10 Great Netflix Original Shows That Still Hit Hard, 5+ Years Later

Netflix originals come and go fast. A show drops, dominates headlines for a weekend, and then disappears. That is mostly because of the sheer quantity of content Netflix puts out every year. In 2025 alone, there were 597 new Netflix originals, up from 2024’s 589 and even 2023’s 568. When that much content is released nonstop, even good shows struggle to stay in the conversation for long.

This list is focused on the Netflix original shows that managed to cut through the noise and truly stood the test of time. The ones that people still rewatch years later and still recommend. Some had perfectly planned endings, while others were cut short but still delivered seasons that outperform most of the platform’s catalog. Also, it is important to note that this list is strictly focused on true Netflix originals. So, shows like Peaky Blinders, which are branded as Netflix originals in most regions but originally aired on local television and were only acquired by Netflix for international release, do not make the cut.

10 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' (2017–2019)

Based on Lemony Snicket’s novels of the same name, A Series of Unfortunate Events follows the three Baudelaire orphans as they constantly try to escape their evil guardian, Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris), who wants to steal their inheritance after their parents die in a mysterious fire. Each season sees the kids shuffled to new guardians, while Olaf keeps showing up in increasingly ridiculous disguises. Where most shows want viewers to keep watching as long as possible, A Series of Unfortunate Events urges them to stop at the beginning of every episode, because there is no happy ending, no happy beginning, and very few happy things in the middle. While that is true and the show is profoundly depressing, it is also incredibly funny if its niche brand of humor works for you.

The show leans hard into clever wordplay and meta humor and constantly breaks the fourth wall. Characters openly complain that they do not have time for late-season backstories, and the series jokes about the visible aging of actors by saying they “sat on a bench for a very long time” between seasons. It is self-aware and always in on the joke.

9 'Mindhunter' (2017–2019)

Directed by David Fincher, Mindhunter follows two FBI agents in the late 1970s as they begin studying serial killers to understand what makes them different from conventional murderers. This is a crime show that is far less interested in the murders themselves and far more obsessed with the psychology behind them. Throughout the series, the agents interview serial killers like Ed Kemper (Cameron Britton), Jerry Brudos (Happy Anderson), and Charles Manson (Damon Herriman) to develop serial killer profiling techniques. And running alongside these sessions is a larger mystery, as the agents try to apply what they’re learning to catch a new killer who is still active.

Across both seasons, the show teases the infamous BTK killer (Sonny Valicenti) through brief vignettes, which were setting up a storyline that was meant to take center stage in Season 3. Netflix ultimately canceled the series after Season 2 for being too niche and not pulling big numbers at the time, and Fincher refused to lower the budget or make the show more mainstream. Since then, the show has gained a massive cult following and is now seen as one of Netflix’s most frustrating and widely mourned cancellations. Even without a proper ending, the two seasons that exist are among the best crime dramas ever made.

8 'Dark' (2017–2020)

Dark was the first German-language Netflix original series, and it set the bar for time-travel stories going forward. The series starts as a murder mystery. A boy goes missing in the local caves, and shortly after, a different boy’s body is found in the woods wearing clothes from 1986. Early on, it has that eerie small-town mystery vibe, very reminiscent of Twin Peaks and the first seasons of Stranger Things.

From there, Dark turns into a vast, interconnected time-travel saga that spans multiple generations. Unlike most shows, it was planned from start to finish as a three-season story. Every scene, casting choice, line of dialogue, and visual detail is carefully placed to fit the overall puzzle. The show is so dense with clues and hidden connections that even on a fourth or fifth rewatch, viewers keep discovering new details they missed before.

7 'BoJack Horseman' (2014–2020)

BoJack Horseman takes place in a world where humans and humanoid animals coexist. The plot centers on BoJack, a washed-up '90s sitcom star trying to reclaim relevance while dealing with crippling self-loathing and such extreme narcissism that it’s almost funny how these two traits coexist in one person. At first, the show draws you in with bright colors, over-the-top animal puns, and satirical celebrity culture, but it slowly evolves into one of the most unflinching and depressing character studies ever put on screen.

Where most series lose steam over time, BoJack Horseman only becomes darker and more intense. Episodes in later seasons, like “Time’s Arrow,” “The View From Halfway Down,” and “The Old Sugarman Place,” are cited as some of the greatest episodes of television ever made, across animation and live action combined. By using animated characters that look almost human, the show can tackle truly raw and gnarly stories that would be unbearable if they were live-action. If you ever find yourself in need of a show that can make you laugh hard and cry even harder, BoJack Horseman always delivers.

6 'Daredevil' (2015–2018)

Daredevil still remains the highest bar for what superhero shows can and should be. It was one of the first series in the genre to fully commit to a dark and grounded tone, and Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio became so locked into their roles that it is genuinely hard to imagine anyone else playing Matt Murdock or Wilson Fisk. The show treated its characters seriously and trusted the audience to keep up, which immediately set it apart.

It also delivered some of the best action choreography ever put on television. The now-iconic hallway fight scenes rival movies like Oldboy and Inception, and they never felt flashy just for the sake of it. Over the years, the series introduced fan-favorite characters from Marvel lore and kept raising the stakes, ultimately closing with a Season 3 that felt like the closest thing we’ll ever get to a Martin Scorsese-directed superhero series. Even when the series was revived at Disney+ with Daredevil: Born Again, Marvel Studios ordered a complete creative overhaul mid-production to better match the grit and tone of the Netflix era, which says a lot about how beloved the original series still is.

5 'Narcos' (2015–2017)

Narcos tells the real-life story of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura) and the rise of the Medellín and Cali cartels during the '80s and 90s, and tracks the efforts of the DEA and local authorities trying to bring them down. The series moves at a breakneck pace, with a documentary-style narration from Boyd Holbrook that feels straight out of a Guy Ritchie crime film. With the sheer scale of corruption, violence, and power on display, it is easy to forget this is all based on real events. But Holbrook’s narration provides real-world context for whatever you see on screen with a “can you believe this actually happened?” tone that keeps reminding you that all of it did, in fact, happen in real life.

The performances are top-tier across the board, and Moura especially plays Escobar with such charm and menace that he comes off as a Walter White (Bryan Cranston) or Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy)-esque antihero. But even once the story moves on from Escobar following his death in Season 2, the quality never falters. The final season focuses on the Cali Cartel, which moves in to control nearly 90% of the world’s cocaine market after the power vacuum left behind by Escobar, and that season ended up being the highest rated of the entire series, with a near-perfect 97% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.

4 'When They See Us' (2019)

When They See Us is a miniseries based on the Central Park Five. These were five Black and Latino teenagers who were wrongly accused of a sexual assault in New York City in 1989, and later exonerated in 2002 after the real rapist confessed. The story is told in four parts, which cover the boys’ arrest, the trial, their time in prison, and finally their exoneration.

The show zooms in on how deeply broken the justice system can be, and how racial profiling destroyed the lives of innocent kids. It is an extremely difficult watch across the board, but the final episode, which focuses almost entirely on Korey Wise (Jharrel Jerome), is widely seen as one of the most devastating hours of television ever made. Wise was just 16 years old at the time of his conviction, but he was tried as an adult and spent 12 years in prison.

3 'American Vandal' (2017–2018)

American Vandal is a critically acclaimed, Peabody Award-winning mockumentary series that satirizes popular true crime documentaries like Making a Murderer. But calling it a mere parody sells this series way, way short. This is a show that not only understands the true crime genre it’s tackling, but also somehow perfects it, with way more care and emotional heft than anyone would ever expect from a show about dick jokes.

The series follows aspiring filmmakers Peter (Tyler Alvarez) and Sam (Griffin Gluck) as they investigate high school pranks with the seriousness of Pulitzer-hunting journalists. Season 1 focuses on the aftermath of a prank in which 27 faculty cars are vandalized with spray-painted penises. And Season 2 sees the duo travel to a private Catholic school to track down the mysterious Turd Burglar, who poisons the cafeteria food with laxatives and causes school-wide diarrhea. The premises are absurd, but everyone treats these cases like government-level conspiracies, which is exactly why it works so well and why American Vandal ends up being one of the smartest and funniest things Netflix has ever made.

2 '13 Reasons Why' (2017–2020)

Back when 13 Reasons Why first came out, it was everywhere. The show tackled taboo topics like rape, rumors, and bullying with such blunt detail that it overwhelmed a lot of viewers and left people emotionally drained for days. The series follows high school student Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) as he listens to a box of cassette tapes recorded by his classmate and crush, Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford), who committed suicide. On the tapes, Hannah explains the 13 reasons that led her to that decision, with each tape tied to a specific person.

Because of that subject matter, this is not an easy show to revisit. One scene in particular, which depicted how Hannah died by suicide, was so intense and graphic that mental health professionals warned it could be harmful to vulnerable viewers. Netflix later removed the scene, but it still stands as a clear example of how far the series was willing to go. That level of darkness is why 13 Reasons Why sparked so much debate, and also why it remains one of Netflix’s most talked-about and most-watched shows, even years later.

1 'The Haunting of Hill House' (2018)

The Haunting of Hill House is a horror series centered on the Crain family, who once lived in a haunted house. The story moves back and forth between their childhood and adult lives, and shows how the trauma they experienced as kids continues to shape and haunt them years later. This was the show that reset expectations for what modern horror on TV could be, and it also set the standard for what audiences would come to expect anytime Mike Flanagan’s name was attached to a project.

The show hides ghosts in the background of scenes without ever pointing them out, which makes rewatching it even more fun as you try to spot them all. “The Bent Neck Lady” episode is one of the most perfect hours of television ever made, and it’s impossible to watch without breaking down, even if you know exactly what’s coming. The series is also shot incredibly well. The “Two Storms” episode, for example, is made to look like an almost continuous single take that flows between different time periods and locations. Add to that an unforgettable score and some of the best child-to-adult casting ever seen on television, and you end up with a horror series that is a true masterpiece from start to finish.