As any Netflix subscriber will know, the streamer has a huge library of content across movies, shows and sports, with a substantial amount of it being made up of must-see TV, especially when it comes to Netflix Originals.
Stretching way back to the early days of House of Cards, Netflix Original series have built a reputation as being some of the best TV out there, with the likes of mega hits such as The Crown, Squid Game and Bridgerton calling the service home. It’s why I rank Netflix as the best streaming service – there’s so much top tier television you can’t stream anywhere else.
But there are three Netflix Originals I keep coming back to, with each getting a rewatch at least once a year, so if you’re unsure of what your next binge watch is going to be, read on as I run through the three of the best Netflix shows that make the platform my go to streaming service.
Stranger Things
Seasons: 4
Main cast: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%
If you’re a Netflix subscriber, it’s unlikely Stranger Things needs much introduction.
The story of a group of small-town kids facing otherworldly threats in the 1980s has become a global phenomenon, and with the fifth and final series on the way – not to mention the animated spin-off – now is the perfect time to either refresh your memory, or for those yet to visit Hawkins, Indiana, catch up on what you’ve been missing out on.
A mash-up of Steven’s Spielberg and King, the show initially focuses on the disappearance of Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), the resultant effect on his mother Joyce (Winona Ryder) and the efforts of Sheriff Jim Hopper (David Harbour) and his group of young friends to find him. Along the way, the gang of youngsters meet the mysterious Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), a psychokinetic test subject who’s escaped from a secret government laboratory nearby.
That’s about as deep as spoilers need to go, but the show is a nostalgic treat with shades of all of your favorite 80s pop culture. But it’s not just surface level nostalgia, with superb performances, especially from the young cast, and writing and direction from creators The Duffer Brothers that delivers some surprising emotional heft. And when it wants to be, the show is absolutely terrifying.
A Series of Unfortunate Events
![Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Tup-5yOcJuM/maxresdefault.jpg)
Seasons: 3
Main cast: Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Warburton, Malina Weissman, Louis Hynes, K. Todd Freeman
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
Another show anchored by excellent performances from a young cast, A Series of Unfortunate Events should be top of everyone’s watch list.
One of the earlier Netflix Originals, the show was a moderate hit on release but begs to be seen by as many eyes as possible, especially those that were put off by the so-so Jim Carey feature film.
Based on the books by Daniel Handler (or Lemony Snickett) the show follows the downs and downs of the three Baudelaire children, Violet (Malina Weissman), Klaus (Louis Hynes) and infant Sunny (Presley Smith) following the deaths of their parents and destruction of their home in a mysterious fire. Placed in the custody of distant relative Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris), the trio find themselves passed from one caregiver to the next after the Count’s nefarious plan to steal their fortune is discovered. However, while the siblings make every attempt to start a new, happy life, Olaf, and disaster, are never far behind.
Masterfully directed by The Addams Family helmer Barry Sonnenfeld, among others, and often feeling like a mash up of Wes Anderson and Tim Burton, the show is darkly comic meditation on grief, loss and discovering your place in the world, all tied together by a genuinely intriguing mystery that slowly unravels over the three seasons.
Anchored by Patrick Warburton’s sardonic narration (playing fictional author Snickett in Rod Serling like fourth-wall breaking monologues), the series will have you smiling with glee one minute (there’s plenty of big musical numbers) before leaving you sobbing over the next brutal death of a beloved character. A Series of Unfortunate Events is hilarious, emotional, gripping and downright beautiful.
Kingdom
![Kingdom | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4l-yByZpaaM/maxresdefault.jpg)
Seasons: 2
Main cast: Ju Ji-hoon, Bae Doona, Ryu Seung-ryong
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
If you felt the zombie action in Game of Thrones didn’t quite live up to its scenes of political machination, Kingdom is the show for you.
Set in 17th century Korea, Kingdom tells the story of Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon), a Crown Prince who begins to investigate the mysterious illness affecting his father, the King. As he digs deeper, Lee Chang finds not only a plot to seize the throne from him when his increasingly sick father dies, but a violent epidemic set to ravage the kingdom.
While the likes of The Walking Dead continue to shuffle on, Kingdom falls more in to the 28 Days Later camp, delivering an adrenaline fueled zombie tale in which the infected are fast, nasty and utterly terrifying. While the show is slow to start, focusing on the equally as intriguing political side of the coin, once the zombie action begins, it delivers some of the craziest scenes ever filmed, with huge numbers of infected and buckets of gore.
But as mentioned, the plot to overthrow the Crown Prince is just as gripping as the sight of hundreds of undead swarming a village, with the two stories expertly woven together. There’s also a surprising amount of humor, that while goofy, often serves as a a moment to catch your breath in among the heavy politics and visceral action.
The first season of the show debuted in 2019, with season 2 arriving just over a year later (March 12, 2020, in fact, which was amazing timing for a show about a fast spreading epidemic), and although season 3 is yet to materialize, reports suggest it is still planned. Kingdom did deliver one extra bite, however, with sequel movie Ashin of the North in 2021.
Forget Westeros and Joel and Ellie, Kingdom is the lavish, violent, gripping zombie drama you need to see.
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