20. Dear White People
This quick, sharp satire about college race relations goes far beyond the premise of the movie on which it’s based (also made by Justin Simien). Logan Browning stars as Sam White, a student activist and radio host at the prestigious fictional Winchester University. She’s surrounded by jocks, geeks, hipsters, and preps, each of whom has had a different experience with race, and Dear White People turns the camera on each character in turn, revealing the complex identities at play among her peers. Dear White People sometimes has more ideas than it knows what to do with, but its high points — including a Barry Jenkins-directed episode, an unflinchingly look at accidental pregnancy, and a showdown with a conservative pundit played by Tessa Thompson — will blow you away. Simien never oversimplifies conversations about race and intersections of identity, always presenting nuanced and powerful stories rooted in truth and perspective.
19. Sex Education
Every teenager (and most adults) needs a show like Sex Education. Forthright, shame-free, and sex-positive, the series about ever-uncomfortable teen sex therapist Otis (Asa Butterfield) is groundbreaking on several levels and seriously entertaining. Otis’ mother, Jean (Gillian Anderson) is a real sex therapist, and he passes her philosophies down to his eager and ignorant classmates alike. His best friend Eric (Ncuti Gatwa) and crush Maeve (Emma Mackey) have problems of their own, and Sex Education treats each issue the teens face with rare care and consideration. The series is frequently funny, but it possesses a quiet honesty and a through-line of empowerment that’ll also leave you teary-eyed in the best way.
18. Kingdom
Great news, genre fans: Kingdom is making zombies scary again. The high-budget South Korean series is event television at its biggest and boldest, a Korea-set period piece that mixes political intrigue, impressive set pieces, and grisly undead horror. With only six episodes in each of its first two seasons, the series is a speedy watch, although the political intricacies of the Joseon dynasty, while engrossing, aren’t quite as quick as the plague that sweeps across the country’s landscape. A multi-genre achievement in pacing and suspense, Kingdom also features gorgeous directing by Kim Seong-hun.
17. Dark
This German-language sci-fi mystery has been compared to Stranger Things, and that’s a massive oversimplification of a show that’s anything but. Brooding, thrilling, and consistently surprising, the generations-spanning series is a binge-worthy obsession. Teenager Jonas (Louis Hofmann), policeman Ulrich (Oliver Masucci), and police chief Charlotte (Karoline Eichhorn) are the initial major players in this mystery, although as the chessboard mystery grows more complex, other versions of characters we know begin to appear. The show is gorgeous and intense, with a first season that builds to an intense crescendo and a second that leaves viewers wanting more.
16. Russian Doll
“Gotta get up, gotta get out, gotta get home before the morning comes!” If the ever-cheerful line of Harry Nillson’s “Gotta Get Up” doesn’t haunt your dreams, that must mean you haven’t seen Russian Doll yet. The ever-present song won’t be the only thing from this Groundhog Day-esque look at mortality and memory that’ll stick with you. Natasha Lyonne (who also co-created the series with Amy Poehler and Leslye Headland) stars as Nadia, a brassy New York broad who can’t stop dying on her 36th birthday. Nadia is trapped in some kind of time loop, which she tries to escape from in hilarious and unexpected ways. The series’ already beloved first season builds well, altering each new version of Nadia’s day just enough to get us theorizing before packing an emotional wallop in its back half. A beautifully ambiguous ending left fans in awe, but with a second season on the way, the party’s not over yet.
15. Tuca and Bertie
Vibrant animation and even more vibrant personalities make this one-season wonder soar. Tuca & Bertie was created by former Bojack Horseman producer and designer Lisa Hanawalt, and while the series has its own distinct flavor — and its design originated before Bojack aired — its anthropomorphized animal city seems like it might be the East Coast alternative to the other series’ Hollywood. Tuca (Tiffany Haddish) and Bertie (Ali Wong) are two best friends whose misadventures range from entering a baking competition to adopting a wild pet jaguar. The pair follow in the Broad City vein of bawdiness, honesty, and genuine friendship, and the series isn’t afraid to go to some serious places. If given a chance to grow beyond one season, it could’ve been an all-time great, but as is, Tuca & Bertie is still an achievement.
14. On My Block
The best coming-of-age stories are those that find protagonists on the brink of a new era, perched dangerously close to a world that they’ve come to realize is more complicated than they ever gave it credit for. By this standard, On My Block is one of the best coming-of-age stories in recent memory. Awkward showrunner Lauren Iungerich and her co-creators Eddie Gonzalez and Jeremy Haft bring a lively and endearing energy to this comedic drama about a neighborhood friend group navigating high school in inner-city LA. The group is dynamic, funny, and relatable, even as the series catches viewers off guard with occasional emotional moments that hit hard.
13. American Vandal
Who shot JR? Who killed Laura Palmer? And now: who drew the dicks? American Vandal is a minor comedy miracle, a parody of true crime docuseries that aired on the platform most-known for popularizing true crime docuseries. The first season aims to answer that central question, investigating high school troublemaker Dylan Maxwell (Jimmy Tatro) in relation to explicit graffiti spray-painted across cars in the staff parking lot. Like all the best crime shows, American Vandal takes wild detours, uses over-the-top experiments and re-enactments to supposedly uncover new evidence, and leaves viewers with a sobering message and a dash of ambiguity. The mockumentary is perfect for a generation of young people who grew up hooked on Vine (where Tatro got his start), and a second season is even more outrageous and ambitious than the first.
12. Unbelievable
A heavy but necessary watch, Unbelievable is a can’t-miss limited series that puts a human face to true crime. Viewers will likely find the first episode — centered on a raped teenager (Kaitlyn Dever) and a mangled reporting process — hard to watch, but that’s by design. When Detectives Karen Duvall (Merritt Wever) and Grace Rassmussen (Toni Collette) first appear on screen in episode two, their competence and empathy make them look like superheroes. The series, which was co-created by novelists Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman along with Susannah Grant, retells the dual stories of rape cases in Washington State and Colorado. Tough scenes are nimbly acted by Dever, Collette, and especially Wever as a self-possessed woman with a quiet but powerful presence. The story isn’t so much a mystery as a complete and impactful indictment of a faulty system.
11. Stranger Things
Maybe it’s the nostalgia at the series’ heart, but Stranger Things already seems like a show that will be a part of the cultural imagination for years to come. The Duffer brothers’ sci-fi coming-of-age series is by far the biggest phenomenon on Netflix, launching its young stars into worldwide fame and spawning a never-ending parade of merchandise and tie-ins. Biggest doesn’t always mean best, but almost everyone with a Netflix account has loved one part of Stranger Things or another. Whether you’re more into the classic, E.T.-inspired first season, the wacky, action-packed third season, or the mythology-building middle, there’s something for everyone in this charming underdog story. Stranger Things has epic moments that’ll take your breath away, thanks to a well-spent effects budget and a strong performance by Millie Bobby Brown as telekinetic lab-grown preteen Eleven.
Related Topics: Netflix
