Netflix's giant TV show catalog can be daunting, and the real question most subscribers will want answered is what the best shows on Netflix right now are. Naturally, such is the value of the platform that it includes some of the greatest TV shows of all time, alongside hidden gems and overlooked classics. Whether you're looking for the best documentary series, the best comedy TV shows, the best horror shows or something for the whole family to enjoy together, you're covered.

And good news, we'll be updating this list regularly to keep all recommendations fresh. So whether you're looking for a selection of the best TV shows ever, or something more specific in a genre, our guide has it all. Looking for more recommendations? Check out our guide to the best movies on Netflix for even more recommendations. You can also check out our guide to the best shows on Disney+.

For even more Netflix streaming recommendations, be sure to check out the best horror movies on Netflix, best romance movies on Netflix, and best family movies on Netflix.

Related: The 10 Best Documentaries On Netflix Right Now

15 Wednesday (2022-Present)

Based on the cartoons by Charles Addams, The Addams Family franchise has been gracing TV screens since the 1960s. The creepy and kooky family has also appeared in movies, and a young Christina Ricci is responsible for popularizing the macabre pig-tailed Addams daughter Wednesday when she first played her in The Addams Family (1991). And nobody was more perfect than Tim Burton to bring Wednesday Addams back to TV woth Wednesday. The series sees Jenna Ortega play the titular anti-heroine, as Wednesday is shipped off to the mysterious Nevermore Academy after she is expelled from public school. There, she must solve a decades-old murder mystery.

While it's impossible to say who's a better Wednesday between Ricci and Ortega, the latter roots the character firmly in Gen-Z while still maintaining Wednesday's dark, deadpan demeanor. Ortega's Emmy-nominated performance, along with Wednesday's talented supported cast make the Addams Family franchise feel as lively as it ever was, and the mystery at the core of season 1 makes Wednesday perfect for a binge-watch. Wednesday broke Netflix's record for most hours viewed in a week for an English-language series at 341.2 million hours, dethroning Stranger Things season 4.

RELATED: Wednesday Cast & Character Guide

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14 One Piece (2023-Present)

Based on the hugely popular manga and anime (which started in 1997 and is still going), Netflix's live-action One Piece is both a respectful adaptation (creator Eiichiro Oda is thankfully involved) and also a great starting point for new fans. Given the weight of lore behind One Piece's cast of characters, that's no small feat, and it's down to a well-executed, entertaining story that packs in oceans of heat. The swash-buckling story follows the colorful Straw Hat Pirates as they search for the fabled "One Piece" treasure. It's trope-heavy, but there's a beautiful simplicity to it that should give anime fans hope that other series could follow to live-action.

Thanks to the episodic story set-up, with adventure-of-the-week chapters that take the pirates, under Iñaki Godoy's Monkey D. Luffy to new islands for new emerging challenges, it's also a Netflix show that can be dipped into and not necessarily hungriy binged at once. And while there are changes to the source material, they are largely smart, and the aesthetic commitment to making it feel like it came from the anime world may massage some of the bruises purists feel because of them.

Related: Netflix's One Piece Season 1 Ending Explained (In Detail)

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13 Suit (2011-2019)

Witty, slick, and addictive, Suits is a USA Network legal drama that all starts with college dropout Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) using his photographic memory to talk his way into a job at a law firm despite having no legal experience. He's hired by powerful "closer" attorney Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), and together they take on cases and navigated the sharkwater politics of Pearson Hardman. Suits also notably stars Meghan Markle as whipsmart paralegal Rachel Zane, and was the actress' first role before she became the Duchess of Sussex.

The show made headlines in the summer of 2023 when Suits broke records after arriving on Netflix, as it became the highest-viewed acquired show in a single week, clocking 3.674 billion hours of watch time. While Markle's star power likely has something to do with this, in an era of intense, serialized prestige TV drama, sometimes viewers just want an easy watch, and with its procedural format, Suits delivers just that, while still maintaining an intelligent, fresh tone.

RELATED: 7 Reasons Suits Is Dominating Netflix 4 Years After It Ended

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12 Top Boy (2011–2023)

Available Seasons: 3 | Cast: Ashley Walters (Dushane), Kano (Sully), Jasmine Jobson (Jaq), Little Simz (Shelley), Araloyin Oshunremi (Stefan)

With the likes of Gangs of London and the near-iconic Peaky Blinders, the UK has a rich vein of recent crime TV shows, but Top Boy deserves just as much attention. Considered the British answer to The Wire, the comparison may seem generous from outside, but it's a fitting parallel: both shows deal with shifting power dynamics, the cut-throat world of underworld crime, and the relationships of the main characters and rivals.

Uneasy rivalries, stunning betrayals and often stunning performances punctuate everything, as Top Boy's cast was something of a proving ground for talents as rich as Benedict Wong, Laetitia Wright and Michaela Coel, with Barry Keoghan appearing briefly, but memorably. It's still incredible to think Channel 4 initially canceled Top Boy after just two seasons, but Netflix swooped in after rapper Drake led a campaign to boost the show. And everyone should be thankful for the fact.

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11 Sex Education (2019-Present)

Sex Education felt like a breath of fresh air when it debuted on Netflix back in 2019. What's perhaps most impressive is that it remained that way right until the very end. It's not easy to make a TV show about teens, especially one that feels simultaneously as of-the-moment yet somewhat timeless as Sex Education: get it wrong and it falls anywhere between pandering, condescending, cringe-worthy, or tryhard. Netflix deftly finds the balance, though, with a show that's sweet and heartfelt, utterly hilarious (often grossly so), emotional, risk-taking, and has strong messaging on a wide variety of issues, but weaves them organically into its plot.

What makes Sex Education work so well, ultimately, are its characters. Even when the plots get a little absurd, they keep it all grounded. The show is authentic and honest, and its characters are very much like real teenagers - their struggles either relatable or providing a teaching moment or two, and often both. Sex Education's cast is entirely great, and full of actors who are already breaking out into bigger things (Ncuti Gatwa could power the TARDIS on his megawatt smile and pure charisma alone). At the same time, they may not be in too many things that are better.

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10 The Haunting Of Hill House (2018)

Mike Flanagan's Netflix projects read like a best of the best horror releases of recent years, and The Haunting of Hill House is arguably the one that set the standard. Raising the bar for Netflix's best horror titles, The Haunting of Hill House relies on Flanagan's always excellent casting eye and ridiculously successful scare tactics to really leave a mark. And it's not just jump scares (though it has one of the best ever), as Flanagan's creative team builds an atmosphere of dread that is both nightmarish and compulsive viewing.

The Netflix show drew from Shirley Jackson's iconic novel, updating the source material and injecting new life (and death), into The Haunting of Hill House's story of the shared trauma of five children who grew up in the ominous house. Watch if you're a fan of good old-fashioned ghost stories, and expect a high chill factor. For good reason, The Haunting of Hill House remains among the best shows to watch on Netflix right now.

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9 The Witcher (2019-Present)

While screen adaptations of video games are slowly shedding their bad reputation thanks to shows like The Last of Us, The Witcher also had literary help, as it is based on the fantasy book series of the same name by Andrezej Sapkowski. The show centers on stoic monster hunter Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) and his adventures, as he is eventually tasked with protecting Crown Princess Ciri of Cintra (Freya Allan). The Witcher season 1 beautifully establishes the show's fantastical world, and seasons 2 and 3 expand upon it and the characters' complex relationships.

Fantasy series can be incredibly difficult to pull off because they require the very best in special effects so as not to appear cheesy, and a rich lore that fans can sink their teeth into. Universally praised, The Witcher delivers on all counts. The show has been especially highlighted for its strong performances, which makes Cavill's departure after season 3 all the more disappointing. Liam Hemsworth will step in to play Geralt in The Witcher season 4, and he has big shoes to fill, but hopefully, fans will give him a fair shake. But regardless of the series' future, The Witcher has three excellent seasons under its belt.

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8 Mindhunter (2017-2019)

Unfortunately, Mindhunter's development story might be one of the most frustrating tales of missed opportunity in TV history, as the show was given only a disappointingly short run. That said, the disappointment is directly correlated to just how great the Netflix Original series is. Offering true crime fans the irresistible prospect of seeing some of real-life history's most notorious serial killers, Mindhunter charts the rise of the FBI's dedicated serial murder department (Quantico's Behavioral Science Unit). Far more than a who's who of killers, the show's exploration of the personal relationships of the main characters and their struggles adds huge depth.

Drawing on creator David Fincher's movies, Mindhunter is compellingly dark, exploring the depths of human depravity without edging into exploitation. If you're a fan of The Silence of the Lambs, or Se7en, or movies of that ilk, Mindhunter is a must-see, particularly thanks to the unnervingly precise portrayals of some of the most notorious serial killers ever.

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7 Stranger Things (2016-Present)

Along with House of Cards, Stranger Things is arguably the most important Netflix Original the platform ever released. Responsible for a huge uplift in interest in the streaming giant when it debuted in 2016, the horror fantasy blend perfectly blends Amblin-like 1980s nostalgia with an undeniable Stephen King vibe that proves to be a winning formula. With a twisty narrative that draws heavily on Dungeons & Dragons lore, Stranger Things is a far more street level success than its high concept might suggest, mostly thanks to its excellent cast.

Trope heavy, Stranger Things marries multiple genres in a heady blend that appeals across all genre quadrants: its horror is successfully creepy (particularly after the introduction of Vecna); its coming-of-age elements are pitch perfect; and the plot never disappears under its own weight as other shows with such longevity like Lost and Heroes. Impressively, the show has successfully reinvented itself even as it escalates its original ideas and the upcoming Stranger Things season 5 is easily one of the most hotly anticipated TV seasons in recent memory.

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6 Dark (2017-2020)

Set in a small German town with a story that spans centuries, Dark is a compellingly complex thriller that easily ranks among the best Netflix shows. When the search for a missing child goes wrong, Dark transports the narrative to the past via a mysterious wormhole underneath a nuclear power plant. With the same actors playing characters across the span of time, the show becomes a surreal character study, exploring the trauma that shapes characters in the present, before suggesting what might await them in the future. With three seasons to enjoy, Dark is one of the most satisfying sci-fi series on the platform.

Dark may ask a lot of its audience (especially as the original German is undisputably the best way to watch it), but the reward is just as good. By the time you get to Dark's ending, you'll be exhausted and exhilarated, having been forced through an ordeal of philosophically challenging investigations that strike at the very heart of human existence.

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5 The Umbrella Academy (2019-Present)

While Stranger Things is probably Netflix's more famous sci-fi-like ensemble cast show, The Umbrella Academy is even better, increasing in quality with each release. Based on the incredible comics series by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way, the show deals with the small problem of the end of the world. Repeatedly. Centered on a group of exceptional misifts with the kind of superpowers you won't see in Marvel or DC Comics, The Umbrella Academy is as funny as it is subversive, exploring incredibly dark material while throwing in must-see dance numbers.

The character performances are delightful and irresistibly meme-able, and the looming shadow of destiny means there's barely time for a misplaced step or pause in the plot, which throws in some of the most unexpected twists you'd ever imagine. And many you couldn't possibly. With The Umbrella Academy season 4 promising to bring the complex, time travel story to its inevitably explosive conclusion, there's still a lot to look forward to. Just make sure you're there for the ride by catching up first.

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4 Seinfeld (1989-1998)

Netflix struck gold when the show about nothing arrived in its catalog. What started as one of the simplest premises ever, courtesy of Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, became one of television's most iconic and influential series. The sitcom follows the mundane happenings of comedian Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld in a fictionalized version of himself), his insecure and cheap best friend George (Jason Alexander), his sarcastic ex-girlfriend turned platonic friend Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and his wacky neighbor Kramer (Michael Richards).

Across its nine seasons, Seinfeld is a treasure trove of classic episodes, including "The Chinese Restaurant", "The Soup Nazi", "The Marine Biologist", and of course, "The Contest". The sitcom is full of hilarious one-liners and pop culture terms that are still quoted to this day, from "Serenity now!" to "spongeworthy" to "double-dipping". The Writers Guild of America has honored Seinfeld as the second-best written television show of all time, behind only The Sopranos, making it truly the master of Netflix's domain.

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3 Better Call Saul (2015 - 2022)

When Breaking Bad's ending drew a close to the stories of Walter White, Heisenberg and occasionally unwilling sidekick Jesse Pinkman, whatever came next was always going to have a Herculean task. But Better Call Saul was never interested in being an over-hyped pretender, and the spin-off focused on Bob Odenkirk's slippery lawyer actually managed the unthinkable for many, surpassing the greatness of the original. It did so by never stooping so low as to imitate what came before it.

Odenkirk's Jimmy McGill - an early prototype of what Goodman would become by the time of Breaking Bad - wasn't the most obvious spin-off character, but his own breaking bad journey is as compelling and outrageous as that of Mr White. And while Better Call Saul does rely on favors from returning characters, and eventually overlapped with Breaking Bad, it stands on its own merits with incredible performances and a subtler take on the underworld it so revels in exploring.

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2 Band Of Brothers (2001)

The highest praise that Band of Brothers deserves is that it is unquestionably the gold standard of HBO's TV show history. With an ensemble cast playing versions of real-life figures, it is as profoundly affecting more than twenty years after its release as it ever was. Stunningly executed with a provocative, precise portrayal of World War II military campaigns, it is easily one of the greatest mini-series of all time and its appeal is far from limited by its military genre.

Related: Band Of Brothers Ending Explained

Produced by powerhouses Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, Band Of Brothers tells the story of the 506th's legendary Easy Company from their conscription and training through to the end of World War II. Led eventually by Richard D. Winters (the stunning Damian Lewis), the company see action at the very forefront of the US' military campaign in Northern Europe. But it's about so much more than the war, and fundamentally, Band Of Brothers is a stunning achievement, with an incredible cast, and some of the best storytelling you'll ever witness. The fact that it is now on Netflix makes its celebration as the best TV show on the platform simple.

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1 Gilmore Girls (2000-2007)

Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino may have struck awards gold with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which is an excellent show, but Gilmore Girls is her true legacy. This comforting series is the ultimate binge-watch as it follows the titular mother-daughter and best friends duo Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) as they bond over dreams, relationships, movies, and too much coffee. Whether it's spending time at Luke's Diner, at a town festival in their quaint home of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, or at a Friday Night Dinner with Lorelai's rich, snobby parents Richard (Edward Herrmann) and Emily (Kelly Bishop), the Gilmore girls are always having a fast-talking adventure full of heart.

There is truly no show like Gilmore Girls, as the series cemented itself in TV history with its trademark rapid-fire, pop culture reference-heavy dialogue and warm tone, which makes every viewer wish they could move to Stars Hollow (particularly in Gilmore Girls' autumn episodes). The series' popularity is enduring, with Netflix releasing a four-part revival special Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life in 2016 and Luke actor Scott Patterson hosting a rewatch podcast called I Am All In. So grab a blanket, a coffee, and your favorite junk food, and tune into the best show on Netflix.

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