The Top 10 Best Netflix Original Series

Always more new series on Netflix and it is not always easy to sort through the dozens of original creations on the platform. Whether it’s historical hits like Stranger Things, Sex Education or Mindhunter, more recent hits like Sandman, or downright planetary phenomena like Bridgeton or Squid Game, the network’s catalogue is full of exciting works to see or revisit. Here is our ranking of the best original series or mini-series made in Netflix.

10) HOUSE OF CARDS (2013)

Beau Williamson ‘s series is undoubtedly the one that took Netflix to another dimension. The platform’s very first original creation, an exciting political drama, led by an exceptional Kevin Spacey, has garnered 33 Emmy nominations and 8 Golden Globes. But last year, she was largely damaged by the “Spacey” scandal, accused of sexual assault on a minor and fired in the process by the production. The drama therefore bowed out at the end of a final season, cantered on Claire Underwood (Robin Wright).

Current status: The season 6 finale, which spans only 8 episodes, was released in 2018.

9) MIDNIGHT SERMONS (2021)

After Hill House and Bly Manor, Mike Flanagan delivers a new mystical creation, more religious and spiritual than frightening, but devilishly bewitching. The director seizes on the religious, in a parable as captivating as it is macabre on fundamentalism, fanaticism and more generally the perversion of Catholicism. This Midnight Mass is definitely a sacred television object. Hallelujah!

Current status: It’s a mini-series, not a sequel, but Mike Flanagan still has plenty of upcoming projects on Netflix.

8) BOJACK HORSEMAN (2014)

Probably one of the craziest animated series on the small screen. A true darling of the American press, the improbable BoJack Horseman ferociously crunches Hollywood’s thick and thin, with a sadly rare subtlety on US TV. And with its fourth season, the most incredible horse on the small screen has turned into a real tear bomb. At the center of the story, complicated family relationships, but above all the exploration of loneliness, identity, fear of the future and even dementia! Brilliant from start to finish, but devilishly depressing.

Current status:  The series ended on January 31, 2020 at the end of season 6.

7) OZARK (2017)

There’s a certain Breaking Bad vibe to this icy whodunnit, released without fanfare, in early summer 2017. Be careful, we’re not saying that Ozark is the new Breaking Bad or even that it will ever happen. akin to Vince Gilligan ‘s masterpiece. But this dark series shares with its glorious ancestor the same spirit, a persistent desire to intelligently question human psychology and, at the margins, the underground economy which feeds crime. As the desperate man, stuck in a hopeless situation, Jason Bateman is just perfect. Bluffing even.

Current status: The season 4 finale delivered its last part at the end of April 2022.

6) SEX EDUCATION (2019)

Another little nugget that no one saw coming and that Netflix pulled out of its hat at the start of 2019. The story of the rebel Maeve, who trains Otis, inexperienced but endowed with a sexologist mother, in the creation of a clandestine sex therapy cell, within their high school, has already delighted millions of subscribers. A marvel of British humor, wonderfully refreshing, and which takes an intelligent and sensitive look at teenagers. A series that brought to light a young Franco-English talent named Emma Mackey.

Current status: season 3 was broadcast at the end of 2021. A season 4 is in the making.

5) NARCOS (2015)

After having offered a hunt for Pablo Escobar as terrifying as it is exhilarating, the thriller was able to renew itself last year, by cantering its plot on a brand-new cartel (the Cali Cartel) and new characters. As a result, the series has once again been praised by the American press, thanks to lush cinematography and plenty of suspense. And then the prequel to Mexico, led by Diego Luna, rose to the occasion of the saga. Always so fierce, always so exciting.

Current Status: Narcos: Mexico Season 3 was released in November 2021. It was the last of the series.

4) STRANGER THINGS (2016)

This incredible homage to 1980s Amblin films (including ET and The Goonies) struck a chord with millions of viewers around the world. With its endearing universe and both scary and fascinating atmosphere, Stranger Things has established itself as the most popular original creation on the platform. And season 3, even more fun and spectacular, has only increased the enthusiasm for Eleven and her friends.

Current status:  Season 4, split into two parts, was broadcast in May and July 2022. Season 5 ordered will be the last.

3) THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (2018)

What a horrible and delicious surprise! Released in the fall of 2018, this adaptation of the cult eponymous novel by Shirley Jackson (dating from 1956) was not really expected. She wowed her world. Ten episodes of slow angst perfectly mastered by its creator and director, Mike Flanagan, preferring a chilling atmosphere of a haunted house to easy “jump scares”. The story of the Crain’s, through the ages – and told through flashbacks – passes with disconcerting ease from the captivating family drama to the terrifying horror tale. A series that manages to be as creepy as it is endearing.

Current Status: Season 2 titled The Haunting of Bly Manor on another haunted house story was more disappointing. No season 3 in sight.

2) MINDHUNTER (2017)

David Fincher ‘s first series goes back to the origins of FBI profiling techniques. Or how to make people understand, in the middle of the 1970s, that it is better to try to understand serial killers, rather than grilling them… A psychological thriller written by a master’s hand and carried by interrogation scenes masterful, with delightful dialogues. From the director of Seven and Zodiac, we expected no less.

Current status: season 2 was released in August 2019. The series is on stand-by for a while and it seems that it will never have a season 3.

1) THE CROWN (2016)

It’s Netflix’s most expensive series right now. And it’s worth every dollar spent. Admirably written, lushly filmed, in breathtaking settings, The Crown is a masterpiece of the small screen. A rare, touching and fascinating historical reconstruction. After a stunning first season, season 2 still managed to dazzle us, thanks in large part to the performance of Claire Foy. And in seasons 3 and 4, the new cast got up to speed: Olivia Colman showed the extent of all her talent, as did Helena Bonham-Carter. We are now waiting to see how Imelda Staunton fare.

Current status: season 5 is being filmed and will be released in November 2022.