Considering that 2024 began on the heels of an actors and writers strike, it’s amazing that Netflix still put out as many originals as it did this year. Many of this year’s new series also dominated our picks for the 10 best Netflix shows of 2024, but there were two returning favorites that earned their place on this list. Looking ahead at 2025, with returning shows including Stranger Things and The Witcher, the veteran series could have a much bigger presence on this list a year from now.
For now, it’s time to look back at the year that was. Most of the shows we picked blended comedy and drama together to the point where the series can’t be easily defined. There were also two animated shows that ranked on our list because they were better than many of Netflix’s live-action offerings. Among subscribers, there probably aren’t too many surprises here, even if our placement doesn’t match up with your own. But if you want to experience the best of what Netflix had to offer in 2024, these are the shows to watch.
We’ve also rounded up all the best new shows to stream this week, the best movies on Netflix, the best shows on Hulu, the best shows on Amazon Prime, and the best shows on Disney+ because we take our streaming seriously. Watching while traveling abroad? Use a Netflix VPN to access your country’s catalog from anywhere in the world.
10. Baby Reindeer
In the early part of 2024, Baby Reindeer was the buzziest Netflix original of the year. It also quickly became the most overrated show on the streamer. Richard Gadd created and starred in the series, which he said was based on a real-life incident. Gadd played Donny Dunn, a struggling comedian and part-time bartender who showed some kindness to a woman, Martha Scott (Jessica Gunning). Martha subsequently becomes obsessed with Donny and relentlessly stalks him.
Donny kind of brings a lot of that on himself when he initially stalks Martha in return, but she takes it to a much darker place that forces him to seek help from the law. Even at only seven episodes, Baby Reindeer wears out its welcome fast. Ironically, the success of this show reintroduced the woman who allegedly stalked Gadd back into his life as she brought a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against both the actor and Netflix itself. Now, there’s a premise for a second season…
Watch Baby Reindeer on Netflix.
9. Ripley
Ripley made some stylistic changes to Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, most notably by filming the entire series in black and white. Andrew Scott was also two decades older than Matt Damon was when he played Tom Ripley in the film version of The Talented Mr. Ripley. That age gap also causes the show to play differently.
As in the earlier story, Tom is a con man who is hired by the wealthy father of Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) to bring his wayward son home. At first, Tom is kind of in love with Dickie, but then he’d rather be Dickie than go home empty-handed or face rejection one more time. And it’s the steps that Tom takes to prevent anyone from knowing the truth that make him so talented… and so dangerous.
Watch Ripley on Netflix.
8. Supacell
Supacell came out of nowhere with a fresh take on superpowers. It’s hard to call this group of characters superheroes when altruism isn’t really their thing. Even the most heroic of the group, Michael Lasaki (Tosin Cole), is only motivated to save his fiancée, Dionne Ofori (Adelayo Adedayo), from a dark fate in the future.
The only thing that Michael, Tayo “Tazer” Amusan (Josh Tedeku), Sabrina Clarke (Nadine Mills), Andre Simpson (Eric Kofi-Abrefa), and Rodney (Calvin Demba) have in common is that they’re all Black and they all suffer from sickle cell disease. When this group of strangers develops superhuman powers, they find themselves being hunted by an enigmatic organization that has its own powered people. And if Michael can’t convince the others to work with him, then Dionne is doomed.
Watch Supacell on Netflix.
7. Terminator Zero
Terminator Zero did something that none of the movies after Terminator 2 were able to do: give the franchise a story that wasn’t a rehash of everything we’ve seen for decades. The animated series is set in Japan in 1997, just before Skynet attacks humanity on Judgment Day. Scientist Malcom Lee (André Holland) knows what’s coming, almost to the minute. And he’s built an advanced AI, Kokoro (Rosario Dawson), that might be able to save humanity if Malcolm can give it a reason to do so.
Meanwhile, the machines have sent back a Terminator (Timothy Olyphant) to kill Malcolm, and that’s the same mission that a resistance fighter, Eiko (Sonoya Mizuno), has when she arrives from the future. Instead of being able to complete her assignment, Eiko finds herself forced to protect Malcolm’s three children from the Terminator as the clock counts down to the end of the world as we’ve known it.
Watch Terminator Zero on Netflix.
6. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
Wednesday‘s Emma Myers came into her own by headlining the British mystery series A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Myers plays Pippa (Pip) Fitz-Amobi, a young student who is obsessed with the disappearance of a local girl, Andie Bell (India Lillie Davies), years earlier, and the fate of her boyfriend, Sal Singh (Rahul Pattni), who was believed to have killed Andie. Thus Pip decides to solve the murder as her school project.
Pip tends to alienate people when she starts asking questions about what happened, especially with Sal’s younger brother, Ravi Singh (Zain Iqbal). Ravi comes around when he realizes that Pip may be able to help him clear his brother’s name. But there are some people in their town who would rather not drudge up the truth about Andie’s fate. And they may be willing to kill to keep it quiet.
Watch A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder on Netflix.
5. Nobody Wants This
Despite the title of the show, viewers clearly did want to watch the romance play out between Joanne (Kristen Bell) and Noah (Adam Brody), as it was one of Netflix’s most popular shows of the year. Nobody Wants This introduces Joanne as a podcaster who doesn’t really believe in God, while Noah is a rabbi who is coming out of a long-term relationship. But just because they don’t see eye-to-eye about religion, it doesn’t keep them from being very attracted to each other.
Joanne and Noah do their best to respect each others’ beliefs, but they get a lot of pushback in their lives because of their relationship. Noah in particular is facing some hard choices, especially when it’s made clear that his career as a rabbi may be severely affected if he chooses to stay with Joanne.
Watch Nobody Wants This on Netflix.
4. Cobra Kai
Cobra Kai may never die, but two-thirds of the sixth and final season debuted in 2024. Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) may reign supreme in the Valley, but the former Karate Kid rivals still aren’t on the same page about the future of their combined dojo. Their mutual enemy John Kreese (Martin Kove) has already rebuilt a new Cobra Kai, and one of Daniel and Johnny’s students is going back to the dark side to join it.
There’s one more tournament for kids in the dojo: the Sekai Taikai, or the world championships of karate. New rivalries await, and Daniel is forced to face some previously unknown secrets about his late mentor, Mr. Miyagi. There’s a lot happening in each episode of the final season, but Cobra Kai remains one of the most enjoyable series on Netflix.
Watch Cobra Kai on Netflix.
3. Arcane
It took three years for Arcane season 2 to arrive on Netflix, and the incredible animation and story made it worth the wait. Although this show is based on the League of Legends video game, it explains its mythology so well that you don’t need that background to watch it. Think of it as Pixar meets steampunk, with a lot more action and interesting character development.
Season 2 picks up with sisters Violet (Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx (Fallout‘s Ella Purnell) as they stand on opposite sides of the war between the ivory towers of Piltover and the downtrodden city called Zaun. However, the story soon gives the sisters a chance to reconcile as some long buried secrets come to the surface, and the future of both Zaun and Piltover hang in the balance. This show came to a definitive end this season, but it was an epic ride.
Watch Arcane on Netflix.
2. Black Doves
Black Doves took us by surprise late in 2024 with an intense spy action thriller that put Keira Knightley in the leading role as Helen Webb. For years, Helen has been an undercover spy for the Black Doves organization to monitor her husband, Wallace Webb (Andrew Buchan) and his political activities. Helen doesn’t actually love her husband, and her heart belongs to Jason Davies (Andrew Koji).
When Jason is killed, Helen throws caution to the wind to find his killers and get revenge, even if it means abandoning her own family. Helen’s close friend, Sam Young (Ben Whishaw), returns from a self-imposed exile to watch her back. But neither Helen nor Sam are fully prepared for what they’ll find as they search for answers about Jason’s death.
Watch Black Doves on Netflix.
1. A Man on the Inside
Why is A Man on the Inside our No. 1 pick for the best Netflix show of 2024? Ted Danson. The actor who headlined Cheers, Becker, The Good Place, and more is the consummate sitcom pro with over 40 years in the medium. And for his latest comeback, Danson has a character that perfectly suits his comedic persona. This show plays like Netflix’s answer to Only Murders in the Building, minus all of the murders. Danson mines every bit of this show for comedy, and he has a refreshing sense of empathy as well.
Charles is a man who gets a new lease on life by pretending to be moving into a retirement community. But he’s actually been hired by a private detective, Julie (Lilah Richcreek Estrada), to find a very valuable stolen necklace that she believes was taken by one of the community’s other residents. Charles jumps at the chance to play detective; he just isn’t very good at it.
That tends to leave Charles in some very awkward spots, even as he comes to like his new neighbors and enjoy his presence in the community. This is also the best Netflix comedy series to come along in a while, and it’s easy to see why it was quickly renewed for a second season.
Watch A Man on the Inside on Netflix.
