The 47 Best Shows on Netflix Right Now

Streaming services are known for having award-worthy series but also plenty of duds. Our guide to the best TV shows on Netflix is updated weekly to help you know which series you need to move to the top of your queue. They aren’t all sure-fire winners—we love a good less-than-obvious gem—but they’re all worth your time, trust us.

Feel like you’ve already watched everything on this list you want to see? Try our guide to the best movies on Netflix for more options. And if you’ve already completed Netflix and are in need of a new challenge, check out our picks for the best shows on Hulu and the best shows on Disney+. Don’t like our picks, or want to offer suggestions of your own? Head to the comments below.

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Saved from Peacock after two seasons, Netflix has gotten the band back together for this sharp comedy from creator Meredith Scardino. Twenty years after they split up, girl group Girls5Eva—Dawn (Sara Bareilles), Gloria (Paula Pell), Summer (Busy Philipps), and Wickie (Renée Elise Goldsberry)—find themselves back in demand after their one big hit is sampled by popular rapper Li'l Stinker (Jeremiah Craft). Turning their renewed popularity into an opportunity to reunite, the women try to gain the stardom, respect, and musical integrity they never had in their youth, even as life has taken them in very different directions. Poking fun at the absurdity of the late '90s/early '00s pop scene—and how little has changed since—and heightened by an almost surrealist edge in places, Girls5Eva is a comedy that deserves its time in the spotlight.

A talented young cast bring to life the tale of Aang (Gordon Cormier), the latest in a long line of avatars who can control all four cardinal elements, but is frozen in time for a century when his world needed him most. Awakened by new friends Katara (Kiawentiio) and Sokka (Ian Ousley), he sets about continuing his training as the Avatar in an attempt to restore balance, all the while pursued by the relentless Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu), heir to the imperialist Fire Nation that has conquered the word. Consider this a cautious recommendation—the original animated version, also on Netflix, remains superior—but Netflix's live action Avatar remake serves up scale and spectacle, without betraying the heart of the classic show. It's also already confirmed for two more seasons, so viewers can look forward to the complete saga without the now-familiar Netflix cancellation worries.

If you're still not sold on the live-action Avatar, this sequel to the original series is well worth your time. Set 70 years after the animated Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra explores how Aang's world has progressed after decades of relative peace. When Korra, the new Avatar, moves to Republic City to complete her training under the tutelage of Tenzin—Aang's son, now with a family of his own—she finds herself and new friends Mako and Bolin caught in the growing tensions between element benders and the Equalist movement, who claim the unpowered are an oppressed class. As the series progresses over its four seasons, The Legend of Korra proves itself a very different beast than its predecessor, exploring political themes and social prejudices in deeper—and often darker—detail, while also expanding the more fantastic elements of the universe and revealing the origins of the first Avatar. Even more brilliantly animated, and with a unique 1920s inspired aesthetic, Korra is a show that grew up alongside its audience, and is all the stronger for it.

Created by Guy Ritchie, and loosely following his 2019 film of the same name, this darkly comedic series follows Eddie Horniman (Theo James), a former British Army officer, after he inherits the family estate and title of Duke following his father's death. Oh, and the massive cannabis farm hidden beneath the grounds. Drawn into a literal criminal underground, Eddie finds himself having to deal with his family's legacy, his only real support coming from Susie (Kaya Scodelario), who's been running the drug empire. With a cast bolstered by Ray Winstone as Bobby Glass, Susie's incarcerated father and criminal kingpin, and Giancarlo Esposito as Stanley Johnston, an American investor with his own designs on the Horniman estate, The Gentlemen is a violent and blood-splattered crime caper in the heart of the British aristocracy. Consider it the antithesis of The Crown—or not far removed from it, depending on your stance on the British Monarchy.

Charting the life of infamous drug lord Griselda Blanco, who rose from a desperate life in Colombia to become a major player in the Miami drug wars, this dramatization shines largely thanks to a phenomenal performance from Sofía Vergara in the title role, channeling a chilling persona that makes her turn on Modern Family seem a lifetime away. While not entirely historically accurate, this limited series (co-created by Narcos' Doug Miro) weaves a mesmerizing tale of Blanco's efficiency in dominating the cocaine trade—and her brutality in enforcing that control. A tight six episodes makes for a compelling, if shockingly violent, binge watch.

Paramount+'s loss is Netflix's gain with the license rescue of this great Star Trek spin-off. Kicking off on a distant prison planet, a group of young escapees are forced to become a crew when they commandeer a lost—and highly experimental—Starfleet vessel. Guided by a hologram version of Star Trek: Voyager's iconic Captain Janeway (voiced by the venerable Kate Mulgrew), the untested cadets face a crash course in Federation ethics as they try to escape their former captor. While aimed at younger audiences and intended as an intro to the wider Trek universe, Prodigy packs in plenty for older Trekkies to appreciate—and with the complete first season available now and another 20-episode season expected later in 2024, there's a lot to enjoy.

The Fab Five are back for another round of life-changing makeovers in New Orleans. With heroes including a deaf football coach who needs to step up to support his students, a Kiss superfan committed to caring for his brother, and a former nun looking for love, there's plenty to tug at the heart strings. With this season marking the last for design guru Bobby Berk, Queer Eye will doubtlessly be evolving when it returns for its already-confirmed ninth season, but for now, grab the tissues and prepare to ugly-happy-cry again.

Based on David Nicholls' 2009 novel of the same name, this limited series charts the lives of Emma (Ambika Mod) and Dexter (Leo Woodall) over the course of 20 years. Starting with their graduation from Edinburgh University in 1988, each episode jumps forward one year at a time, revisiting them for a single day and exploring how their existences swirl around each other, even as fate seems to drag them apart. It's all gorgeously shot and produced, each half-hour episode a time capsule of its period, while the sizzling chemistry between the leads keeps you rooting for them even when you begin to suspect they're not meant for each other. An unexpectedly beautiful romcom.

Ever been cut off in traffic? Ever had it happen when you’re having a really bad day? Ever just wanted to take the low road, chase the person down and make them pay?! Then—after a few deep breaths—Beef is the show for you. It's a pressure valve for every petty grievance you’ve ever suffered, following rich Amy (Ali Wong) and struggling Danny (Steven Yeun) as they escalate a road rage encounter into a vengeance-fueled quest to destroy the other. Yet Beef is more than a city-wide revenge thriller—it's a biting look at how crushing modern life can be, particularly in its LA setting, where extravagant wealth brushes up against inescapable poverty and seemingly no one is truly happy. Part dramedy, part therapy, Beef is a bad example of conflict resolution but a cathartic binge watch that clearly resonates—as evidenced by its growing clutch of awards, including the Golden Globe for Best Limited Series.

No, wait, come back! We're serious—Pokémon Concierge is one of the most delightful and inventive offerings to hit Netflix in ages. Unlike the decades-long anime series charting Ash Ketchum and Pikachu's quest to be the very best like no one ever was, this delicate stop-motion series follows Haru (voiced by The Boys' Karen Fukuhara), a new concierge at an island resort catering to Pokémon. Each of the four episodes offers whimsical encounters with the titular creatures, as Haru learns to take care of her guests, and herself, in the process. It's effortlessly adorable and strangely relaxing to watch, but manages to avoid feeling gimmicky or twee. It even carries a warning for “emotionally intense scenes,” so prepare for your heart strings to be tugged at.

When Eileen Sun immigrated to California with her young son Bruce, she thought she'd left her violent life as part of a Taiwanese crime family behind—along with her eldest son, Charles. Years later, her old life collides with her new one when an attempted hit on the boys' father brings Charles to LA to protect the extended family from a host of assassins, drawing unsuspecting Bruce into the family business in the process. Blending bone-crunching, lightning-fast action with culture-clash comedy, The Brothers Sun sees Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) in phenomenal form as the unflappable matriarch of the family, while Justin Chien and Sam Song Li have fantastic chemistry as mismatched siblings Charles and Bruce.

Something of a sleeper hit for years—its first two seasons debuted on AT&T's now-defunct pay TV channel Audience in 2017, before its third season appeared over on Amazon—all three seasons of this bleak comedy are now available on Netflix. Ron Livingston stars as Sam Loudermilk, a vitriolic former music critic and recovering alcoholic who proves almost pathologically incapable of holding his tongue when faced with life's small frustrations—a personality type possibly ill-suited to leading others through addiction support groups. It's dark in places, and its central character is deliberately unlikeable, but smart writing and smarter performances shape this into something of an acerbic anti-Frasier.

Adapted from the beloved graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O'Malley, animated by one of the most exciting and dynamic studios in Japan, and voiced by the entire returning cast of director Edgar Wright's 2010 live-action adaption, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off would have been cult gold even if it was a straight retelling of its eponymous slacker's battles against lover Ramona Flowers' seven evil exes. Yet somehow, in a world devoid of surprises, this packs in killer twists from the very first episode, making for a show that's as fresh and exciting as ever. Saying anything else would ruin it—just watch.

Everyone thought Yusuke Urameshi was a trouble-making jerk—so when he died saving a child from being hit by a car, that last-minute act of heroism was so uncharacteristic that it even throws off his final judgement. Spared from hell but not quite earning a spot in heaven, Yusuke is instead revived on Earth as a “spirit detective.” charged with hunting down ghosts and demons that have escaped to the living plane. Based on the manga by Yoshihiro Togashi, Yu Yu Hakusho doesn't quite reach the lofty heights scaled by One Piece, but it is definitely in the upper echelons of Netflix's live-action adaptations of anime and manga—a fun supernatural action-thriller that offers a unique vision of the spirit world and packs in some fantastic action sequences as the reluctant hero comes to grips with his new responsibilities. At a tight five episodes, it's an easily binged blast.

Based on the Korean webcomic by Kim Carnby and Hwang Young-chan, Sweet Home offers a very different vision of apocalyptic end times—rather than pandemics, disasters, or even zombies, this posits an end of the world brought about by people's transformation into grotesque monsters, each unique and seemingly based on their deepest desires when they were human. The first season was a masterclass in claustrophobic horror, as the residents of an isolated, run-down apartment building—chiefly suicidal teen Cha Hyun-soo (Song Kang), former firefighter Seo Yi-kyung (Lee Si-young), and Pyeon Sang-wook (Lee Jin-wook), who may be a brutal gangster—battled for survival, while the long-awaited second season explores what remains of the wider world, delving into the true nature of both monster and man. With phenomenal effects work blending prosthetics, CGI, and even stop-motion animation for some disturbingly juddering creatures, this stands apart from the horror crowd.

France, 1792: as the French Revolution rages, citizens rise up against a parasitic ruling class—but vampire hunter Richter Belmont and his magic-wielding ally Maria Renard are more concerned with what's literally bleeding the people dry. Yet conventional bloodsuckers turn out to be the least of their worries when the pair meets Annette and Edouard, who have travelled halfway around the world to warn of a coming "Vampire Messiah" prophesized to devour the sun—let's just say the stakes have never been higher (sorry). Set centuries after the previous Castlevania animated series, this proves a perfect jumping on point while maintaining the high quality animation, tight plotting, and brilliant action that made the original such a hit.

Four detectives. Four time periods. Four murders? Maybe—but only one body. This time-twisting thriller—adapted from the comic of the same name by writer Si Spencer and artists Tula Lotay, Meghan Hetrick, Dean Ormston, and Phil Winslade—hops from Victorian London to a dystopian future and back again, as the same corpse is found in the same spot in each era. The only thing stranger than the impossible crime itself is the conspiracy behind it, one that spans decades, impacting and linking every figure investigating the body. A brilliantly high-concept sci-fi crime drama, Bodies is one of the best one-and-done limited series to hit Netflix in years.

Think you know Astro Boy? Think again. In 2003, Naoki Urasawa (Monster, 20th Century Boys) updated original creator Osamu Tezuka's hugely influential "The Greatest Robot on Earth" story arc for his manga Pluto, opting for a more adult approach. The focus shifts from the heroic boy robot to grizzled cybernetic detective Gesicht as he investigates a series of murders of both humans and robots, each victim left with makeshift horns crammed into their heads. Meanwhile, Atom (Astro's Japanese name) is recast as a former peace ambassador, effectively a propaganda tool rolled out at the end of the 39th Central Asian War, still dealing with trauma from the experience. This adaptation is not only a faithful recreation of Urasawa's retelling, but is stunningly animated to a standard rarely seen in Netflix's original anime productions. With eight episodes, each around an hour long, this is as prestigious as any live-action thriller the streamer has produced, and a testament to both Tezuka and Urasawa's respective geniuses.