8 Perfect Netflix Shows Where Every Episode Is a 10/10 Masterpiece

Published Sep 26, 2026, 1:57 PM 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 As the first big success of the streaming world, Netflix has long enjoyed a reputation for bringing great content to its subscribers. Over the years, as more competitors appeared on the scene, that reputation has taken some hits. But though its library may not be quite as flawless as it used to be, Netflix still hosts many of the greatest shows of all time. From gripping dramas to dark comedies, Netflix’s TV library spans a wide range of genres and moods. Many of these shows are good. A very small number are true masterpieces without a single weak link. Read on to discover our handpicked selection of the most flawless shows you can stream on Netflix, where every episode is a 10/10. 1 ‘Adolescence’ (2025) Image via Netflix One of the biggest hits of 2025, Adolescence is a British crime drama miniseries created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, with the latter also starring in the show. The four-part series follows the case of a 13-year-old boy (Owen Cooper) who is arrested for the murder of a girl at his school, exploring how the child’s actions may have been influenced by severe cyberbullying and exposure to online misogyny. The show’s ensemble cast also includes Ashley Walters, Erin Doherty, Faye Marsay, Christine Tremarco, and more. Released in March 2025, Adolescence has earned near-universal acclaim, receiving praise for its direction, writing, cinematography, and performances, especially that of its young star. A powerful story about the troubling ways in which social media have exposed children to unprecedented levels of harmful content, the series has sparked conversations from water coolers to parliament and has had a huge impact on popular culture. The show has garnered several accolades, including acting Emmy wins for Graham, Cooper, and Doherty. 2 ‘Ripley’ (2024) Image via Netflix Inspired by Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley novels, Ripley is a period psychological thriller miniseries created, written, and directed by Steven Zaillian. Starring Andrew Scott as the title character, the show follows Tom, a New York City con man, as he heads to Italy with the difficult job of convincing the prodigal son of a shipping magnate to return to America. Rather than fulfill his task, Tom chooses a more dangerous path as he sees an opportunity to live the life he’s always wanted. Besides Scott, the show’s ensemble cast also includes Dakota Fanning, Johnny Flynn, Eliot Sumner, and more. Ripley premiered on Netflix in April 2024 to critical and audience acclaim, debuting at number six on Netflix's list of top 10 English TV shows. An undeniable masterpiece of writing, directing, and cinematography presented in beautiful black and white, the series is a labor of love that draws inspiration from classic Italian cinema and Renaissance art to create a gripping and gorgeous world. Further enhanced by its layered, masterfully executed performances, the show has earned several accolades, including four Emmy Awards out of thirteen nominations, three Golden Globe nominations, and a Peabody Award. 3 ‘Dark’ (2017–2020) Image via Netflix Created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, Dark is a German science fiction drama thriller series that revolves around the fictional town of Winden, home to many inexplicable phenomena. The story kicks off with the disappearance of a child in 2019, which leads to an exploration of the complicated connections between four estranged families that span different time periods and even alternate realities. The series also boasts a talented ensemble cast that includes Louis Hofmann, Lisa Vicari, Maja Schöne, and more. One of the most mind-blowing works of science fiction ever to hit streaming, Dark premiered on Netflix in 2017 as the service’s first-ever German-language original series. Almost universally acclaimed throughout its three-season run, the show has been praised for its acting, direction, tone, and visuals, not to mention its highly complex hard sci-fi narrative. It’s a show that truly challenges the mind, opening it up to never-imagined possibilities, and it’s widely hailed as one of the greatest TV shows of all time. 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 4 ‘Arcane’ (2021–2024) Image via Netflix An adult animated series set in Riot Games' League of Legends universe, Arcane is an action-adventure show created by Christian Linke and Alex Yee. Hailee Steinfeld and Ella Purnell star as the voices of sisters Vi and Jinx, respectively, and the series follows these two iconic League of Legends champions as they find themselves on opposing sides in the conflict between the twin cities of Piltover and Zaun. Besides Steinfeld and Purnell, the ensemble voice cast also includes Kevin Alejandro, Katie Leung, Jason Spisak, and more. Arcane premiered to universal acclaim in 2021, receiving praise from critics and fans alike for worldbuilding, emotional depth, and faithfulness to the game. Easily one of the most celebrated video game adaptations of all time, the show earned several accolades, even becoming the first streaming show to win an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program. Its second and final season, released in 2024, was equally well-received and is arguably even better in its execution, and both seasons have earned the highly coveted 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 5 ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ (2023) Image via Eike Schroter / ©Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection A gothic horror drama miniseries, The Fall of the House of Usher was created by Mike Flanagan and is inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, primarily his 1840 short story. Following a nonlinear narrative that jumps between 2023 and the 1950s, the series revolves around pharma billionaires Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood) and Madeline Usher (Mary McDonnell), following their rise to power and the eerie events that lead to their inevitable downfall. The ensemble cast also includes Carla Gugino, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, Samantha Sloyan, T'Nia Miller, Zach Gilford, Willa Fitzgerald, Mark Hamill, and more. A gripping work of gothic horror that deals with classic themes of greed and moral decay, The Fall of the House of Usher earned critical and audience acclaim at the time of its premiere in 2023. Arguably one of Flanagan’s greatest masterpieces, the series is gorgeously produced and masterfully performed, bringing viewers along on a chilling journey you simply can’t look away from even for a minute. Its stomach-turning horrors are perfectly balanced with moving character drama, with each episode effectively adapting one of Poe’s most iconic works to the modern world while still capturing their dark hearts. 6 ‘BoJack Horseman’ (2014–2020) Image by Federico Napoli An adult animated tragicomedy, BoJack Horseman was created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg and stars Will Arnett as the voice of the titular protagonist, a washed-up '90s sitcom star and anthropomorphic horse. Struggling to accept the decline of his career and reputation, BoJack sets out to stage a comeback with the help of his unemployed best friend Todd (Aaron Paul), his agent/on-and-off girlfriend Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris), rival sitcom star Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins), and the ghostwriter of his autobiography, Diane (Alison Brie). The show also features Patton Oswalt, Kristen Schaal, Wendie Malick, and more in supporting roles. The world of BoJack Horseman, filled with zany anthropomorphic characters, may seem like a silly comedy land, but that colorful exterior hides a truly dark story that explores themes of addiction, anxiety, trauma, abuse, and the general misery of the human condition. Though it had mixed reviews at the time of its premiere, the show quickly won the hearts of viewers, and by the end of its five-season run, it was universally acclaimed as one of the greatest adult animated comedies of all time. The series also earned numerous accolades, including four Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Animated Series. 7 ‘Derry Girls’ (2018–2022) Image via Channel 4 Derry Girls is a teen sitcom inspired by creator Lisa McGee’s personal experiences growing up in Northern Ireland during the 1990s, in the final years of the Troubles. Against this backdrop of political turmoil, the show explores the misadventures of four girls (and one boy) living in Derry and attending a Catholic secondary school. Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, Nicola Coughlan, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, and Dylan Llewellyn star in the lead roles, with supporting characters played by Tara Lynne O'Neill, Tommy Tiernan, Kathy Kiera Clarke, Ian McElhinney, Siobhán McSweeney, and Leah O'Rourke. When Derry Girls first premiered in the UK in 2018, it was one of the most-watched TV shows in Northern Ireland and quickly became one of Channel 4’s most successful comedies ever. Released internationally on Netflix, the show earned worldwide acclaim and developed a massive fan base with its hilarious plots, endearing characters, and brilliant '90s soundtrack. It’s a warm and lovable sitcom that finds humor and heart in one of the most difficult periods in Irish history, creating a comforting, feel-good coming-of-age story out of the terrors of the Troubles. 8 ‘Better Call Saul’ (2015–2022) Image via AMC A spin-off of Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s hit drama Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul is a prequel series starring Bob Odenkirk as the title character. Beginning around six years before the parent show, the show follows the life and career of James McGill (Odenkirk), charting his journey to becoming the morally challenged criminal lawyer Saul Goodman. Besides Odenkirk, the show also features Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn, Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando, Michael McKean, Giancarlo Esposito, and Tony Dalton in lead roles. When Better Call Saul first premiered on AMC in February 2015, it set a new record for the highest-rated scripted series premiere in cable history. A prequel that truly defied all expectations to become a masterpiece on par with its parent series, the show is a thrilling, emotionally deep, and compelling drama with a dark sense of humor, impeccable cinematography, and powerful performances, especially by Odenkirk and Seehorn. The series earned critical and fan acclaim throughout its six-season run, received several accolades (including 53 Emmy nominations), and is now widely regarded as one of the greatest crime dramas of the 21st century. Better Call Saul Release Date 2015 - 2022-00-00 Network AMC Franchise(s) Breaking Bad Seasons 6