In the age of streaming, there are so many phenomenal television shows out there to watch, whether it be current hits like Severance and The Pitt or complete series like The Leftovers and Community. As such, there are a plethora of series that all TV fans should watch at some point, but it can get overwhelming when making your way through the list of the medium’s most legendary classics.
Each streaming service hosts some true classics, and Netflix is no exception. Alongside its Netflix originals, the streaming platform now contains some iconic ABC procedurals, HBO dramas, and AMC series. For those looking for something to watch on Netflix, there are seemingly endless choices, but here are seven complete series that everyone should watch at least once.
7
‘Sex and the City’ (1998-2004)
Sex and the City follows the personal and professional lives of sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and her three best friends – Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) – who all live in New York City together. Throughout the course of the series, the four women go on a number of dates, some of them comically awful. They also fall in love and get their hearts broken, all the while supporting each other.
There are some fundamental shows that everybody should see at some point, and Sex and the City is one of them. Aside from its major influence on pop culture, it is a sharp and clever sitcom with some of the most laugh-out-loud scenes. Ultimately, though, everybody should know what it means to be either a Carrie, a Samantha, a Miranda, or a Charlotte – as well as the exact words Berger (Ron Livingston) wrote to Carrie on that iconic post-it note. Sex and the City has since had multiple movies and even a spin-off series, And Just Like That, made. The original series is, of course, the perfect place to start, and it’s also available to stream on Netflix.
6
‘Breaking Bad’ (2008-2013)
Breaking Bad follows the journey of high school chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) from a nice guy with an average life to a powerful and vicious drug kingpin. At the start of the show, Walt can’t afford to pay for his cancer treatment, so he starts making and selling meth. Over the course of the series, Walt transforms into his alter ego, Heisenberg, and becomes one of the most iconic antiheroes of all time, right up there with Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and Don Draper (Jon Hamm).
The show is incredible television on its own, with five cleverly written seasons that build up to an unforgettable conclusion. The true stand-outs of Breaking Bad, though, are the character of Walter White and the episode “Ozymandias,” making the show a must-watch for all television fans.
5
‘Gilmore Girls’ (2000-2007)
Gilmore Girls follows Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel), a mother and daughter who are best friends. Lorelai and Rory live in Stars Hollow, Connecticut, a cozy small town where everybody knows each other. Lorelai has had a tough relationship with her parents, Emily (Kelly Bishop) and Richard (Edward Hermann), since giving birth to Rory as a teenager, but when she needs help funding Rory’s high school tuition, they become a major part of the Gilmore girls’ lives again.
Even people who haven’t yet seen Gilmore Girls have definitely heard about Lorelai and Rory’s relationship and the silly town events of Stars Hollow. Gilmore Girls is a fantastic show with clever dialogue, unique characters, and a wealth of memorable episodes. Everybody should see this show at least once, although they will likely end up rewatching it time and time again.
4
‘Seinfeld’ (1989-1998)
Seinfeld may be known as “the show about nothing,” but it’s really a hangout comedy about four very opinionated and stubborn friends: Jerry Seinfeld (Jerry Seinfeld), George Costanza (Jason Alexander), Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss), and Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards). Each episode shows Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer doing things like getting very fixated on random details or trying to prove a point to each other over something small and inconsequential.
Seinfeld is one of the most iconic and beloved sitcoms of all time, and for good reason. It is wildly funny and clever and has made some of the most mundane topics and daily occurrences into some truly hilarious episodes. Seinfeld is definitely a must-watch for everyone, even those who may not typically be inclined to watch sitcoms.
3
‘Lost’ (2004-2010)
Lost follows a group of people who have all wound up on a deserted island together after their plane crashed. Over the course of the series, the survivors learn more about the island that they’re stuck on while also trying to find a way off. While Lost starts as a survivalist drama, it incorporates some creative and well-crafted speculative elements throughout the series, and there is really no show out there that is quite like it (although many have been influenced by it).
While so many phenomenal TV shows have been influenced by Lost, including The Good Place and Severance, the series is also incredible apart from its legacy. Lost has an iconic storytelling structure that alternates between the characters’ time on the island and each person’s backstory as it relates to how they wound up on that flight. A strong drama series, Lost has some of the best character arcs and some highly inventive episodes (“The Constant,” in particular, stands out among these).
2
‘Midnight Mass’ (2021)
Every one of Mike Flanagan‘s Netflix horror series is a must-watch, especially The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor, but if you’re only going to watch one, make it Midnight Mass. Midnight Mass follows Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford), a man who’s just been released from prison after serving time for accidentally killing someone while driving drunk. Riley goes back to his hometown, a very small and isolated island called Crockett Island, for the first time in a long while. As Riley adjusts to being out of prison and back around the people from his past, the town welcomes a new priest: the charismatic and mysterious Father Paul (Hamish Linklater).
Midnight Mass is a phenomenal horror series that utilizes its isolated setting for a truly terrifying viewing experience. Slowly, over the course of Midnight Mass‘ single season, Riley realizes that there is more to Father Paul than meets the eye – and that the consequences of Father Paul’s “miracles” could have lasting effects on everyone, both in the town and outside of it. Midnight Mass is a brilliant critique of religious fanaticism, as well as a truly haunting and emotional story, and everybody should watch this series at least once. It’s also easily one of the best Netflix originals, and not just in the horror genre.
1
‘BoJack Horseman’ (2014-2020)
BoJack Horseman follows the titular character (Will Arnett), a former sitcom star who’s since been unable to follow up his former success with anything at the same level. Throughout the show’s six seasons, BoJack shifts through a number of different career endeavors, including working with Diane (Alison Brie) on a biography of him and acting in a movie as his dream role. BoJack also continues to make decisions that harm both himself and the people around him and that have lasting consequences all the way to the very end of the show.
BoJack Horseman is arguably the best Netflix original series of all time. It is a thought-provoking and insightful look at the human condition through an anthropomorphic horse, and it covers a number of themes, including fame, morality, mental health, and grief. BoJack Horseman is also a very meta show that reflects on television as a storytelling medium, especially in regard to the sitcom. BoJack Horseman uses BoJack’s former job to play around with and subvert classic sitcom tropes, and as a result, his actions carry over into each episode and season.
