I know you‘ve probably seen the worrying headlines recently about Netflix – the subscriber losses, the nosediving stock price, the fears about brutal streaming competition from the likes of Apple and Disney. Believe me, I get it. With everyone tightening their belts these days, you might wonder if Netflix is still worth the monthly fee.
Well let me tell you…
While Netflix definitely faces some new challengers in the streaming race, one area where it still undoubtedly leads the pack is THE SHOWS!
I‘m talking prestige dramas, scandalous reality TV, mouth-watering baking battles – Netflix continues assembling an awesome lineup of must-see programming. And I‘ve compiled the cream of the crop here with my picks for the Top 10 Shows You Need to Be Watching on Netflix Right Now!
Now look, I‘ll be upfront with you that Netflix has faced some justified criticism lately over cancelling great shows too fast. But the 10 shows below have either wrapped satisfying final seasons or still have more binging to look forward to.
So whether you‘re a long-time Netflix subscriber or considering signing up, these fantastic shows capture why even with the recent turbulence, Netflix remains a premier streaming destination!
10 Netflix Shows You Need In Your Life Right Now
#10 – Archive 81
Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror Drama
The Gist: Archivist Dan Turner gets drawn into the mystery behind a graduate student‘s investigation into a dangerous cult in the 1990s. As he restores her damaged tapes, the lines between past and present begin blurring.
Why You Have to Watch: Archive 81 delivered some of 2022‘s most thrilling and ingeniously twisted TV before Netflix pulled the rug out from under fans. With paranoid conspiracy vibes reminiscent of shows like Lost, critics praised Archive 81 as "addictively terrifying" and "compulsively watchable." While the early cancellation leaves plots frustratingly unresolved, this show‘s sole spine-tingling season still makes for a riveting binge-watch.
#9 – Dark
Genre: Sci-Fi Mystery Drama
The Gist: In the German town of Winden, the disappearance of a young boy in 2019 exposes connections to similar occurrences (and a looming apocalypse) tied to 1986 and 1953.
Why You Have to Watch: Dark unfolds like a meticulously constructed puzzle-box, revealing clues and mind-bending twists across 3 intricately linked seasons. Living up to its name, Dark mesmerizes through its ominous tone and time-warping paradoxes. Awards aggregator Metacritic summed up critical sentiment by dubbing Dark "the best time travel show you‘ve never seen." So jump into the loop and see if you can crack the show‘s central riddle before the finale.
#8 – Too Hot To Handle
Genre: Reality/Dating Show
The Gist: Imagine Love Island or The Bachelor, but contestants must refrain from ANY sexual contact to have a shot at winning $100K.
Why You Have to Watch: Sometimes you just need a trashy reality show to cleanse the palate! Too Hot To Handle generates no shortage of racy fun through its provocative premise placing hot and heavy singles in close quarters while expecting them to stay celibate. Despite the manufactured drama between vapid himbos and bikini-clad girls, genuine emotions occasionally peek through as contestants reflect on their self-sabotaging patterns. Turn your brain off and let Too Hot Handle crank up the guilty pleasure factor!
#7 – The Great British Baking Show
Genre: Reality/Cooking Competition
The Gist: Passionate home bakers face off in a televised baking contest as judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith determine who deserves the title of Britain‘s Best Baker.
Why You Have to Watch: Netflix‘s longest running acquired reality competition continues delighting viewers by proving nice guys can finish first! Unlike vicious cook-offs like Hell‘s Kitchen, The Great British Baking Show radiates quirky charms through its focus on supportive teamwork over drama. Across 10 seasons, endearing contestants have bonded together through pastry crises while hosts and judges highlight growth over failure. And the show cements its appeal through mouth-watering displays of cakes and confections too gorgeous to eat (almost)! Bake Off remains a binge-watch treat proving the joys of sugar, butter, and flour.
| Rank | Show | Hours Viewed (First 28 Days) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stranger Things S4 | 1,150,000,000 hours |
| 2 | Money Heist Part 5 | 792,230,000 hours |
| 3 | Bridgerton S2 | 656,260,000 hours |
#6 – Lucifer
Genre: Urban Fantasy Procedural
The Gist: Bored with ruling hell, Lucifer Morningstar trades fire and brimstone for booze and women in glitzy Los Angeles. After befriending Detective Chloe Decker over a peculiar murder case, the handsome devil keeps inserting himself in human affairs. How will Lucifer‘s dysfunctional angelic kin react to his new passion for solving L.A. homicides with the help of an LAPD detective that may be immune to Lucifer‘s preternatural charms?
Why You Have to Watch: Lucifer strikes an addictive balance between supernatural procedural and cheeky satanic melodrama. Energized by Tom Ellis‘s magnetic leading performance, Lucifer dishes out satisfying season-long arcs exploring Lucifer‘s strained relationships with his angelic kin as well as the romantic tension with Detective Decker. Passionate fans even resurrected the cancelled Fox series by spurring Netflix to save the show through a sixth and emotional final season. Catch up now on the binge-worthy saga of the Devil walking amongst us!
#5 – Biohackers
Genre: Sci-Fi Thriller
The Gist: Brilliant medical student Mia joins a prestigious German university’s biohacking program to secretly investigate her twin’s suspicious death during experimental treatment years before. But the further Mia ingratiates herself with renowned researcher Professor Tanja Lorenz, the greater the web of conspiracy and deception seems to grow.
Why You Have to Watch: Blending biotech suspense with simmering relational drama, this sleek German Netflix Original keeps tensions high and mysteries unnerving across two seasons. Biohackers artfully explores the intersection between emergent innovations and ethical shadows lurking at scientific frontiers. Germany‘s top news magazine Der Spiegel fittingly dubbed Biohackers "a slick biopunk thriller…[that] packs tension, surprises, and ethical conundrums into six crisp 30-minute episodes." So if you like your sci-fi served chilled but still packed with action, let Biohackers hack into your streaming queue!
#4 – The Order
Genre: Supernatural Thriller
The Gist: College freshman Jack Morton joins the mysterious Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose to avenge his mother’s long-ago murder, which he blames on secretive Order and its enigmatic leader. Pledged to penetrate the Order’s magical secrets by day and sabotage its power by night, Jack finds the further he ventures into their gothic halls, the closer he comes to a hidden battle between magical factions vying for supremacy at his university.
Why You Have to Watch: If you love moody supernatural drama where ancient magical forces emerge to wreak havoc in modern academia, The Order will cast an irresistible spell. Uniting morally ambiguous secret societies with occult supernatural mystery, The Order earned plaudits from ReadySteadyCut as a “a dark fantasy…that proudly wears its influences on its sleeve while still bringing forward something that feels wholly its own." Sadly cancelled after Season 2, The Order still delivers two binge-worthy seasons blending magic and mayhem into a potent mystical cocktail.
#3 – Manifest
Genre: Supernatural Drama
The Gist: After Montego Air Flight 828 disappears and returns five years later, passengers scramble to resume interrupted lives as strange visions related to their absence plague them.
Why You Have to Watch: Manifest fuses family drama with supernatural mystery into an emotionally-charged saga spanning four tightly-constructed seasons. When NBC pulled the plug after Season 3 despite strong ratings, fans rallied fiercely until Netflix answered the call to save Manifest and shepherd it towards a climactic finale. Much like the passengers of Flight 828, Manifest rose from presumed TV oblivion to land an improbable resurrection. Now is the perfect time to catch up on this fan-favorite drama before the long-awaited Series Finale drops!
#2 – GLOW
Genre: Comedy/Drama
The Gist: Desperate for her big break in 1980s Hollywood, aspiring actress Ruth Wilder seizes a dubious opportunity to gain stardom after sleazy director Sam Sylvia opts to produce GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling). Despite nonexistent athletic skills, Ruth and her ragtag ensemble immerse themselves in mastering the campy personas and outlandish physical feats demanded in the ring by their fledgling women‘s wrestling show.
Why You Have to Watch: Beyond the wacky ‘80s wrestling antics, GLOW utilized its eccentric premise to deliver a poignant exploration of women struggling for empowerment and equality in show business. As rewarding for its humor as its emotional depth, 15 Emmy nominations substantiate GLOW as a streaming diamond worth getting in your corner.
#1 – Stranger Things
Genre: Horror/Sci-Fi Mystery Drama
The Gist: In 1980s Indiana, the mysterious disappearance of Will Byers exposes his tightknit group of D&D-playing friends to unsettling forces bleeding through ruptures to a nightmarish dimension dubbed “The Upside Down.”
Why You Have to Watch: Enthralling viewers over 4 wildly popular seasons, the Duffer Brothers constructed Stranger Things as a loving homage to 1980s sci-fi/horror classics. Yet their singular vision for Hawkins and The Upside Down‘s sprawling mysteries rapidly morphed into a one-of-a-kind cultural icon with massive crossover appeal. Even hitting ratings gold with each season, Stranger Things shows no signs of surrendering its place atop Netflix‘s throne.
30 hours after the release of Stranger Things season 4, Netflix tweeted that viewers had already streamed over 286 million hours – the biggest premiere weekend ever for an English language show!
Yup, Stranger Things remains the undisputed champ as Netflix’s #1 must-see show – so gather your nearest and dearest to enjoy this nostalgia-driven spookfest!
Well there you have it – 10 phenomenal shows capturing why even amidst stiffening competition, Netflix continues providing some of the most irresistible programming options around.
Now did Netflix make some frustrating decisions by pulling the plug too swiftly on acclaimed shows like GLOW or The OA? For sure. I‘m still salty about some superb shows getting cut down prematurely.
But the streamer clearly keeps funneling tons of money into fresh projects, so I remain hopeful about the future. Maybe they‘ll even rectify past missteps, like resurrecting Manifest to give fans closure.
And when you look at the overall lineup of brilliant shows covered above – from Stranger Things to Dark – Netflix still delivers the thrilling original series and comfort food favorites that will keep me subscribed for years to come. Sure, it stings a little more with each price hike, but to me, Netflix remains a staple entertainment source worth paying for.
Because where else can I get this delightful smorgasbord of science fiction mysteries, shocking reality shows, sinister dramas, and magical teen adventures? Nowhere else stacks up for sheer variety and quality.
So if you haven‘t already, do yourself a favor and let these 10 awesome shows earn your Netflix subscription fee. Once you finally binge-watch Stranger Things or Biohackers, you’ll almost certainly agree that amidst the tide of PeakTV competition, no one serves up prestigious, tasty television morsels quite like Netflix.
Now go relax and treat yourself to some binge-watch goodness! Just be sure to come up for snacks occasionally 🙂
