TV has no shortage of great dramas for you to check out. But what if you’re in the mood for nothing less than the very best? And what if you could find most of them all in one place?
I’m talking about the kinds of series that transformed the entertainment landscape altogether. Ready to binge-watch your way through television history? Keep reading to discover my favorite Netflix dramas that changed TV forever!
8
House of Cards
Release Year
2013
Seasons
6
Episodes
73
Status
Canceled
House of Cards was always destined to headline this list. That’s because it’s Netflix’s first prestige drama. As such, it helped to usher in the golden age of television even as it cemented that streaming platforms could produce even better shows than traditional networks. For most of its run, this show focuses on Frank Underwood, a crooked politician who enacts one scheme after another in his attempt to accrue more power for himself. Accordingly, the show effectively skewers the politics of Washington, D.C., making it catnip for those of us who have become jaded about our real-life political leaders.
While he became a figure of controversy and was eventually removed from his own show, it’s fair to say that this show’s secret weapon is Kevin Spacey. His Underwood immediately feels like a fully realized character, one whose charisma often masks his terrible and selfish schemes. His performance also offers a kind of weird intimacy, inviting us into a world of backroom deals and brutal backstabbing that is just as fascinating as it is revolting. Don’t be surprised if you feel both horrified and fascinated as you binge one episode after another.
7
Stranger Things
Release Year
2016
Seasons
4
Episodes
34
Status
Ongoing
To many fans, Stranger Things is the greatest drama ever created by Netflix. It tells the captivating tale of everyday kids who get swept up in drama involving everything from creepy government types to monsters from another dimension. Fortunately, the show centers all of its dramatic storytelling through the lens of the children themselves, which is why they contextualize extradimensional monsters that would have given Lovecraft nightmares as creatures from Dungeons & Dragons.
In addition to heavily referencing everyone’s favorite RPG, part of the show’s major charm is that it serves as a prolonged love letter to all things ‘80s. The synth-heavy opening theme, for example, may move you to tears at how much it transports you to the past, even as the fashion choices make you happy to live in the present. On top of that, the narrative includes plenty of homages to the horror hits of yesterday, and we frequently get guest stars known for ‘80s hits.
Long story short? Even if you’re so over everyone focusing on the decade of Reagan and Miami Vice, Stranger Things does its own ‘80s tribute better than anything else out there, all while redefining just how geeky a successful drama can be.
6
Orange Is the New Black
Release Year
2013
Seasons
7
Episodes
91
Status
Concluded
Orange is the New Black is brilliant in large part because it subverts decades of television storytelling. The popularity of shows like Law & Order and CSI helped to popularize the procedural drama, a genre in which the police force is almost always portrayed as the good guys and the criminals are almost always portrayed as the bad guys. In this Netflix drama, however, this dynamic is inverted: the convicts are sad victims of circumstance, while far too many prison guards are bullies looking for an excuse to abuse their authority.
What made me keep watching beyond season one is that the show wisely expands beyond its initial focus on Piper. This helps the series flesh out its ensemble of characters, as it slowly reveals juicy background details of the various inmates. Those details are fascinating on their own and also give Orange Is the New Black serious rewatchability because later revelations about your favorite characters give those older episodes added dimension and extra emotional depth.
5
The Crown
Release Year
2016
Seasons
6
Episodes
60
Status
Concluded
Will you enjoy watching The Crown? That’s a question that can only be answered by another question: how much do you like the British Royal Family? That’s because this show is all about Queen Elizabeth and her famous family. As such, it offers dramatized versions of real-life events, including the doomed marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana and even the early relationship of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
If you’re an anglophile, it’s downright fascinating to see this kind of deep dive into this family’s history, including occasionally sordid details. But even if you don’t go crazy for all things England, this Netflix drama is must-see TV because of great performances from actors like Doctor Who icon Matt Smith, Monty Python alumnus John Cleese, and X-Files leading lady Gillian Anderson.
Legendary actors bringing to life some of the juiciest stories in history? That’s worth pouring a fresh cup of tea for!
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4
The Queen’s Gambit
Release Year
2020
Seasons
1
Episodes
7
Status
Concluded
In real life, the world of professional chess has historically been male-dominated. In the fictional world of The Queen’s Gambit, though, we get to see what it might have been like if a female chess prodigy had taken on the patriarchy during the heyday of second-wave feminism. That prodigy is played to pawn-pushing perfection by Anya Taylor-Joy, who gets to arguably demonstrate more diverse acting chops here than in higher-profile projects such as Furiosa and Last Night in Soho. She needs those skills, though, because the protagonist at the heart of The Queen’s Gambit must balance her fantastic chess skills while dealing with a series of personal problems, including substance addiction.
As someone who has a constant backlog of great shows to watch, I also appreciated this show for another reason: it’s remarkably short. At only seven episodes, The Queen’s Gambit is a great example of a short and sweet show that dazzled the world and then made like a good chess champion by retiring at the top of its game. That makes it the perfect show to watch when you get that urge to binge an entire season of something in a single weekend.
3
Squid Game
Release Year
2021
Seasons
3
Episodes
22
Status
Concluded
Squid Game isn’t just another great Netflix drama. Rather, it’s a breakout South Korean series that became a global hit because it tapped into our collective fascination with things like competitive gaming and reality television. In this show, we follow the drama of cash-strapped contestants who are competing in children’s games to bring home a major cash prize. The winner gets nearly $40 million; the losers die, though, thanks to the deadly nature of these modified games.
What I liked best about Squid Game is that it is a show that you can enjoy on multiple levels. If you want to appreciate the series’ cultural commentary (after all, its dystopian world often seems all too similar to our own), each episode provides new scenes to analyze with your friends and family. If you just want to see charismatic characters (including a lead played by the mesmerizing Lee Jung-jae) fight against incredible odds and die in insane ways, this show has you covered. Either way, it serves as a powerful reminder of why Netflix is still worth it in 2025.
Careful driving after watching this show, though, because you’ll never again look at red lights and green lights the same way!
2
Black Mirror
Release Year
2011
Seasons
7
Episodes
33
Status
Ongoing
Black Mirror is a drama where the name of the show serves as a grim promise to viewers. This is an anthology show in which each episode features different characters and stories, but they all have one thing in common: every narrative is designed as a dark reflection of modern society. As such, the episodes illustrate how everything from social media to the quest for viral fame is ruining humanity, one person (and one pitfall) at a time.
Perhaps the one downside of this show is that it is relentlessly bleak. Personally, I have to be in the right mood for these depressing stories, most of which end with an emotional gut punch severe enough to give a viewer nightmares. But if you are in the right mood and enjoy horror, get ready to binge Black Mirror, which remains one of the scariest shows ever made. Each season is short, but trust me, you’ll be thinking about these episodes long after your screen goes black.
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1
Breaking Bad
Release Year
2008
Seasons
5
Episodes
62
Status
Concluded
Breaking Bad is a show that instantly engrosses you with its premise: a science teacher is diagnosed with cancer, forcing him to team up with a former student to make and sell meth. By itself, this premise is designed to tug your heartstrings and make you sympathetic to Walter White, the underpaid teacher turned drug kingpin. Soon, though, the show goes in deeply unexpected directions, forcing you to reexamine the morality and motivations of your favorite characters.
Breaking Bad is a drama that has no bad episodes, and streaming this entire show is the best way to get the most from your Netflix subscription. Each episode serves up perfectly written characterization, and it’s extremely rewarding watching them grow and evolve (or, in some cases, devolve). Beyond the characterization, the show also offers fascinating meditations on everything from the corrupting effects of power to the failures of the American healthcare system. It’s never too high-brow to drop some hilariously quotable dialogue, mostly courtesy of Jesse Pinkman.
Nobody likes drama in real life, but all of us love to binge-watch a good television drama. Looking for a killer series that just happened to change TV forever? Luckily enough, your new favorite show is just a click away!
