10 Netflix Original Shows Every Subscriber Should Watch at Least Once

Image via Netflix Published Oct 23, 2026, 9:22 PM EDT Jiminna Shillingford is an avid reader and a passionate storyteller. She is obsessed with all things TV, from anime and romantic fantasy to action-packed series. With that deep affection, Jiminna longs to share her excitement with all her readers through the Collider platform as a TV author. Through her writing she has created stories and blog posts of amazing book recommendations, showcasing her love of writing. Jiminna's goal is to inspire others to discover and embrace their love of stories in all of its forms. Sign in to your Collider account Over the years, Netflix has released countless originals, but there are only some that stand out enough to feel truly essential to experience at least one. There are some of the streaming service's original standouts that have somehow helped shape the platform’s identity, while others showed how bold, strange, emotional, or ambitious Netflix storytelling could be. Netflix originals like Sense8, which is a fantastic sci-fi gem that is far too underrated for its own good, and Orange Is the New Black, which helped define Netflix’s early original era with its large ensemble, humor, social commentary, and emotional prison drama, are two great examples of the platform's greatest hits that every subscriber should watch at least once because they represent what Netflix originals can do at their absolute best. Compiled on this list are such series—genuine gems that every viewer addicted to Netflix originals should watch at least once during their subscription. 10 'Castlevania' (2017–2021) Image via Netflix Castlevania is among the clearest proof that adult animation on the Netflix platform can be emotional, extremely violent, stylish, and genuinely cinematic. The series follows disgraced monster hunter Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage), gifted Speaker magician Sypha Belnades (Alejandra Reynoso), and Dracula’s (Graham McTavish) conflicted son, Alucard (James Callis), as they fight Dracula and the dark forces threatening humanity. Castlevania is a Netflix original that no doubt belongs on this list because it shows the subscribers of the platform just how bold and mature its animated lineup can be when it fully commits to its world. With action that erupts into elegant displays of magic, blades, whips, monsters, and impossible movement, and dialogue that tends to be incredibly profane and funny, the series makes for a pretty thrilling video-game adaptation. Castlevania is the perfect canon original because it helped establish a viable space on Netflix for serialized Western adult animation influenced by anime. 9 'Heartstopper' (2022–2024) Image via Netflix This incredibly sweet teen drama turns self-discovery and first love into something genuinely comforting and honest. Heartstopper centers around quiet schoolboy Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) as he develops feelings for straight, popular rugby player Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) after the two are seated together at school, initially assuming the crush cannot lead anywhere. Heartstopper is the coming-of-age romance that every Netflix subscriber should dive into at least once. It’s the perfect gentle binge that treats young love with a rare bout of wholesomeness and care. Heartstopper induces the kind of comfort that feels truly meaningful. It’s a fantastic series that highlights compassion. Heartstopper is a romance staple and has grown into one of Netflix’s most beloved dramas, making it the ideal series to place on any subscriber’s watchlist. 8 'When They See Us' (2019) Image via Netflix When They See Us is a historical crime drama that is truly a must-watch for any Netflix subscriber because of the significance of its story. The limited series focuses on five teenagers who are wrongfully accused and convicted in the Central Park jogger case, showing the damage done not only to their lives, but also to their families and futures. When They See Us is an absolutely brutal yet brilliant series that is definitely a devastating viewing experience. It’s a painful watch that masterfully showcases the human cost of injustice while ensuring that its real-life subjects don’t become nothing more than names attached to a famous case. When They See Us makes this list because it stands as an amazing reminder that prestige television can do so much more than just entertain — it can force viewers to confront how institutions turn assumptions into life-altering consequences. 7 'Orange Is the New Black' (2013–2019) Image via Netflix This extremely entertaining icon is practically an essential viewing experience Netflix subscribers can’t miss out on because it helped define what the platform’s original programming could one day become. Orange Is the New Black follows Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) as she enters federal prison and discovers that the comfortable adult identity she has constructed offers little preparation for her time in incarceration. Orange Is the New Black is one of Netflix’s earliest hits, a series that stood as a very bingeable masterpiece rife with drama, comedy, and extremely toxic romance. The series is uniquely memorable, with an importance that comes from the history it made as a true Netflix staple. Orange Is the New Black is a brilliant mesh of social commentary, drama, humor, and character-focused storytelling inside a prison setting that grows more complicated as the series continues, marking it as a quality standout that is a true must-see for anyone exploring the streaming platform’s amazing originals. 6 'The Queen's Gambit' (2020) Image via Netflix The Queen’s Gambit is an acclaimed limited series that inspired a great passion for the game of chess. The period drama centers around Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), who was orphaned at a young age but soon discovers an extraordinary aptitude for chess after custodian Mr. Shaibel (Bill Camp) reluctantly teaches her the game. As an adult, Beth rises in the male-dominated sport while tackling loneliness, addiction, grief, and obsessive perfectionism. The Queen’s Gambit stands as one of Netflix’s finest originals. The miniseries may be pretty short, but it definitely leaves its mark as it takes a subject that could have felt distant and boring and turns it into something accessible, stylish, and deeply engaging through Beth's increasing rise in the world of chess. The Queen’s Gambit is a quality standout that absolutely deserves to be watched at least once because it also makes the list as one of Netflix’s clearest examples of a limited series done truly correctly. Collider Exclusive · 8 Questions · 2 Minutes Which Netflix Character Would Be Your Best Friend? Dustin · Emily · Wednesday · Gi-hun Some friends drag you out of the house. Some sit with you on the worst night of your life. Netflix has written both, plus the one who tells you the truth you have been avoiding all week. Answer eight quick questions about how you actually do friendship, and find out which of them was always going to end up in your corner. 🧢Dustin(Stranger Things) 🗼Emily(Emily in Paris) 🕷️Wednesday(Wednesday) 🟢Gi-hun(Squid Game) FIND YOUR BEST FRIEND → 01 How do you usually end up making a new friend? The origin story says a lot about the friendship that follows it. AWe got loud about the same obsession and never stopped. BThey invited me somewhere before we had properly met. CWe bonded over disliking exactly the same thing. DThey noticed I was struggling and stayed with me. NEXT QUESTION → 02 What is a perfect Saturday with your best friend? Friendship is mostly built out of very ordinary hours. AA ridiculous plan neither of us should attempt. BSomewhere new, photographed heavily, ending very late. CSomewhere quiet, few people, zero small talk. DSomething simple, and a conversation that actually matters. NEXT QUESTION → 03 You call them at two in the morning. What happens? This is the real test of a friendship, and everybody knows it. AThey are already putting their shoes on. BThey answer instantly and turn it into a plan. CThey answer and say something unflattering and true. DThey listen for an hour and never check the time. NEXT QUESTION → 04 What do you want from them when you are clearly wrong? The best friendships are the ones that survive being corrected. ASupport first. We can review the mistake later. BA relentlessly positive reframe of the entire disaster. CThe blunt version. Do not soften it for me. DPatience, and no judgment about how I got here. NEXT QUESTION → 05 What do your friends actually value about you? The friend you attract says something about the friend you are. AI am all in, always, about everything. BI can turn almost any situation into a good time. CI say the thing nobody else in the room will. DI look after whoever is having the worst day. NEXT QUESTION → 06 You have a falling out. How does it go? How a friendship repairs itself matters more than how it breaks. ALoudly, briefly, then back to normal by Tuesday. BThey apologise first, enthusiastically, with a gift. CCold silence, then one dry joke that fixes everything. DWe talk until we both understand what actually happened. NEXT QUESTION → 07 What do you actually need a best friend for? Everybody is missing something. The right friend fills that gap. ATo make my life bigger than it would be alone. BTo push me out of the house and into my own life. CTo catch me when I start lying to myself. DTo be the person who never gave up on me. NEXT QUESTION → 08 Ten years from now, what keeps the two of you close? Eight questions in, this is the one that decides who you get. AWe would still drop everything for each other, instantly. BWe still make plans, and we still actually go. CWe still cut through each other's nonsense in one sentence. DThey stood by me once when it cost them something. REVEAL MY BEST FRIEND → The Group Chat Has Spoken Your Best Friend Is…Four Netflix characters, four completely different ways of showing up for somebody. This is the one who fits how you actually do friendship, and what having them in your life would be like. Dustin HendersonYou do not do friendship at half volume, and neither does he. What you want is somebody who says yes to the plan before you have finished describing the plan. Dustin is the friend the entire show runs on: loyal past the point of sense, enthusiastic about everything, and incapable of leaving anybody behind. You have the same instinct. Your friendships are loud, specific and slightly ridiculous, and they last for decades because of it. He is also the one person who would take your strangest interest completely seriously, which is far rarer than it sounds. You would have a group chat. It would never once be quiet. Emily CooperYou are the friend who makes things happen, and so is she. Together you would be mildly exhausting to everyone around you and completely delighted with yourselves. Emily treats an ordinary Tuesday as something that could be turned into an occasion, which is either the best or the worst quality in a friend depending on your energy levels. You share her refusal to sit still. Neither of you has ever accepted a night in when something was happening somewhere else. She is far more loyal than people give her credit for. She defends her friends loudly, publicly, and occasionally before checking the facts. She would post the photo without asking. You would forgive her, because it is a very good photo. Wednesday AddamsYou have no patience for pleasant lies, and she has no ability to tell them. What looks like coldness from the outside is the most reliable friendship on this list. Wednesday never says a kind thing she does not mean, which makes the rare ones count for an enormous amount. You would rather be told the truth than be made comfortable. She is constitutionally incapable of offering you anything else. Underneath all of it she is ferociously protective. She simply refuses to make a performance out of caring. Do not expect a birthday message. Do expect her to ruin anyone who wrongs you. Seong Gi-hunYou look after whoever is having the worst day. So does he. It is the least strategic way to move through the world and the best possible quality in a friend. Gi-hun is not the strongest player in Squid Game, or the cleverest. He is the one who keeps choosing to protect somebody else, over and over, at genuine cost to himself. You have the same instinct. You notice who is struggling and you stay with them, long after anybody would blame you for leaving. He is a flawed friend, and that is part of why it lands. He lets people down, then comes back and tries again, which is more than most manage. He would give you his last chance and never once mention that he had done it. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 5 'Ozark' (2017–2022) Image via Netflix This beloved crime drama is a Netflix original that easily makes this list because of its unforgettable performances, gripping storytelling, and increasingly intense stakes that make it the kind of series every subscriber should witness at least once. Ozark focuses on financial adviser Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) as he relocates his family to the Ozarks after a money-laundering scheme goes wrong, pulling them deeper into moral compromise, local crime, and cartel danger. Ozark is a pretty fantastic watch. It’s a series that steadily turns survival into corruption. The show has no problem continuously tightening the pressure around its characters, making every moment a constant battle between staying alive and becoming further entangled in the world of crime. What truly makes the show a captivating bout of TV crime brilliance is how naturally it’s able to blur lines that really should be clear. With tension that only grows more suffocating as its story progresses, Ozark easily earns its place as a Netflix original every subscriber should watch at least once. 4 'The Crown' (2016–2023) Image via Netflix The Crown is an essential Netflix viewing experience because it shows how grand and carefully crafted a streaming drama can feel. The British drama depicts decades of British royal history by following Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton) as inherited duty repeatedly conflicts with family, emotion, marriage, and a monarchy simply attempting to survive change. The Crown is an epic Netflix original that is capable of quite easily drawing in an almost instantly captivated audience. Even viewers with little interest in royalty can appreciate it as a gigantic experiment in institutional drama. With lavish production design, locations, costumes, cinematography, and a three-generational cast, The Crown delivers a masterful story with even its quietest scenes standing as perfect moments of revelation instead of just pageantry. The series defiantly deserves to be seen by all Netflix subscribers because it demonstrates the scale the streaming platform was willing to bring to long-form historical storytelling. 3 'Sense8' (2015–2018) Image via Netflix This masterpiece of a sci-fi series is an overlooked good time that every Netflix subscriber should find themselves indulging in at least once. Sense8 follows eight perfect strangers across the globe who discover that they are emotionally and mentally connected, sharing skills, danger, feelings, and even intimacy across distance. Sense8 is a genre mixture that remains one of Netflix’s boldest and most emotional original shows. From incredibly spicy scenes and snippets of incredible humor to wholesome moments and captivating action, the sci-fi gem easily makes this list of Netflix’s best because it’s a great example of the platform’s courage in taking a rather big creative swing. Despite the series being terribly underrated, it has accumulated a cult following so devoted that it helped bring the show back from cancellation. Sense8 is a true masterpiece in its own right that deserves to be acknowledged by all of Netflix’s sci-fi-loving subscribers. 2 'BoJack Horseman' (2014–2020) Image via Netflix BoJack Horseman is a Netflix animated masterpiece that at first looks like a pretty generic adult cartoon about a talking horse, but quickly grows into a sharp exploration of trauma, accountability, self-destruction, and whether people can truly change. Set in a Hollywood populated interchangeably by humans and anthropomorphic animals, the series focuses on BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett), a washed-up sitcom star who is attempting to return to fame while dealing with depression, guilt, addiction, and the damage he tends to cause others. BoJack Horseman is a brilliant yet very depressing show that easily hides painful emotional truths inside absurd jokes. It’s an unexpectedly powerful watch that is an essential viewing experience for Netflix subscribers because it proves animation can be just as emotionally complex as any live-action drama. BoJack Horseman can be extremely hilarious, pretty devastating, formally daring, and painfully honest, all within one episode, marking it an animated must-see for Netflix viewers. 1 'Stranger Things' (2016–2025) Image via Netflix This sci-fi icon is one of Netflix’s biggest hits and stands as one of the most obvious picks for this list because it largely helped the platform define the majority of its original-series era. Set largely in 1980s Hawkins, Indiana, Stranger Things follows the mysterious disappearance of Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), which leads his friends and family to uncover secret experiments with a young girl named Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) at the center of it all. From its 1980s references, brutal action, and horror to its adolescent comedy and breathtakingly wholesome moments, Stranger Things has constantly garnered praise for its gripping storytelling. It’s a brilliant series that has become one of Netflix’s most defining successes. Stranger Things is a truly effective sci-fi drama that takes coming-of-age antics, monsters, secret labs, alternate dimensions, and psychic powers and turns them into extremely entertaining material that has grown into a huge modern phenomenon, making it the perfect addition to this list of Netflix originals fans should see at least once.