5 Years Later, Netflix's Best Crime Thriller Series With 100% RT Score Keeps Getting Better Ahead Of 2026 Return

Netflix's best crime thriller series will soon return to the streaming service after a five-year wait, and the fact that the show just keeps getting better should make it one of 2026's most anticipated releases for subscribers. Among Netflix's best TV shows are American releases like Wednesday, Stranger Things, The Night Agent, and many more. However, the streamer is not limited to that.

As the streaming giant that it has become, Netflix is well-known for investing in content from as many different countries, cultures, and backgrounds as possible. There are many must-watch shows on Netflix that are not English-language series, with some of the biggest of them including Money Heist, Elite, Bloodhounds, Lupin, and the global smash hit Squid Game. The latter is a record-breaking juggernaut.

Squid Game is Netflix's most-watched TV show of all time, with season 1 racking up 265.2 million views according to official Netflix data, putting it above Wednesday season 1's 252.1 million views. This just goes to show the massive reach of non-English language shows on Netflix. One of those is a crime thriller series that is deserving of a spot among the streamer's best.

The Chestnut Man was released on Netflix on September 29, 2021. With only six episodes, the crime thriller series based on Søren Sveistrup's novel of the same name stands as one of the streaming service's most exciting projects to binge. Ahead of its return in 2026, looking at what made The Chestnut Man so special can get new viewers ready for the long-awaited season 2.

The Chestnut Man Makes A Case For The Title Of Netflix's Best Thriller Series

The Chestnut Man follows Naia Thulin and Mark Hess, two investigators who reluctantly work together to catch a serial killer who leaves behind creepy chestnut man figures at murder scenes. The Netflix series is filled with twists, and it only becomes more intense and suspenseful as the episodes move forward. The Chestnut Man season 1 ended up becoming a major hit with critics and viewers alike.

With a rare perfect 100% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, the dark Danish crime thriller series joins a select group of Netflix shows, making its case to be one of, if not the best, genre shows on the streamer. The Chestnut Man season 1 also landed well with viewers, standing at a high 84% audience score.

The Chestnut Man is simply a masterpiece. It has all the necessary elements to become one of the best crime thriller series on Netflix. Its main characters are complex and relatable, with actors Danica Curcic and Mikkel Boe Følsgaard having sizzling chemistry. The main mystery is both intriguing and haunting, connecting multiple timelines and using shocking plot twists. Finally, the atmosphere is as gloomy as a good Nordic police procedural should be.

How The Chestnut Man Keeps Getting Better 5 Years Later

One of the best elements of The Chestnut Man season 1 is how it just keeps improving. While episode 1 is the perfect starting point for the show, slowly introducing the central mystery, the key characters, and the atmospheric setting, it is the show's lowest-rated episode on IMDB at a 7.3. The Chestnut Man season 1's highest-rated episode is the penultimate, which is at a 7.9. Episode 6, the finale, is at 7.7, the show's second-best score.

As such, the cold numbers show how viewers believe that the Netflix crime thriller series keeps getting better as it moves on. After five years, The Chestnut Man is finally coming back with a second season, which will debut on Netflix on May 7. This comes after the recent release of a sequel book, Hide and Seek, which arrived in bookstores on March 26.

This ensures that the Netflix crime thriller series has solid source material to pull from, avoiding a common issue that has plagued book adaptations like Game of Thrones. The Chestnut Man will soon be back with a story that follows Thulin and Hess teaming up again to investigate a killer who uses a chilling counting rhyme as he stalks his victims. If that premise lands like season 1's, then The Chestnut Man can stay true to its status as a Netflix thriller series that just keeps getting better.