50 Best Netflix Movies and TV Shows Right Now

Netflix has a huge catalogue that changes all the time. On some nights, it is hard to decide between all the options presented, while on others it seems like there is nothing worth watching at all. If you look hard enough, however, Netflix has something for everyone.

It is a strange and tumultuous time in streaming entertainment, and Netflix often feels like the front lines of a commercial war. The service started out by offering licensed material from other media outlets, and when that paid off, it reinvested in its own shows and movies.

The results have been mixed at times, but the company is still seeing huge wins. In the mean time, many fans are mourning the transition into original content, as some of their favorite licensed properties are leaving their Netflix queue.

There is a balance to strike somewhere in here. After all, we are not always in the mood to have our minds blown with some conceptual drama, or to learn something daunting from a documentary. On the other hand, if we only watch and re-watch our favorite wholesome sitcoms, we will never grow.

Whatever mood you find yourself in, there is always something on Netflix, even if the top row of recommendations do not call out to you. With the service’s latest update, some stellar programming was added, both original and licensed.

Here is a look at 50 of the best things to watch on Netflix right now.

Sitcoms

It is a great time to be a sitcom junkie with a Netflix subscription. Whether you like keeping up on the newest comedy or reliving the old, Netflix is one of the best places to get your fix.

Netflix has some of the most lauded works by showrunner Michael Schur, including The Good Place, Parks and Recreation and The Office. Schur has an overall deal with NBC and is developing even more promising shows for the upcoming season.

Meanwhile, sitcom re-watchers everywhere are dreading the end of the year, when Friends will finally leave its catalogue. It is a good time to get one more comfort binge in before the show says goodbye, although it is worth noting that the DVD collection is completely worth the money.

Our favorite sitcoms on Netflix are:

The Good Place

Friends

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

The Office

Portlandia

Parks and Recreation

Dramas

Netflix is on the cutting edge of TV dramas, but its catalogue has more than originals on offer. There are classic TV dramas going back to decades available, right alongside new heavy-hitters from in studio and out of it.

Fans should pay particular attention to Breaking Bad, the beloved series that defines prestige television in many eyes. Netflix has cut a deal with AMC, ensuring that the new Breaking Bad sequel movie in the works will be available on the streaming app as soon as it airs on cable. If you feel like getting a re-watch in before stepping back into Heisenberg’s world, now is your chance.

Our favorite dramas on Netflix are:

Maniac

Breaking Bad

Black Mirror

The Crown

Pride and Prejudice

Movies

Sometimes, we can get in so much of a binge-watching rut that we forget there are movies on streaming services as well. I for one take it for granted that some of the greatest films of our era are at my fingertips 24/7.

When you do find yourself in a movie-watching mood, Netflix has everything from popcorn-crunching fun to Oscar-winning dramas, and all that lies between. In addition, Netflix is spending more and more money lately on creating its own original films, drawing fans in with a one-time event flick.

Our favorite movies on Netflix right now are:

The Dark Knight

Coco

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Gremlins

The Matrix

The 40-Year-Old Virgin

Animated

You are never too old for cartoons, although in Netflix’s case, you may well be too young for them. The streaming service has an impressive catalogue of animated shows for adults, including the emotionally charged BoJack Horseman, which is currently going into its sixth season.

Netflix also has Big Mouth, the puberty spoof that routinely hits too close to home. Like BoJack Horseman, a new season is on the way, so it is a great time to catch up or jump on board with these shows.

This month, Netflix earned its subscription dollars from animation fans big time, when it added a new English-dubbed version of the beloved anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. The show had hardcore fans feeling nostalgic, and brought some new ones on board too.

There are animated movies on offer as well, including many that are perfect for kids and grown-ups to watch together.

Our favorite animated programs on Netflix are:

Ralph Breaks the Internet

BoJack Horseman

Big Mouth

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Documentaries

Nine nights out of ten, you’re probably in the mood for a comfort watch or a casual show. Every once in a while, however, it is nice to flip on the TV and learn something new, and for that, Netflix is invaluable.

The service has the full range of documentaries and docuseries, from the serious to the entertaining, and the granular to the global. Most subscribers probably know about the true crime hit Making a Murderer, which went to a second season due to extreme interest.

There are also political documentaries like Flint Town, travel logs like Dark Tourist and comforting nature shows like Our Planet.
Our favorite documentaries on Netflix are:

The Staircase

Making a Murderer

Dark Tourist

Flint Town

Our Planet

Revivals

Reboots and revivals are a hot commodity in TV today, and Netflix is doing its fair share in that arena as well. The streaming service has paid huge sums to get the rights to make new episodes of old favorites, some going back decades.

Our favorite revivals on Netflix are:

Arrested Development

One Day at A Time

Gilmore Girls

Fuller House

Fargo

Unscripted

Even in the age of streaming, reality TV has its place, as fans can binge watch an unscripted show as greedily as a serialized one. Some of Netflix’s unscripted offerings have been its biggest successes, especially in the last two years.

Netflix has even become the new home for beloved late night host David Letterman, whose interview series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction just released its second season.

Our favorite unscripted shows on Netflix are:

Great British Bake Off

Queer Eye

Salt Fat Acid Heat

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction

Originals

Of course, if Netflix had its way we would all be watching its original shows, and it could stop paying hefty licensing fees to other media outlets. Some of today’s best television is made in-house at Netflix, although fans feel a sense of entitled outrage whenever their favorite show gets canceled.

That was the case last year when Netflix dropped American Vandal, a mockumentary series that ran for two glorious seasons. Still, just because it is over does not mean that it is gone, and it can be re-watched again and again, as original series do not tend to leave Netflix’s catalogue.

Our favorite Netflix Originals are:

Jessica Jones

Russian Doll

American Vandal

The Lonely Island Presents: The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience

BBC

Netflix has been instrumental in bridging the gap between American and British television, thanks in large part to its work with the BBC. Americans have unprecedented access to some of England’s most acclaimed shows now, and they are available in their entirety for quick, addictive binge-watches.

Our favorite BBC shows on Netflix are:

Sherlock

Dr. Who

Happy Valley

New Movies

Finally, Netflix has surprised some fans recently by getting new movies on its service not long after they become available. Many of Marvel Studios’ hit films are on Netflix, including some recent hits leading up to this year’s Avengers: Endgame.

Meanwhile, the service added Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse this month, to many fans’ delight. The animated hit reinvented Spider-Man in many fans’ eyes, but they did not expect to see an Oscar-winner at home so soon.

Our favorite new movies on Netflix are:

Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse

Always Be My Maybe

The Incredibles 2

Murder Mystery

Ant-Man and the Wasp