10 best shows to binge-watch on Netflix

Let’s face it: Binge-watching TV is the norm now. We no longer question whether we should binge a show all in one sitting. We just wonder what show we should tear through next.

To answer that question, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 best shows on Netflix that you can binge-watch right now. Ranging from multi-season comedies to miniseries you can sink your teeth into, these shows are sure to be your next binge-worthy obsessions.

Here, in no particular order, are the 10 best shows to binge-watch on Netflix.

1. Russian Doll

Credit: courtesy of netflix

Russian Doll gets as close to a perfect Netflix binge watch as possible.

It’s short, with eight 30-minute episodes forming its first season. It’s bold, covering themes of mortality, trauma, and human connection against the backdrop of New York’s East Village. And it’s flat-out hilarious to boot. Natasha Lyonne co-created and starred as Nadia, a woman who becomes trapped in a time loop after dying on her 36th birthday. Nadia’s Groundhog Day–esque adventure becomes increasingly complex as the series progresses and she races against the loop to discover why she can’t stop dying — and what her loop has to do with Alan, an alleged stranger who’s experiencing the exact same cycle. — Alexis Nedd, Senior Entertainment Reporter (*)

How to watch: Russian Doll is now streaming on Netflix.

2. Schitt’s Creek

Schitt’s Creek takes a premise that could easily have been mean-spirited – prissy rich family struggles to live in a small town – and turns it into of the funniest, most heartfelt shows of recent years. Throughout its 6 highly bingeable seasons, this Emmy-award winning comedy invites you to fall in love with the Rose family and the titular town’s residents. Sure, these characters butt heads, but the care they develop for each other over time will have you laughing and crying all at once. Schitt’s Creek is worth a watch thanks to Catherine O’Hara’s accent and outfits alone, but there’s so much more to love where that came from. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Fellow

How to watch: Schitt’s Creek is now streaming on Netflix.

3. The Great British Baking Show

Credit: netflix

Few cooking competitions are as comforting – or as compulsively watchable – as The Great British Baking Show, which is full of challenging bakes, lovable contestants, and so, so many innuendos. What really makes The Great British Baking Show special are the contestants, who are all gifted amateur bakers. Once you see the kinds of elaborate concoctions they’re able to whip up, you’ll be tearing through season after season, rooting for everyone you see and marveling at their scrumptious works. It won’t be long before you’re jumping to put on an apron and get baking yourself. Just be sure to avoid the dreaded soggy bottoms. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Fellow (*)

How to watch: The Great British Baking Show is now streaming on Netflix.

4. Avatar: The Last Airbender

Haven’t seen Avatar: The Last Airbender yet? Consider this a sign to binge it immediately. Avatar is an absolute banger of a series, with enough jaw-dropping fight scenes, memorable characters, and meme-able moments to satisfy all your TV needs. I dare you not to fall in love with Aang and his friends, or sympathize with Zuko, or recite the show’s iconic opening every time you watch a new episode.

On top of all its awesomeness, Avatar is full of solid life lessons and sage advice, mostly coming from World’s Best TV Father Figure Uncle Iroh. You’ll feel just as comforted watching this show as you’ll feel floored by its epic storyline. And once you’re done bingeing Avatar, check out its sequel series The Legend of Korra (another absolute banger), also streaming on Netflix. — B.E.

How to watch: Avatar: The Last Airbender is now streaming on Netflix.

5. Sweet Tooth

Credit: COURTESY OF NETFLIX

Sweet Tooth was a surprisingly fantastical addition to Netflix’s 2021 lineup, and its big bet on childlike wonder paid off in spades. Even though its setting takes place after a deadly virus has decimated the human population and caused the collapse of civilization (yikes), Sweet Tooth is more of fairy tale told from the perspective of one of the other side effects of the apocalypse — a human-deer hybrid named Gus whose father sheltered him from the worst of the world until shelter became untenable. Gus’s journey through the world he barely knew existed is a beautiful coming-of-age story with a talented supporting cast and a flawless cute-to-concerning ratio. — A.N. (*)

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

6. Friday Night Lights

A common misconception in shows about sports is that you have to be interested in that sport to be interested in the show. This could not be less true, especially in the case of Friday Night Lights. Based on the movie that was based on the book of the same name, FNL is on its surface the story of a high school football team in Texas, but it’s actually the story of a community, of all the individual triumphs and systemic failures that add up to the crazy little thing we call life. Come to cry at Coach Taylor’s epic pre-game speeches, root for the weaponized himbo Tim Riggins, or just marvel at the perfection that is Mrs. Coach’s hair — all reactions are valid to the emotional glory that is Friday Night Lights. — A.N. (*)

How to watch: Friday Night Lights is now streaming on Netflix.

7. Derry Girls

Set against the tumultuous Northern Ireland conflict of the late ’90s, this coming-of-age tale is surprisingly hysterical. Centered on four Catholic school girls and one English bloke named James, Derry Girls is a sitcom in the truest sense of the genre, finding humor in a reality rife with conflict and fear. What’s more, the series paints a moving portrait of friendship untethered by time or place, making it a standout representation of camaraderie and growth. — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter (*)

How to watch: Derry Girls is now streaming on Netflix.

8. Never Have I Ever

Credit: ISABELLA B. VOSMIKOVA/NETFLIX

Coming-of-age comedies are a dime a dozen, but we’ve never seen one quite like Never Have I Ever. For starters, it’s the rare high school show with an Indian-American girl as its protagonist (Devi, played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan). For another, it’s narrated by tennis legend John McEnroe, of all freaking people. For yet another, underneath all the uproariously teen hijinks, it turns out to be a sensitive exploration of guilt and grief. We laughed, we cried, we came around on poor little rich boy Ben, we wondered if Devi was kind of a terrible person (she is!), and we loved her all the more for it. — Angie Han, Deputy Entertainment Editor (*)

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

9. The Good Place

If you haven’t seen Mike Schur’s captivating tale of life after death, then you’re in for a mother forking good time. Starring Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, Jameela Jamil, D’Arcy Carden, Manny Jacinto, and William Jackson Harper, the series takes a hard look at what it means to be a good person through the best comedic lens since The Office.

As any true Good Place fan knows, you can’t detail the events of this series without risking giving something away. So, you’re gonna have to trust us. Get through the first episode, and we promise you’ll be hooked. — A.F. (*)

How to watch: The Good Place is now streaming on Netflix.

10. The Queen’s Gambit

Credit: CHARLIE GRAY/NETFLIX

Based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, this Netflix period drama follows chess prodigy Beth Harmon as she gradually rises to the top of her game while fighting off loneliness and addiction.

Anya Taylor-Joy’s performance as Beth is intoxicating. There is a subtlety to the way she displays her emotions that fully absorbs viewers in each of her successes and failures. This makes the series’ triumphant conclusion all the more satisfying. While the story is riveting, it is also painfully pretty. Our heroine competes in dazzling locations across the world while wearing lovely period costumes and rocking perfect eyeliner. Brilliant female lead and swoon-worthy aesthetics? Check and check. —Brooke Bajgrowicz, Entertainment Fellow (*)

How to watch: The Queen’s Gambit is now streaming on Netflix.

Asterisks (*) indicate the entry comes from another Mashable streaming list.