Netflix's Top 18 Thriller Shows Ranked

From Mindhunter to Adolescence to the semi-autobiographical Baby Reindeer, the Netflix streaming library is full of great original thriller TV shows just waiting to be binge-watched. In the years since Netflix started making original programming like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, the streamer has become a major player in the world of prestige television, rivaling heavy-hitters like HBO and AMC.

Netflix has given us all kinds of gripping thrillers. We’ve gotten action thrillers like Bodyguard and The Night Agent. We’ve gotten crime thrillers like Narcos and Ozark. We’ve had supernatural thrillers like Dark, essentially Netflix’s answer to Twin Peaks. There are a lot of great thrillers to choose from on Netflix, but these are the very best of the bunch.

18 Bloodline

Bloodline was one of the very first original shows to be made for Netflix, and it’s just as underrated today as it was when it aired a decade ago. It’s a gripping family saga; it’s a slow burn, and it can be a bit stressful at times, but it’s ultimately a rewarding watch.

Netflix assembled a heck of a cast to bring the Rayburn family to life. The ensemble is anchored by two terrific leads: the always magnetic Ben Mendelsohn as the golden-boy detective, and the effortlessly charming Kyle Chandler as the black sheep of the family.

17 The Night Agent

The Shield creator Shawn Ryan is back in action thriller territory with his latest series, The Night Agent. Based on Matthew Quirk’s book of the same name, The Night Agent revolves around an FBI agent who works at the White House and gets swept into a widespread conspiracy involving a mole at the top of the U.S. government.

The Night Agent is the TV equivalent of a beach read. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, and it won’t change anyone’s life, but it’s an utterly watchable action show. Gabriel Basso gives a terrific performance in the lead role, finding depth and nuance that wasn’t there on the page.

16 Black Rabbit

Jude Law stars in Black Rabbit as the owner and co-founder of the titular VIP lounge in New York City. Jason Bateman plays his chaotic older brother, the co-founder of the Black Rabbit, who he reluctantly invites back into his life — and who brings plenty of trouble with him. Law and Bateman are perfectly paired in this twisted two-hander.

While Black Rabbit’s relentless grit can make it a bit uncomfortable at times, Law and Bateman keep you engaged with the series. No matter how anarchic the plot gets, their performances keep it grounded in an emotional reality.

15 The Lincoln Lawyer

Based on the novels of Michael Connelly, The Lincoln Lawyer stars Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as a Los Angeles defense attorney named Mickey Haller. Rather than working in a traditional office, Mickey works out the back of his chauffeur-driven Lincoln Navigator, so he’s always on the move. Think of him as a classier version of Saul Goodman.

The series has a lot longer to dig into the character of Mickey and his various investigations than the movie version with Matthew McConaughey did. Across four seasons, we’ve really gotten a sense of who Mickey is and what makes him tick.

14 Black Doves

If Shane Black wrote a British spy show, it would look something like Black Doves. The titular organization is a spies-for-hire agency, stealing secrets and giving them to the highest bidder. Keira Knightley plays a spy whose identity is at risk of being revealed after her lover is killed in London’s criminal underworld.

Although its premise makes it sound like a high-anxiety Hitchcockian thrill-ride, Black Doves also has a great sense of humor. It’s shamelessly pulpy, with witty dialogue, fun performances, and an abundance of twists and turns.

13 Dept. Q

Scott Frank’s follow-up to The Queen’s Gambit, one of the biggest hits in Netflix history, plants itself in a very different genre. Dept. Q switches out chess competitions for cold cases. It revolves around an arrogant and asocial, yet brilliant detective who returns to work after a sabbatical to find that the force is focusing on unsolved crimes, hoping to generate positive headlines.

Police procedurals like this are a dime a dozen, but Dept. Q stands out from the crowd. Frank’s cast and team of writers give Dept. Q a style and personality of its own, which is rare in such a well-worn, formulaic genre.

12 The Beast In Me

The Beast in Me is a psychological two-hander between a pair of riveting characters, played by a perfectly matched Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys. Danes plays an author who’s come down with a case of writer’s block, and Rhys plays the nepo real estate mogul who hides out in the house next door while he faces accusations that he murdered his first wife.

There are plenty of murder mysteries on Netflix (including two movies that are literally called Murder Mystery and Murder Mystery 2). But The Beast in Me sets itself apart, because it doesn’t rely on the standard clichés and plot formulas. It’s a tense battle of wits between these two compelling characters.

11 Squid Game

At the height of the pandemic, Squid Game really struck a chord with audiences. Its biting satire of capitalistic servitude spoke to people. Not everyone is struggling to the point of signing up for a sick, twisted competition for quick cash, but we’re living in very trying economic times where everyone can relate to that desperation.

Although the second and third seasons struggled to live up to the landmark first season, Squid Game remains a brilliant dystopian thriller. It’s much more fun to watch a gruesome exaggeration of class struggle than a straightforward dramatization of it.

10 How To Get To Heaven From Belfast

Lisa McGee’s follow-up to her modern classic sitcom Derry Girls is an interesting evolution of her established storytelling style. How to Get to Heaven from Belfast has all the ironic twists and sharp dialogue you’d expect from the creator of Derry Girls, but McGee adapts her approach from a half-hour comedy to an hour-long drama.

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast begins with three childhood friends coming back together when the fourth member of their group, Greta, dies under mysterious circumstances. How to Get to Heaven from Belfast has plenty of laughs, but it’s also a genuinely engaging murder mystery.

9 Ripley

Since the Matt Damon movie was already a pretty solid adaptation, we didn’t necessarily need another version of The Talented Mr. Ripley. But by turning the book into a miniseries (marking the first time a Patricia Highsmith novel has been adapted into a TV show), Oscar-winning Schindler’s List writer Steven Zaillian was able to do something completely different with the material.

With eight episodes at its disposal, Ripley had more room to explore its eponymous antihero’s sociopathic tendencies, and his long elevator ride to the top. The black-and-white cinematography gives the show a noir-ish feel, and Andrew Scott commands the screen in the title role.