In 2023, Netflix has shifted gears once more when they made it clear that they weren’t content to stream the films and shows produced by other studios; instead, they planned to make their original content in an attempt to become a preeminent studio in addition to a place to watch reruns of Frasier. They managed to leave their mark. Due to a large budget and the willingness to go with certain out-of-the-box ideas that proved successful on Netflix, the company quickly became a producer of original content.
Hence, take a look at some of Netflix’s finest original shows that are currently available for you in 2023.
20. In From The Cold
| Director: | Adam Glass |
| Cast: | Margarita Levieva, Cillian O’Sullivan, Lydia Fleming |
| Genre: | Science Fiction |
| Year: | 2022-present |
In from the cold spy novel, which alludes to the work of John le Carre, is just as concerned with its human players as it is with its complex storyline. Jenny Franklin juggles many responsibilities: She recently got divorced. Her daughter and a group of teenagers are going on a vacation abroad. The CIA believes Jenny is the famed Soviet spy, “The Whisper.” If that final bit weren’t accurate, she would have been in grave danger from the CIA. Instead, they make her a fantastic offer: either assist them in finding a new assassin or disburse the rest of her life in prison. Jenny, aka Anya, aka The Whisper, is forced to assist them out, but her demons from the past soon surface and threaten to derail her new mission and the life she’s established for herself away from the spy ship. The inclusion of a sci-fi twist elevates the heart-pounding action.
19. Selling Sunset
| Director: | Adam DiVello |
| Cast: | Mary Fitzgerald, Chrishell Stause, Christine Quinn |
| Genre: | Reality TV |
| Year: | 2019 – |
The real estate market is insane, so prepare to live vicariously through others. That’s especially true if you enjoy looking at nice houses and watching dramatic reality shows, and I’m sure that the element of intense competition only adds to the show’s attractiveness. There’s a good reason why season after season of this unexpectedly engaging show keeps getting the go-ahead from network brass. Selling Sunset Season 6 just premiered, but fans eagerly anticipate Season 7, so brace yourselves for regrettable fascination. You might envy the houses, but you won’t be envious of the turmoil if you start watching this.
18. Heartstopper
| Director: | Euros Lyn |
| Cast: | Kit Connor, Joe Locke, William Gao, Yasmin Finney |
| Genre: | Romantic Comedy, Teen Drama, Coming-of-Age |
| Year: | 2022-present |
You may have already binged this massively successful romantic comedy about a likable misfit named Charlie who has a crush on the most prevailing boy in school. Still, a second viewing is likely to be just as enjoyable. Heartstopper succeeds where Sex Education failed because it recognizes that young people, like adults, have nuanced perspectives on love, sexuality, friendship, and the future. It’s the classic will-they-won’t-they plot with a modern twist: two opposites meet and wonder why they should follow the norms set by their friends and family.
17. Big Mouth
| Director: | Andrew Goldberg, Nick Kroll |
| Cast: | Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Jessi Klein, Jason Mantzoukas |
| Genre: | Adult Animation, Comedy |
| Year: | 2017-present |
The humorously horny hormone monsters on Nick Birch and Andrew Glouberman’s shoulders are making it even more difficult for them to survive the rigors of seventh grade. The ups and downs of adolescence are hilariously depicted in this series, making light of what is, for most people, a painful period of life. Kroll voices many roles, while the supporting cast is an all-star lineup of comedians.
16. The Diplomat
| Director: | Debora Cahn |
| Cast: | Keri Russell, Rufus Sewell, David Gyasi |
| Genre: | Drama/Thriller |
| Year: | 2023 – |
In The Diplomat, Russell plays a diplomat who is obsessed with his work but also tries to keep his marriage together despite its many challenges. Binging is inevitable, and fans will be happy to see Russell back on television because the program is still very much in the same meat-and-potatoes, mainstream-appealing realm as the similarly-toned The Night Agent.
15. The Umbrella Academy
| Director: | Steve Blackman |
| Cast: | Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, Emmy Raver-Lampman, David Castañeda |
| Genre: | Action, Drama, Superhero, Sci-Fi |
| Year: | 2019-present |
Gerard Way (the dude from My Chemical Romance) and Gabriel Ba’s grandiose comic book adaptation keep becoming crazier and more outlandish. The umbrella academy plot revolves around a dysfunctional group of superhumans produced by the simultaneous pregnancies of 43 women on the same day. It has villains, fights, and a combination of fantastic powers, all staples of the superhero genre. Still, it continuously transgresses by using bright, colorful deviations from the clichés that have been beaten into our heads by Marvel.
14. Godless
| Director: | Scott Frank |
| Cast: | Jack O’Connell, Michelle Dockery, Scoot McNairy |
| Genre: | Western Drama |
| Year: | 2017 |
Godless is a big part of bringing back some of these classic Western elements that have been out of style for a while. Like Frank’s Logan (or Western Wolverine), also released in the same year, this one treats the genre seriously while subtly shaking things up. O’Connell portrays a bandit who has stolen from a crime boss and is now on the run in a town where practically all the residents are women because of a mine disaster that wiped out the male population. No one in this ensemble of murderers would take any BUS from anyone, and they all knew what they were doing. A great show where the idea is straightforward enough that the plot can go in any direction it pleases.
13. The Night Agent
| Director: | Shawn Ryan |
| Cast: | Gabriel Basso, Luciane Buchanan, Fola Evans-Akingbola |
| Genre: | Action Thriller, Spy, Conspiracy |
| Year: | 2023 |
The concept and execution of this twisted action show are both as precise as a bow and arrow. It does not attempt to reimagine the thriller, instead focusing on pumping up the tension with violent chases, fistfights, gunplay, and surprising twists that will have viewers dropping their jaws. It follows bomb-finding hero FBI Agent Peter Sutherland as he takes on the high-stakes role of answering the unit’s rarely-ringing phone in the ultra-secret “Night Action” division.
12. Santa Clarita Diet
| Director: | Victor Fresco |
| Cast: | Drew Barrymore, Timothy Olyphant, Liv Hewson, Skyler Gisondo |
| Genre: | Horror, Comedy |
| Year: | 2017-2019 |
When Sheila Hammond becomes a zombie, her family must adjust to a new, slightly more murderous way of life. You know a female has to eat. The most significant difference, though, is that Sheila no longer has any self-control at all. Excellent for gaining self-assurance when parallel parking, but less so for navigating daily social interactions.
11. Sweet Tooth
| Director: | Jim Mickle, Beth Schwartz |
| Cast: | Christian Convery, Nonso Anozie, Will Forte, James Brolin |
| Genre: | Fantasy, comic book adaptation |
| Year: | 2021 – Present |
Sweet Tooth Season 2 of this tasty slam dunk from Team Downey has just been released, and you can get your hands on it right now! In the first season finale, Gus and Jeopardy, played by Christian Convery and Nonso Anozie, respectively, become estranged, which will tug at your heartstrings as you watch Gus muster his will to fight back against the Last Men. The episode will also investigate whether or not a cure can be found for the Great Crumble. You can’t resist watching this show even if you don’t like the “Mad Max Meets Bambi” genre.
10. Lupin
| Director: | George Kay, Francois Uzan |
| Cast: | Omar Sy, Ludivine Sagnier, Clotilde Hesme, Soufiane Guerrab |
| Genre: | Mystery, Thriller, Crime |
| Year: | 2021-present |
Omar Sy who has never been in the Bond discourse because he’s too cool, carried much of the weight for this French take on the famed thief. In Lupin, he portrays Assane Diop, a second-generation Senegalese immigrant whose father gives him a book about Arsene Lupin, a modest guy falsely accused of stealing a priceless diamond necklace and committing suicide while incarcerated.
9. The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
| Director: | Tina Fey, Robert Carlock |
| Cast: | Ellie Kemper, Tituss Burgess, Carol Kane |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Year: | 2015-2019 |
Everyone was curious about Tina Fey and Robert Carlock’s next project after 30 Rock. Their second idea was completely out of character for a sketch comedy show. To make an abduction victim and sister’s wife brainwash the victim into hilarious gold requires a top-tier comedy team. Reverend Richard Wayne robbed Kimmy of her youth. Gary Wayne (Jon Hamm) and several other ladies are kidnapped and held in a bomb shelter until they are freed as adults.
8. Emily In Paris
| Director: | Darren Star |
| Cast: | Lily Collins, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Ashley Park, and Lucas Bravo |
| Genre: | Romantic Comedy |
| Year: | 2020-present |
It’s easy to forget that the best things are often pleasurable, especially when the Best Of All-Time list is dominated by series about men breaking bad and committing crimes. Emily is currently unmarried, residing in Paris, and the play’s cast members are all ridiculously stunning. It lays a solid groundwork for a great time. A little heartbreak is okay as long as there’s plenty of champagne and sex. It’s a quirky love spree with postcard cinematography and a strong protagonist who commands the spotlight.
7. Dark
| Director: | Baran bo Odar, Jantje Friese |
| Cast: | Andreas Pietschmann, Maja Schone, Anne Ratte-Polle |
| Genre: | Drama, Thriller, Mystery, Sci-Fi |
| Year: | 2017-2020 |
There is no proof, but the writers of Dark were inspired by True Detective’s message that time is a flat circle. The German show takes the risk of establishing a mystery in which the central question is not whodunnit, instead focusing on the terrifying search for missing children without letting go of the science fantasy craziness that serves as the show’s first-degree base. The disappearance of the children is only the beginning; the secrets kept by the Kahnwald, Nielsen, Doppler, and Tiedemann families cause their lives to fall apart. Dark combines the popcorn-munching suspense of a good mystery with the horrific horror of four distinct historical eras.
6. Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
| Director: | Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan |
| Cast: | Even Peters, Richard Jenkins, Molly Ringwald |
| Genre: | True Crime, Thriller |
| Year: | 2022-present |
Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is at the center of that argument, and while viewers’ moral mileage may vary depending on their own beliefs, the series is nonetheless a compelling exhibition of Peters’ acting talent as one of the most notorious killers in American history. This dark story doesn’t hold back as it brings us dangerously close to the monster’s head.
5. Bridgerton
| Director: | Chris Van Dusen |
| Cast: | Adjoa Andoh, Julie Andrews, Nicola Coughlan |
| Genre: | Regency Romance, Historical Fiction |
| Year: | 2020-present |
Bridgerton is a Regency-era love story with a premise from a 1990s adolescent rom-com. Oh, and for good measure, Lady Whistledown’s hand-delivered rumor rag in the style of Gossip Girl. The show follows Daphne Bridgerton, a recently presented young woman who is judged unfit for marriage and is adorned with all the beautiful costumes and stage décor, befitting something of its high title.
4. Midnight Mass
| Director: | Mike Flanagan |
| Cast: | Hamish Linklater, Zach Gilford, Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, Annabeth Gish |
| Genre: | Horror, Drama |
| Year: | 2021-Present |
Mike Flanagan had been trying to make Midnight Mass since starting in the industry; he fictionalized the novel in his film Hush and later used it as an Easter egg in other films like Gerald’s Game. He pinned his story on the church door when he finally had the chance to tell it. Flanagan’s series, full of his never-ending fixation on “hauntings,” follows the inhabitants of a decaying island who experience a spate of supernatural occurrences after a mysterious priest arrives in town.
3. Orange Is The New Black
| Director: | Jenji Kohan |
| Cast: | Taylor Schilling, Laura Prepon, Kate Mulgrew |
| Genre: | Drama, Comedy |
| Year: | 2013-2019 |
Orange Is The New Black is the story of a middle-class white woman who ended up in prison due to a strange series of circumstances, but it soon shifted to become an ensemble piece about women from all walks of life. Based on Piper Kerman’s memoir, the series consistently broke new ground by employing a framework that provided viewers with more and more information about dozens of prisoners, building a dense and nuanced story about people who were forced to live together against their will. While pounding on their bars, they discovered both kindness and cruelty, fury and grace.
2. American Vandal
| Director: | Dan Perrault, Tony Yacenda |
| Cast: | Tyler Alvarez, Griffin Gluck, Jimmy Tatro |
| Genre: | Mockumentary |
| Year: | 2017-2018 |
Two incidents that shook up American Vandal’s focus were sketching 27 penises on automobiles in the staff lot of a public high school and adding laxatives to the lemonade served in the canteen of a Catholic school. Throughout both seasons, the temptation to wink must have been unbearable. Still, no one falters as they handle these juvenile antics with the deadly seriousness of reversing an unjust murder conviction.
1. Wednesday
| Director: | Alfred Gough, Miles Millar |
| Cast: | Jenna Ortega, Gwendoline Christie |
| Genre: | Comedy, Horror, Drama, Supernatural |
| Year: | 2022-present |
Wednesday is a Netflix supernatural series which features the ghoulish family. Focusing on just one family member gives scene-stealing Wednesday a chance to be the star of her very own YA horror show and Jenna Ortega has joy playing the lead. Toss all that into the successful young adult formula of a private school for unusual children, add some nostalgia bombs, and set it all to a score by Danny Elfman.
Conclusion
In conclusion, 2023 was another remarkable year for Netflix’s original tv series. The streaming platform delivered a diverse range of compelling stories across various genres, captivating audiences around the globe. From enchanting fantasies and gripping thrillers to thought-provoking dramas and epic adventures, Netflix continued to push boundaries and redefine the standard for original content. As viewers eagerly await the next wave of Netflix originals, the bar has been set high for future releases, promising even more exceptional cinematic experiences.
