Netflix adds original programming at such a steady clip that it can be hard to keep up with which of its dramas, comedies and reality shows are must-sees. And that’s not including all the TV series Netflix picks up from broadcast and cable networks. Below is our regularly updated guide to the 50 best shows on Netflix in the United States, ranked alphabetically. Each recommendation comes with a secondary pick, too, for 100 suggestions in all. (Note: Netflix sometimes removes titles without notice.)
Darko Peric and Úrsula Corberó in “Money Heist.” Tamara Arranz Ramos/Netflix
‘Money Heist’ (2017-present)
In this hyper-kinetic Spanish action-adventure, an eclectic team of skilled crooks helps a mysterious genius known as “the Professor” steal over 2 billion Euros, in a caper that inevitably necessitates other crimes. The unpredictability and outsized characters of “Money Heist” have made it one of the rare foreign television series to find a big and appreciative audience in the United States. Our critic called it one of the best international TV shows of the 2010s, writing, “This puzzle-box of a series employs time trickery, unreliable narration, flashy graphics and every other trick it can think of to keep you locked into its overheated plot.” (For another widely popular adventure series — with a much younger cast — stream “Outer Banks.”)
“The Midnight Gospel” pairs trippy visuals with interviews from the podcast “The Duncan Trussell Family Hour.” Netflix
‘The Midnight Gospel’ (2020-present)
The animator Pendleton Ward follows up his cult favorite kids’ series “Adventure Time” with something very different: a cartoon that combines surrealism and docu-realism, pitched to broad-minded grown-ups. The comedian Duncan Trussell provides the voice of the hero, Clancy Gilroy, a podcaster who travels across dimensions and through the universe, interviewing strange creatures in dangerous places. The illustrations are trippy, influenced by pulp science-fiction; but the dialogue is mostly casual and earnestly philosophical. The result is a show that on the surface looks like a mature animated fantasy but is actually a sweet and strange inquiry into what it means to be alive. (For more TV-MA animation, try the eye-popping anthology series “Love, Death & Robots”.)
Tituss Burgess and Ellie Kemper in “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” Eric Liebowitz/Netflix
‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ (2015-20)
Easily the most upbeat sitcom ever made about a woman who escaped from an oppressively patriarchal religious cult, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” stars Ellie Kemper as Kimmy, who somehow keeps her youthful enthusiasm when she arrives in New York City after 15 years imprisoned in a bunker. A stellar supporting cast — including Tituss Burgess as Kimmy’s perpetually jobless roommate, Carol Kane as her activist landlord and Jane Krakowski as her overprivileged boss — brings range to this show’s unusually sunny, zingy vision of 2010s New York. Our critic wrote, “The series leavens wacky absurdity with acid wit and is very funny.” Don’t miss the series’s epilogue either: an experimental interactive movie called “Kimmy vs. the Reverend.” (The “Kimmy” creators, Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, also produced the equally hilarious but under-seen sitcom “Great News.”)
Rachel Bloom, center foreground, in “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” Scott Everett White/CW
‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ (2015-19)
The musical-theater loving comic actress Rachel Bloom was a creator of and stars in this colorful dramedy, playing Rebecca Bunch, a depressed lawyer who gives up a promising career to move to the hometown of a man she briefly dated as a teenager. With its catchy songs (many of which were written or co-written by the Fountains of Wayne singer-songwriter Adam Schlesinger, who died in April) and its frank conversations about mental health, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” has an expressive, openhearted style, rooted in the creators’ compassion for flawed people. Our critic wrote, “The series is committed to the idea that every character can carry a story line, any person can be more than they appear.” (For another creative and tuneful take on the TV musical, stream “Galavant.”)
A scene from “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.” Netflix
‘She-Ra and the Princesses
of Power’ (2018-20)
The clunky ’80s syndicated cartoon “She-Ra: Princess of Power” gets a relevant reboot, fusing the original’s old-fashioned science-fiction and fantasy mythology with the cultural diversity and emotional richness of a modern animated series. The series’s prodigious young creator, Noelle Stevenson, puts a teeming cast of complicated heroes and villains into stories with an epic sweep, building to a satisfying ending. Our critic wrote, “The show takes a little while to get going, but once the rules of the world are set, things pick up substantially.” (Also highly recommended for youngsters who like animation and fantasy: “The Dragon Prince.”)
From left, Lauren Lapkus, Nicole Byer and Jacques Torres in a scene from “Nailed It! Holiday.” Adam Rose/Netflix
‘Nailed It!’ (2018-present)
At once a sly parody and a genuinely exciting example of a TV cooking competition, “Nailed It!” features unskilled amateur bakers trying to make eye-catching gourmet desserts. The pacing is brisk and the challenges are often ludicrous, but what makes this show so funny is that the drama and fanfare concerns some of the ghastliest culinary creations imaginable. Our critic wrote, “As host, the comedian Nicole Byer strikes the perfect balance between encouragement and ridicule, and the competitors’ self-aware humor ensures that the show never feels as if it’s taking cheap shots.” (If you would rather see skilled home cooks whip up beautiful-looking sweets, watch the internationally beloved competition “The Great British Baking Show.”)
From left, Yvette Nicole Brown, John Oliver, Gillian Jacobs, Joel McHale, Alison Brie and Jonathan Banks in a scene from “Community.” Justin Lubin/NBC
‘Community’ (2009-15)
When this fast-paced campus comedy debuted, it seemed on-track to be a smarter-than-average mainstream sitcom, featuring a talented young ensemble — including the future stars Donald Glover and Alison Brie — alongside the TV veterans Chevy Chase and Joel McHale. (At the time, our critic called it “Bracingly funny.”) Before long, the show’s creator, Dan Harmon, started playing around with the structure and style of “Community” episodes, making the show at once aggressively postmodern and unusually personal. By the end of its six-season run, this series developed into something more like a provocative and hilarious video essay, meant to ponder whether television formulas still matter. (For another self-referential sitcom, watch “Arrested Development.”)
From left, Lee Rodriguez, Ramona Young and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan in “Never Have I Ever.” Lara Solanki/Netflix © 2020
‘Never Have I Ever’ (2020-present)
For “Never Have I Ever,” the creator of “The Mindy Project,” Mindy Kaling, draws on her own teenage experiences as a first-generation Indian-American who very much wanted to be part of the popular crowd. This clever and heartfelt sitcom is set in the modern day, but it should still be relatable to anyone who can remember the family pressures, personal traumas and unrealistic expectations that keep some kids from ever feeling “cool.” Our critic said this show “moves like a teen comedy and has a sort of ‘Mean Girls’ gloss on high school in terms of its anthropology of teendom and its school aesthetic.” (For a different tale of teen life — about misfits who reinvent themselves as high school sex therapists — stream “Sex Education.”)
Eva Green in “Penny Dreadful.” Jonathan Hession/Showtime
‘Penny Dreadful’ (2014-16)
Created by John Logan — a three-time Oscar nominated screenwriter for “Gladiator,” “The Aviator” and “Hugo” — “Penny Dreadful” is a pastiche of late 19th century horror fiction, featuring characters from the books “Frankenstein,” “Dracula,” “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and more, in a three-season story that combines history and pop mythology. (A new season with a new story, "Penny Dreadful: City of Angels" deubted this year.) It’s gory, it’s sexy, it’s operatic and according to our critic, “It meticulously conjures a time and place where excitement about new discoveries and fear of the dark and unknown were equally prominent in the public mind.” (For more smart gothic horror, stream “The Haunting of Hill House.”)
A scene from “Fauda.” Yes, via Netflix
‘Fauda’ (2015-present)
This intense thriller was co-created by its lead actor, Lior Raz, who plays an IDF agent drawn out of retirement by the prospect of taking down a terrorist he thought he’d already killed. That one mission leads to unexpected complications and further side operations, some of them involving the hero’s going undercover with his adversaries. The matter-of-fact scenarios in “Fauda” are an attempt to reflect the tricky politics and daily sacrifices of crimefighting in Israel. Our critic wrote that its story “spirals out in increasingly messy strands of betrayal and violence.” (For another crime drama about cultures in conflict, try “Giri/Haji.”)
From left, Steven Fletcher, Will Kirk, Jay Blades and Suzie Fletcher from “The Repair Shop.” Steven Peskett/BBC
‘The Repair Shop’ (2017-present)
In the British reality series “The Repair Shop,” a team of skilled tinkerers, carpenters and restorers offer their services to people whose family heirlooms are broken. A concentrated half-hour of happiness, each episode features fine details about how to fix old gadgets and furniture, with an emotional payoff when the customers see their parents and grandparents' old treasures, looking as good as new. In a Times article about the comfort of low-intensity BBC programming during times of trouble, Amie Tsang called this show “gentle escapism.” (For more fascinating scenes of craftsmen at work, watch “Blown Away,” a reality competition for glass-blowers.)
Rod Serling in a scene from the original “Twilight Zone.” CBS
‘The Twilight Zone’ (1959-64)
The Emmy-winning television writer and producer Rod Serling said he created this creepy science-fiction anthology series in part because he was tired of having TV executives nix the social commentary in his scripts. With “The Twilight Zone,” Serling and a handful of top fantasy writers riffed on paranoia, prejudice, greed and alienation in twisty stories about inexplicable supernatural phenomena. Some of the best episodes have stuck with viewers for decades, coloring the way they see the world. In a Times appreciation, the writer Brian Tallerico called the show, “an indelible part of the cultural lexicon.” (For a 21st century spin on “The Twilight Zone,” watch “Black Mirror.”)
Joe Exotic, and a tiger, as seen in the Netflix documentary “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.” Netflix
‘Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem
and Madness’ (2020)
There’s a reason seemingly everybody on the internet started talking about this docu-series within a few days of its debut. Co-directed by Rebecca Chaiklin and Eric Goode, the seven-part “Tiger King” is ostensibly about the strange subculture of folks who keep and display big cats: sometimes for crassly commercial private zoos, and sometimes for ostensibly more humane nature reserves. An unusual number of these people seem to have disturbing personal histories, involving criminal syndicates, unsolved murders and sex cults — all of which get touched on in this fascinating and often shocking story of eccentric, self-made American entrepreneurs. (For another gripping, surprising docu-series, stream “Wild Wild Country.”)
Shira Haas in the four-part series “Unorthodox,” based on the memoir by Deborah Feldman. Anika Molnar/Netflix
‘Unorthodox’ (2020)
Based on the Deborah Feldman memoir about life in a strict Hasidic Jewish community, this nerve-racking mini-series has Shira Haas playing Esty, a teenage bride who flees her husband in Brooklyn to move to Berlin, where she studies music. The plot in “Unorthodox” is split between the furor back home over Esty’s departure and her tentative steps abroad toward living freely and thinking for herself. As the two narrative strands come together, the story becomes increasingly tense. Our critic called the show, “a thrilling and probing story of one woman’s personal defection.” (For another well-written show about a person trying to renter mainstream society, stream “Rectify,” about an ex-convict who comes home after having spent most of his youth behind bars.)
From left, Sofia Bryant, Wyatt Oleff and Sophia Lillis in “I Am Not Okay With This.” Netflix
‘I Am Not Okay With This’ (2020-present)
A mopey working-class teen discovers she has telekinesis in “I Am Not Okay With This,” a muted, thoughtful fantasy series based on the comic book by Charles Forsman, which is ultimately more about adolescent angst than about superpowers. Sophia Lillis gives an impressively nuanced performance as the heroine, Sydney, who narrates her strange adventures while also sharing with the audience some of her most closely held secrets … including which classmates she hates and which she loves. Our critic wrote that this clearly John Hughes-influenced high school dramedy “may not surprise you much, but it has charm and voice to spare.” (The same creative team behind “I Am Not Okay With This” also adapted Forsman’s “The End of the ____ing World.”)
From left: Leonard Nemoy, William Shatner, DeForest Kelley and James Doohan, member of the original cast of “Star Trek.” Associated Press
‘Star Trek’ (1966-69)
Although the original “Star Trek” ran for only three seasons, its creator Gene Roddenberry’s vision of an optimistic science-fiction series — about a diverse and dedicated crew of intergalactic emissaries — drew a fervent fan base, and has inspired countless spinoffs and imitators. With their thoughtful storytelling and the winning performances of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy as two temperamentally different adventurers, these early chronicles of the Starship Enterprise can still make viewers feel as if they’re watching something special, made with intelligence and care. The Times's obituary for Roddenberry declared that he opened “a living-room window on worlds and aliens far beyond the reality of a bright new space age.” (The longer-running, equally beloved sequel series “Star Trek: The Next Generation” is also on Netflix.)
From left, Joaquín Cosio, J.J. Soria and Carlos Santos in a scene from the bilingual dramedy “Gentefied.” Kevin Estrada/Netflix
‘Gentefied’ (2020-present)
Set in the rapidly gentrifying Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights, this lively dramedy follows the dreams and disagreements of three very different cousins, all of whom have their own ideas about how to keep their grandfather’s taco restaurant afloat. Savvy and often funny, “Gentefied” offers a snapshot of a Mexican-American culture in transition, in which deeply rooted traditions are threatened by economic and social change. “The show’s likability carries it through its rougher patches. This series puts a lot on its plate, and somehow, it all comes together.” (For another addicting show about Los Angelenos’ aspirations, watch the teen melodrama “On My Block.”)
From left, the host of “Jeopardy!,” Alex Trebek, with the contestants James Holzhauer, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. Eric Mccandless/ABC, via Associated Press
‘Jeopardy!’ (1964-present)
Although the original version of the quiz show “Jeopardy!” debuted over 55 years ago, the series has lately become more popular than ever, thanks in part to the dawning awareness that the longtime host Alex Trebek may be nearing the end of his run. Writing in the New York Times Magazine about Trebek's recent fight with cancer, Sam Anderson nailed the show’s appeal, calling it “a hushed, calm, serious space in which knowledge" is “celebrated and rewarded.” While Netflix carries just a handful of classic episodes — often featuring old tournaments or fan-favorite champions — these collections do change on a regular basis. (For a less highbrow game show, watch “Awake: The Million Dollar Game.”)
Bob Odenkirk in "Better Call Saul." Ursula Coyote/AMC
‘Better Call Saul’ (2015-present)
The “Breaking Bad” prequel series, “Better Call Saul,” covers the early days of the can-do lawyer Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) as he evolves into the ethically challenged criminal attorney “Saul Goodman.” Throughout the show, Jimmy crosses paths with another “Breaking Bad” regular, the ex-cop Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), during Mike’s first forays into the Albuquerque drug-trafficking business. In this frequently surprising and incredibly entertaining crime saga, these two very different men discover the rewards and the perils of skirting the law. Our critic wrote, “Cutting against the desperation and violence that frame it, ‘Saul,’ in its dark, straight-faced way, is one of the funniest dramas on television.” (Also a must-see? “Breaking Bad,” of course.)
Creatures do their thing in “Night on Earth.” Netflix
‘Night on Earth’ (2020)
Special low-light cameras give this six-part nature documentary a look and feel unlike that of any other show of its kind. “Night on Earth” features footage from around the world, shot under the cover of darkness, during times of day when some animals mate and hunt. The series’s muted music and its soft Samira Wiley narration — paired with the ghostly images of creatures moving stealthily through the night — give it a uniquely otherworldly affect. The unusual style makes the wilderness seem all the more magical and precious. (For another perspective on the natural world, watch the docu-series “Our Planet,” which emphasizes the effects of human progress and climate change on the animal kingdom.)
Michelle Dockery in “Godless.” Ursula Coyote/Netflix
‘Godless’ (2017)
The two-time Oscar nominee Scott Frank wrote and directed all seven episodes of this gritty western mini-series, set in a struggling mid-19th century New Mexico mining town. Michelle Dockery and Merritt Wever play two of the community's leaders, who’ve been forced to ward off outlaws and scavengers ever since a disaster wiped out most of their local men. “Godless” plays like a lost bit of frontier mythology — of Frank’s work, our critic wrote, “If he doesn’t achieve the visual or narrative poetry of the filmmakers he’s riffing on — the John Fords, Howard Hawkses and Robert Altmans — he still gives you plenty to look at, and it’s never boring.” (For another smart, artful take on a pulpy genre, stream “Mindhunter.”)
Joey Sasso in a scene from the social media-based reality series “The Circle.” Mitch Jenkins/Netflix
‘The Circle’ (2020-present)
In this fascinating and often surprising competition series, contestants are encouraged to be deceitful, even beyond the usual lies and exaggeratons of reality television. Participants interact with one another using a social media app, on which they're allowed to create entirely fictional personas in order to make themselves seem more likable and sympathetic, and hence to win more power in the game. In an article about “The Circle” for The Times, Etan Smallman wrote, “Amid the naked gamesmanship engendered by ‘The Circle,’ beautiful human stories emerge and generate the tears, most of them happy.” (For another inventive and emotionally involving reality series, try “Terrace House.”)
Rob Huebel and Erinn Hayes in a scene from “Medical Police.” Netflix
‘Medical Police’ (2020-present)
Fans of the strange, sidesplitting Adult Swim spoof “Childrens Hospital” should be entertained by its semi-sequel, “Medical Police,” a 10-episode mini-series featuring the earlier show’s characters. Still set in a Brazilian pediatric hospital (founded by Dr. Arthur Childrens), the new series extends the original’s parody of earnest doctor dramas by adding an over-the-top riff on two-fisted crime thrillers. The cast includes the skilled comic character actors Erinn Hayes, Rob Huebel, Rob Corddry, Malin Akerman, Lake Bell, Ken Marino and more. (For a different pop-culture parody, featuring many of the same comedians, stream “Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp.”)
Jane Fonda, left, and Lily Tomlin in a scene from “Grace and Frankie.” Melissa Moseley/Netflix
‘Grace and Frankie’ (2015-present)
One of Netflix’s longest-running series, “Grace and Frankie” features two show-business veterans, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, playing a couple of very different California women who move in together after their husbands (played by Sam Waterston and Martin Sheen) reveal they’ve been gay lovers for decades. The show is both mainstream and risqué — like an adult version of the sitcoms the co-creator Marta Kauffman worked on in the 1990s when she helped bring “Friends” to the screen. Our critic praised the lead performances, saying that Fonda and Tomlin “pull this comedy about 70-somethings back from the brink of ridicule.” (For another lively sitcom about underdog women, watch “GLOW.”)
John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer in “The Office.” Byron Cohen/NBC
‘The Office’ (2005-13)
The American version of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s satirical mockumentary series “The Office” softens some of the original’s bite, but is still a funny and at-times harrowing look at the everyday miseries of white-collar work. When it debuted, our critic called it “the kind of seditious, unconventional comedy that viewers say they want and that television executives insist could never draw a broad enough audience to be a network success.” Viewers proved those execs wrong, though; the American remake ran for nine seasons. (Netflix doesn’t currently carry the British “Office,” but it does have Gervais’s and Merchant's very funny follow-up, “Extras.”)
Parker Posey and Ignacio Serricchio in a scene from the reboot of “Lost in Space.” Netflix
‘Lost in Space’ (2018-present)
The family-friendly 1960s fantasy series “Lost in Space” gets a big-budget overhaul in this remake, notable for its state-of-the-art special effects — and for its more modern, serialized spin on the original’s tale about interstellar colonists who are knocked dangerously off course. Our critic called it “a distillation of several generations’ worth of family-adventure and science-fiction blockbusters.” It’s also a showcase for two terrific actresses: Molly Parker, as a starship commander and a ferociously protective mom, and Parker Posey, as a marvelously manipulative con artist. (For a more cerebral take on pulpy science-fiction, try “The OA.”)
A scene from the documentary series “Cheer.” Netflix
‘Cheer’ (2020-present)
At a community college in a small Texas city, a cheerleading program competes for championships nearly every year. The touching and tense reality series “Cheer” documents the pressures faced by the school’s coach, who tries to put the best team on the mat while managing injuries, egos and the dreams of kids who mostly come from poor and working-class backgrounds. Our critic wrote, “Be prepared to cry. It’s that kind of show in the best possible way.” (For another engaging series about struggling athletes, from the same creative team, try the football-oriented “Last Chance U.”)
Oliver Masucci and Jördis Triebel in a scene from the German-language series “Dark.” Stefan Erhard/Netflix
‘Dark’ (2017-present)
A bold hybrid of science-fiction, criminal procedural and domestic melodrama, the German-language series “Dark” stretches across multiple timelines — from the 1920s to the 2050s — to tell the story of how four small-town families are connected to a wave of missing-children cases. The plot is full of stunning twists, though “Dark” is more quietly contemplative than thrilling. Our critic wrote that the show “seems to have been constructed with the aid of spreadsheets, but there’s no denying its ingenuity.” (The lush, romantic adventure series “Outlander” features a similar mix of earnest drama and time-travel.)
Kaitlyn Dever in a scene from “Unbelievable.” Beth Dubber/Netflix
‘Unbelievable’ (2019)
In the true crime drama “Unbelievable,” Toni Collette and Merritt Wever play Colorado police detectives who defy their bosses’ prejudices and piece together a pattern within seemingly unrelated rape cases. Kaitlyn Dever plays a teenager from nearby Washington, who is pressured by the authorities to recant her own report of being raped. The Oscar-nominated screenwriter Susannah Grant and the novelists Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon are on the series’s creative team, which uses these gripping, infuriating intertwined stories to shine a light on how gender biases affect the way sex-crimes are handled. Our critic called it “taut and engrossing,” going on to note that “Its multiple denouements play out with a judicious mix of celebration and regret.” (The offbeat procedural “Criminal” — dramatizing intense police interrogations in different countries — is another crime show for connoisseurs.)
A scene from Season 2 of “Derry Girls,” a sitcom set in Northern Ireland. Hat Trick Productions
‘Derry Girls’ (2018-present)
The Northern Irish playwright Lisa McGee pulls some bawdy coming-of-age comedy out of her own experience of growing up in Londonderry in the early ’90s, during a time of intense sectarian violence between Catholics and Protestants. A cast of very funny young women bring zany energy to McGee’s rapid-fire dialogue and fast-paced stories, which are more about typical teenage high jinks than about bombings and riots. Our critic said the show “revels in the humor of specificity, the kind of exacting precision that somehow winds up feeling universal.” (For another lively take on unconventional women, stream the medical melodrama “Call the Midwife,” set in ’50s and ’60s London.)
From left, Caleb McLaughlin, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown and Gaten Matarazzo in “Stranger Things.” Netflix
‘Stranger Things’ (2016-present)
The first season of the retro science-fiction series “Stranger Things” arrived with little hype and quickly became a word-of-mouth sensation: Viewers were enchanted by its pastiche of John Carpenter, Steven Spielberg, Stephen King and John Hughes — all scored to ’80s pop. This story of geeky Indiana teenagers fighting off an invasion of extra-dimensional creatures from “the Upside-Down” has the look and feel of a big summer blockbuster from 30 years ago — “a tasty trip back to that decade and the art of eeriness,” our critic noted, but “without excess.” (If you prefer ’90s teen nostalgia, try “Everything Sucks.”)
Aunjanue Ellis and Ethan Herisse in “When They See Us.” Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix
‘When They See Us’ (2019)
As a producer and director, Ava DuVernay has tackled the Civil Rights Movement, in her Oscar-nominated film “Selma,” and racial bias in the American criminal justice system, in her Emmy-winning documentary “13TH.” Now, in her four-part mini-series “When They See Us,” she dramatizes the story of the Central Park Five, who were convicted of raping and almost killing a jogger in New York City in 1989, then exonerated in 2002. Salamishah Tillet wrote in The Times that the Five “emerge as the heroes of their own story — and if we pay heed to the series’s urgent message about criminal justice reform, ours too.” (For a fictional but poignant crime story that confronts issues of race in America, stream “Seven Seconds.”)
Logan Browning in “Dear White People.” Adam Rose/Netflix
‘Dear White People’ (2017-present)
This lacerating social satire loosely adapts the 2014 film by Justin Simien about a group of African-American students managing microaggressions and intraracial infighting at a mostly white Ivy League university. Our critic wrote that “Dear White People” “keeps the movie’s essence but recognizes that TV is not just the movies with smaller screens and longer run times.” Simien’s show addresses modern collegiate controversies, using character-driven, episodic storytelling and a sharp sense of humor. (For another look at contemporary black culture, watch Spike Lee’s “She’s Gotta Have It.”)
Tim Robinson in “I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson.” Netflix
‘I Think You Should Leave With
Tim Robinson’ (2019-present)
The former “Saturday Night Live” and “Detroiters” writer and performer Tim Robinson created (with Zach Kanin) this fast-paced and funny sketch series, which is steeped in the comedy of obnoxiousness. Nearly every segment is about how people react when someone in their immediate vicinity behaves rudely or strangely — an astute depiction of how social mores sometimes fail us. More than anything, though, this show is just hilarious: “Netflix’s first great sketch comedy,” Jason Zinoman wrote for The Times. (For more twisted humor from a comedian with a strong personality, watch “Lady Dynamite.”)
From left, Nathan Lane, Courtney B. Vance, John Travolta, Cuba Gooding, Jr. and David Schwimmer in a scene from “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.” Ray Mickshaw/FX
‘American Crime Story’ (2016-present)
Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, who created “Glee” and “American Horror Story,” bring dramatic verve to real-life celebrity murder stories in this anthology crime series, working with a team of talented collaborators. Season 1, “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” and Season 2, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace,” both feature unconventional narrative structures and star-studded casts; and offer fresh insight into well-known crimes. About “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” our critic wrote, “Its triumph is to take a case that divided the nation into teams and treat everyone, vulture or victim, with curiosity and empathy.” (For a more down-to-earth take on American crime, watch the equally superb “American Crime.”)
Dominique Jackson, center, in “Pose.” Macall Polay/FX
‘Pose’ (2018-present)
Set amid the New York City “drag ball” scene of the late ’80s and early ’90s, the exuberant drama “Pose” is groundbreaking for the way it employs a large cast of transgender women playing transgender women. The series deals with serious issues — including the devastation of AIDS and the way the city’s economic boom of the ’80s bypassed the marginalized — but it is surprisingly optimistic, emphasizing the community fostered by these underground fashion and dance competitions (hosted by the acid-tongued Pray Tell, played by Billy Porter). Our critic wrote that “Pose” “stands, bold and plumed, and demands attention.” (For a perspective on the mainstreaming of L.G.B.T.Q. culture since the 1990s, watch the makeover show “Queer Eye.”)
Claire Foy, center, in “The Crown.” Alex Bailey/Netflix
‘The Crown’ (2016-present)
By the time this sweeping historical drama is done, the writer-producer Peter Morgan intends to have spent 50 episodes covering Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, from coronation to now. Claire Foy plays the Queen for the first two seasons, which take place from the late 1940s through the mid-60s. Olivia Colman takes over in Season 3, which begins in 1964 and moves the story into England’s psychedelic and punk eras. The A-list cast and the lavish production are the primary selling points of “The Crown,” which our critic called, “an orgy of sumptuous scenes and rich performances.” (If you like British history but aren’t interested in royalty try “Peaky Blinders,” about the criminal underworld after World War I.)
Natasha Lyonne in “Russian Doll.” Netflix
‘Russian Doll’ (2019-present)
The most obvious point of comparison for this oddball science-fiction dramedy is the movie “Groundhog Day,” since “Russian Doll” is also about a character who must relive the same day, over and over. Here, the trapped person is a sad-sack software engineer named Nadia (played by Natasha Lyonne, who also created the show with Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler); on the night of her 36th birthday, Nadia keeps dying and rebooting — like a video game character. “This is a show with a big heart, but a nicotine-stained heart that’s been dropped in the gutter and kicked around a few times.” (For more mind-bending TV, Netflix is also streaming the first two seasons of “Twin Peaks.”)
BoJack Horseman and Princess Carolyn in “BoJack Horseman.” Netflix
‘BoJack Horseman’ (2014-20)
It’s hard to explain “BoJack Horseman” to the uninitiated. It’s a showbiz satire about a self-absorbed former TV star trying to mount a comeback. It’s an existential melodrama about the fear of fading relevancy. Oh, and it’s a cartoon in which that former star is an alcoholic horse. “The absurdist comedy and hallucinatory visuals match the series’s take on Hollywood as a reality-distortion field. But the series never takes an attitude of easy superiority to its showbiz characters.” (One of the “BoJack” production designers, the cartoonist Lisa Hanawalt, also created the wonderful Netflix animated series “Tuca & Bertie.”)
A scene from "Hilda." Netflix
‘Hilda’ (2018-present)
Based on a series of British graphic novels about an introverted preteen nature lover, the animated series “Hilda” sets the writer-illustrator Luke Pearson’s soft, rounded character designs against backdrops that are unusually muted and pretty for a kids’ cartoon. Bella Ramsey (who played Lyanna Mormont in “Game of Thrones”) voices the blue-haired Scandinavian title heroine, who has a habit of finding fantastical creatures and is sometimes the only human who can reason with them. “If you like plucky and articulate heroines, sepia-seeped aesthetics and folklore, try this.” (For another beautifully illustrated and emotionally satisfying kids show, stream “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.”)
A scene from the “Lumberjack Song” skit on “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.” BBC
‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’ (1969-74)
The British sketch comedy troupe Monty Python combined the cheekiness of old English music hall comics with the surrealism and self-awareness of the psychedelic era. Their series, “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” ran for four seasons from 1969-74 and was syndicated around the world, popularizing an absurdist approach to humor — and to life — that has inspired countless sketch comedians. Although the original show is 50 years old now, it “hasn’t aged a bit.” (The “Mr. Show” creators, Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, were clearly inspired by Monty Python, as evidenced by their Netflix series “w/Bob & David.”)
Ted Danson and Kristen Bell in “The Good Place.” Colleen Hayes/NBC
‘The Good Place’ (2016-20)
It’s difficult to describe this fantastical metaphysical sitcom without spoiling its surprises. It’s ostensibly about a selfish young woman named Eleanor (Kristen Bell), who with a handful of other iffy humans lands in a cockeyed version of the afterlife, managed by the cheerful kook Michael (Ted Danson) and his humanoid supercomputer Janet (D’Arcy Carden). The creator Michael Schur keeps viewers guessing; but even without the crazy plot-twists, the show provides food for thought. A critic wrote, “Schur seems to have found a deeper idea behind the show’s premise: Is acting good the same as being good?” (Schur is also one of the creators of the feel-good sitcom “Parks and Recreation.”)
From left, Kevin Rahm, Vincent Kartheiser, Jon Hamm, Christina Hendricks and John Slattery in an episode of “Mad Men.” Michael Yarish/AMC
‘Mad Men’ (2007-15)
Next to “The Sopranos,” “Mad Men” might be the most influential TV drama of the early 21st century. A visually stylish, overtly literary antihero saga — about a womanizing, alcoholic advertising executive (played by Jon Hamm) in the 1960s — “Mad Men” has been structured by its creator, Matthew Weiner, into something like a series of poignant short stories, collectively adding up to a larger commentary about social and personal change. a critic wrote that it “serves as a bridge to a faded and now forbidden world.” (For another journey into a very different past, watch the Spanish drama “Cable Girls,” set at a 1920s telecommunications company.)
Scoot McNairy, left, and Lee Pace in “Halt and Catch Fire.” Tina Rowden/AMC
‘Halt and Catch Fire’ (2014-17)
This thoughtful drama depicts the early years of the digital age, starting in the mid-80s, when personal computers and the internet became an integral part of our everyday lives. “Halt and Catch Fire” empathizes more than glamorizes, following the punishing step-by-step of four visionary engineers and programmers — sometimes partners, sometimes rivals — as they try (and often fail) to get their projects funded and shipped: “Failure,” a critic wrote, “from this show’s perspective, is not the end; it’s how people level up.” (For a different take on techies, stream the British sitcom “The IT Crowd.”)
From left, Vicky Jeudy, Taylor Schilling and Dascha Polanco in “Orange Is the New Black.” Barbara Nitke/Netflix
‘Orange Is the New Black’ (2013-19)
Based on Piper Kerman’s memoir about serving time in a minimum security women’s prison, “Orange Is the New Black” showcases an eclectic cast, representing a wide spectrum of social classes and sexual orientations in alternately comic and poignant stories about crime, passion and privilege. The show was created by Jenji Kohan, who, as a critic wrote, “plays with our expectations by taking milieus usually associated with violence and heavy drama — drug dealing, prison life — and making them the subjects of lightly satirical dramedy.” (Kohan previously did the same with her series “Weeds.”)
A scene from “Big Mouth.” Netflix
‘Big Mouth’ (2017-present)
Netflix has become a haven for adult-oriented animated series, written and voiced by comedians who know that sometimes raunchy jokes are even funnier when delivered by cartoons. Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Jenny Slate and Jessi Klein are among the comics involved in “Big Mouth,” which follows a group of junior high schoolers who are tormented day and night by monsters who embody their uncontrollable adolescent impulses. A critic called it “more sweet and insightful than its hormone-drenched premise might lead you to believe.” (Also funny and frank: the comedian Bill Burr’s animated “F Is for Family.”)
From left, Marcel Ruiz, Rita Moreno, Justina Machado, Todd Grinnell and Isabella Gomez in “One Day at a Time.” Michael Yarish/Netflix
‘One Day at a Time’ (2017-present)
This reimagining of the producer Norman Lear’s long-running 1970s and ’80s sitcom is true to the spirit of Lear’s socially conscious kind of television. The new series’s working-class Cuban-American family has feisty — and funny — discussions around their Los Angeles apartment about ethnicity, politics, religion, work-life balance and gender. The live-audience sitcom format allows the actors to carry on conversations at length, like in live theater. The show “radiates delight,” a critic wrote. Netflix canceled the show in 2019, but Pop revived it and will present a new season in March 2020. (For a different but very funny take on the struggles of working-class life, watch another Pop series, “Schitt’s Creek,” which tracks a rich Canadian family that loses their fortune.)
Gina Rodriguez in a scene from “Jane the Virgin.” Kevin Estrada/CW
‘Jane the Virgin’ (2014-19)
This spoof of the Latin American soap operas known as telenovelas also wholeheartedly embraces their shtick. “Jane the Virgin” starts out as the story of an aspiring writer, accidentally impregnated through an artificial insemination mix-up. The show then gets wilder, with at least one crazy plot twist per episode — all described with breathless excitement by an omnipresent, self-aware narrator. a critic called it “delicious and dizzyingly arch.” (For another colorful, conceptually daring look at working class folks with artistic aspirations, stream “The Get Down.”)
From left, Ted Danson, George Wendt and Kelsey Grammer in a scene from “Cheers.” NBCU Photo Bank, via Getty Images
‘Cheers’ (1982-93)
The ideal ensemble sitcom, “Cheers” is set in a Boston bar that attracts a cross-section of society — from blue collar to blue blood. Early seasons cover the on-and-off romance of the former Red Sox pitcher Sam Malone (Ted Danson) and the brainy Diane Chambers (Shelley Long). Later, the show becomes more about the ups and downs of the bar itself and its lovable group of regulars. As Bill Carter put it for The Times, “What the show’s creators aimed to do was deliver pure comedy that was sophisticated but not pretentious, ‘I Love Lucy’ as told by Noël Coward.” (For more of the “Friends” hangout spirit, try the delightful “New Girl.”)
Martin Sheen and Allison Janney in “The West Wing.” Paul Drinkwater/NBC
‘The West Wing’ (1999-2006)
In the final years of the Clinton Administration and the early years of George W. Bush’s, the writer-producer Aaron Sorkin offered a vision of presidential politics that appealed to viewers on the left and the right. “The West Wing” is driven less by divisive issues than by the personalities of an idealistic president (played by Martin Sheen) and his hard-working staffers, who collectively try to figure out the best ways to manage Washington bureaucracy and media hype. In 1999, a critic complained that the pilot episode was “sometimes smart, sometimes stupid, eventually gooey and, despite its sharp cast, not often entertaining.” And then “The West Wing” went on to win 26 Emmys. (For more Emmy-winning drama, watch the Netflix original “Ozark,” about white collar money-laundering in Missouri.)