The 10 Greatest Netflix Original Series Of All Time
Our favorite DVD delivery company turned global streaming giant was able to disrupt the home entertainment industry not just by investing heavily in technology, but making an equally massive bet on original content. I took a stroll down memory lane by downloading my own watchlist history, and here are the original titles that have become personal favorites, and left a lasting impact on the definition of television.
10. Emily In Paris
I’m convinced this show is a magnificent marketing ploy for all the girls who grew up in the wake of Lauren Conrad’s decision to pass on her Paris Vogue internship for Jason Wahler and also had an Audrey Hepburn poster in their childhood bedrooms. Some very astute TV exec identified the random niche this unique pop culture overlap created, and turned it into a heart-warming series with more stereotypes than true French culture, and all the teenaged fantasies we had for what adult life would look like when we “grew up”.
9. Sex Education
Leave it to the Brits to combine all of the magic, heartache and aesthetics of a John Hughes film with a very real and modern approach on sex, intimacy, and friendship. Tackling deep psychological and emotional topics with humor and sincerity, the story of Otis Milburn’s journey from shy awkward teen to high school student sex therapist painted a picture of a world that is more open, honest, and understanding. It’s no wonder we wanted to keep coming back to it season after season.
8. Cable Girls
The move to streaming meant that television could be democratized in ways never seen before, and Netflix placed early bets on multi-language series to dominate global markets. Cable Girls, or Las Chicas Del Cable was a huge Spanish-language success that ran for five seasons that touched on key moments in Spain’s history, from women’s rights and suffrage movements to the Civil War, all through the lens of meaningful female friendships.
7. Mindhunter
Netflix struck TV series gold when Fight Club and Gone Girl director David Finch became the de facto showrunner for this psychological crime thriller adapted from John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker’s 1995 book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit and depicting history of criminal profiling, the study of serial killers, and the founding of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit. Cut short due to budget concerns, it still managed to establish rich character backstories while spoon feeding us serial killer cameos from the likes of Ed Kemper, Charles Manson, Son of Sam, and BTK.
6. The Crown
Peter Morgan created a masterpiece that took a deeper look at the world’s most famous family that was reverent, speculative, and politically deconstructive all at once. The time hops and recasting between seasons were brilliantly executed, kept the series fresh over a long period of time, and delivered consistent award-winning performances from power-house and emerging talent alike. Facing criticism as it approached current day events, it’s finale in the wake of Queen Elisabeth II’s death felt like a monumental bookend for history and television alike.
5. Stranger Things
A nostalgic powerhouse of a series, Stranger Things felt like the Dungeons and Dragons themed Goonie remake that gave us the Winona Ryder renaissance we didn’t know we needed. It struck a balance between familiar, beloved tropes and a storyline that was uniquely original and became a cult classic in it’s own right. For anyone who loves an underdog adventure with some sci-fi thrill, this series will become a lifelong favorite. While we eagerly await it’s fifth and final season, we’re also not quite ready to let it go.
4. The Queen’s Gambit
“Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll” has become a phrase so ubiquitous we can instantly imagine the film genre that goes with it, but Netflix did the unthinkable and brought that same Mick Jager energy to a brilliant series about an orphan chess prodigy that put The Menu’s Ana Taylor-Joy on the map as an internationally recognized actress. It combined the best part of sports and psychological dramas to deliver a mid-century heroine’s journey that drove millions of new subscribers to chess.com.
3. Squid Game
This series did for Korean television what BTS did for K-Pop, becoming an international sensation almost overnight. Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk tapped into one of the oldest secrets of storytelling, packing criticism on capitalism economic inequality in a compelling and original parable that was terrifying enough to deliver the medicine of it’s message, but too addicting to look away from. The third and final season arrives to Netflix next month, and fans are dying to know how the cruel and fascinating tale will end.
2. The OA
Every now and then, a piece of art comes along that defies every existing genre, and The OA was that outlier for streaming miniseries. With a tale that twisted and turned from episode to episode, like a Russian doll, Arabian Nights narrative, with a mystic and unreliable narrator, the metaphysical journey of Prairie Johnson, from daughter of a Russian oligarch, to blind orphan, kidnapping victim, medical mystery, spiritual savior, and voyageur through alternate realities. Cut short after two seasons, it touts a fandom that has left their doors “open” for creators Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij to continue their tale.
1. DARK
The brainchild of German duo Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, DARK checks many of the same boxes as the other series on this list: international intrigue and acclaim, nostalgia, teenage angst, and original genre-bending storytelling, but it takes the top position for one very specific reason, how its ties everything up so perfectly in a bow, a luxury many amazing series never get a chance to do when facing the Netflix axe.
With one of the most complex plots modern television has ever seen, spanning multiple timelines and alternate realities that required sophisticated mapping for the showrunners to keep track of, it all comes together perfectly in a magnificently cathartic and satisfying ending worthy of this stunning series. It’s the ultimate vindication for audiences who felt disappointed and betrayed by another well-know series with a four-letter capitalized title.
It’s that clear break with ghosts of broadcasters past that makes streamers like Netflix the standard-bearers of the future of television.
