Netflix Original Series Tier List: Every Big Show Ranked
Netflix has made so much TV at this point that ranking it all feels like a public service. We pulled together 34 of its biggest original series, the prestige dramas, the teen soaps, the cartoons, the true-crime-adjacent thrillers, and sorted them by how good they actually are, not just how hard the algorithm pushed them.
This is the site's public ranking, built on what fans and critics broadly agree on across forums, reviews and watercooler arguments. Where the discourse is split (and for a few of these, it really is split), we picked a side and told you why. Disagree? That's what rankings are for. Make your own.
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SS Tier: The best TV Netflix has made, full stop
Squid Game
A survival drama about debt and desperation that somehow became the biggest show in Netflix's history. The green tracksuits and giant doll aren't just viral images, the show earns them with a genuinely brutal critique of capitalism underneath the games.
About Squid Game
A South Korean survival drama where indebted players compete in deadly childhood games for a massive cash prize. Created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, it became one of Netflix's most-watched series ever.
- Country
- South Korea
- Premiered
- 2021
The Queen's Gambit
A limited series about chess that made chess sets sell out everywhere. Anya Taylor-Joy carries the whole thing, and the show never once feels like a lecture on openings and endgames even when it's deep in them.
About The Queen's Gambit
A limited series following orphaned chess prodigy Beth Harmon as she rises through the competitive chess world in the 1950s and 60s. Based on the 1983 novel by Walter Tevis.
- Format
- Limited series
- Premiered
- 2020
Adolescence
Each episode shot in a single continuous take, which could've been a gimmick but instead makes every scene feel unbearably tense. One of the most talked-about dramas Netflix has put out in years, and it earns every bit of that.
About Adolescence
A British limited series about a family thrown into crisis after a 13-year-old is accused of murder. Notable for each episode being filmed in a single continuous take.
- Country
- UK
- Format
- Limited series
Arcane
Animation this good shouldn't exist on a streaming budget. Built from a video game property, it somehow has better characters and emotional stakes than most prestige live-action dramas on this list.
About Arcane
An animated series set in the League of Legends universe, following the origins of champions Vi and Jinx amid class conflict in the cities of Piltover and Zaun. Produced by French studio Fortiche.
- Premiered
- 2021
- Studio
- Fortiche Production
Baby Reindeer
Uncomfortable in the best way. Richard Gadd's semi-autobiographical story about stalking and trauma doesn't flinch, and the lack of a tidy resolution is the point, not a flaw.
About Baby Reindeer
A British limited series written by and starring Richard Gadd, based on his own experience being stalked. Became a sleeper hit and major awards contender.
- Country
- UK
- Premiered
- 2024
AA Tier: Excellent, with barely any asterisks
BoJack Horseman
Starts as a goofy Hollywoo cartoon about a washed-up horse actor and ends as one of the most honest shows about depression and addiction ever made. The Underground episode alone shows how far this show was willing to go.
About BoJack Horseman
An animated dark comedy about a washed-up 90s sitcom star, who happens to be a horse, navigating fame, addiction and depression in Hollywoo. Created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg.
- Premiered
- 2014
- Seasons
- 6
Stranger Things
The '80s nostalgia machine that put Netflix on the map as a maker of genuine hits. Later seasons lean harder into spectacle than the small-town mystery of season one, but the Hawkins kids are still worth rooting for.
About Stranger Things
A sci-fi horror series set in 1980s Hawkins, Indiana, following a group of kids who uncover a government conspiracy and a parallel dimension. Created by the Duffer Brothers.
- Premiered
- 2016
The Crown
A lavish, decades-spanning look at the British royal family that somehow stayed compelling across multiple full cast changes. Claire Foy's early seasons and Olivia Colman's middle run are the high points most people point to.
About The Crown
A historical drama chronicling the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, recasting its lead actors every couple of seasons to match the era. Created by Peter Morgan.
- Premiered
- 2016
- Seasons
- 6
Ozark
Laura Linney and Jason Bateman laundering money for a cartel in the Missouri Ozarks, and somehow making it feel colder and more ruthless than most mob dramas. Julia Garner's Ruth Langmore ends up stealing the whole show.
About Ozark
A crime drama about a financial planner forced to launder money for a Mexican cartel after relocating his family to the Missouri Ozarks. Starred Jason Bateman and Laura Linney.
- Premiered
- 2017
- Seasons
- 4
Mindhunter
Two FBI agents interviewing serial killers to understand how they think, told with a slow-burn patience almost no other crime show attempts. It never got the ending it deserved before being left in limbo, which still stings.
About Mindhunter
A crime drama following FBI agents developing criminal psychology profiling techniques by interviewing incarcerated serial killers in the late 1970s. Executive produced by David Fincher.
- Premiered
- 2017
Beef
A road rage incident spirals into an all-consuming feud between two strangers, and somehow it's both one of the funniest and most emotionally raw things Netflix has made. Steven Yeun and Ali Wong are both operating at the top of their game.
About Beef
A dark comedy-drama following two strangers whose road rage incident spirals into an escalating personal feud. Starred Steven Yeun and Ali Wong.
- Premiered
- 2023
Dark
A German time-travel mystery so tightly plotted it rewards watching twice just to catch what you missed. Dense, bleak, and one of the most underrated shows on this entire list.
About Dark
A German science fiction thriller involving time travel, family secrets and a small town built around a nuclear power plant. Created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese.
- Country
- Germany
- Premiered
- 2017
One Piece
A live-action anime adaptation that actually worked, against pretty much everyone's expectations. It captures the goofy adventure spirit of the source material without turning into a cheap cash grab.
About One Piece
A live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda's manga about a pirate crew searching for a legendary treasure. Produced with Oda's direct involvement.
- Premiered
- 2023
Wednesday
Wednesday turned a gothic spinoff into a genuine cultural moment, with Jenna Ortega carrying the show on pure deadpan charisma. It is not reinventing anything, but the mystery plotting and visual style are sharp enough to land it solidly above the mid pack. A step below the prestige tier, but a clear cut above most teen fare on the platform.
BB Tier: Really good, some flaws
House of Cards
The show that proved Netflix could do prestige drama, with Kevin Spacey's Frank Underwood breaking the fourth wall through DC backstabbing. The back half of the run lost steam, and real-world events around its production left a mark on its legacy too.
About House of Cards
A political drama about a ruthless Congressman's rise to power in Washington, D.C. Starred Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, and was one of Netflix's first major original series.
- Premiered
- 2013
Orange Is the New Black
Started as Piper's story and quickly got smart enough to realize the real show was everyone else in Litchfield. Seven seasons is a lot, but the ensemble cast and willingness to tackle the prison system head-on kept it worth watching.
About Orange Is the New Black
A dramedy set in a women's federal prison, based on Piper Kerman's memoir. Known for its large, diverse ensemble cast.
- Premiered
- 2013
- Seasons
- 7
Russian Doll
A time-loop comedy that takes the Groundhog Day premise somewhere stranger and sadder. Natasha Lyonne's Nadia is one of the most distinct lead characters Netflix has produced.
About Russian Doll
A dark comedy about a woman stuck reliving the night of her death over and over. Created by and starring Natasha Lyonne.
- Premiered
- 2019
Big Mouth
Puberty as body horror, told through hormone monsters and a lot of gross-out humor. Not for everyone, but it's rarely as dumb as its premise suggests.
About Big Mouth
An adult animated comedy about middle schoolers navigating puberty, guided (and tormented) by literal hormone monsters. Created by Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg.
- Premiered
- 2017
The Haunting of Hill House
A horror series that's actually about grief, told through a fractured family timeline and one legitimately terrifying long-take episode. Mike Flanagan proved Netflix horror could be prestige TV too.
About The Haunting of Hill House
A horror drama following a family haunted by their childhood home and the tragedy that occurred there. Created by Mike Flanagan, loosely based on Shirley Jackson's novel.
- Premiered
- 2018
The Witcher
Henry Cavill's Geralt grumbling his way through monster hunts and political intrigue made for a solid fantasy hit, even with a timeline that confused a lot of first-time viewers. The cast change after Cavill's exit split the fanbase hard.
About The Witcher
A fantasy series following monster hunter Geralt of Rivia, based on Andrzej Sapkowski's novels. Starred Henry Cavill in the lead role for its first three seasons.
- Premiered
- 2019
Narcos
Pablo Escobar's rise and fall, narrated like a true-crime documentary with real archival footage mixed in. Wagner Moura's performance carries the first two seasons even when the show leans too hard on voiceover.
About Narcos
A crime drama chronicling the rise of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar and the DEA agents hunting him. Starred Wagner Moura as Escobar.
- Premiered
- 2015
The Umbrella Academy
A dysfunctional family of superheroes trying to stop the apocalypse, with a soundtrack doing a lot of heavy lifting. The weird sibling chemistry is what keeps people coming back more than the actual plot.
About The Umbrella Academy
A superhero dramedy about a dysfunctional family of adopted siblings with superpowers reuniting to stop an apocalypse. Based on the comic by Gerard Way.
- Premiered
- 2019
Never Have I Ever
A teen comedy about grief, identity and crushes that's funnier and more specific than it had any right to be. Mindy Kaling's voice is all over this, in the best way.
About Never Have I Ever
A teen comedy about an Indian-American high schooler navigating grief, family and romance. Co-created by Mindy Kaling.
- Premiered
- 2020
Love, Death & Robots
An anthology series with wildly different animation styles and a wildly different hit rate episode to episode. When it lands, like with some of the shorter sci-fi vignettes, there's nothing else on Netflix quite like it.
About Love, Death & Robots
An adult animated anthology series featuring standalone science fiction, horror and fantasy shorts in varied animation styles. Executive produced by David Fincher and Tim Miller.
- Premiered
- 2019
3 Body Problem
An ambitious adaptation of a genuinely hard-to-film sci-fi novel, with big ideas about first contact and sacrifice. It doesn't always land the emotional beats as well as the source material, but the scale of the thing is impressive.
About 3 Body Problem
A science fiction drama adapting Liu Cixin's novel about first contact with an alien civilization. Created by David Benioff, D.B. Weiss and Alexander Woo.
- Premiered
- 2024
Maid
A limited series about poverty and domestic abuse that's a lot harder to watch than its soft title suggests. Margaret Qualley is devastating, and the show never lets you forget how precarious its main character's situation really is.
About Maid
A limited series following a young mother escaping an abusive relationship and navigating poverty while working as a house cleaner. Based on Stephanie Land's memoir.
- Premiered
- 2021
Daredevil
The best thing to come out of Netflix's Marvel deal, with hallway fight scenes that still get brought up years later. Darker and more street-level than most superhero TV, which is exactly why it worked.
About Daredevil
A superhero drama following blind lawyer Matt Murdock who fights crime as a vigilante in Hell's Kitchen. Originally part of Netflix's Marvel series before cancellation.
- Premiered
- 2015
Sense8
Eight strangers around the world psychically linked together, from the Wachowskis, with a sprawling scope that's ambitious even by their standards. It never found a mass audience, but the people who love it really love it.
About Sense8
A science fiction drama about eight strangers around the world who become psychically linked. Created by the Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski.
- Premiered
- 2015
CC Tier: Fun but uneven
Outer Banks
Treasure hunting teens on the North Carolina coast, with soapy drama doing most of the work. It knows exactly what kind of show it is and doesn't pretend otherwise.
About Outer Banks
A teen adventure drama about a group of teens searching for treasure amid class tensions on North Carolina's Outer Banks.
- Premiered
- 2020
Ginny & Georgia
A mother-daughter dramedy that gets compared to Gilmore Girls a lot, mostly because of the banter, though it's got a much darker streak underneath. The tonal whiplash between comedy and heavy subject matter is its biggest weakness.
About Ginny & Georgia
A dramedy about a young mother and her teenage daughter navigating life in a small Massachusetts town.
- Premiered
- 2021
The Night Agent
A solid, forgettable thriller about a low-level FBI agent pulled into a conspiracy. It moves fast enough that you don't notice how familiar it all feels until the credits roll.
About The Night Agent
An action thriller about a low-level FBI agent drawn into a conspiracy after answering a secret phone line. Based on Matthew Quirk's novel.
- Premiered
- 2023
13 Reasons Why
Its first season sparked a real conversation about teen suicide and mental health, for better and worse depending who you ask. The seasons that followed kept finding new, increasingly implausible reasons to stay on air.
About 13 Reasons Why
A teen drama following the aftermath of a high schooler's suicide, told partly through tapes she left behind. Based on Jay Asher's novel.
- Premiered
- 2017
Bridgerton
Regency romance with a modern pop soundtrack and a lot of steamy ballroom tension. Fun in short bursts, though the quality swings hard depending on which season's central couple you're watching.
About Bridgerton
A Regency-era romance drama following the lives and loves of the wealthy Bridgerton family in London high society. Based on Julia Quinn's novels, produced by Shondaland.
- Premiered
- 2020
DD Tier: Watchable only in short bursts
Emily in Paris
An American in Paris who somehow never quite learns the language or the culture, dressed in outfits that are doing more work than the plot. It's aware of its own silliness, which is the only thing keeping it watchable.
About Emily in Paris
A comedy following an American marketing executive adjusting to life and work in Paris. Created by Darren Star.
- Premiered
- 2020
How we ranked them
We weighed critical reception, how well each show held up across its full run (not just a great first season), cultural footprint, and genuine rewatchability. Shows that started strong and collapsed got marked down hard. Shows that stuck the landing, took risks, or became a genuine phenomenon got pushed up. Consensus from fan forums and critic reviews mattered more than our personal taste, but where the fandom is genuinely split, we said so and made a call.
Think we got it wrong?
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Rank these yourselfFAQ
What is the best Netflix original series of all time?
Based on critical and fan consensus, Squid Game and Adolescence top most lists, with The Queen's Gambit and Arcane right behind them for sheer craft and cultural impact.
Which Netflix series has the worst ending?
Mindhunter never got a proper ending since it was left unresolved, and 13 Reasons Why is widely seen as running several seasons past where it should've stopped.
Is The Crown historically accurate?
It's a dramatization, not a documentary. Netflix itself has described it as drama inspired by real events rather than a strict factual account.
Why is Daredevil considered Netflix's best superhero show?
Fans and critics usually point to its hallway fight scenes, grounded street-level stakes, and a willingness to go darker than typical superhero TV of its era.
Is Arcane connected to League of Legends?
Yes, it's set in the world of Riot Games' League of Legends, though you don't need to know the game to follow the story.
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Image credits
- Squid GameLogo: Netflix, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- The Queen's GambitCover: Wikipedia · Source
- AdolescenceCover: Wikipedia · Source
- ArcanePhoto: Netflix, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Baby ReindeerCover: Wikipedia · Source
- BoJack HorsemanPhoto: The Lamb Family, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse) · License · Source
- Stranger ThingsLogo: Netflix, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- The CrownCover: Wikipedia · Source
- OzarkLogo: Netflix, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- MindhunterLogo: Netflix, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- BeefCover: Wikipedia · Source
- DarkLogo: Netflix, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- One PieceCover: Wikipedia · Source
- House of CardsCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Orange Is the New BlackLogo: Netflix company, Jenji Kohan (Producer), Jordan Jacobs (Art Director), Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Russian DollPhoto: BoogerD, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Big MouthLogo: Netflix, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- The Haunting of Hill HouseCover: Wikipedia · Source
- The WitcherPhoto: Thomas Nugent, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- NarcosLogo: TheVampire, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- The Umbrella AcademyLogo: Netflix, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Never Have I EverPhoto: Netflix, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Love, Death & RobotsLogo: TM della NETFLIX, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- 3 Body ProblemPhoto: Netflix, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Openverse) · License · Source
- MaidCover: Wikipedia · Source
- DaredevilCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Sense8Photo: freddy_jadue, Public domain (via Openverse) · Source
- Outer BanksLogo: Netflix, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Ginny & GeorgiaPhoto: Netflix, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- The Night AgentCover: Wikipedia · Source
- 13 Reasons WhyPhoto: Thagner Mateus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- BridgertonCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Emily in ParisLogo: Netflix, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- WednesdayLogo: MGM Television, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source