Netflix Still Hasn’t Topped This 4-Season Masterpiece

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Jane Krakowski as Jacqueline Voorhees in 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.'

Published Oct 5, 2026, 8:52 AM EDT

Collier Jennings is an entertainment journalist with extensive experience. Collier, or "CJ" to his friends and family, is a dedicated fan of genre films - particularly science fiction, fantasy, and comic book adaptations, not to mention all forms of animation. This stems from a close bond with his father, who introduced him to these genres via copies of X-Men comics and reruns of the original Ultraman series. With his near-encyclopedic knowledge and bottomless love of genre, he's tackled a wide variety of articles.

Netflix has delivered plenty of iconic series over the years. House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black shook things up with propulsive storytelling, bolstered by the soon-to-be-famous "binge-watch" model that let viewers watch an entire series when it dropped. Stranger Things became a pop culture phenomenon. Even shows like Cobra Kai got a second shot at life when Netflix picked them up for additional seasons. Naturally, debates have flared up about which one of Netflix's shows is the best. A sitcom that premiered in 2015 more than deserves the title, as it features a creative premise backed by top-tier performances and outlandish humor.

That series is Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt begins when Ellie Kemper's title character is rescued after being imprisoned in an underground bunker for 15 years. Determined to make a new life for herself, Ellie moves to New York City and finds a new apartment which she shares with struggling actor Titus Andromedon (Titus Burgess), in addition to a new job nannying for socialite Jacqueline Voorhees (Jane Krakwoski). Through 4 seasons, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt never lost momentum as it grew and changed in ways that viewers didn't expect.

'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' Broke The Mold When It Came to Netflix Originals

Ellie Kemper as Kimmy Schmidt in 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt stands out in Netflix history as it's one of the first original comedy series the streamer produced. Up until that point, most of Netflix's originals were in the drama space, chasing the "Peak TV" trope that had dominated cable television. It made sense, given Fey's work on projects like 30 Rock and Mean Girls, and it offered plenty of laughs. Part of this is due to Kimmy's upbeat personality, as she's more than willing to look on the bright side of things despite being trapped in a cult for 15 years. When discussing the series' development with Deadline, Robert Carlock talked about how Kimmy's outlook on life is due to the experiences she went through.

"Kimmy missed the development stages in her cultural development. We thought more along the lines of the Disney princesses (in creating her), except Kimmy wakes up and has to live the rest of her life without a prince to save her."

Fans were also drawn to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt thanks to the growth its characters went through during its run. Kimmy went from a mere nanny to going back to school and even writing a children's book. Jacqueline winds up leaving her cheating husband, managing Titus' acting career. Titus eventually becomes a bonafide star and finds love with his on-again, off-again boyfriend Mikey Politano (Mike Carlsen). Their growth isn't just limited to their careers, as Kimmy finally learns to move past her experiences in the bunker while Jacqueline and Titus learn their own self-worth. While other Netflix series have characters who stop growing after a certain point, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt made sure its audience cried and cheered for Kimmy and friends.

Collider Exclusive · 8 Questions · 2 Minutes Which Netflix Character Would Be Your Best Friend? Dustin · Emily · Wednesday · Gi-hun

Some friends drag you out of the house. Some sit with you on the worst night of your life. Netflix has written both, plus the one who tells you the truth you have been avoiding all week. Answer eight quick questions about how you actually do friendship, and find out which of them was always going to end up in your corner.

🧢Dustin(Stranger Things)

🗼Emily(Emily in Paris)

🕷️Wednesday(Wednesday)

🟢Gi-hun(Squid Game)

FIND YOUR BEST FRIEND →

How do you usually end up making a new friend? The origin story says a lot about the friendship that follows it.

AWe got loud about the same obsession and never stopped. BThey invited me somewhere before we had properly met. CWe bonded over disliking exactly the same thing. DThey noticed I was struggling and stayed with me.

NEXT QUESTION →

What is a perfect Saturday with your best friend? Friendship is mostly built out of very ordinary hours.

AA ridiculous plan neither of us should attempt. BSomewhere new, photographed heavily, ending very late. CSomewhere quiet, few people, zero small talk. DSomething simple, and a conversation that actually matters.

NEXT QUESTION →

You call them at two in the morning. What happens? This is the real test of a friendship, and everybody knows it.

AThey are already putting their shoes on. BThey answer instantly and turn it into a plan. CThey answer and say something unflattering and true. DThey listen for an hour and never check the time.

NEXT QUESTION →

What do you want from them when you are clearly wrong? The best friendships are the ones that survive being corrected.

ASupport first. We can review the mistake later. BA relentlessly positive reframe of the entire disaster. CThe blunt version. Do not soften it for me. DPatience, and no judgment about how I got here.

NEXT QUESTION →

What do your friends actually value about you? The friend you attract says something about the friend you are.

AI am all in, always, about everything. BI can turn almost any situation into a good time. CI say the thing nobody else in the room will. DI look after whoever is having the worst day.

NEXT QUESTION →

You have a falling out. How does it go? How a friendship repairs itself matters more than how it breaks.

ALoudly, briefly, then back to normal by Tuesday. BThey apologise first, enthusiastically, with a gift. CCold silence, then one dry joke that fixes everything. DWe talk until we both understand what actually happened.

NEXT QUESTION →

What do you actually need a best friend for? Everybody is missing something. The right friend fills that gap.

ATo make my life bigger than it would be alone. BTo push me out of the house and into my own life. CTo catch me when I start lying to myself. DTo be the person who never gave up on me.

NEXT QUESTION →

Ten years from now, what keeps the two of you close? Eight questions in, this is the one that decides who you get.

AWe would still drop everything for each other, instantly. BWe still make plans, and we still actually go. CWe still cut through each other's nonsense in one sentence. DThey stood by me once when it cost them something.

REVEAL MY BEST FRIEND →

The Group Chat Has Spoken Your Best Friend Is…

Four Netflix characters, four completely different ways of showing up for somebody. This is the one who fits how you actually do friendship, and what having them in your life would be like.

Dustin Henderson

You do not do friendship at half volume, and neither does he. What you want is somebody who says yes to the plan before you have finished describing the plan.

Dustin is the friend the entire show runs on: loyal past the point of sense, enthusiastic about everything, and incapable of leaving anybody behind.
You have the same instinct. Your friendships are loud, specific and slightly ridiculous, and they last for decades because of it.
He is also the one person who would take your strangest interest completely seriously, which is far rarer than it sounds.
You would have a group chat. It would never once be quiet.

Emily Cooper

You are the friend who makes things happen, and so is she. Together you would be mildly exhausting to everyone around you and completely delighted with yourselves.

Emily treats an ordinary Tuesday as something that could be turned into an occasion, which is either the best or the worst quality in a friend depending on your energy levels.
You share her refusal to sit still. Neither of you has ever accepted a night in when something was happening somewhere else.
She is far more loyal than people give her credit for. She defends her friends loudly, publicly, and occasionally before checking the facts.
She would post the photo without asking. You would forgive her, because it is a very good photo.

Wednesday Addams

You have no patience for pleasant lies, and she has no ability to tell them. What looks like coldness from the outside is the most reliable friendship on this list.

Wednesday never says a kind thing she does not mean, which makes the rare ones count for an enormous amount.
You would rather be told the truth than be made comfortable. She is constitutionally incapable of offering you anything else.
Underneath all of it she is ferociously protective. She simply refuses to make a performance out of caring.
Do not expect a birthday message. Do expect her to ruin anyone who wrongs you.

Seong Gi-hun

You look after whoever is having the worst day. So does he. It is the least strategic way to move through the world and the best possible quality in a friend.

Gi-hun is not the strongest player in Squid Game, or the cleverest. He is the one who keeps choosing to protect somebody else, over and over, at genuine cost to himself.
You have the same instinct. You notice who is struggling and you stay with them, long after anybody would blame you for leaving.
He is a flawed friend, and that is part of why it lands. He lets people down, then comes back and tries again, which is more than most manage.
He would give you his last chance and never once mention that he had done it.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' Is One of the Few Netflix Series To Get a Movie

While Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt ended on a strong note, Netflix would bring the series back for a movie in 2020. That movie, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs the Reverend, once again brings Kimmy into the orbit of Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne (Jon Hamm), the leader of the cult who kept her captive. Kimmy learns that Richard had a second bunker and goes on a journey to free its captives, with help from Titus. What makes Kimmy vs. the Reverend stand out is that it's one of Netflix's "interactive" specials, meaning that viewers could choose the path they wanted the story to take. Once again, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt proved that it was a series that stood out from the rest of the pack.

Netflix has continued to create original series, but there hasn't been one that could match Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. It kept its fans hooked from beginning to end, crafting characters who went on fully realized journeys and drawing laughs from the most unexpected situations. If you're looking for your next binge-watch, now's the perfect time to revisit the series.