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Throughout 2024, Netflix showcased a variety of new hits and beloved favorites that captivated audiences. From award-winning shows like Baby Reindeer to thrilling adaptations like Ripley, the streaming platform delivered a diverse range of content. Shows like KAOS and Arcane Season 2 provided viewers with unique and engaging storytelling, while Heartstopper Season 3 continued to impress fans with its growth and development.
Top Netflix Shows of 2024
22. Dead Boy Detectives
Based on the comic book series by Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner, Dead Boy Detectives follows the story of two teenage ghosts who solve crimes. Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland, along with their psychic friend Crystal Palace and neighbor Niko Sasaki, navigate supernatural mysteries while facing their own personal challenges. Despite its cancellation after Season 1, the series offers a blend of teen drama, gallows humor, and supernatural elements that entertain viewers.
How to watch: Dead Boy Detectives is available for streaming on Netflix.
21. Bridgerton, Season 3
In its third season, Bridgerton explores the romance between Penelope and Colin, delivering a slow-burn love story that captivates fans. Nicola Coughlan’s performance shines in this season, despite some mixed plotlines and character arcs. The series continues to offer engaging drama and comedic moments that make it a worthwhile watch.
How to watch: Bridgerton Season 3 is now streaming on Netflix.
20. Avatar: The Last Airbender
Following the mixed reception of the live-action movie adaptation, Netflix’s reboot of Avatar: The Last Airbender presents a new take on the beloved animated series. While the series has its highs and lows, it introduces fresh interpretations of the original characters and storylines. Fans can expect thrilling action sequences and a reimagined world that adds depth to the narrative.
How to watch: Avatar: The Last Airbender is available for streaming on Netflix.
If you enjoy tales of passion and crime, you should definitely check out “The Law According to Lidia Poët.” This Netflix series is a captivating period piece that follows a determined heroine, Lidia Poët, who solves homicide cases during the day and enjoys a romantic relationship at night. Lidia is a certified lawyer in late 19th-century Turin, a rare position for a woman at that time. She utilizes innovative detective techniques like fingerprint analysis and lie detector tests to assist her clients, all while facing injustice, misogyny, and gender norms. Despite the historical setting, the show is far from quaint, featuring explicit language, gruesome discoveries, and even full-frontal male nudity.
### 17. The Brothers Sun
Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh stars in “The Brothers Sun,” a compelling blend of family drama, crime thriller, and comedy. The story follows two brothers, Charles and Bruce, who must unite to protect their family from enemies. With impressive fight scenes, insightful reflections on immigrant experiences, and unexpected moments of humor, this action-packed series is a must-watch.
### 16. The Diplomat, Season 2
“The Diplomat” Season 2, created by Debora Cahn, continues the thrilling political drama from the first season. Keri Russell shines as U.S. ambassador Kate Wyler, who navigates a government conspiracy while dealing with personal and professional challenges. The stellar cast, including Allison Janney, delivers captivating performances in this intense and gripping series.
### How to watch:
“The Diplomat” Season 2 is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
Overall, these series offer a diverse range of genres and themes, providing viewers with engaging and entertaining stories to enjoy.
Netflix’s Nobody Wants This filled the rom-com shaped hole in our lives as we descended into cuffing season. The show tells the story of an unusual pairing: Noah (Adam Brody) a “hot rabbi” who meets Joanne (Kristen Bell), an agnostic sex and dating podcaster. In a break with typical rom-com tropes, Noah is the beguilingly unproblematic and validating partner that rarely makes an appearance on our screens. In one particular scene, Noah tells a spiraling Joanne: “I’m on your side. I can handle you.”
Another refreshing detail: The fact the characters are a little bit older than your average rom-com protagonists. Brody and Bell are both 44 years old, and it’s clear their characters are navigating dating post-35. Given that people are getting married later in life and that dating in your late 30s is the norm, it’s jarring that most rom-coms focus on twentysomething characters. As a 36-year-old singleton, this show was refreshing and relatable. Bring on Season 2! — Rachel Thompson, Features Editor
How to watch: Nobody Wants This is now streaming on Netflix.
12. 3 Body Problem
Sometimes you want a light comedy; other times, you want to lean into potentially world-ending existential terror. The latter is firmly on offer in 3 Body Problem, a sci-fi epic based on Cixin Liu’s trilogy and brought to the screen by Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and The Terror‘s Alexander Woo. The series tells the story of an alien race called the San-Ti, who have been forced to leave their home planet and are several hundred years away from landing on their new home: Earth. 3 Body Problem is impressive because it asks some pretty big questions of the universe while also creating a very human story about how people might react when faced with possible future extinction. Oh, and there are some sequences that will never leave your head — hello, episode 5. — Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor
How to watch: 3 Body Problem is now streaming on Netflix.
11. The Decameron
This Netflix offering doesn’t feel like the result of appeasing some almighty algorithm. It feels like Mad Libs, in the best way possible: Based on 14th-century Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio’s collection of short stories, The Decameron is a dark comedy about sex, lies, class conflict, and the Plague — starring your favorites from Girls, Derry Girls, Veep, and Sex Education.
A silly soap opera set in a remote yet opulent Italian villa during the Black Death, The Decameron welcomes audiences into the bizarre games of the wealthy, the sly subterfuge of their servants, and all the hypocritical horniness you can fit into a limited series. There’s plenty to marvel at in this deeply binge-worthy show: Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Zosia Mamet as funny and fierce frenemies; gnarly twists; Amar Chadha-Patel as a sexy, often shirtless love interest; shocking trysts; and Tony Hale, funny as always, and also brazenly hot as a butler who’s had enough of rich people nonsense. Come for the cast, stay for the schadenfreude! — K.P.
How to watch: The Decameron is now streaming on Netflix.
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7. A Man on the Inside
A Man on the Inside reunites The Good Place creator Mike Schur with star Ted Danson. And wouldn’t you know it, this comedy is just as likely to make you laugh and pull at your heartstrings as their first team-up.
Based on the 2020 documentary The Mole Agent, A Man on the Inside follows retired professor Charles (Danson) as he teams up with private investigator Julie (Lilah Richcreek Estrada). His mission? To go undercover at a retirement home and recover stolen jewelry. Of course, hijinks are soon to follow, as Charles bumbles through the challenges of using spy equipment and assimilating into the home’s clique-y community. However, it’s not long before Charles finds himself opening up to the people around him, leading to the real heart of A Man on the Inside: its deeply affecting portrayal of aging. Throughout the first season, characters reckon with distant family members, dementia, and losing their friends, and Schur and A Man on the Inside‘s stellar ensemble — which also includes Stephanie Beatriz, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Sally Struthers — ensure that these difficult stories are given the space and gravity they deserve. With its sweetness, sensitivity, and a steady flow of great gags, we can chalk A Man on the Inside up as another win for Schur and Danson. — B.E.
How to watch: A Man on the Inside premieres Nov. 21 on Netflix.
6. One Day
In February, we did a whole lot of TV-induced crying, as Netflix’s One Day broke our damn hearts. An ambitious, romantic, and fresh adaptation of David Nicholls’ novel, this impeccable, slow-burn series gave the story more room to breathe than Lone Scherfig’s 2011 film. Following students Emma and Dex (magnetic, lived-in performances by Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall) across decades of their complex friendship, One Day makes a cinematic epic of long-game love while unpacking the politics of privilege in relationships. Even hearing the name of the series will induce starry-eyed looks into the horizon and a palm to the heart. — S.C.
How to watch: One Day is now streaming on Netflix.
5. Girls5eva, Season 3
If you’re looking for a pop culture-savvy sitcom to fill the 30 Rock and The Other Two–shaped hole in your heart, look no further than Girls5eva. Canceled by Peacock after two (great) seasons, Girls5eva moved to Netflix for a stellar Season 3 in which our titular girl group hits the road on tour. The quartet of Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Paula Pell, and Busy Philipps has never been better; the jokes have never flown faster; and the songs are catchy as ever. “Sweet’N Low Daddy”? “Returnity”? “Tap Into Your (Fort) Worth”? All bangers! So, Netflix, please do us a favor and give us more of Girls5eva. To borrow a turn of phrase from our girls, three seasons is just three short. — B.E.
How to watch: Girls5eva Season 3 is now streaming on Netflix.
4. Boy Swallows Universe
A dark but genuinely funny tale of suburban crime brimming with magical realism, the Netflix adaptation of Trent Dalton’s novel Boy Swallows Universe is one of 2024’s unsung heroes — much like its pint-sized protagonist, 13-year-old Eli Bell (played by outstandingly talented youngster Felix Cameron). Chock-full of ’80s Australiana, the series is set in the working-class Brisbane suburb of Darra, where Eli navigates school bullies and a turbulent family life as well as he handles hard-edged criminals with his imaginative brother Gus (Lee Tiger Halley). It’s a heartfelt, unsettling, and hilarious journey through young adolescence, the reality of addiction, and brutal crime, with a killer Aussie soundtrack.* — S.C.
How to watch: Boy Swallows Universe is now streaming on Netflix.
3. Arcane, Season 2
2024 blessed us with the return of high-profile fantasy series like House of the Dragon and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, but it’s Arcane Season 2 that wins this year’s fantasy crown.
Netflix’s League of Legends–based series returns viewers to the feuding cities of Piltover and Zaun, where estranged sisters Vi (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx (voiced by Ella Purnell) are caught in the middle of the conflict. The second season of Arcane delivers a brutal examination of how war can push individuals to their limits, showcasing the devastating consequences of well-intentioned actions. The season takes a bolder and weirder approach, maintaining its emotional depth throughout. One of the most poignant arcs involves the resurrection of Vander (JB Blanc) as the monstrous wolf hybrid Warwick, offering a chance for Jinx and Vi to reunite their fractured family. Additionally, Viktor (voiced by Harry Lloyd) and his Hextech commune explore themes of transhumanism in a thought-provoking and unsettling manner. The stunning animation by Fortiche Productions brings these nuanced storylines to life, establishing Arcane as one of the most ambitious and visually striking series of the year. — B.E.
How to watch: Arcane Season 2 is now available for streaming on Netflix.
Ripley
Andrew Scott captivated TV audiences with his performances as Moriarty in Sherlock and the Priest in Fleabag. In Ripley, he takes on a different role, portraying Thomas Ripley in this drama miniseries adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr. Ripley. The series, created by Steven Zaillian, immerses viewers in Ripley’s world as an American social climber turned con man and killer. As Ripley embarks on a journey to Italy to reclaim an industrialist’s heir, he is exposed to a world of privilege, art, and opportunities linked to wealth and social status. The slow-burn storytelling allows audiences to savor Highsmith’s tale of jealousy, deception, and murder, creating an experience akin to a captivating holiday that lingers in the mind and heart. — K.P.
How to watch: Ripley is now available for streaming on Netflix.
Baby Reindeer
Baby Reindeer is a memorable show that combines humor, tension, and emotional impact. Based on Richard Gadd’s personal experience of being stalked, the series follows the comedian (portrayed by himself) as he navigates career challenges and a troubling obsession with a woman named Martha (played brilliantly by Jessica Gunning). This show leaves a lasting impression, evoking a mix of emotions and thoughts that persist long after watching. — S.H.
How to watch: Baby Reindeer is now available for streaming on Netflix.
(*) denotes that this blurb has been modified from a different list.
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