Netflix Might As Well Have 2026's 'Sitcom Of The Year' Award Now

It has been some time since Netflix delivered a groundbreaking sitcom, but one of its best just outdid itself, making it an ideal candidate for "sitcom of the year." The TV shows that defined Netflix have been an eclectic mix of long dramas like Orange is the New Black and punchier miniseries like The Queen's Gambit, and while many other streaming platforms have established niches, Netflix has instead pursued a specific reaction from its audience. The platform still remains the best for bingeable TV series that do not outstay their welcome, leaving fans wanting more, which occasionally works against them.

Netflix's controversial habit of canceling TV shows before their time has, understandably, concerned potential viewers who still want to see a proper ending for series like GLOW and Santa Clarita Diet. When a new Netflix show is also a hidden gem that has not received the attention it deserves despite rave reviews from both critics and audiences, the chances of it getting renewed for another season feel even more bleak. However, Netflix made the right call in renewing North of North for a second season, bringing the lovably messy Siaja back for another attempt at finally sorting her life out.

North Of North's Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score Just Got Even Better

TV shows like North of North are rare, with the series introducing the heartwarming humor of Schitt's Creek into a setting with a painful past that is still being reckoned with, drawing comparisons to Reservation Dogs. Striking the perfect balance between humor and drama, its first season earned it a 100% positive Rotten Tomatoes score from critics and reviews that praised its acting performances and its representation of Inuit life without relying on constant exposition. Siaja is the perfect guide for the viewer, introducing us to Spring celebrations ("Hey, winter didn’t kill us!") and her situation as a newly-single woman.

Created and made with a predominantly Indigenous team, co-creator Alethea Arnaquq-Baril told Netflix Tudum, “We wanted to make a show that felt real and true for the both of us [with Stacey Aglok MacDonald] and for Inuit everywhere. We want Inuit everywhere to feel seen and represented.” Still, not all viewers were impressed, with Rotten Tomatoes audiences giving the series a 79% positive rating, and with some criticizing North of North's fictional Ice Cove for either being too positive or too negative. However, the second season has broken its Rotten Tomatoes record, making its already perfect critics' score even better.

The second season of North of North has hit a rare Rotten Tomatoes streak for Netflix, earning another 100% score from critics, but the audience reaction has made its success even better. Rotten Tomatoes audiences have given season 2 a 95% positive rating, drastically improving on its previous season as the drama intensifies and Siaja's world gets wider. Netflix has not produced a sitcom this bingeable in years, and while Apple TV's Widow's Bay has won the 2026 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, North of North is eligible for an award next year.

North Of North Remains One Of Netflix's Best Hidden Gems

With some big-name sitcoms like BoJack Horseman and Schitt's Creek dominating the genre, some of the smaller and quirkier productions can easily get missed, and North of North is easily one of Netflix's best shows that you haven't heard of. The story sounds deceptively simple, with Siaja attempting to carve out a life for herself against social norms as a single woman, while scenes concerning her mother, Neevee, reveal the pain in her family background. However, even aside from the slapstick comedy and hilarious moments when Siaja's enthusiasm works against her, the show brings something unique to the sitcom landscape.

North of North sets a gold standard for heartwarming and culturally immersive comedy that does not abandon the setting and people at its core. While the Inuit concept of pilimmaksarniq is initially explained by tribal elder Auntie Vicky, who translates it as “forging yourself into what you want to become," the series then continues through showing rather than telling. North of North expands its world enough to leave viewers wanting more, while keeping its focus on the central characters, acting as a masterclass in character development and leaving plenty of story left to be told in a third season.

Source: Netflix Tudum