Netflixwas built on the binge-watching model. The streamer pioneered the release system of dropping an entire season of a show in one go and letting audiences consume it at their own pace. Since then, every network and streaming service has been looking for bingeable shows.
But Netflix is still the first name in binge-worthy content.The best Netflix showslend themselves to an all-at-once viewing experience. FromDarktoAdolescence, these are the most bingeable shows that Netflix has to offer.
10Stranger Things
Netflix’s first true blockbuster show felt like a long movie in the best way when it dropped in 2016. WithStranger Things, the Duffer brothers combined the influence of John Carpenter, Stephen King,Altered States, and the old Amblin classics likeE.T.andThe Gooniesto create something thatfeels warmly nostalgic, but also totally unique.
The subsequent seasons haven’t been quite as perfect as that first outing (with season 3 being a particular low point), butStranger Thingsis nothing if not bingeable. It has a sprawling ensemble of lovable characters, an intriguing blend of sci-fi, horror, and conspiracy thriller, and a healthy dose of reverence for the ‘80s.
9Beef
Lee Sung Jin’sBeefstarts off with an everyday situation that we can all relate to: road rage. Steven Yeun and Ali Wong get into a heated argument from behind the wheel of their cars after a near-miss. But it doesn’t end there; after this minor altercation, these two people become dangerously obsessed with each other.
They’re both so frustrated and unfulfilled in their lives that they have the time and energy to commit to this feud full-time.What started as a typical road rage incident escalates into all-out psychological warfareas they try to ruin each other’s lives. You’ll be hooked all the way, excited to see how this intense rivalry pans out.
8Mindhunter
Serial killers always make for gripping television, andMindhunterdigs into the history of serial killers as a concept. It revolves around three FBI agents who notice a pattern in certain mass murderers’ behavior and start to build a profile of a typical serial killer. It’s criminal (pun intended) thatMindhunterwas canceled after season 2, but it remains a masterpiece.
The show gets a lot of grisly thrills out of bringing its characters face-to-face with real-life serial killers like Charles Manson and the Son of Sam, but it’s not just a who’s-who of murderers’ row.It’s a deep psychological study of the mental toll of analyzing these gruesome crimesall day every day.
7BoJack Horseman
At first glance,BoJack Horsemanmight appear to be a wacky cartoon about talking animals. And while that is technically what it is,that’s just the Trojan-horse delivery system for a deep, dark, ruthlessly frank examination of mental healthand the dark side of the soul. It has a lot of zany humor, but it takes every opportunity to yank at your heartstrings.
The titular anthropomorphic horse is more human than most other protagonists on TV. He’s deeply flawed, he’s filled with self-loathing, and his attempts to improve himself keep falling into a vicious cycle of self-destructive habits.You have to emotionally prepare yourself to watchBoJack Horseman, but when you do, you’ll be blown away.
6The Haunting Of Hill House
Mike Flanagan has made a bunch of great horror shows for Netflixunder his deal, but the first series he made for the streamer is still the very best of the bunch.The Haunting of Hill Houseuses an intriguing nonlinear narrative structure to put a fresh spin on a typical haunted house story.
The series goes back and forth between an estranged family in the present day and the strange events that occurred years earlier that forced them to flee from the family home. This dual-timeline mystery will have you captivated.It’s as much a sobering family drama as it is a supernatural horror story, and it succeeds beautifully in both genres.
5The Queen’s Gambit
WithThe Queen’s Gambit,Scott Frank did the impossible: he made chess exhilarating. The genius of this miniseries about a chess prodigy in the ‘50s and ‘60s is that you don’t have to understand how chess works to find the chess sequences thrilling, because Frank does such a good job of selling the tension of each match.
Anya Taylor-Joy gives a star-making turnas a familiar archetype: a rising champion who’s hiding her various substance addictions and emotional struggles from the public eye. LikeStranger Thingsseason 1,The Queen’s Gambitplays like a really long movie split up into chapters, and like a movie, you’ll want to watch the whole thing in one sitting.
4One Day
At turns one of the most romantic shows ever made and one of the most devastating,One Daychronicles a rocky 14 years in the lives of two people who meet at university and fall in and out of love as they navigate the messiness of adult life. The whole series plays like a pitch-perfect six-and-a-half-hour romcom.
Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall are perfectly matched in the lead roles.You’ll fall in love with Emma and Dexter from the second they meet, and you’ll have your heart warmed and broken over and over again during the course of their on-and-off romance.One Dayis a prime example of an on-screen love story done right.
3Baby Reindeer
Richard Gadd’s semi-autobiographical horror storyof surviving abuse is as captivating as it is chilling.Baby Reindeerstarts off with the simple friendly gesture of a bartender named Donny offering a lonely customer a free drink. What ensues is intense psychological warfare as this woman begins stalking Donny and sets out to destroy his life.
The series captures the horrific trauma of abuse, but it also interrogates what happened in Donny’s past that led him to take pity on Martha in the first place.Gadd tells his story with brutal honesty, through a surprisingly self-critical lens. You’ll come out ofBaby Reindeerwith a totally new perspective on the horrors of stalking.
2Dark
There hasn’t been a supernatural mystery series as devilishly complex and beautifully crafted asDarksince the legendaryTwin Peaks. When two children go missing, it brings out the twisted history of their small town. The series is shown through the broken relationships of four families, and every character has a key connection to the town’s past.
Darkis one of the most complicated and confounding mysteries ever told, but it’s so perfectly constructed that it never leaves anyone behind. It’ll have you on the edge of your seat, waiting for answers, andif you’re paying close attention to each successive twist and turn, it’ll all eventually make sense.
1Adolescence
In the first few minutes ofAdolescence, police officers break down the front door of a typical suburban home and arrest a terrified 13-year-old boy on suspicion of murdering his classmate. From that moment on, you’ll be hooked for the rest of the series. Each episode adds another piece to the puzzle, eventually giving a hauntingly clear image of this horrific crime.
Each episode plays out in real time in a single continuous take, soit’s a lot more immersive than the average TV drama. There are no obvious breaking points, the tension keeps escalating, and there are only four episodes, so once you start watching this series onNetflix, you won’t stop until it’s over.
