From the Squid Game phenomenon to the historic Stranger Things via Queen The Crown, but also Sandman, Hill House or Lupin…
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 Bridgerton or Squid Game, the network’s catalog is full of exciting works to see or revisit. Here is our ranking of the best original series or mini-series made in Netflix .
DETOX (2022)
Tiphaine Daviot bursts the screen, wacky and joyful, in this sympathetic rom’com’ in the surprising second degree. A perfect successor to Plan Cour , which follows the story of two cousins ​​and roommates, who decide to cut themselves off from the networks and the cell phone, to put their lives back in place. Funny and endearing.. Current status: Season 2 has not yet been ordered.
SQUID GAME (2021)
It’s the biggest phenomenon in Netflix history. To the point of becoming the most viewed series in the annals of the platform, with 111 million homes reached in 28 days. However, on paper, this shocking South Korean series which took more than ten years to see the light of day did not seem predestined for such success. But his uncompromising ultra-violence, his acerbic criticism of capitalist society and his advocacy against the widening of inequalities between the richest and the poorest have spoken to a large number of subscribers in the four corners of the world. Current status : Season 2 is ordered, but not for now.
FUNNY (2022)
The creator of Dix pour cent , Fanny Herrero, signs the latest French series on the platform. A tender and sincere social comedy, which paints the portrait of young stand-up artists in search of success. Mariama Gueye, Younes Boucif, Elsa Guedj and Jean Siuen shine at the back of the cellar. A surprisingly explosive quartet. Funny endearing. Hilariously rewarding. Current status : Season 2 will not take place, the series has been cancelled.
13 REASONS WHY (2017)
Doing a series on the suicide of a high school girl, produced by Selena Gomez … the project was a headache. And yet, screenwriter Brian Yorkey did an excellent job of adapting Jay Asher ‘s book . The tragic, but never tearful story of Hannah Baker simply moved the entire planet last year. Thanks to a stunning young cast ( Dylan Minnette and Katherine Langford in particular), 13 Reasons Why has managed to go beyond simple buzz, to get people talking about a particularly sensitive subject: that of school bullying and teenage suicide. Actual status : season 4 aired in June 2020 was the last of the series.
UMBRELLA ACADEMY (2019)
Much more than just a series of superheroes! The adaptation of Gabriel Ba and Gerard Way gives an endearing, fascinating family drama, which turns at times into a series of pure and hard science fiction – until its breathtaking finale – playing with the gimmicks of time travel , the famous “butterfly effect”, and reveals before our amazed eyes a whole fantastic world, which does justice to the delicious extravagance of comics. Netflix has put the means to make this new super-series a real phenomenon of the small screen. Current status : Season 3 aired in June 2022. A season 4 is already planned and it will be the last.
LUPIN (2020)
Netflix intelligently modernizes the myth of Arsene Lupin with an imperial Omar Sy as a gentleman burglar obsessed with his thirst for revenge. A series that transforms Maurice Leblanc’s literary monument into a contemporary blockbuster. Directed by Louis Leterrier ( Insaisissables ), the French mini-series offers impeccably executed action scenes, fast-paced dialogue and stylish staging, which have made this modern-day Lupine a huge worldwide hit. Current status : Season 2 is already ordered. It is expected for 2022.
UNBELIVABLE (2019)
The word of the victims of rape given to the first with this transposition of a real news item, absolutely chilling. Sometimes clinical and cold, sometimes deeply human, the series has the intelligence to show the disastrous consequences of victim blaming through a relentless suspense machine, thus never depriving the viewer of the thrill of the true crime that he initially came for. Toni Collette and Merritt Wever play two perfect investigators. Current status : This is a mini-series with no sequel.
BIG MOUTH (2017)
This initiatory comedy is certainly one of the streamer’s rawest series. Trash, in a way, and sometimes even a little awkward to watch. But always sincerely honest. Even in its most politically incorrect jokes, Big Mouth constantly seeks to show the truth of puberty. Without filter. This gives a completely crazy, totally jubilant adolescent cartoon. And disconcerting too. Current status : Season 6 will be released in October 2022. Season 7 has already been ordered.
THE OA (2016)
Netflix released this incredible kidnapping series, directed by Britt Marling , without warning . Result: she stuck the whole world for months! A slightly crazy story, between drama, thriller, and fantastic dream. Will you be able to reproduce Prairie Johnson’s already cult choreography? Current status : Season 2 was released in March 2019 but the series is canceled and will not have a season 3.
THE BRIDGERTON (2020)
With a penchant for Gossip Girl in very assumed silk stockings, the first Netflix series produced by Shonda Rhimes is a success. A refreshing and ingenious historical romance, like its Austenian heroine, who has fun with a joyful modernity, dusting off the English kingdom of the 19th century, while playing a little jubilant Downton Abbey side. A pure blue flower drama, alternating between comedy of manners and fairy tales, which has become the biggest series in Netflix history… Current status : season 2 has finished filming and will be released in late 2022 or early 2023.
THE KOMINSKY METHOD (2018)
When Michael Douglas returns to television, 40 years after The streets of San Fransisco , it is not to do things by halves. His Kominsky Method , created by Chuck Lorre ( The Big Bang Theory ) won the Golden Globe for Best Comedy last January and offered him the Golden Globe for Best Actor as a bonus! It must be said that the series – also worn by the excellent Alan Arkin– talks wonderfully about old age, as rarely on television, through this touching, endearing, and intelligent Hollywood bromance. We happily follow the tribulations of this duo of tired, worn-out and disoriented Californian octogenarians, who chain the valves on the prostate, impotence and the fear of dying, without forgetting to save space for the background. Current status : the final season 3 was released in 2021, the series is over.
TROLL HUNTERS (2016)
The fantastic delusions of Guillermo del Toro adapt admirably well to the animated format. The first season of Trollhunters was one of the very nice surprises at the end of 2016 and season 2, released at the end of 2017, confirmed the great promises, opening up to an extended universe of Aliens and Magicians. A classic story, certainly, but carried by an exhilarating mythology, characters that are too cool and by a luminous animation (thank you Dreamworks studios). A pure pleasure of geeks, without age limit. Current status : Wizards , the final chapter in the Tales of Arcadia saga , was followed in the summer of 2021 by a major concluding film: Rise of the Titans .
THE WITCHER (2019)
Dantesque means to make beautiful spectacular fantasy. Netflix did not skimp to adapt the novels and the famous video game. Clashing swords, magic on every level, larger than life monsters, Kingdoms that hate each other… Pure entertainment that manages to engage the viewer, in a classic style, with the air of an old tale “fantasy” of yesteryear. Current Status : Season 2 was released on December 21, 2021. Season 3 has wrapped filming.
MANIAC (2018)
Netflix has assembled an incredible cast, with Jonah Hill and Emma Stone , who play two suffering beings, bound by fate, in the midst of clinical experimentation. A gripping and surprising concept, signed Cary Fukunaga (from True Detective ). Maniac is going crescendo through the genres and trying something totally new in the landscape of the series. A success. Current status: the mini-series has 10 episodes, released on September 21, 2018. No season 2 planned.
CHECKERS GAME (2020)
Such a global phenomenon that sales of chess sets exploded in the fall of 2020! This exciting mini-series is a very nice piece of history, on the place of women in the 1950s and on… chess! The magnetic performance of Anya Taylor-Joy has a lot to do with the success of this Dames game . Beth Harmon’s exploits are very quickly intoxicating. In a carefully recreated 50’s atmosphere, she unfolds her story of genius, with an almost disconcerting affability and moves her pawns where they are not necessarily expected, thus managing to make us lower our guard. Current status : it’s a finished mini-series that won’t have a sequel.
DARK (2017)
For its first original creation in German, the platform was strong. With this mind-blowing labyrinthine thriller, she takes us on a unique journey through time, between 1953, 1986 and 2019. So who is where? And especially who is when? The puzzle never stops turning heads, but the pieces end up being put back in the right order in a stunning final chapter, which manages to meet all expectations. A tour de force, given the complexity of the thing… Current status : season 3 broadcast in June 2020 was the last.
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (2013)
She is one of the pioneers in the vast universe of Netflix creations. This feminist and carceral series, launched in the summer of 2013, quickly became a social phenomenon, even if it lost its aura from year to year. From one season to another, the level is uneven, but the show of Jenji Kohan keeps a special place in the hearts of subscribers. Current status: Season 8 released in the summer of 2019 was the last.
SANDMAN (2022)
The impossible adaptation of Neil Gaiman is successful and in itself, it’s already a dream come true… Extremely faithful to the comics, following the plots box after box, the series replays certain sequences up to the bubble, and all those who know nothing about the Sandman universe will discover a world meticulously imagined by Gaiman, a mythology that devours itself with frenzy. Aesthetically pleasing, it is a lush, thorny take on the chaos and magic that permeate our dreams as much as our world. Impossible not to let yourself be sucked into this dreamlike epic embodied by the strange performance of Tom Sturridge, perfect Morpheus. Current status : Season 1 was released this summer and Season 2 has not yet been ordered.
MASTER OF NONE (2015)
Aziz Ansari won the Best Actor Golden Globe for his role as Dev Shah, two years after winning Best Comedy (with Season 1). Proof that this social farce has really excited. Carried by rave reviews, this touching story telling the chaotic life of a second-class actor, in the Big Apple, has managed to find a place among the best series of the moment, thanks to a sharp pen and sensitive themes, approached with exquisite tact. Current status: The final season 3 was released in May 2021. The series has ended.
SENSE8 (2015)
Huge surprise of the summer of 2015, the Wachowski series has become a worldwide phenomenon. A totally unique sensory tale, with surprising mythology, and beautifully mastered. We quickly became attached to these 8 characters suddenly connected on the intellectual, emotional and even sexual levels! Especially since Sense8 conveys a message of love, compassion and solidarity that feels good. Fans of the series now number in the millions, and were treated to a proper, well-deserved conclusion. Current status: The series ended with a final two-hour TV movie, released in June 2018.
HOUSE OF CARDS (2013)
Beau Willimon ‘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, centered on Claire Underwood ( Robin Wright ). Current status: The season 6 finale, which spans only 8 episodes, was released in 2018.
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.
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.
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.
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 humour, 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.
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 centering 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.
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.
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 Crains, 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.
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…
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.