Superhero stories usually lose their bite when every world-ending battle starts to feel interchangeable. This one clearly continues to work, is currently trending on Prime Video in the Top 10, and it’s probably because the violence has consequences that linger after the blood clears. The show — starring Steven Yeun, Sandra Oh, and J.K. Simmons — began like a familiar coming-of-age fantasy with a teenager inheriting powers from the most powerful hero on Earth, then twisting that dream into family betrayal, imperial conquest, body horror, guilt, and the terrifying realization that saving people can still leave a person morally wrecked. That is why the conversation around its Season 4, which concluded on April 22, has lasted beyond finale week.

Fans are still arguing about the emotional damage, the expanding galactic war, the father-son fallout, and the way the show keeps pushing its hero into choices that feel impossible rather than cool. The appeal is hyper-violent action, yes, but the staying power comes from watching a young hero slowly understand that strength does not protect him from grief, manipulation, political pressure, or becoming someone he hates.

The series is Invincible, and Prime Video’s chart shows it still refusing to fade more than three weeks after the Season 4 finale. According to FlixPatrol, as of May 15, the show still sits at No. 5 in the U.S. TV chart, and this comes after it stayed at the #3 spot from May 9 through May 13. Globally, it remains visible across major Prime markets, including Germany at No. 2 earlier in the week, Greece, Hungary, Nigeria, Thailand, Australia, Brazil, Canada, and the UK. Season 4 also carried a fantastic critical reputation, with Rotten Tomatoes coverage noting its perfect early-season score.

‘Invincible’ Is Trending Overall on Prime Video

Invincible is still cutting through Prime Video’s full library, yes, but the TV-only chart gives a better read on audience commitment. When movies are removed from the equation, Invincible is competing directly against Prime Video’s current TV heavyweights: The Boys, Off Campus, Citadel, and Good Omens are above it on the U.S. TV chart as of May 15, while it still stayed ahead of The House of the Spirits, Scarpetta, Fallout, The Summer I Turned Pretty, and House of David. The show is surrounded by fresh launches, major Prime originals, returning fan favorites, and long-running library draws, and it is still holding strong.

All four seasons of Invincible are available to stream on Prime Video, where it is currently trending. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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Release Date

March 26, 2021

Network

Amazon Prime Video

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Invincible

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The thriller genre is a landscape of extremes, producing some of cinema’s most embarrassing failures alongside its most devastating achievements. At its worst, a suspense movie is just a jump scare and a twist you saw coming; at its best, it’s two hours of a director methodically dismantling your reality. This list of must-watch thriller movies leans toward the latter.

We’ve curated a mix of stone-cold classics and underrated psychological thrillers that deserve more credit. Whether you’re looking for movies with the best plot twists or a slow-burning crime drama that lingers long after the credits, these are the top-rated thrillers worth your time.

1

‘Prisoners’ (2013)

Image via Warner Bros.

Long before he’d give us a Dune trilogy worthy of Frank Herbert’s novels, Denis Villeneuve delivered this breakout, his first American feature that just happens to be two and a half hours of sustained, suffocating dread. This dark mystery movie follows the search for two young girls who go missing from a suburban Pennsylvania neighborhood on Thanksgiving. Their fathers, desperate to get them home safely, go down starkly different paths. Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman, absolutely feral in a way he rarely gets to be) takes matters into his own hands, while Franklin Birch (Terrence Howard) recedes into helplessness beside him. Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal, filled with nervous tics and suppressed fury) works the case, fighting against procedure and parental obstruction to find the girls before the clock runs out.

Roger Deakins shot this film in a grey, waterlogged palette that makes Pennsylvania look like the end of the world and turns Prisoners into one of the best suspense thrillers of the 2010s. The two performances from Jackman and Gyllenhaal that serve as its center are some of their respective best work, with Jackman in particular refusing to let you look away as his character does monstrous things for understandable reasons. The mystery’s resolution is more subtle than you’d expect. Still awful, just in a way you won’t see coming.

2

‘Gone Girl’ (2014)

Image via 20th Century Studios

Gillian Flynn wrote one of the nastiest novels about matrimony in recent memory, and David Fincher gave it the ice-cold on-screen treatment it deserved with this mid-aughts psychological thriller. When Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) goes missing on her fifth wedding anniversary, suspicion immediately turns to her husband Nick (Ben Affleck, doing his best “man who is spiritually one large Dunkin’ iced coffee away from a complete breakdown” work). The media circus that follows is a merciless dissection of the true crime phenomenon, staged with a keen eye by a director who’s clearly having a blast reflecting some of humanity’s worst impulses back at us.

Pike’s performance — calculating and darkly resentful — redefined the on-screen femme fatale, and her “Cool Girl” monologue remains one of the most iconic readings in modern cinema history. With a haunting score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the final act is a must-watch descent into a couple’s total implosion.

3

‘Primal Fear’ (1996)

Image via Paramount Pictures

This probably isn’t the Edward Norton thriller you’d expect to be on a list like this, but hear us out, because his work as Aaron Stampler in Primal Fear nearly broke film audiences’ collective brain years before Fincher took a swing at him. The setup is conventional enough: a hotshot Chicago defense attorney named Martin Vail (Richard Gere) takes on the case of a shy, stuttering altar boy accused of brutally murdering an archbishop. Then Norton opens his mouth, and the movie stops pretending to be anything straightforward.

Norton earned an Academy Award nomination for his film debut (his literal debut, like first performance ever on screen). Gregory Hoblit directs with enough confidence to keep the courtroom thriller mechanics engaging without letting the procedural elements overshadow things. If you’re looking for movies with the best plot twists, this ’90s gem is mandatory viewing.

4

‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’ (2011)

Image via Fox Searchlight Pictures

Sean Durkin’s debut feature is one of the most unsettling portraits of cult psychology ever put to screen, and most of that is thanks to Elizabeth Olsen, who is magnetic and terrifying in equal measure here. Her Martha has just escaped a rural cult led by the charismatic Patrick (John Hawkes, at maximum menace) and is attempting to rebuild a recognizable life with her sister and brother-in-law. The film refuses a linear timeline, cutting between Martha’s present and her past with the cult in a way that blurs both.

The horror here is all in the psyche, and it accumulates slowly. The way Patrick operates, stripping names and replacing them with invented ones, erasing selfhood incrementally, is so specific that it sometimes feels like you’re watching fact, not a work of fiction. The film’s ending will probably prove controversial, but then again, the best thrillers often do.

5

‘Parasite’ (2019)

Image via NEON

Bong Joon-ho’s Palme d’Or and Best Picture winner has been written about so extensively at this point that it’s easy to forget how flat-out shocking it was to sit in a theater in 2019 with zero context and watch it detonate. This social thriller follows the Kim family, subsisting in a flooding semi-basement, insinuating themselves one by one into the employ of the wealthy Parks through an escalating series of cons that are equal parts hilarious and deeply uncomfortable. Then the second act happens, and everything you thought the movie was doing turns out to be wrong.

The cast is phenomenal across the board, with Song Kang-ho’s patriarch Ki-taek and Choi Woo-shik’s son Ki-woo functioning as the story’s moral anchors in a film that systematically destroys any clean notion of moral clarity. Bong uses class as his weapon and wields it like a scalpel. Don’t let the subtitles scare you off. You’ll only be cheating yourself of one of the best thrillers of the century.

6

‘Shutter Island’ (2010)

Image via Paramount Pictures

A mind-bending psychological thriller set in a crumbling asylum off the coast of Massachusetts is not the kind of dramatic fare Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio usually teamed up for before Shutter Island came along to surprise both critics and diehard fans. DiCaprio plays U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, sent to Ashecliffe Hospital to investigate a patient’s disappearance, who quickly discovers that nothing on the island, not even his own memories, is what it appears to be.

It’s one of those thriller movies that rewards rewatches, with Scorsese planting so many clues in plain sight that your second viewing feels like a different movie entirely. Ben Kingsley does his best unsettling-authority-figure work, and Mark Ruffalo as Teddy’s partner is almost too likable to ever fully trust. Some critics initially dismissed the film as a pulpy genre exercise, but even if it was that at the time, it’s since aged…spectacularly. The ending, in particular, is an emotional gut punch that puts a period on the question of whether Scorsese can master any genre. Yes. Yes, he can.

7

‘Se7en’ (1995)

Image via New Line Cinema

Before Fincher was destroying the institution of marriage, he was doing the same to the human capacity for cruelty in this relentlessly grimy ’90s cult classic. The logline: Two detectives investigate a series of murders staged around the seven deadly sins in an unnamed city that exists in a perpetual state of rain and moral rot. William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is world-weary, counting down his days to retirement; David Mills (Brad Pitt) is young and hotheaded, exactly the kind of person this case will break. The villain, John Doe (Kevin Spacey), doesn’t appear until deep in the third act, but his presence saturates every frame before that.

The ending of Se7en has been picked apart more than almost any other in the genre, and for good reason: it’s a stomach drop that strips any promise of justice or relief. If you don’t already know the meaning behind those Gwyneth Paltrow box memes, for the love of God, don’t Google it. Just experience one of the greatest serial killer movies ever made in its pure, intended form.

8

‘Black Swan’ (2010)

Image via Searchlight Pictures

Darren Aronofsky’s psychological horror-thriller about the cost of perfectionism is wrapped in ballet tulle, but at its heart, it’s a horror movie that uses the female body as its primary site of terror. Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman, who won a fully deserved Oscar) is a technically immaculate but emotionally rigid dancer cast as the lead in Swan Lake, slowly fracturing under the pressure of embodying both the White Swan and the Black Swan’s opposing natures. Mila Kunis’s Lily, loose-limbed and effortlessly sensual, functions as both competition and dark mirror.

Aronofsky is deeply interested in what happens to a person when the thing they’ve sacrificed everything for starts eating them alive. He keeps the camera so close to Nina for so long that when things start going wrong, you’re too deep inside her perspective to trust your own eyes either. Portman’s performance in the film’s final sequence is the kind of thing you immediately try to dissect once the credits roll. Good luck with that.

9

‘Bugonia’ (2025)

Image via Focus Features

The odd one out on this list, and arguably the most fun. Yorgos Lanthimos — yes, the Poor Things guy — directs this remake of a beloved 2003 Korean cult film, with a screenplay by Will Tracy, who spent years in the Succession writers’ room and clearly never recovered. Jesse Plemons plays Teddy, a beekeeper who works at a pharmaceutical company whose pesticides are, with exquisite irony, killing all the bees. After falling down an internet rabbit hole of the most spectacular kind, he becomes convinced the company’s CEO is an alien planning to destroy Earth. His solution is to kidnap her. His cousin Don (Aidan Delbis) comes along.

The CEO is Michelle Fuller, played by Emma Stone, who is now four films deep into her working relationship with Lanthimos and has clearly decided this is where she gets to do whatever she wants. Watching her maintain Michelle’s icy corporate composure while two increasingly unhinged men hold her hostage in a basement is the film’s primary pleasure. Plemons, for his part, makes Teddy’s wounded conspiratorial logic almost make sense, which is its own kind of unsettling. It’s more dark comedy than thriller, but the paranoia is genuine, and Tracy’s satirical take on corporate power has real teeth. Strange, funny, and sneakily sad in ways no other film on this list is, it’s a palate refresher as far as thrillers go.

10

‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ (2011)

Image via Sony Pictures Releasing

By Dragon Tattoo, it’s almost perversely impressive how many thrillers Fincher managed to claim as his own. His Scandi-noir adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s best-selling Swedish crime novel is long and brutally cold, and it is also, undeniably, ideal for curling up under a blanket during a miserable winter. Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is hired to investigate a decades-old disappearance within a deeply dysfunctional Swedish industrialist family, eventually joined by Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a state-ward hacker who catalogues everything with a blank, unforgiving stare.

Mara’s Lisbeth ranks among the best genre protagonists, a character who operates entirely outside the social norm and makes you root for her absolute refusal to apologize for it. The film’s most harrowing scene is hard to sit through and serves a specific narrative purpose; it is not gratuitous, even when it feels like it might be. Reznor and Ross deliver their best Fincher collaboration here, which makes it all the more baffling how thoroughly the film underperformed at the box office.

A revenge movie is always a risky one, because if you get the heart of the story wrong, you’re in danger of alienating the audience by making the protagonists unlikable. However, get it right, and you’ll hook the audience and have them hanging on every word. It’s a creative tightrope filmmakers walk, and this movie is one of the ones that got it right.

Four Brothers will stream for free next month on Kanopy, which will give viewers the chance to see one of the most intriguing crime thrillers of the mid-2000s. The film follows four adopted brothers who reunite after their mother is killed during what appears to be a convenience-store robbery. However, when they begin digging into what happened, they discover the murder might have been part of a greater conspiracy. We reckon we know where this one’s going. Predictability does not make a bad film, though; as long as the film delivers on its premise in a competent and engaging way. A movie like this is a perfect Saturday night watch.

The cast includes Mark Wahlberg (The Departed, Boogie Nights) as Bobby Mercer, Tyrese Gibson (Fast Five, Transformers) as Angel Mercer, André Benjamin (Idlewild, Be Cool) as Jeremiah Mercer, Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy, Mudbound) as Jack Mercer, Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow, Iron Man) as Lt. Green, Josh Charles (The Good Wife, Dead Poets Society) as Detective Fowler, Sofía Vergara (Modern Family, Chef) as Sofi, Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, The Martian) as Victor Sweet, and Fionnula Flanagan (The Others, Lost) as Evelyn Mercer.

Was ‘Four Brothers’ a Success?

Financially, the movie was a fairly big success. At the box office, the movie — which reportedly cost around $30 million to make — went on to gross around $92.5 million worldwide, so about three times its production budget. And in addition to that, it also opened at No. 1 domestically with around $21.2 million in its first weekend. Critically, though, it wasn’t held in quite the highest regard. It would be fair to describe the response as “mixed” and the Rotten Tomatoes score reflects this, as Four Brothers holds a 53% critics’ score, while audiences were much warmer, giving it an 80% audience score.

Four Brothers will stream for free on Kanopy in June.

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Release Date

August 11, 2005

Runtime

109 minutes

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Director

John Singleton

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Writers

David Elliot, Paul Lovett

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It would be impossible to talk about the greatest World War II films of all time without mentioning Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielberg’s brutal 1998 drama that captured the hardships that countless veterans of all wars have experienced. The film may have had to wage a different battle against censors due to the high amount of graphic violence, but Saving Private Ryan has an earnest message about the ways in which men cope with their trauma. Although it centers around the titular character of Private James Francis Ryan, as played by Matt Damon, it is bookended by scenes of an older version of the same character. The older version of Ryan is played by Harrison Young, whose wholesome performance gave Saving Private Ryan perhaps its most tear-jerking moment.

Harrison Young Is the Emotional Center of ‘Saving Private Ryan’

Saving Private Ryan was an intensely personal film for Spielberg — while it was not directly based on a true story, Spielberg considered it to be a tribute to his father, Arnold, who had served in combat. Prior to being cast in the film, Young had served in the United States Army as a second lieutenant during the Korean War. Although he initially began his career in New York with a leading role in the Broadway production of Short Eyes, Young would later have an active role in both television and film throughout the 1990s. Despite getting exposure through guest roles in popular programs like ER, Law & Order, Melrose Place, and Total Security, Young had never worked on a production on the scale of Saving Private Ryan before Spielberg cast him in the role.

Young’s brief performance is essential to Saving Private Ryan, as the revelation of his identity makes for a beautiful moment that shows the passing of time. It certainly would have been possible to use makeup to make Damon look older, but part of the brilliance of the moment is that the audience does not initially know whether it is Ryan or Captain Hiller (Tom Hanks) who survived. Casting a largely unknown actor was also critical, as featuring a major star could have served as a distraction in such a subtle moment. Saving Private Ryan may have been about one specific unit, but it works as an homage to the countless soldiers that made up the “Greatest Generation” in World War II. Given that Young had already served his country, his performance as an aging veteran reflecting on the friends that he had lost decades prior could not have felt more authentic.

‘Saving Private Ryan’ Was a Late Career Breakout Role for Young

Spielberg is often given credit for his ability to identify young actors in their breakout roles, such as Christian Bale in Empire of the Sun, or Rachel Zegler in West Side Story. The truth is that this ability extends to actors of all ages; Spielberg saw that Young was an underrated performer, and gave him the ability to showcase his abilities. It’s not often that an actor finds such a significant platform at such a late period in their career, but Young managed to work alongside several other acclaimed directors in the subsequent decades. He worked alongside Mike Nichols in the political dramedy Primary Colors, Rob Zombie in the cult horror film House of 1000 Corpses, and Shane Black in the buddy comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang before his death in 2005.

The flashback scenes remain one of the more controversial aspects of Saving Private Ryan, as some have accused the moment of being too saccharine, and suggested that it would have been better for Spielberg to end the film after the final interaction between Damon and Hanks. While Spielberg is certainly known for playing with his audience’s heartstrings, Young’s scenes in Saving Private Ryan are not nearly as sentimental as some have made them out to be, as it is evident that Ryan is still struggling with feelings of post-traumatic stress disorder. In the aftermath of its release, Saving Private Ryan has been praised by both film critics and veterans as one of the greatest war films ever made. Despite the brevity of his role, Young is an important part of the film’s legacy.

Luke Bryan is not letting online criticism slide. The country superstar fired back after a social media user went viral for brutally roasting his new song, “Fish Hunt Golf Drink,” with claims that the track sounds so simplistic it could have been written by artificial intelligence. Instead of staying silent, Luke Bryan jumped directly into the comments section and had plenty to say.

The backlash started after an Instagram user posted a blunt reaction video aimed at Bryan’s latest release. “Luke Bryan, what the f-ck is going on with your new song?” the creator asked at the start of the clip.

For viewers who hadn’t yet heard the track, the video then cut to a snippet of Bryan singing the chorus. “Every day would go: wake up, coffee, camo, climb tree,” Bryan sings. “Wet line, 18, fish, hunt, golf, drink all fall, all spring, all summer long, I’ll be living it up and living it on.”

The track, titled “Fish Hunt Golf Drink,” imagines a carefree lifestyle free of bills, work, and responsibilities, with Bryan singing about what life would look like “if it wasn’t for the tax man.” But the creator wasn’t impressed.

After playing the chorus, the Instagram user returned to the screen and didn’t hold back. “I guess, bro. We live in the day and age where people are so dopamine-fried,” he said. “This clearly AI song is going to pop off.”

He continued, “It literally just sounds like someone went to Google Gemini and said, make [a] country song, but make it sound like a 4-year-old f-cking wrote it. No creativity in today’s age. Everyone is so fried. We’re cooked. We’re done.”

Bryan eventually caught wind of the criticism and decided to respond himself. The country singer jumped into the comments section with a sharp comeback aimed at the creator. “Who are you? Chill on the adderall,” Bryan wrote.

In a follow-up comment, the singer doubled down on defending the song’s carefree vibe. “It’s called a fun song. Just listen and have fun. Go get on a boat, quit scrolling on your phone all day,” Bryan added.

Bryan Says He’s Doing Music ‘On My Terms’

Earlier this year, Bryan opened up about this stage of his career and made it clear he has no plans to slow down when it comes to making music. The country superstar shared that whether he’s writing songs himself or recording tracks from Nashville hitmakers, his focus has shifted away from simply chasing chart-topping hits.

Instead, Bryan said he’s more interested in creating music he genuinely enjoys and can see himself performing for years to come, all while staying true to himself. “I want to keep pushing myself to be a better singer and a better musician and just make sure from here on out, the rest of my life, when I’m on stage, it’s on my terms, and I’m having fun,” Bryan told PEOPLE.

The singer also admitted he’s reached a point in his career where gratitude has replaced pressure, explaining that he wants to enjoy every part of the job rather than feel burdened by it. “I don’t want to be going to a photo shoot and complaining about it,” he continued. “I want to try to make sure I’m enjoying every aspect of my career because, thank God, that’s the work I put in to get to this point, to just enjoy the back half of the career.”

Luke Bryan Is Currently Hitting The Road On His ‘Word On The Street’ Tour

While Bryan may be dealing with online criticism over his latest song, the country star is staying busy on the road. The singer is currently out on his “Word On The Street Tour,” his 2026 headline run that officially kicked off with back-to-back shows on May 29 and 30 in Gilford, New Hampshire.

Bryan is joined by a rotating lineup of special guests throughout the tour, including Drew Baldridge, Karley Scott Collins, Lanie Gardner, Randall King, Zach John King, Shane Profitt, RaeLynn, Lauren Watkins, and Jake Worthington on select dates.

And Bryan isn’t stopping there. In addition to the “Word On The Street Tour,” the country superstar has also confirmed plans for his 17th annual “Farm Tour,” continuing a longtime tradition for fans. For the second consecutive year, Bryan is launching the tour with spring performances in California before heading to more traditional farm stops across the country later this fall.

Elsie Hewitt is finding solace in the little things on the heels of her breakup from Pete Davidson.

“It’s 9:22 p.m. I’ve been writing a letter to Scottie because I’ve been writing her a book of letters since before she was born,” Hewitt, 30, said in a Saturday, May 16, TikTok video, referring to her 5-month-old daughter. “That’s beside the point. I just want to say, TikTok is so much nicer than Instagram. Everyone on this app is, like, so supportive of one another.”

The model further gushed that all of her comments “are so kind” compared to the criticism she says she recently received via Instagram.

“I think that’s the general consensus, but, like, I see a huge difference,” Hewitt said. “I think I’m just more myself here anyway.”

Related: Pete Davidson and GF Elsie Split, Source Says They ‘Tried to Make It Work’

Pete Davidson and his girlfriend, Elsie Hewitt, have broken up, Us Weekly can confirm. “They are still sorting things out as it pertains to their split,” a source close to Davidson, 32, and Hewitt, 30, exclusively tells Us. “They tried to make it work but there were different stressors, including having a baby together as […]

She captioned her post, “Love u guys.”

Us Weekly confirmed earlier on Saturday that Hewitt and Davidson, 32, broke up five months after they welcomed their daughter late last year.

“They are still sorting things out as it pertains to their split,” a source exclusively told Us. “They tried to make it work but there were different stressors, including having a baby together as two people who didn’t yet know each other that well. They are both trying to make it work and have made accommodations in their schedules for the baby.”

The insider further claimed that it is “very unlikely” that Davidson and Hewitt would reconcile down the line.

@elsiehewitt

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The Saturday Night Live alum and Hewitt were first romantically linked in March 2025, just four months before confirming they were expecting a baby together. Hewitt gave birth to daughter Scottie Rose in December 2025.

“The best thing I’ve been telling people is [that Scottie is] the biggest gift,” Davidson told Us in January, gushing over parenthood. “Nothing else matters as much or intensely, like career, activities, hanging out with people [or] what do people think of me, that sort of s***. I still want to do cool stuff, but it’s like, ‘Well, how long do I have to be away?’ Or ‘Is this worth being away?”

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Related: Pete Davidson and Elsie Hewitt’s Relationship Timeline

Pete Davidson and model Elsie Hewitt kept their relationship relatively low-key before their 2026 breakup. After the pair were spotted together on multiple occasions in March 2025, Us Weekly confirmed that they were dating. Weeks earlier, Hewitt gave a clue about her romantic life. “It’s actually so simple, like, I just want somebody who is […]

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Davidson further noted that it was “f***ing awesome” to watch Hewitt embrace motherhood.

“The whole time I was very sure and knew that she would be great at being a mom. She’s very caring and, almost to a fault, puts everybody else’s needs first,” he said. “It’s really just sweet to see how on top of things she is, and … if [Scottie is] crying, [Elsie] knows exactly what to do. She has, like, little tricks that get her to relax or calm down, and all that stuff is really f***ing cool to watch and see.”

Davidson has not yet publicly addressed his breakup from Hewitt.

So many K-dramas have shifted to streaming in search of greater immediate success, so the industry is moving quickly these days. But some K-dramas will never go away, even if they are considered classics, out of date, or simply foundational; despite their age, they are still important in understanding the evolution of the industry.

Not every K-drama ever produced feels relevant, but these ten dramas, all at least a decade old, have aged beautifully and remain relevant in the grand scheme of things. Although they lack the polished gloss of modern productions, their emotional depth, groundbreaking plots, and unforgettable characters make them as binge-worthy today as they were when they first aired. These are the ten classic K-dramas still worth binge-watching today.

10

‘Winter Sonata’ (2002)

Image via Pan Entertainment

Winter Sonata, the drama that started the Korean Wave, sparked an explosion of K-drama fandoms in Japan, China, and beyond. It established the “melodrama of fate” template, helping tragic pasts, noble sacrifices, and tearful reunions to define romance for the next decade. The show is slower and more atmospheric than most modern dramas, but its emotional depth remains unmatched. The drama’s male lead, Bae Yong-joon, became a cultural sensation in Japan, where he was once greeted by over 3,000 women at the airport during one of his visits to the country.

Winter Sonata is about a high school romance between the gentle, music-loving Joon-sang (Bae) and the cheerful Yoo-jin (Choi Ji-woo), which is cut short by Joon-sang’s apparent death in a car accident. A decade later, Yoo-jin is engaged to her childhood friend but still haunted by her first love; then she meets a mysterious man who looks exactly like Joon-sang—but he claims not to remember her. With each new episode, viewers discover heartbreaking secrets involving mistaken identities, amnesia, and a long-lost love. Winter Sonata is a must-see for any fan interested in understanding how the Korean Wave actually began.

9

‘Full House’ (2004)

Full House pioneered the “contract romance” trope, which has since become a staple of Korean dramas. Rain and Song Hye-kyo‘s chemistry is electric, and their bickering is genuinely funny. The show also includes iconic early 2000s fashion (remember the chunky sweaters and weird layering of shirts?) and a soundtrack that is still referred to with nostalgia on variety shows. The drama was a huge success throughout Asia, and Rain and Song won the KBS Drama Popularity Awards, Best Actress and Actor Awards, and the Best Couple Award.

Full House follows a naive young writer, Han Ji-eun (Song), who is tricked into believing she has won a free vacation, only to return home and discover her friends have sold her beloved house. The new owner is Lee Young-jae (Rain), a famous and arrogant actor who values his privacy and dislikes reporters. To reclaim her home, Ji-eun agrees to a contract marriage with Young-jae, which leads to a hilarious battle of wills. However, as they bicker over cleaning and meal duties, genuine feelings develop. Full House is light, silly, and endlessly rewatchable; if you like Rain, you’ll enjoy this show.

8

‘My Lovely Sam‑soon’ (2005)

Image via MBC

My Lovely Sam‑soon, aka My Name is Kim Sam‑soon, defied the “perfect princess” stereotype of romantic comedies. The heroine is not a Cinderella waiting to be rescued but a spirited, messy, and refreshingly authentic character. The show’s candid discussions about body image, aging, and career goals were groundbreaking in 2005, and they still feel relevant today. At the time, it was the highest-rated Korean drama ever (50.5% for the finale) and is still regarded as a classic. At the MBC Drama Awards, My Lovely Sam-soon won the Grand Prize (Daesang) Award, and the majority of the nominated cast received acting and popularity awards.

My Lovely Sam-soon follows Kim Sam-soon (Kim Sun-a), a 29‑year‑old, strong‑willed pastry chef who is outspoken and insecure about her weight; she’s also broke, single, and recently dumped. Hyun Jin-heon (Hyun Bin), the owner of a high-end French restaurant, witnesses Sun-a’s public breakup and offers Sam-soon a job after discovering her baking talent. When he needs a fake girlfriend to appease his controlling mother, Sam-soon agrees; their contract relationship quickly becomes messy, and Sam-soon’s refusal to be a doormat makes her an unforgettable heroine. The show was dubbed the Korean version of Bridget Jones’ Diary, with the only difference being that My Lovely Sam-soon is a tried-and-true K-drama with all the tropes that made the genre an instant fan favorite.

7

‘Coffee Prince’ (2007)

Image via MBC

Way ahead of its time, Coffee Prince tackled gender identity and same‑sex attraction with surprising sensitivity for a mainstream K‑drama in 2007. It is still a beloved classic nearly two decades later, celebrated not only for Gong Yoo‘s iconic performance but also for its daring to push boundaries. The show’s central message—that love is about the person, not the label—is just as relevant today as it was then. The chemistry, rainy kisses, and soulful soundtrack make it a timeless favorite among rewatchers. Gong has stated that this role was a defining moment in his career, reigniting his interest in acting after he became discouraged. We’re glad he changed his mind; Coffee Prince earned him the Best Actor award at the MBC Drama Awards.

Coffee Prince follows Go Eun-chan (Yoon Eun-hye), a tomboyish young woman who is often mistaken for a man. To support her family, she accepts a position at Coffee Prince, a sleek new café that only hires handsome male baristas. The eccentric heir Choi Han-gyul (Gong), who runs the café on a dare from his grandmother, hires Eun-chan, believing she is a guy. As they work together, Han-gyul’s growing attraction to Eun-chan causes him to question his own identity, resulting in a heartfelt exploration of love without labels. Coffee Prince is a refreshing classic of the K-drama world that you’ll enjoy binge-watching.

6

‘Boys Over Flowers’ (2009)

Love it or hate it, Boys Over Flowers is arguably the single most influential drama in the Korean Wave. This is the ultimate guilty pleasure viewing, with iconic over-the-top moments such as an unnecessary kidnapping, intense love triangles, trauma bonding, and a sudden amnesia arc. The series introduced a generation of international fans to Korean dramas, and its tropes—the mean rich boy, the spirited poor girl, and the second lead syndrome—have been endlessly reproduced. Boys Over Flowers inspired South Korean men to adopt the “pretty boy image” in order to look like the drama’s lead actors.

Boys Over Flowers follows Geum Jan-di (Koo Hye-sun), a working-class girl who earns a scholarship to attend the prestigious Shinhwa High School. The school is ruled by a ruthless group of four rich and powerful boys known as F4. Jan-di becomes the target of bullying after standing up to their ringleader, the arrogant heir Gu Jun-pyo (Lee Min-ho). However, as she continues to defy him, Jun-pyo falls for her unbreakable spirit, sparking a messy, dramatic love triangle that captivates the entire school. The simple, addictive nostalgia of watching this classic is a compelling reason to binge-watch Boys Over Flowers (again).

5

‘Secret Garden’ (2010)

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Secret Garden is the drama that made body‑swap comedy a genre staple. It also introduced one of the most iconic fashion items in K‑drama history: the glittering tracksuit that the lead obsessively wears. Beyond the laughs, the show has genuine emotional weight, exploring class differences, trauma, and the nature of love. Hyun Bin‘s portrayal of the snobby but secretly vulnerable CEO is legendary, as is his wild chemistry with Ha Ji-won. Interestingly, the Grand Prize (Daesang) at the Baeksang Arts Awards is usually awarded to a series or film, but in 2011, it was given to Hyun Bin himself, who was the most visible face on TV and, well, literally any screen in South Korea after Secret Garden.

Secret Garden follows Gil Ra-im (Ha), a poor stuntperson who dreams of becoming a film director, and Kim Joo-won (Hyun), a wealthy and arrogant department store CEO who is afraid of anything physical. After a series of chance encounters, Ra-im and Joo-won find themselves magically swapping bodies whenever they come into contact; forced to live each other’s lives, they discover each other’s pain, insecurities, and hidden wounds. This brings them closer together and helps them start a relationship, but the story also includes a number of external complications—as if body swapping weren’t complicated enough. Secret Garden is a guilty pleasure and a very funny classic, ideal for a binge.

4

‘The Heirs’ (2013)

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The Heirs is another guilty pleasure drama with a star-studded cast, including Lee Min-ho, Park Shin-hye, and Kim Woo-bin. It’s often described as a “time capsule” of early 2010s K-drama excess: lavish sets, dramatic confrontations, and a love triangle that defined the genre, including extra dramatic scenes like crying in the rain, walking away slowly, and making wild assumptions without context. The Heirs does not shy away from melodrama, and its portrayal of class conflict and young love is both flawed and completely addictive.

The Heirs follows a group of spoiled, wealthy high school students as they deal with the pressures of love, jealousy, and the expectations of their powerful families. Kim Tan (Lee), the heir to a massive conglomerate, is sent to study abroad in the US. He meets Cha Eun-sang (Park), a penniless girl looking for her older sister. When he returns to Korea, their worlds collide, forcing him to choose between family duty and a love that society believes is impossible. The Heirs is a must-see for new fans who want to understand the origins of modern Korean drama tropes.

3

‘My Love from the Star’ (2013–2014)

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My Love from the Star was a massive hit in Asia and America, sparking a new wave of Hallyu exports. The central plot of a cynical, immortal alien falling for a volatile celebrity paved the way for countless fantasy romances over time. The contrast between Kim Soo-hyun‘s reserved extraterrestrial and Jun Ji-hyun‘s over-the-top actress created an iconic on-screen dynamic, while the high-quality cinematography and sharp celebrity satire remain fresh and enjoyable. Jun’s wardrobe in the drama was so coveted that the outfits, cosmetics, and makeup she wore in the show sold out while it aired. Jun also won the Grand Prize at the Baeksang Arts Awards for her role.

My Love from the Star follows Do Min-joon (Kim), an alien who crash-landed on Earth during the Joseon Dynasty. He has spent 400 years hiding his supernatural abilities and waiting to return home; as he prepares to leave, he meets his new neighbor, Cheon Song-yi (Jun), a beautiful but narcissistic top actress. He saves her life, and the cynical alien and the shameless star soon become entangled in an unexpected and dangerous romance that transcends time. Several outlets named the show the most popular series of 2013 and 2014, popularizing the use of fried chicken and beer as a form of bonding in K-dramas. Another interesting fact is that it was based on true stories of Joseon-era locals who reported seeing UFOs in the sky.

2

‘Misaeng: Incomplete Life’ (2014)

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Misaeng: Incomplete Life is a groundbreaking office drama that depicts the struggles of entry-level employees with unwavering realism. The series speaks to anyone who has felt like an outsider in a high-pressure corporate environment, while the authentic depiction of corporate dynamics and their mundane yet soul-crushing challenges set a new standard for realistic storytelling in Korean dramas. The drama was adapted from the same-named webtoon, and its success legitimized webtoon-to-drama adaptations. Many people also stated that they rushed home from work to watch this show, feeling seen by its premise, character arcs, and relatable storytelling.

Misaeng follows Jang Geu-rae (Im Si-wan), a former Go prodigy who gives up his dreams of competing professionally to become an intern at a large trading company. With no college degree or work experience, he is thrust into a world of office politics, long hours, and oppressive hierarchies. With the help of a small group of fellow interns (Kang So-ra, Kang Ha-neul, and Byun Yo-han), he fights to demonstrate that determination and natural intelligence can overcome a lack of credentials and that a person is more than their resume. The subtitle, Incomplete Life, roughly translates the main word, “Misaeng,” perfectly capturing the theme that all the main characters are still in the process of discovering their true selves.

1

‘Healer’ (2014)

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Healer is a unique blend of thrilling action and heartwarming romance, and you’ll be emotionally engaged until the very end thanks to the tightly woven plot, which skillfully connects several generations of backstory. Fans have praised Healer for its fast pace, compelling mystery, and perfect balance of genres, anchored by Ji Chang-wook‘s charismatic performance. The show’s cult following is fiercely loyal, especially to Ji, who rose to international fame and cult celebrity status through his portrayal of the eponymous character, the mysterious and protective Healer.

Healer follows an enigmatic “night courier” who goes by the code name Healer and takes on risky jobs for clients but draws the line at murder and declines jobs that entail it in any way. When he accepts a task, he unexpectedly falls in love with the passionate reporter Chae Young-shin (Park Min-young) and gets involved in a case that reveals a painful secret from his past. Their improbable partnership reveals a web of hidden truths and political corruption that jeopardizes everything they value—but their love is incredible to watch unfold. Healer is entertaining and very simple to binge-watch; it blends romance and action in a way that no K-drama (or many other shows) could at the time.

Chelsea Handler has come under scrutiny for her Hollywood ties after building a brand off of mocking the industry and its toxic culture.

Insiders are calling out the comedian for condemning the system after seemingly benefiting from it by allegedly wining and dining with bigwigs, including disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein.

Interest in Chelsea Handler’s Hollywood past intensified after her appearance at a roast where fellow comedian Shane Gillis mentioned her dinner with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

According to a new report, Handler is facing criticism for once hobnobbing with Hollywood’s biggest and most powerful while building a brand based on mocking and exposing the toxic power players in the industry.

Sources from the comedy world speaking to journalist Rob Shuter’s “Naughty But Nice” Substack claim that she was a frequent guest at high-profile dinners, Oscar parties, and other major events hosted by movie mogul Harvey Weinstein during the peak of his Hollywood power.

“Chelsea now acts disgusted by Hollywood culture, but she absolutely benefited from it when it suited her,” a source said. “She was playing the exact same game as everyone else.”

The comedian’s motive for attending such events was allegedly to better her career and gain access to new opportunities.

“Nobody went to Harvey’s dinners because they thought he was charming,” another insider noted. “People went because they wanted something. Chelsea included.”

The Comedian Was Slammed For Positioning Herself As A ‘Fearless Outsider’

The scrutiny Handler is facing intensified after she made an appearance on Netflix’s “Roast of Kevin Hart,” special, and her dinner with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein was brought up.

Comedian Shane Gillis made the remark while taking aim at Handler as part of the comedy show.

“Chelsea is a Zionist. Not saying that’s a good or bad thing,” Gillis said. “Speaking of dead kids, she’s a big fan of abortions. Chelsea’s been scraped more times than the grill at Benihana.”

“Speaking of tossing tiny shrimp into a child’s mouth, Chelsea Handler went to dinner at Jeffrey Epstein’s house in 2010. Look it up, there are articles,” he added.

Gillis further explained that it wasn’t “like a big party,” implying it was an intimate setting with other controversial individuals, “like Prince Andrew and Woody Allen,” present.

Reacting to Handler’s new turn mocking Hollywood, an insider told Shuter that it was a bit hypocritical, as the comedian is “part of” the system.

“It’s hard to position yourself as this fearless outsider exposing Hollywood hypocrisy when you were actively participating in the machine for years,” the source stated. “Chelsea wasn’t outside the system — she was part of it.”

Chelsea Handler Says ‘Something’s Wrong’ With Men When It Comes To Dating

While Handler has become known for poking fun at Hollywood’s toxic culture, she recently turned her attention to the dating world, particularly men.

During an appearance on the “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast, the comedian claimed that “something’s wrong” with men as dating apps and social media have spoiled them into thinking women are abundant, hence the reason why many are unwilling to commit.

“It’s very hard in today’s world to meet straight guys that have their sh-t together. Something’s wrong. I don’t know what’s wrong,” Handler said.

She explained that she has been trying to connect straight men with women who are willing and ready to settle, but hasn’t had any luck due to the current terrain, adding that even the women she’s been meeting have experienced the same situation.

“So, I was initially trying to help straight women meet straight men,” Handler explained. “But I think with dating apps and social media, there’s just so much abundance and so much choice that nobody really feels like they have to … lock it in.”

According to her, the proliferation of dating apps has destroyed effort in modern romance.

“They can swipe through 50 women a day,” she said. “So they’re not making the effort that people used to make to date.”

She explained that the situation has seemingly taken a toll on women, especially the successful ones who are ready and willing to settle down but keep running into dead ends.

“I meet all these amazing, incredible women that are like bad-ss,” she said. “They have their own lives, they have their big jobs, and they’re all just like, ‘There’s no men out there.’”

Handler also spoke about her own situation, saying she’s more into casual dating and likes that she’s doing it in her own terms.

“I wouldn’t say I’m in a relationship,” she admitted. “I would say I’m dabbling in different areas of my life. I don’t like to be tethered to one person.”

Chelsea Handler Loves ‘Hooking Up With Guys’

Handler’s comments on men happen to be inconsistent with her personal view on relationships and marriage, as she previously said she doesn’t like to get serious with a partner and loves “hooking up with guys.”

While noting that she isn’t men-centered during an appearance on the “Angie Martinez IRL Podcast,” the 51-year-old slammed marriage as an “outdated” and “really silly” idea, while noting she prefers to be free and not tied down to one person. She added that she’s “not out seeking men,” because it is “not my agenda in life.”

“I’m here for women, and I’m here for myself,” she said, per Fox News Digital. “I’ve never been very thirsty for a man or a partner. You’ve got to really kind of get my attention for me to pay attention in a serious way because otherwise it’s a bunch of casual encounters.”

She added, “You know what I mean? I like that. I like traveling a lot. I like hooking up with guys. I don’t like to get too serious. I don’t want someone in my space all the time. I just am not interested in that.”

While John Logan didn’t walk away with the girl when season 1 of Off Campus came to an end — but there’s hints that his story will change.

Off Campus, adapted from Elle Kennedy’s bestselling hockey romance series of the same name, follows a group of collegiate athletes as they look to find love on campus. The debut season of the Prime Video series is based on the first book, The Deal, where hockey captain Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli) enters a fake-turned-real relationship with Hannah Wells (Ella Bright).

Garrett’s three roommates, John Logan (Antonio Cipriano), Dean Heyward-Di Laurentis (Stephen Kalyn) and Tucker (Jalen Thomas Brooks), are the leads of Kennedy’s subsequent Off Campus novels. For Logan, he finds love with Grace Ivers (India Fowler) in book No. 2, The Mistake.

Throughout season 1 of the TV adaptation, Logan nursed a secret and unrequited crush on Hannah before he realized that the composer was Garrett’s endgame. Grace did not appear in any of the eight episodes, though that didn’t stop the show creators from dropping clues about her future.

Related: Which ‘Off Campus’ Couples End Up Together? Book Order Explained

Prime Video’s Off Campus follows different love stories at Briar U — but which couples end up together in the books? Based on the Off Campus book series by Elle Kennedy, the show follows an elite ice hockey team — and the women in their lives — as they “grapple with love, heartbreak, and self-discovery […]

Keep scrolling to unravel the biggest hints about Logan’s future love story:

He’s Making a List

As Logan prepares for the Briar U crew’s friendsgiving, fans get a glimpse of his to-do list for the occasion. The list included, “Make a to-do list,” “Pre-wash dishes,” “Fix oven handle” and “Get pie crusts from [the diner] Malone’s.”

The list in itself is a poignant clue to The Mistake, in which Grace gives Logan a variety of tasks to complete before she would agree to a date.

“I’m sorry but the hinting by giving him a list,” one fan tweeted. “GRACE AND LOGAN YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS.”

Friends in High Places

In the season 1 finale, Logan’s sibling Jules (Julia Sarah Stone) tells Hannah that she has friends who work for the campus radio station. The Mistake book fans can’t forget that Grace did take a job at the radio station to make new pals during her first year at Briar University.

She’s a Winner

Perhaps the biggest clue was Grace’s name-drop. During the hockey team’s fundraiser for the local youth hockey league, Dean announced that “Grace Ivers” won the auction prize. She was nowhere to be found, leaving viewers waiting for her arrival.

Meet Grace

News broke shortly before season 1 premiered that actress India Fowler would bring Grace to life.

“Would you maybe wanna come be Grace and do season 2 with me?” Cipriano asked Fowler in an April 2026 social media video, signaling to fans the start of their characters’ love story.

Will Logan and Grace Lead Season 2?

A second season of Off Campus was renewed even before Garrett and Hannah’s journey aired, however creators have not confirmed whether Logan, Dean or Tucker will take the spotlight next.

“I think what’s so great about the show and the adaptation is that Louisa [Levy, the showrunner] … and all the writers had so much freedom to add so much more to these characters,” Cipriano exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2026. “The books are so POV-driven between whoever’s in their love story, and there was so much more to play off with, and you’re, kind of, rooting for all of these characters.”

For Cipriano, he was particularly “excited” for fans to “get to know Logan as a brother, as a teammate [and] as a best friend before he finds love.”

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“[Fans] get to follow him on this arc of, like, finding himself and those days,” the actor explained. “I was really grateful to have that opportunity.”

Days later, the Off Campus social media account shared a snap of Cipriano writing, “You’re it for me, baby. -JL” on tape adhered to a hockey stick. The quote should feel quite familiar as book Logan tells Grace that very same line in The Mistake while confessing his feelings.

Off Campus season 1 is currently streaming on Netflix.

Crime thrillers are among the most gripping shows on television, keeping you invested all the way through, from start to finish. The best ones involve intense action, menacing characters, and an intriguing story. Plenty of them of late have delivered in spades in all three departments.

Whether you’re in the mood to watch a detective hunting a creepy serial killer living a double life, an underestimated potential mob boss reaching his violent potential, or an FBI agent kick butt and take names, the crime thrillers that are perfect from start to finish are ones you’ll be clamoring to watch again and again.

‘The Fall’ (2013–2016)

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Told through three seasons, The Fall is about serial killer Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan) who lives a double life as a married husband, father, and ironically, a grief counselor. But when Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) begins investigating a rash of female victim killings, she quickly begins to close in on him.

A wonderful cat and mouse game, The Fall, which is set in Ireland, will keep you captivated from start to finish with its tremendous cast and compelling story. It’s psychologically intriguing and narratively beautifully told. Dornan is quietly and terrifyingly convincing in the role of a troubled man with a compulsion, desperate to hide who he really is.

‘The Night Agent’ (2023–Present)

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The Night Agent is technically still going, the action thriller ranking among the most watched shows on Netflix. But it’s one of those shows that keeps getting better and better. While we don’t know for sure how The Night Agent will end, we do know that the fourth season will be its last.

The series centers around FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso), who eventually becomes a Night Action agent, working in the shadows to take down bad guys. It’s like a popcorn action movie told through 10 episodes at a time for each story. It’s a highly bingeable show with a satisfying ending each time, and an intense journey all through the middle. It’s one of those rare thriller shows that’s even better the second time around.

‘Hannibal’ (2013–2015)

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A unique telling of the characters from Thomas Harris‘ novels, Hannibal follows the relationship between psychiatrist and secret serial killer and cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Madds Mikkelsen) and FBI special investigator Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), who become fast friends. On the surface, Hannibal tries to help Will through the trauma of the things he sees on the job and his own dark thoughts. But secretly, Hannibal is enjoying being able to manipulate Will, and get access to cases in the process, some of which he’s involved in more ways than one.

The psychological horror thriller has an old school feel to it even though it’s barely over a decade ago. Airing for just three seasons, fans were upset when Hannibal was cancelled, and the show remains one of the best serial killer series to ever grace the small screen. It has a fitting end, taking viewers through this complicated, psychological game between a doctor with a dark secret who feels no empathy and an agent who oddly believes Hannibal is the only one who truly understands him.

‘The Penguin’ (2024)

Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti are magic together in The Penguin based on the DC Comics villain. Farrell is Oswald “Oz” Cobb, otherwise known as The Penguin, in this crime drama, a disfigured man working a low-level job for a crime boss, but with big aspirations to move up. Milioti, meanwhile, is Sofia Gigante, the mob boss’ daughter and a presumed psychopathic serial killer who crosses paths with Oz once she’s released from Arkham State Hospital. As the two lobby for power, things get increasingly dangerous.

The Penguin, one of the most perfect HBO shows of the last decade, is an intense ride through all eight episodes that will leave you wanting more. The dark and ominous setting, the incredible make-up and costumes, and the clever backstory for a character we already know so well in the present, come together to make a worthy entry into the DC Comics universe. But what makes The Penguin especially fantastic is that it doesn’t feel like a superhero show; it’s more like The Sopranos, which means even non-comic fans will enjoy it.

‘You’ (2018–2025)

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Though it’s in ways a lesser copycat of Dexter, You does have one leg up on that fantastic crime drama: it ended in a satisfying way. The psychological thriller stars Penn Badgley as charming bookstore employee Joe Goldberg, who worms his way into the lives of different women through the course of the series. But he tends to become obsessed, stalking them until it escalates to something worse, all in the name of protecting his love and their relationship. That’s in his twisted mind, at least.

Joe becomes increasingly unhinged as the series progresses, and it culminates in an exciting final season that puts a bow on the story, giving some characters a happy ending, others not. What’s so wonderful about the way You ends is that we truly get to see the extent of Joe’s narcissism, his complete inability to see beyond his own flaws. It’s exactly the way the show should have ended.

‘The Night Manager’ (2016–Present)

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The Night Manager was so good, it returned a decade later with a new season. The British spy thriller is about Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston), the night manager of a luxury hotel who was once upon a time a military officer. Head of the Foreign Office’s International Enforcement, Angela Burr (Olivia Colman), recruits him to help take down arms dealer Richard “Dickie” Onslow Roper (Hugh Laurie) and so begins his journey to infiltrate that inner circle.

Tense through each six-episode season, the show is smartly written and keeps you invested through every moment. While the second season didn’t receive as high of ratings as Season 1, both are Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and the show has picked up numerous awards. Based on the John le Carré novel, The Night Manager is wonderfully acted and beautifully presented.

‘The Beast in Me’ (2025)

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Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys are a formidable pair in The Beast in Me, the story of grieving author Aggie (Danes) having trouble focusing on her next book when Nile (Rhys) moves in to her neighborhood and his actions annoy her. It doesn’t help that she recognizes him as the wealthy son of a real estate magnate who was years ago accused of killing his first wife, but later deemed innocent. When she visits to air her complaints about his activity, the two get twisted up in a dangerous game. Aggie isn’t convinced he’s innocent, recognizing there’s clearly something off about him. But he’s offering her the chance to write a book on his story, which she can use to both cure her writer’s block and perhaps get to the bottom of the story.

The Beast in Me is a powerful story of grief, death, and greed. Propped up by a supporting cast that includes Brittany Snow, Natalie Morales, Jonathan Banks, and David Lyons, you’ll want to binge your way through the eight episodes, wondering the entire time if Nile did in fact kill his wife, or he’s just sorely misunderstood. The scene as he dances in Aggie’s house to a record playing “Psycho Killer” is both funny and unsettling, a testament to the leads and their chemistry. It’s a Netflix thriller that gets better with every episode.

‘The Night Of’ (2016)

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A powerful story of race, perception, justice, and how quickly someone’s life can take a wrong turn, Nasir “Naz” Khan (Riz Ahmed) meets a young woman and has a one-night stand to kick off the story in The Night Of. But when he wakes up next to her dead body the next morning, things don’t look good for him. He’s logically accused of her murder, and as he goes through the trial with his lawyer, John Stone (John Turturro), we see the decline of a once promising young man who seemingly just found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The story told through eight episodes will have you saddened about the justice system and questioning the idea that some people are often considered guilty before being proven innocent versus the other way around. Most jarring is that no matter how the case turns out, and whether Naz is deemed innocent or not, his life will be forever changed by what he has endured in prison. The Night Of is a powerful commentary filled with mystery and no chance for anything but a devastating end, any way it goes.

‘The Devil’s Hour’ (2022–Present)

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Lucy Chambers (Jessica Raine) is a social worker in The Devil’s Hour who keeps seeing terrifying visions every night at the exact same time: 3.33 A.M., known as the “devil’s house.” Her eight-year-old son claims to see people who aren’t there, and her mother also seems to speak to invisible people, and Lucy is beside herself. She gets the sense that her house is haunted, and she is somehow being pushed towards finding a serial killer.

The series, one of the best Prime Video shows everyone has been sleeping on, is told through a six-episode first season and a five-episode second. It also stars Peter Capaldi as Gideon Shepherd, a criminal who seems to “remember the future.” The show is disturbing and mind-bending, a haunting thriller that skews more towards the horror genre for fans who don’t mind getting spooked.

‘Breaking Bad’ (2008–2013)

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One of the best crime dramas of all time, arguably the best TV shows of all time, Breaking Bad isn’t quite as cerebral as some other crime thrillers. It also doesn’t lean as heavily and as often into violence, carefully placing such scenes only as needed, and focusing on heightening tensions in other ways. The story begins when high school chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) gets a terminal cancer diagnosis and turns to cooking and selling drugs to build a quick nest egg for his family when he’s gone. But slowly through the show’s five seasons, Walter becomes increasingly obsessed with his power, realizing his full potential as someone to be feared, not someone to be walked over.

Breaking Bad features one of the best on-screen duos with Cranston alongside Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman, a former troubled student Walter turns to for help getting his drug business off the ground. While the show is about the dangers of the criminal underworld, it’s Walter’s personal journey to becoming Heisenberg that’s the heart of the series. It has fantastic re-watch value along with one of the best TV series endings ever, so you get as satisfying an end as the beginning, seeing the entire story come full circle.

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Breaking Bad

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Release Date

2008 – 2013-00-00

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Network

AMC

Showrunner

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Vince Gilligan

Directors

Vince Gilligan, Michelle Maclaren

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