Peacock's "Poker Face." 

Netflix has had plenty of hits in the adult animation sphere, between "Big Mouth," "F is for Family," and "Agent Elvis," but by far the biggest one was also their first: "BoJack Horseman." Compared to other animated series, which hinge on crude, absurdist humor, "BoJack Horseman" is a deeply existential exploration of fame, addiction, the entertainment industry, and depression. Will Arnett voices the titular character, the washed-up anthropomorphic star of a '90s sitcom, who is planning his comeback. 

Among the best "BoJack Horseman" episodes tackle social commentary, as well as highly sensitive subjects, but the show never manages to make it feel not earnest. Plus, as underrated as voice actors are in the industry, Arnett does truly magnificent work embodying this portrait of a half-horse, half-man, especially in the episode "Free Churro," which is pretty much solely a monologue as BoJack gives a eulogy at his mother's funeral. There's never really been a show like "BoJack" prior to it existing, and it's likely there never will again, even six years after it ended. 

Say what you will about "Stranger Things," but there's no denying that this show absolutely dominated pop culture during its run from 2016 to 2025. The first season was a gamble for Netflix, a sci-fi series taking heavy inspiration from Steven Spielberg's movies, classic slasher franchises, and of course, '80s nostalgia. However, its success exploded it into a multimedia franchise with spin-offs, video games, comic books, and even a Broadway play. Nevertheless, the strength of "Stranger Things" has always relied in its lovable cast and endearing characters.

"Stranger Things" kicks off when the precocious Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) goes missing, prompting his friends and family to dig deeper and uncover a mystery surrounding their town and its ties to a parallel dimension they refer to as the Upside-Down. The show somehow balances serious drama like coming-of-age narratives, child abuse, and addiction, with a growing sci-fi world, constant references to "Dungeons & Dragons," and even a Cold War-centric subplot. Was "Stranger Things" imperfect towards its end? Sure, but after the series finale, we're still reminiscing over the high highs that this show reached during its peak. 

Whereas "Stranger Things" seemed almost destined to be franchised, "Squid Game" is a Netflix original series that seems undercut by its own success. Created by South Korean filmmaker Hwang Dong-huk, the series follows an ensemble of down-on-their-luck players in a dystopic competition game consisting of children's activities where the ultimate prize is millions of dollars, but failure is rewarded with brutal death. The cast is led by Lee Jung-jae, whose character Seong is a gambling addict and (spoiler alert!) winner of season one who seeks to tear down its cruel and enigmatic operator.

Though it's hard to find a Netflix series that's as gripping as "Squid Game" was in its first season, the subsequent seasons and the show's overall success (even prompting Netflix to start a reality competition series) seem counterintuitive to its anti-Capitalist message. After its third season in 2025, the Netflix hit came to an inevitable, underwhelming conclusion, but if you simply view its first season as a mere limited series, you'll be thinking about it for a long, long time after. 

Aside from "BoJack Horseman" and other adult animated series, there have been plenty of incredible original animated shows on Netflix that, even though they're technically made for kids, have widespread appeal across all ages. One such example is "She-Ra and the Princesses of Power," an spin-off of the iconic "Masters of the Universe" franchise following the origin story of the titular orphan-turned-Princess of Power, Adora. However, the show is so much more than a reboot of an old series, given how it takes a much more modern approach to adapting its source material.

Particularly, the relationship between Adora and her estranged orphan sister Catra was the highlight of the series for many fans, culminating in a watershed moment for LGBTQ+ representation in kids' animation. Even among the show's funny, exciting, and moving seasons of television, the show went out of its way to include transgender characters, non-binary voice actors, and deeply queer subtext that doesn't ever come at the expense of the quality of "She-Ra's" writing or gorgeous animation. 

It's possible that American audiences may not have watched "Dark" on Netflix, despite it being one of the platform's most acclaimed programs in Europe. Created by German filmmakers Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, "Dark" has drawn a lot of comparisons to "Stranger Things," centering on an ensemble of characters investigating the disappearance of a child, only to unravel government conspiracies, hidden secrets about their town, and the presence of a wormhole connecting the modern-day Germany to versions of it from the past.

Although the series is a lot darker than "Stranger Things," as evidenced by its name, it's also a lot more consistent in quality across the three seasons that have aired on Netflix. There are frankly few areas in which "Dark" does not excel, whether it be the clever blending of grounded drama and smart science-fiction, or its amazing cast including Maja Schöne, Louis Hofmann, and Oliver Masucci. If you're one of the many people disappointed in the "Stranger Things" finale, maybe you'll be satisfied with a show as well-thought-out and surprising as "Dark." 

Every generation, a sketch comedy show comes seemingly from nowhere and influences the comedic stylings of the entire industry. What was once true for "Mr. Show w/ Bob & David" or "Key & Peele" is certainly the case for Netflix's run of "I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson," starring the titular former "Saturday Night Live" writer and cast member in a sketch comedy series where every character suffers from their inability to act normally in social situations, whether it be a guy saving himself from embarrassment at a party or a member of a focus group determined to get his ideas acknowledged.

Though Robinson is the star of many sketches, the series also boasts great recurring cast members and guest stars who are just as entertaining to watch, including Patti Harrison and Connor O'Malley, as well as guest stars like Vanessa Bayer, Paul Walter Hauser, and Ayo Edebiri. It's truly the type of show that will not only make you laugh, but might affect the way you speak or interact with people for the rest of your life. At least, we still can't get through a conversation without mentioning the Driving Crooner. 

By far the greatest original series Netflix has ever produced is also the one which has sadly ended too soon. "Mindhunter" is a crime thriller series created by Joe Penhall with executive producer and director David Fincher (the mind behind "Fight Club" and "The Social Network") based on a true crime book of the same name about the F.B.I.'s efforts in interviewing known serial killers as a way of investigating ongoing cases. Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany play two agents spearheading this task force by interviewing the notorious Edmund Kemper, played brilliantly by Cameron Britton.

If you haven't already taken a deep dive into Fincher's Netflix series, you're sorely missing out on one of the most riveting and disturbing series that the streaming service has made. Even seven years after the second season aired, and fans are still clamoring for a third season of "Mindhunter," though Fincher and others involved have suggested that won't happen, although the idea of a "Mindhunter" movie has been mentioned as a possibility recently. Even if the future doesn't look bright for "Mindhunter," at least there's still two perfect seasons of television for the creators to rest their laurels on.