8 Most Perfect Netflix Series of All Time, Ranked

Published Oct 29, 2026, 6:53 AM EDT Remus is a writer, editor, journalist, and author with an eye for detail and an extremely active imagination. He is an enthusiast of everything to do with the graphic medium, whether it's Western comics and their adaptations or manga and anime. Remus is also the author of the sci-fantasy novel Once Upon a Time in Hyperspace and several works of short fiction in the mystery, comedy, and horror genres. Sign in to your Collider account These days, Netflix is one of the biggest titans in the entertainment industry, and its successful slate of original productions has played a significant part in its rise to the top. Beginning in 2013, the streaming service has produced several original shows and movies, including acclaimed and award-winning projects like Orange Is the New Black, Stranger Things, and more. Now, little over a decade later, Netflix’s catalog has grown to include some of the greatest television masterpieces of all time. Of course, while there are plenty of Netflix originals that enjoy large fanbases and have bagged numerous awards, only a select few have achieved true perfection, both in terms of their content and execution. Here’s our ranked selection of the most perfect Netflix shows of all time, each of them an unparalleled masterpiece from start to finish. 8 ‘Narcos’ (2015–2017) Image via Netflix Created by Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, and Doug Miro, Narcos is a dramatized retelling of the rise and fall of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. Set in 1980s Colombia, the crime drama series chronicles Escobar’s rise in the cocaine trade and expansion of his drug empire, as well as the relentless international effort by authorities, justice seekers, and law enforcement to bring down the dangerous criminal. Wagner Moura portrays Pablo Escobar, with Pedro Pascal, Boyd Holbrook, Damián Alcázar, Alberto Ammann, and Maurice Compte in other main roles. Among all the screen interpretations of Escobar’s life and crimes, Narcos remains an outstanding true crime drama with its close-to-real characterizations and events. The series has been critically acclaimed for its powerful storytelling, great cinematography, and compelling performances, especially Moura’s picture-perfect portrayal of the notorious criminal. Despite various criticisms regarding its historical accuracy, Narcos remains a 21st-century television landmark that successfully captures some of the darkest chapters of modern history. 7 ‘Dark’ (2017–2020) Image via Netflix Netflix’s first original German-language series, Dark is a sci-fi mystery thriller created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese that explores the aftermath of a teenager’s disappearance and the strange secrets of four estranged families. As the investigation proceeds, it sheds light on the dark pasts and fractured relationships of the families, unraveling a conspiracy and a time travel mystery that spans multiple generations. The series stars Louis Hofmann, Karoline Eichhorn, Lisa Vicari, Maja Schöne, and Moritz Jahn in main roles. With themes of free will vs. destiny, existentialist thought, and time travel paradoxes, Dark is an elevated combination of hard science fiction, horror, philosophy, and psychology. Full of twists and turns and complex characters, the series is as fascinating as it is frightening — an often puzzling, intriguing mystery that genuinely challenges you until the very end. Critically praised for its concept, immersive effects, tone, direction, and gripping performances, Dark is easily one of the greatest sci-fi series ever made and a high-concept show that has defined modern sci-fi. 6 ‘Money Heist’ (2017–2021) Image via Netflix A Spanish-language heist crime drama created by Álex Pina, Money Heist (aka La casa de Papel) follows criminal mastermind The Professor, who recruits eight petty criminals to pull off two massive, well-planned heists at the Royal Mint of Spain and the Bank of Spain. Told from the POV of one of the robbers in a real-time-like narration, the five-part show chronicles the gang’s multi-day sieges, hostage negotiations, personal conflicts, and hidden character motivations. The series stars Úrsula Corberó, Álvaro Morte, Itziar Ituño, Pedro Alonso, Paco Tous, Alba Flores, and Miguel Herrán as leading characters. On its Netflix premiere, Money Heist became a massive international hit — the most-watched non-English series at the time and the first Spanish-language show to win an International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series. During its run, the series quickly turned into a cultural phenomenon, with the show’s props, costumes, and music becoming worldwide symbols of resistance and rebellion. The daring plot, taut narrative, adrenaline-raising thrills, clever humor, and dramatic performances come together to make Money Heist a perfect heist drama that enthralls the audience at every turn. 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 ‘BoJack Horseman’ (2014–2020) Image by Federico Napoli An adult animated tragicomedy created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, BoJack Horseman centers on the titular character, an anthropomorphic horse and has-been '90s television star, who is struggling with his diminishing celebrity status, relevance, and reputation. To reclaim his popularity, BoJack decides to publish a tell-all autobiography with his ghostwriter Diane, while navigating his declining mental health and flagging career. Will Arnett voices BoJack, with Alison Brie, Amy Sedaris, Aaron Paul, and Paul F. Tompkins voicing other main characters. Behind its colorful graphics and anthropomorphic characters, BoJack Horseman is a deeply poignant and profound show about the human condition, cushioned by absurdist humor. BoJack’s struggles with his mental health and resulting self-destructive behavior feel relatable and real, portrayed by Will Arnett with emotional depth and conviction. Netflix’s first original adult animated series, BoJack Horseman stands out with its signature combination of heavy themes explored with dark satire and existential wit, becoming one of the most influential animated series ever made. 4 ‘Mindhunter’ (2017–2019) Image via Netflix Created by Joe Penhall and produced by David Fincher, Mindhunter is a dramatized account of the formation of the Behavioral Science Unit at the FBI during the 1970s, exploring the early years of criminal profiling through the stories of real-life criminal cases and criminals. The crime thriller series focuses on agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench and psychologist Wendy Carr, following their efforts to better understand imprisoned criminals to solve ongoing cases. Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Anna Torv star as the leading characters, with Hannah Gross, Cotter Smith, and Stacey Roca in supporting roles. Based on the non-fiction book Mindhunter: Inside The FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit, Netflix’s Mindhunter sits right at the crossroads of true-crime documentaries, psychological horror, crime thriller, and police drama. The series features shocking murder cases and dangerous serial killers like Son of Sam and Charles Manson, exploring their crimes from various angles through a chilling and intense narrative. Its compelling performances, fine cinematography, and powerful storytelling make Mindhunter a near-perfect crime thriller and one of the most widely acclaimed true-crime shows Netflix has ever produced. 3 ‘Beef’ (2023–Present) Image via Netflix Created by Lee Sung Jin, Beef is a dark-comedy anthology series that explores the repressed, existential rage of its protagonists, often stemming from the pressures of modern life, social complexities, and deep-seated emotional trauma. The first season follows a road rage incident taking place between Danny (Steven Yeun), a struggling contractor, and Amy (Ali Wong), a newly successful small business owner, which leads to a series of events that upend each other’s lives until they are both consumed by their ego and anger. Season 1 also stars Joseph Lee, Young Mazino, David Choe, and Patti Yasutake in other main roles. A second season starring Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan premiered in April 2026. Beef is a bold and daring show that plays on pettiness and pathos with equal depth and conviction, delivered ever so compellingly by the fantastic ensemble cast. The narrative shifts between a grungy thriller, black comedy, and social drama, keeping the audience engaged as every arc unfolds a new chaos. Since its premiere, Beef has been critically acclaimed for its story, direction, and the explosive performances of Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, which merited the series eight Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globes, among several other accolades. 2 ‘Ripley’ (2024) Image via Netflix Created, written, and directed by Steven Zaillian, Ripley follows the titular antagonist, Tom Ripley, a grifter in 1960s New York who charms his way into getting hired by a wealthy businessman to bring his son, Dickie, home from Italy. When Tom arrives in Italy and meets Dickie, it instantly sets him on a path of greed, obsession, and deceit, with diabolical consequences. Andrew Scott stars as Tom Ripley and Johnny Flynn as Dickie, with Dakota Fanning, Eliot Sumner, Margherita Buy, and Maurizio Lombardi as other main characters. Adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s popular novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ripley marks the second television adaptation of the book but supersedes all other renditions of the original material. The artistic and elegant black-and-white photography, featuring Giallo motifs and Hitchcockian elements, effectively conveys the intensity of its themes of obsession, envy, and betrayal, making the series shine as a masterpiece in filmmaking. With its meticulous art design, conceptual depth, and elevated performances, Ripley is a remarkable psychological thriller that feels immersive and classically artistic in every scene. 1 ‘Arcane’ (2021–2024) Image via Netflix A steampunk action-adventure adult animated series created by Christian Linke and Alex Yee, Arcane is an adaptation of the popular video game League of Legends, focusing on two League champions, sisters Violet/Vi and Powder/Jinx. Set in the same universe, the series reimagines their origin stories as siblings torn apart amid a raging war between the utopian city of Piltover and its seedy counterpart, Zaun, and forced to navigate conflicting loyalties, trauma, and the machinations of an evil mastermind. The series stars the voices of Hailee Steinfeld, Ella Purnell, Kevin Alejandro, Katie Leung, and Jason Spisak as main characters. Arcane is a riveting masterpiece in adult animation that steals hearts and attention with its immersive visual design and intricate emotional arcs. The series has been critically acclaimed for its fantastic world-building, great soundtrack, and perfect character designs that arguably outshine the aesthetic and narrative experience of the game. On its release, Arcane quickly became one of Netflix’s top shows, becoming the first video game adaptation to win both Annie Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards, and it's widely hailed as one of the greatest game adaptations ever made. Release Date 2021 - 2024 Network Netflix Showrunner Christian Linke Directors Barth Maunoury, Marietta Ren, Christelle Abgrall Writers Amanda Overton, Nick Luddington, Mollie Bickley St. John, Ben St. John, Giovanna Sarquis, Henry G.M. Jones Franchise(s) League of Legends