Entertainment
10 Essential Netflix Shows That Belong on Every Fan’s Bucket List
Netflix has released plenty of original shows, so many, in fact, that over the years it has been quite hard to say which of the platform’s bounty truly feels essential. Some have grown into massive hits; others have helped define the platform’s status as iconic, while the quieter picks prove that even the most underrated of the streaming service’s options are still necessary must-watches that should be marked down on an avid Netflix fan’s bucket list.
Shows like the underrated sci-fi masterpiece, Sense8, which is truly astonishing for both its story and global setting, and the crime drama Narcos, which is a Netflix original that helped shape the expectations for the platform, are just two examples of the kind of shows subscribers should experience at least once in their lives. Compiled on this list are great series that have proved they are incredibly essential Netflix watches that fans should definitely place on their bucket lists.
10
‘Kingdom’ (2019–2020)
This underrated Netflix series is one that deserves far more attention than it has received since its release. Set in Korea’s Joseon era, Kingdom follows Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon), who grows suspicious when access to his gravely ill father is blocked, and he is rumored to be dead, only for a resurrection plague to steal his attention while he attempts to save and protect his people.
Kingdom is easily one of Netflix’s greatest international genre discoveries, marking it as a perfect addition to this list of essential watches on the streaming platform. It is no ordinary zombie series; in fact, its undead are not simply monsters dropped into a thrilling period setting, but part of a much larger story about class, inequality, survival, political corruption, and the dangerous lengths humans in power will go to protect their seat high above others. Kingdom is no doubt underwatched and has an extremely short run, but it stands as the perfect obscure masterpiece to add to any fan’s bucket list.
9
‘Squid Game’ (2021–2025)
Squid Game is a true icon in its own right, with its first season being the head-turning phenomenon that sparked entertaining reality TV adaptations, worldwide fascination, and countless pop-culture references. The show centers around Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), who, because of his heavy debt, accepts an invitation to compete with hundreds of other financially struggling strangers in seemingly ordinary children’s games, only to find that though winning brings him closer to a huge cash prize, losing means certain death.
Though there are a lot of mixed feelings about the show’s later seasons, Squid Game is a series that, quite frankly, momentarily broke the world as viewers focused on the captivating and very deadly games featured in the series. It’s the perfect watch for any subscriber’s bucket list because its first season remains one of Netflix’s most-watched non-English television seasons. While Squid Game definitely lost some of its momentum, its visual iconography, scale, and class critiques make it a Netflix bucket list essential.
8
‘The Queen’s Gambit’ (2020)
This limited series belongs on every Netflix fan’s bucket list because it was good enough to spark an intense passion for the game of chess upon its release. The Queen’s Gambit focuses on orphaned chess prodigy Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), whose skill brings her fame while her addiction and loneliness threaten to consume her completely.
The Queen’s Gambit has grown increasingly underwatched since its release, but it was once dubbed one of the platform’s most popular dramas. The show artfully takes a subject that could feel pretty cold and distant, and makes it emotional, stylish, and surprisingly suspenseful. The Queen’s Gambit is no doubt one of the most binge-worthy series on Netflix, a seven-episode crowd-pleaser that refuses to flatten tough topics. The epic drama is a true masterpiece that definitely earns its place on this list of fantastic watches.
7
‘Narcos’ (2015–2017)
Narcos is a beloved crime drama that feels almost like a requirement to dive into once viewers have access to it. The addictive crime saga follows the rise and fall of drug kingpins, political corruption, law enforcement, and the extreme violence surrounding the cocaine trade. Across its three seasons, the series traces figures such as Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura) and the Cali Cartel while following the DEA agents and officials trying to dismantle their sprawling operations.
Narcos is a truly essential crime drama, as it helped define what ambitious Netflix originals could look like on a more international scale. It’s honestly one of the easiest recommendations for lovers of crime television, and with its genuinely cinematic feel, it makes for pretty bingeworthy material. With both its scale and momentum, Narcos’ enticing mix of thriller, crime drama, and historical detail stands as the kind of addictive viewing experience every Netflix fan should dive headfirst into.
6
‘Black Mirror’ (2011–Present)
This iconic sci-fi show is an extremely important addition to any Netflix fan’s bucket list because it definitely changed how viewers think about modern anthology television. Black Mirror offers different stories in each episode, often using the media, surveillance, technology, and digital obsession to reveal something pretty disturbing about humanity as a whole.
Black Mirror is no doubt a rather bleak and disturbing show, but somehow it becomes grossly addictive to most viewers who take a chance on it. The show’s anthology structure permits masterful experiments that more conventional dramas cannot hope to sustain. With the series moving from political satire and horror to romantic drama and detective fiction, the sci-fi phenomenon constantly reinvents itself, ensuring that audiences never grow bored. Bucket lists practically need Black Mirror, because every episode works, and the best ones change how mainstream viewers view themselves and the world around them.
5
‘The Crown’ (2016–2023)
The Crown is an extremely elegant and expensive-looking Netflix gem that proves how brilliantly the platform can turn history into a truly lavish spectacle. The historical drama follows Queen Elizabeth II (Claire Foy) across decades, exploring monarchy, marriage, duty, public image, and private sacrifice.
What makes The Crown such an essential Netflix series is how brilliantly it balances personal conflict with grandeur. With its impressive settings, lush costumes, and compelling political events, the series wields a captivating quality that makes just one episode simply feel like it could never be enough. The Crown is truly one of the streaming platform’s most polished beauties that has definitely earned its spot at the top of any fan’s bucket list. With its lasting appeal as it transforms modern royal history into a sweeping character study, The Crown easily earns its spot among the other great essentials Netflix watches on this list.
4
‘BoJack Horseman’ (2014–2020)
This beloved animated series is worthy of any Netflix fan’s bucket list because, though it may be bleak, its dark humor, drama, and lessons make it the perfect addition. BoJack Horseman focuses on the washed-up former sitcom star, BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett), who is living comfortably but miserably in Hollywood while he attempts to reignite his fame. Unfortunately, he struggles excessively with addiction, depression, and loneliness, making life seem much harder than it should.
BoJack Horseman is pretty strange, but also impressively entertaining. It may seem like a pretty surreal adult cartoon about a talking horse, but the show’s brilliance truly shines through its exploration of trauma, self-destruction, accountability, and whether people can truly change. Even with its quieter episodes, BoJack Horseman remains a near-perfect series for its use of emotional honesty, sharp humor, and deeply flawed characters, marking it as a memorable animated experience that every fan owes themselves to discover.
3
‘Sense8’ (2015–2018)
Sense8 is probably one of the quieter necessary watches on this list as it has long since ended, with not too many subscribers knowing it even exists despite the show’s genuinely cinematic status. The sci-fi masterpiece follows eight strangers across the globe who discover they are emotionally and mentally connected, sharing feelings, skills, intimacy, and of course, danger.
Sense8 is one of those series that sticks with its viewers for a very long time after the final credits roll. It’s a true hidden sci-fi gem on the streaming platform that celebrates identity while exploring differences, culture, empathy, sexuality, connection, loneliness, and chosen family. With its incredibly cinematic setting, beloved characters, and drama-filled plot, Sense8 stands as one of Netflix’s most ambitious series that truly belongs on every fan’s bucket list for its extremely emotional storytelling.
2
‘Dark’ (2017–2020)
This meticulously planned sci-fi series begins as a missing-person mystery but seamlessly evolves into a rigorously structured science-fiction family saga. Set in the German town of Winden, Dark follows the disappearance of a child, which forces several families in the town to confront their generational secrets.
Dark is an easy recommendation for any fan’s bucket list because it quite aggressively rewards viewers for paying close attention to detail. The series is seriously complex, and with Ben Frost’s oppressive music and the show’s somber cinematography, the puzzle mechanics never become sterile. Dark is genuinely great: it has a truly unforgettable atmosphere, intricate mysteries, and a carefully constructed timeline that only grows more impressive as the series goes on, marking it a bucket-list-worthy addition for Netflix subscribers.
1
‘Stranger Things’ (2016–2025)
Stranger Things is an iconic essential Netflix watch that honestly helped define the platform’s entire original series era. Set in 1980s Indiana, the series centers around a group of kids, teens, and adults after the traumatic disappearance of Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). When the group of individuals finds themselves facing secret government experiments, a terrifying alternate dimension, and a mysterious girl named Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Will’s disappearance quickly becomes the beginning of many supernatural events to come.
There is definitely a silent requirement for all subscribers to dive headfirst into the five-season series Stranger Things. It’s a genuine phenomenon whose bucket-list status comes from how effectively it delivers horror, adventure, nostalgia, and coming-of-age drama, all without losing the wholesome friendships at its core. Across its run, Stranger Things remains truly entertaining, making the series the perfect sci-fi series to not only add to one’s bucket list but also to binge in a solid week.
Stranger Things
- Release Date
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2016 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Nimród Antal, Uta Briesewitz
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