The best Netflix shows of 2023, so far...

2023-06-01 21:49

Look, you work hard. You deserve a little TV. In fact, you deserve a lot

Look, you work hard. You deserve a little TV. In fact, you deserve a lot of TV! A whole weekend of TV, if you so desire. Lucky for you, 2023 has been a fantastic year for streaming television. And a whole lot of it is streaming on Netflix.

Whether you're into dark international thrillers or fluffy teen romcoms, Netflix has a new show for you. There's something for everyone in the wonderful world of streaming! So, in no particular order, here are the absolutely best Netflix original series of 2023. Go ahead‚ enjoy yourself!

1. Transatlantic

The year is 1940. France has been invaded by Germany, and all-out war is imminent. But hope remains at the Hotel Splendide in Marseille, where a scrappy, ambitious org called the Emergency Rescue Committee is corralling all its resources, legal and… not-so-legal, to evacuate artists, writers, and thinkers wanted by the Nazi Party. Led by Varian Fry (Cory Michael Smith), Mary Jayne Gold (Gillian Jacobs), and Albert Hirschman (Lucas Englander), the ERC refuses to abandon their mission, even as the stakes grow ever higher for them and their charges.

This stylish and captivating drama is based on a remarkable true story. The Emergency Rescue Committee helped find safe passage for Hannah Arendt, Max Ernst, Marcel Duchamp, Marc Chagall, and countless other dissenters wanted for the audacity of their ideas. Created by Anna Winger (Unorthodox) and Daniel Hendler, and adapted from Julie Orringer's original historical novel The Flight Portfolio, Transatlantic is an affecting and scenic mini-series with a sensational international cast.

How to watch: Transatlantic is now streaming on Netflix.

2. The Diplomat

One of Netflix's biggest hits of 2023, The Diplomat is a gripping political thriller with a dysfunctional marriage at its core. Keri Russell is Kate Wyler, a career diplomat who is unexpectedly appointed as the new U.S. ambassador to England after a British warship is attacked. Her husband (a magnetic Rufus Sewell) is a former ambassador with a splashy track record and an inability to keep his fingers out of the political pie. With the stakes growing higher each episode, the Wylers attempt to maintain peace, both globally and in their marriage.

The Diplomat is a riveting, refined drama that manages to make international diplomacy thrilling. The performances here are particularly skilled, with its characters each conveying multiple layers of meaning in a single glance. There's a reason why it's been at the top of streaming charts for weeks — plus, a second season is already in the works.

How to watch: The Diplomat is now streaming on Netflix.

3. Wellmania

Liv Healy (Celeste Barber) is a New York-based Australian food writer who doggedly sticks to her mantra: Seize the day. To Liv, that means partying and living large every second that she can. But when she collapses after a fast-paced weekend back in Sydney, she's forced to evaluate her health — or risk losing her American green card and getting trapped in Australia with her family but without her career. Based on the hybrid memoir by Brigid Delaney (who co-created the series with Benjamin Law), Wellmania is a smart, funny, super charming exploration of grief, wellness, and what it means to be okay. A lovely, complex, hilarious watch.

How to watch: Wellmania is now streaming on Netflix.

4. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, is a lavish, ebullient triumph, and further evidence that Shonda Rhimes just doesn't miss. Delving into the personal history of the tragic, impulsive, and steely queen we know and love from Bridgerton Seasons 1 and 2, we watch a young girl transform into a formidable monarch — and fall in love along the way. The costumes are sumptuous, the drama juicy, and the romance slow-burning. It checks all the boxes while still making space for a thread of sadness that lends gravitas and complexity to the entire Bridgerton world. An ambitious and beautiful show that fully earns its shining crown as Netflix's newest darling.

How to watch: Queen Charlotte is now streaming on Netflix.

5. You, Season 4

If you prefer the fictional to real-life serial killers, then maybe the ludicrously soapy stalker stylings of Penn Badgley's Joe Goldberg aka Will Bettelheim aka Jonathan Moore are more your jam? Dragging the relationship thrillers of ye olde Lifetime Network into the modern age, this series, based on Caroline Kepnes's books, has seen our tender-eyed, gorgeous-coiffed bookshop owner with the penchant for most diabolical murder somehow live to kill another and yet another day.

So, as Joe-now-Jonathan enters Season 4, he's ditched his past and hopped 'cross the pond to jolly old Londontown, where he's become a professor of English, when suddenly his new friends start dropping dead around him. Twist! The stalker becomes the stalkee! And toxic masculinity is again on the chopping block in a show that is somehow still finding ways to delight in prodding at our culture's most sensitive sex spots (even if Penn does frown upon that sort of thing in real life). * – Jason Adams, Freelance Entertainment Writer

How to watch: You is now streaming on Netflix.

6. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, Season 3

Who's up for some sloppy steaks!!! Easily the best and the most absurd sketch show to date, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson is a comedy show for the modern era. It thrives on awkwardness and heightens our most low-stakes anxieties to the extreme. SNL alums Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin write every sketch, which range from unruly focus groups and derailed office meetings to a hot dog truck crashing into a dinner party and a guy who's really, really into his patterned shirts. Tim Robinson's characters are loud, bombastic, and radiating with an aching rawness that endears them to you despite the fact that they're making a scene.

No matter where you think these sketches are going, you're wrong. They're both sophisticated and dumb, simple and surprising. It's no wonder this highly popular show is a comedy-lovers' darling. It's truly one-of-a-kind. * — K.G.

How to watch: I Think You Should Leave is now streaming on Netflix.

7. The Night Agent

Gripping, labyrinthine, and at times disarmingly sweet, Netflix's spy action-thriller series The Night Agent is an immediate hit. Gabriel Basso is Peter Sutherland, an FBI agent who mans a phone in the basement of the White House that never rings — until the one night that it does. In helping the person on the other end, Peter suddenly finds himself in the middle of a massive conspiracy, unsure of who he can trust. Based on Michael Quirk's novel of the same name, The Night Agent feels like Netflix's 24. It's a fast-paced, breathless suspense show with a few somewhat implausible plot points that you'll soon forgive because of its excellent and exhilarating action sequences. * — K.G.

How to watch: The Night Agent is now streaming on Netflix.

8. Sweet Tooth, Season 2

Love post-apocalyptic science fiction, but wish it could be a little bit cuter? Then Sweet Tooth is the show for you. At the same time that a pandemic wipes out a huge chunk of the population, human babies start randomly being born with various animal features (monkey tails, elephant trunks, you name it!). Humanity, unsurprisingly, does not respond well to these new hybrids, ostracizing and hunting them into hiding. Enter Gus (Christian Convery), a sweet little boy with deer antlers on a journey to find his mother, under the reluctant, begrudging care of Big Man (Nonso Anozie). Season 2 finds the duo separated and Gus in captivity with other adorable hybrid kids.

Sweet Tooth is both lovely and dark, with some twisted revelations beneath that childlike wonder that will leave you reeling. It's kind of like The Last of Us, but, you know… sweeter.

How to watch: Sweet Tooth is now streaming on Netflix.

9. Never Have I Ever

Created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, this smart, sweet coming-of-age story was among the most fulfilling new Netflix binges of 2020. Then, it came back and wowed us again, and again.

Lead Maitreyi Ramakrishnan will steal your heart as Devi, a high school sophomore reeling from the loss of her father — but with big plans for a future as vibrant and fearless as she. Culturally important as it is authentic, Never Have I Ever serves not only as a critical step for representation but also as a dreamy teen rom-com you'll adore. Season 4 lands on June 8th! — * Alison Foreman, Writer

How to watch: Never Have I Ever is now streaming on Netflix.

10. Cunk on Earth

A fantastically hilarious British mockumentary, Cunk on Earth takes aim at all self-serious docu-series with aplomb. Diane Morgan plays Philomena Cunk, an ignorant and profoundly stupid host investigating humanity's history by interviewing various real-life experts, much like a British version of Stephen Colbert's Colbert Report character. Her deadpan delivery is perfect as she asks baffled academics hard-hitting questions, such as "Were the pyramids built from the top-down or down-up?" Likewise, her narrative asides about how things probably sucked before modern technology are both delightfully vapid and surprisingly relatable. She is the worst of us, and we love her for it. A critical darling for good reason, Cunk on Earth is a breath of fresh air, guaranteed to leave you giggling.

How to watch: Cunk on Earth is now streaming on Netflix.

11. Aggretsuko, Season 5

For something a little different, look no further than Aggretsuko. Written and directed by Rarecho, Aggretsuko follows a small red panda, Retsuko, who is completely worn down by her 9-to-5 accounting job. Her only solace is her nightly trip to the karaoke bar to wail death metal – a truly shocking music choice for such a cute little critter.

Somehow, Aggretsuko comes to us from Sanrio, the same Japanese company that makes the obsessively cheery Hello Kitty characters. With that in mind, we can imagine little Retsuko as the older, rebellious cousin at the Sanrio get-togethers, continually annoyed with the chipper crowd around her — something we can all relate to .* — K.G.

How to watch: Aggretsuko is now streaming on Netflix.

12. The Law According to Lidia Poët

Credit: Lucia Iuorio/Netflix

This stylish, sophisticated, and sometimes sexy Italian series takes its inspiration from the very real life of Lidia Poët, Italy's first female lawyer. In 19th century Turin, Lidia (Matilda de Angelis) has earned all the qualifications required to practice law, but she's been barred from doing so because she's a woman. She resorts to assisting her brother Enrico (Pier Luigi Pasino) on his cases, all while secretly appealing the court's decision, determined to practice law on her own merit. The Law According to Lidia Poët is an accomplished, energetic mystery show — sort of a more grown-up Enola Holmes — that's packed with charismatic characters and a stunning Italian backdrop.

How to watch: The Law According to Lidia Poët is now streaming on Netflix.

13. The Nurse

Pernille Larsen (Fanny Louise Bernth) is fresh out of nursing school and excited to start her career. She looks up to the nurse she's assigned to shadow, the cool and competent Christina Hansen (Josephine Park). But when patients start dying, Pernille begins to suspect her friend might not be the savior she first appeared to be. Based on a true story of a Danish health care worker who murdered patients, much like the New Jersey case which inspired the Netflix movie The Good Nurse, The Nurse is an excellent series that challenges preconceived expectations about what a serial killer looks and acts like.

How to watch: The Nurse is streaming on Netflix.

14. Beef

Amy Lau (Ali Wong) and Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) both spend a lot of energy taking shit from other people, so when the two strangers almost get into a car accident in the parking lot, something snaps in both of them. They're not letting this one go. Beef is a dark, dark comedy about an escalating series of acts of revenge. And as the characters try hard to mess with the other's life, they end up learning more about each other in the process. It's a provocative, daring social satire that's unlike anything else out there.

How to watch: Beef is streaming on Netflix.

15. XO, Kitty

Sometimes you just want to watch teens fall in love, and XO, Kitty — a spin-off of To All The Boys I've Loved Before — delivers in spades. Lana already has her match; now it's her younger sister Kitty's turn.

Tired of the inconvenience of a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend Dae (Minyoung Choi), Kitty (an exuberant Anna Cathcart) gets herself a year's scholarship to his boarding school in Korea. Here's hoping her perfectly planned romantic surprise goes exactly how she dreams it will, without any external complications whatsoever!!! With a boppy K-pop soundtrack, an endless series of juicy, if somewhat convoluted, plot twists, and a bright, cheerful vibe, XO, Kitty is the perfect kind of fun summer fluff.

How to watch: XO, Kitty is streaming on Netflix.

16. Shadow and Bone, Season 2

Season 2 of Shadow and Bone picks up right where the wildly popular first season left off: The Darkling (Ben Barnes in a dream-cast role) has just used Alina Starkov's mythical Sun Summoner powers to expand the Fold, a sea of darkness he uses to keep the nations divided. Alina (Jessie Mei Li) was able to escape his clutches with the help of her longtime love, Mal (Archie Renaux), and now the pair is on the run. Are they finally safe from the Darkling's wicked machinations? Or do Alina's recurring nightmares herald an impending calamity? Based on Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse series, Shadow and Bone is an epic and soapy fantasy that's hard to stop watching once you start!

How to watch: Shadow and Bone is streaming on Netflix.

17. Freeridge

Credit: Netflix

Gloria and Ines do not get along. The two sisters are on the verge of getting kicked out of school because they can't stop fist-fighting each other in the lunchroom. But when they find themselves in possession of an item that may or may not be cursed, they'll have to put aside their differences to avoid unleashing doom on their family. A spinoff of On My Block, Freeridge is a brash and fearless teen comedy from Lauren Iungerich (Awkward). The characters are loud and unapologetic, led by the fantastic Keyla Monterroso Mejia (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Abbott Elementary). If you don't like shows where the characters do a lot of bickering, then this one is not for you.

How to watch: Freeridge is streaming on Netflix.

18. Lockwood & Co.

Based on the popular YA fantasy novels of the same name by Jonathan Stroud, Lockwood & Co. is a moody, supernatural teen mysteries series. In an alternate history, dangerous ghosts started appearing sometime in the '80s, and only children can see them. That means in this dark and dangerous world, the best (and only) ghost hunters are teenagers. Enter Lucy Carlyle, Anthony Lockwood, and George Karim — three misfits struggling with past traumas who start their own ghost-hunting agency and end up stumbling into a few conspiracies along the way. This is a spooky, atmospheric, and addicting show that will keep you guessing — and also leaving the lights on at night! * — K.G.

How to watch: Lockwood & Co. is streaming on Netflix.

19. Love is Blind, Season 4

What can we say? As far as dating reality shows go, this one has found a way to continue intriguing, several years in. Piling a bunch of desirables into individual "dating pods" and forcing them to have extensive and deeply intimate conversations with one another, sight unseen, remains hypnotic stuff — as do all of the reveals that come later once the couples-to-be are confronted with their choices. Even as the format has hardened into one we've become familiar with, after four full seasons and side-events like "After the Altar," there's something irresistibly voyeuristic in it that refuses to lose its juice. It's the sweetest spot for reality television. * – J.A.

How to watch: Love is Blind is now streaming on Netflix.

20. Copenhagen Cowboy

You're either all in or you're not when it comes to the slow-cinema hallucinations of Drive filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn at this point, after movies like Only God Forgives and his Amazon Prime series Too Old To Die Young have pushed his stylistic excesses to new extremes. Until David Lynch makes a new season of Twin Peaks, these six hours of neon Danish dreaming – about a young woman named Miu (newcomer Angela Bundalovic) who gives off good luck and finds herself enslaved for it – are the trippiest, ballsiest, most-cinematic minutes currently uploaded onto our TV screens.

My recommendation: Turn off all the lights, sink into your couch, and let Refn carry you off into this fresh, weird world of silent assassins and sex-worker tableaus and that old guy from Triangle of Sadness and so, so, so many pigs. There is absolutely nothing else like it out there. * – J.A.

How to watch: Copenhagen Cowboy is streaming on Netflix.

21. Ginny & Georgia

Taylor Swift's least favorite show about a dysfunctional mother-daughter duo, Ginny & Georgia, is back for another insane season!!! Brianne Howey is Georgia, the magnetic and impulsive 30-year-old mother of teenage Ginny (Antonia Gentry), who is quiet and serious. (There's a younger brother too, but he's not in the title so we don't care about him.) It's like Gilmore Girls, if the Gilmore Girls writers swore a solemn vow to never reject a pitch, no matter how unreasonable. What starts as a soapy family drama quickly expands to include motorcycle gangs, identity theft, fraud, murder, and more! Anything is possible in Ginny & Georgia, and Season 2 is no exception. Beautiful, perfect nonsense. There's nothing like it.

How to watch: Ginny & Georgia is streaming on Netflix.