Top 10 Netflix Series Of All Time. Looking for the best Netflix shows ever? You’re in the right spot! Even though Netflix has a list of the most-watched shows, it’s not always easy to find. We’re here to help. Here’s a list of the top 10 Netflix series of all time that you’ll love binge-watching.
1. Daredevil (2015- 2018)
“Daredevil” is a show on Netflix about a Marvel Comics character created by Drew Goddard. The show is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is the first Marvel series on Netflix. It acknowledges the film franchise’s story and leads up to the crossover miniseries “The Defenders.” The show is a collaboration between Marvel Television and ABC Studios. The first showrunner was Steven S. DeKnight, followed by Doug Petrie and Marco Ramirez for the second season, and Erik Oleson for the third. Goddard served as a consultant.
Charlie Cox plays the main character, Matt Murdock, who is a blind lawyer by day and a crime-fighting hero by night. Other cast members include Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Rosario Dawson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Toby Leonard Moore, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Bob Gunton, Ayelet Zurer, Jon Bernthal, Élodie Yung, Stephen Rider, Joanne Whalley, Jay Ali, and Wilson Bethel.
Development for “Daredevil” started in late 2013 after Marvel regained the film rights to the character. The first season was released on Netflix on April 10, 2015, the second on March 18, 2016, and the third on October 19, 2018. The show received positive reviews and nominations for Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Netflix ordered a spin-off series called “The Punisher” based on Jon Bernthal’s character in April 2016. “Daredevil” was canceled by Netflix on November 29, 2018, and along with other Marvel series, it was added to Disney+ in March 2022. Starting in 2021, Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio reprised their roles in Marvel Studios projects, including a new “Daredevil: Born Again” series in development for Disney+.
2. Money Heist (2017-2021)
“Money Heist” is a Spanish TV show about heists created by Lex Pina. In Spanish, it’s called “La casa de papel,” meaning “The House of Paper.” The story, narrated by one of the thieves named Tokyo (Úrsula Corberó), revolves around two well-planned heists led by the Professor (Álvaro Morte) at the Royal Mint of Spain and the Bank of Spain. The series uses flashbacks, time jumps, hidden character motivations, and an unreliable narrator to make the story more interesting.
Initially, the plan was for the series to have only two parts. From May 2 to November 23, 2017, Antena 3 in Spain aired the first 15 episodes. Later in 2017, Netflix got the global streaming rights, condensed the series into 22 shorter episodes, and released them worldwide. The first part was out on December 20, 2017, and the second on April 6, 2018. Due to its success, Netflix brought the show back in April 2018, with a higher budget for 16 new episodes.
Part 3, which has eight episodes, came out on July 19, 2019. Part 4, also with eight episodes, was released on April 3, 2020.
“Money Heist” won various awards, including the Best Drama Series International Emmy Award at the 46th International Emmy Awards. Critics praised the series for its complicated plot, interesting character dramas, and innovative approach to Spanish television.
Throughout the series, the Italian anti-fascist song “Bella ciao” played a significant role. In 2018, the song became a summer hit in Europe multiple times. By 2018, the Netflix series had a strong appeal, especially to viewers from Mediterranean Europe and Latin America, making it the most-watched non-English-language series and one of the most popular series overall.
3. Narcos (2015-2017)
The TV show Narcos is a dramatic series created and produced by Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, and Doug Miro. It tells the story of Pablo Escobar, a drug lord from Colombia known for forming the Medellin Cartel and amassing wealth through cocaine production and sales. Seasons 1 and 2 focus on Escobar’s life, with filming taking place in Colombia. The series explores his relationships with other drug lords, DEA agents, and various opposition groups.
After Escobar’s downfall, Season 3 shifts its focus to the DEA’s efforts to stop the rise of the Cali Cartel. The first season, consisting of 10 episodes, premiered on Netflix on August 28, 2015. Due to its success, the show was renewed for a second season, also with 10 episodes, which debuted on September 2, 2016.
Netflix confirmed the renewal of the series for the third and fourth seasons on September 6, 2016. However, on July 18, 2018, the creators revealed that Season 4 would serve as the first season of a new Netflix original series titled Narcos: Mexico. Season 3 premiered on September 1, 2017, and the new series, set in the 1980s in Mexico, was released on November 16, 2018.
4. Top Boy (2011)
Ronan Bennett created the British TV crime series Top Boy, focusing on two drug traffickers, Dushane (Ashley Walters) and Sully (Kane Robinson), and others in London involved in drug selling and gang conflicts. The fictional setting is the Summerhouse estate in the London Borough of Hackney.
The series spans 26 episodes over four seasons. The first two seasons, each with four episodes, aired on Channel 4. The first series ran from October 31 to November 3, 2011, over four consecutive nights, and the second series aired from August 20 to September 10, 2013. Despite initial plans for a third season, Channel 4 canceled the series in 2014.
Canadian musician Drake expressed interest in the project, and in 2017, Netflix announced the return of the original cast, including Ashley Walters and Kane Robinson. Drake and his group served as executive producers. The first two seasons of the earlier series were added to Netflix as Top Boy: Summerhouse, and the third and fourth seasons premiered on the service in September 2019 and March 2022, respectively, as the first and second seasons of an original Netflix series.
On March 31, 2022, Netflix renewed the series for a fifth and final season, set to air in the future.
Critics praised the show for its acting, cinematography, themes, realism, writing, and soundtrack, drawing favorable comparisons to other black crime shows like The Wire, Snowfall, and Power. The series received honors and nominations from the British Academy Television Awards, winning in categories like Best Original Music and Best Scripted Casting, with nominations for Best Mini-Series and Best Supporting Actress for Jasmine Jobson.
5. Stranger Things (2016-2024)
The TV series Stranger Things is created by the Duffer Brothers, Shawn Levy, and Dan Cohen, who are also the executive producers and showrunners. It premiered its first season on Netflix in October 2017, followed by subsequent seasons in July 2019, May, and July 2022. A fifth and final season was confirmed in February 2022.
Set in the 1980s, the show is centered in Hawkins, Indiana, where residents encounter a dangerous alternate dimension known as the “Upside Down.” This perilous realm is formed when a nearby facility conducting experiments on humans opens a portal between the two worlds. The cast includes Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, and others.
The Duffer Brothers designed Stranger Things as a blend of detective story and supernatural elements, creating a mix of fear and a childlike atmosphere. The series takes inspiration from the works of Wes Craven, H. P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, John Carpenter, David Lynch, and other filmmakers and writers. Cold War experiments and government research hypotheses also played a role in shaping the show.
As one of Netflix’s flagship series, Stranger Things has gained a massive viewership on the platform, breaking records. Critics have lauded the series for its well-developed characters, nostalgic setting, strong acting, captivating soundtrack, skilled directing, compelling writing, and nostalgic references to 1980s movies. The show has received numerous nominations and awards.
6. Dark (2017-2020)
Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese joined forces to create the sci-fi thriller TV series Dark, which aired from 2017 to 2020 across three seasons. The story unfolds in the fictional German town of Winden, where residents seek the truth after a child goes missing. Connecting four families, they uncover a sinister multigenerational time travel plot.
Dark explores the profound impact of time on human existence. The show boasts a diverse cast and premiered on Netflix on December 1, 2017, marking the streaming service’s first German-language original series. The second season debuted on June 21, 2019, and the third and final season was released on June 27, 2020.
The first season primarily takes place in 2019, with additional storylines set in 1986, 1953, and a glimpse into 2052 in the season’s final scene. Various characters are portrayed by different actors at different life stages. The second season picks up a few months later, exploring events in 2020, 1987, and 1954. It continues the future storyline into 2053 and introduces a fifth plot set in 1921.
The third season introduces a plot set in 1888 and a parallel reality featuring alternate versions of key characters. Dark received acclaim for its ambitious storytelling, tone, visuals, performances, casting, and musical composition. The series conclusion was well-received by critics, praised as a “satisfying” ending. In 2021, the BBC acknowledged Dark as the 58th best TV show of the twenty-first century.
7.Our Planet (2019)
The nature documentaries called “Our Planet” were made for Netflix, and the narrator is David Attenborough. Silverback Films, run by Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey, also produced BBC documentaries like “Planet Earth,” “Frozen Planet,” and “The Blue Planet.” They teamed up with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to raise awareness about environmental issues. The music for the series was created by the award-winning musician Steven Price.
What sets this series apart is its focus on how humans affect the environment, unlike other nature films. It shows how climate change impacts all living things. While featuring different animals in their natural homes, the series talks about the importance of conservation. “Our Planet” is the first nature documentary by this production company on Netflix, and it was released on April 5, 2019.
Netflix also released a documentary showing behind-the-scenes footage on August 2, 2019. They expected around 25 million households to watch the series in the first month, as per Netflix. By March 2021, approximately 100 million homes had watched it. A second season is planned for release in 2023.
The team behind the BBC series “Planet Earth” shared in April 2015 that they were creating an eight-part nature documentary series for Netflix, scheduled to air in 2019. It took four years to complete, involving shooting in 50 different countries with over 600 crew members. The series explores habitat diversity worldwide, covering the Arctic, ocean depths, vast landscapes of Africa, and diverse jungles of South America.
8. Ozark (2017-2022)
Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams created and produced the Netflix crime drama series Ozark, made by MRC Television and Aggregate Films. The main actors, Jason Bateman and Laura Linney, play Marty and Wendy Byrde, a married couple who move their family to the Lake of the Ozarks and become involved in money laundering.
Bateman, who is also the show’s director and executive producer, led the production of three seasons. The first premiered on July 21, 2017, the second on August 31, 2018, and the third on March 27, 2020, each having ten episodes. The fourth and final season, consisting of 14 episodes split into two parts, was ordered in June 2020. The first half aired on January 21, 2022, and the second on April 29, 2022.
Ozark received positive reviews from critics throughout its run. Critics especially praised its tone, direction, production values, and performances, notably from Bateman, Linney, and Julia Garner. The series earned 45 Primetime Emmy nominations, including three for Outstanding Drama Series. Bateman won for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series in 2019, and Garner won three times for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2019, 2020, and 2022. The show has a total of 45 Primetime Emmy nominations, and Bateman received two additional nominations for Best Actor in a Dramatic Television Series at the Golden Globes.
9. Mindhunter (2017-2019)
The TV show Mindhunter is based on a true-crime book called “Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit,” written by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker in 1995. Joe Penhall is the producer, and the executive producers include Joe Penhall, Charlize Theron, and David Fincher, who also directed and played a big role in managing the scriptwriting and production.
The main characters, played by Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Anna Torv, are part of the Behavioral Science Unit at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The series focuses on how criminal profiling started in the late 1970s.
The first season, with ten episodes, came out on Netflix globally on October 13, 2017, and the second season followed on August 16, 2019. However, in January 2020, Netflix decided to put any plans for a third season on hold because David Fincher wanted to work on other projects. There’s a possibility he might come back to the series in the future.
Netflix announced that Mindhunter would be produced in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in February 2016. They held open casting calls on April 16 and June 25, 2016, before starting filming in May 2016. Episode 9 of Season 1 was filmed at the West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville, West Virginia. The show got a second-season renewal even before the first season premiered on Netflix.
10. Peaky Blinders (2013-2022)
Peaky Blinders is a TV series created by Steven Knight, telling the story of the Peaky Blinders gang in Birmingham, England, just after World War One. The gang’s name comes from a real urban youth gang that existed in the city from the 1880s to the 1910s.
The main cast includes Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby, Helen McCrory as Elizabeth “Polly” Gray, Paul Anderson as Arthur Shelby, Sophie Rundle as Ada Shelby, and Joe Cole as John Shelby, the gang’s senior member. Cillian Murphy leads the cast, joined by other actors like Sam Claflin, Anya Taylor-Joy, Annabelle Wallis, Iddo Goldberg, Tom Hardy, Charlotte Riley, Finn Cole, Natasha O’Keeffe, Paddy Considine, Adrien Brody, Aidan Gillen, Amber Anderson, James Frecheville, and Stephen Graham. The series also features Sam Neill, Annabelle Wallis, and Natasha O’Keeffe.
Peaky Blinders premiered on September 12, 2013, on BBC Two and continued through the fourth series (with repeats on BBC Four). Later, it moved to BBC One for the fifth and sixth series.
Netflix obtained the rights to broadcast the show in the US and other countries through an agreement with the Weinstein Company and Endemol. The sixth series, confirmed as the final one, was announced to be followed by a spinoff movie in January 2021, and the last season was broadcast in 2022.