The 15 Best TV Shows To Binge-Watch Right Now

Streaming has completely changed the way many audiences go about watching television, with entire seasons and shows now available to binge-watch all at once. That being said, not all shows make for an ideal bingeable viewing experience. First off, if a show has a large episode total, pushing 75 or higher, that’s not a binge-watch; that’s a marathon. Some shows are also more emotionally draining or deliberately paced by design, better appreciated if viewers take breaks between watching episodes to fully process what they just saw.

A show optimal for binge-watching has a more manageable episode count, isn’t overwhelming content-wise, and features a serialized story rather than an episodic one. In fact, the more enticing the episode-ending cliffhanger, leaving viewers wondering what happens next, the better for binging. With those qualities in mind, here are the 15 best TV shows to binge-watch right now.

While “Breaking Bad” was a show that was critically acclaimed since its AMC debut in 2008, the crime drama really found its audience streaming on Netflix. For the uninitiated, the show follows chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston), who begins producing meth to provide for his family after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis. White turns to a former student, drug dealer Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), to help him manufacture and peddle his increasingly popular product. This leads both men to be drawn deeper into a deadly world of drug cartels and murder.

With its tight script and thorough attention to detail, “Breaking Bad” is a show that rewards audiences who go back in for repeat viewings. This, coupled with a steady sense of escalation and some of the most memorable episode endings in basic cable history, make the series perfect for binging. “Breaking Bad,” along with its prequel spin-off “Better Call Saul,” are comparable in quality, but we’re giving the former show the nod for launching this crime saga. Easily one of the best dramas of the 2010s, “Breaking Bad” is a modern classic.

A little sci-fi horror show that turned into a global phenomenon, “Stranger Things” quickly became one of Netflix’s most successful original series. Set in the fictional Indiana town of Hawkins in the ’80s, the show starts off with the paranormal disappearance of local boy Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). Will’s friends rally to discover what happened to him, only to find an entire government conspiracy involving a rift into a monster-populated alternate dimension. As the series progresses, monsters continue to menace Hawkins while the government and the Soviet Union take a vested interest in the town.

If it were just about embracing ’80s nostalgia and pop culture, “Stranger Things” would’ve faded away after that aesthetic novelty wore off. What keeps audiences coming back is an intriguing ensemble story that mixes coming-of-age tropes with monstrous scares. The creators wear the series’ influences proudly on their sleeves, particularly ’80s genre movies, while updating and refining them for modern sensibilities. Undeniably fun with plenty of twists and turns to keep viewers on the hook, “Stranger Things” has always deserved the hype.

While the true-crime genre proves perennially popular, the Netflix psychological thriller “Mindhunter” features some of the most notorious murderers in American history. Based on the non-fiction book by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, the show delves into the developmental days of the FBI’s criminal profiling division. FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) interview incarcerated serial killers to better understand the psychology of mass murderers. In addition to these tense conversations, Ford and Tench apply their findings to track down killers on the loose.

“Mindhunter” boasts strong creative talent in the cast and crew, including filmmaker David Fincher as the series’ showrunner, executive producer, and frequent director. Fincher’s signature directorial style is visible throughout the show, including an evocative atmosphere and strong attention to detail. Put on an indefinite hold after its second season, there’s been talk of a follow-up or revival for years. Regardless of its potential future, the two seasons of “Mindhunter” that were released are a significant cut above most contemporary crime fare.

Nobody could’ve predicted that the ’80s coming-of-age movie franchise “The Karate Kid” would be revived into a popular action dramedy more than 30 years later. However, after a two-season stint on YouTube, “Cobra Kai” grew into one of Netflix’s most popular original series. The show centers on middle-aged martial artist Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), who longs for his high school glory days. Initially resenting his old rival Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), Johnny opens his own karate dojo, causing several familiar friends and foes to resurface.

Starting out as a relatively grounded comedy revolving around old grudges being inherited by new generations, “Cobra Kai” gets progressively more over-the-top. The fights are well-choreographed and executed, the callbacks to the first three “Karate Kid” movies come in prominently, and the show masterfully balances its heart and unapologetically cheesy elements. Zabka played the quintessential ’80s bully in the first movie, returning to deliver his career-best performance as an older Johnny, both curmudgeonly hilarious and surprisingly vulnerable. A complete love letter to the “Karate Kid” trilogy, “Cobra Kai” beautifully repositioned the franchise for both new and old audiences.

Mike Flanagan is one of the most prolific horror storytellers in film and television over the past several years. Across Flanagan’s numerous Netflix original projects, his most celebrated remains his 2018 limited series “The Haunting of Hill House,” loosely based on Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel. The story unfolds across two time periods, one detailing the Crain family restoring the haunted Hill House in the ’90s and the other exploring their shared trauma decades later. After mourning the loss of one of their own, the Crains decide to return to Hill House to confront the supernatural forces within it once again.

With this show, Flanagan crafted the ultimate ghost story, made all the more personal by its complex family dynamics. All the clues and small details that Flanagan loads into “The Haunting of Hill House” make it an enjoyable rewatch experience as well. Though Flanagan created other terrifying original series for Netflix, none quite measured up to the sharp writing, execution, and overall fun factor of “Hill House.”

Apple TV has risen as one of the premier streaming platforms for contemporary prestige television since the service’s launch in 2019. Arguably the first must-see show on the platform was 2020’s “Ted Lasso,” a sports comedy following a fictional professional soccer club in England. Unassuming Midwestern football coach Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) is hired to coach a British soccer team, with the owner (Hannah Waddingham) secretly planning to tank the organization. However, Lasso’s unfailing earnestness, innocent outlook, and laidback charm win over the team, inspiring them all to do better on and off the field.

Like its titular protagonist, “Ted Lasso” is a show that’s wholesome without ever feeling overly sappy in its aw-shucks sentiments. There are still plenty of emotionally raw moments throughout the series, including repressed trauma experienced by Lasso himself, but without veering into outright melodrama. Initially planned for three seasons, “Ted Lasso” is coming back to Apple TV for a Season 4, promising additional adventures for everyone’s favorite fictional soccer coach.

Walter Tevis’ 1983 novel “The Queen’s Gambit” was adapted into a Netflix original limited series in 2020. Anya Taylor-Joy stars as Beth Harmon, a chess prodigy in mid-20th-century Kentucky who learned how to play the game growing up in an orphanage. As Beth becomes involved in the competitive world of professional chess tournaments, the substance abuse addiction she harbored since her childhood intensifies. This culminates in a high-stakes international chess tournament held in Moscow during the height of the Cold War.

From its moody period piece environment to its stylishly staged chess games, “The Queen’s Gambit” is one of Netflix’s best limited series. At the center of it all is Taylor-Joy delivering one of the best performances of her entire career to date. Unfolding over seven episodes, the whole show can be binged in a single weekend, an enticing proposition given how captivatingly each installment ends. Showing chess at its most exciting in on-screen form, “The Queen’s Gambit” reignited the board game’s popularity worldwide.

HBO remains the critical powerhouse it’s been in the television industry for decades, with 2021’s “Mare of Easttown” standing as one of its best shows in years. Created by Craig Zobel, the limited series takes place in the titular fictional suburb of Philadelphia, which is rocked by the murder of a local teen mom. Police detective Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet) investigates the killing, though the community doubts her abilities after failing to solve a girl’s disappearance the previous year. As Mare searches for the murderer, her personal life is in complete shambles, including a messy divorce and custody battle for her grandchild after the death of her son.

Moving at a deliberate pace, “Mare of Easttown” builds to an absolute barnburner across its seven-episode story. Winslet’s acting talents are as sharp as ever, and she’s joined by a stellar supporting cast to bring this pocket of Pennsylvania to life. As suspenseful as the murder mystery driving the story gets, the show is really about Mare’s emotional recovery in the midst of a challenge that forces her to refocus. A beautifully executed crime drama, “Mare of Easttown” becomes a masterclass of its genre by emphasizing its nuanced human element.

With whodunits seeing something of a modern resurgence, the Hulu original dramedy “Only Murders in the Building” offers a funny take on the genre. The show centers on three tenants of an upscale Manhattan apartment building who bond over a mutual love of true-crime podcasts. This leads to them becoming involved in real-life murder mysteries, usually regarding their neighbors in the building. Joining this core trio is an impressive all-star cast, including many celebrities playing fictionalized versions of themselves.

“Only Murders in the Building” rightfully earns praise for its main cast’s chemistry, with Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez playing off each other well. But beyond its primary ensemble, the show is still a tightly crafted mystery, with plenty of twists in identifying its culprits. The gags come in fast and furious, too, often poking fun at the entertainment industry and true-crime genre. A consistently cozy delight, “Only Murders in the Building” proves Martin and Short still have plenty of tricks up their sleeves.

South Korean TV series, or K-dramas, have been finding increasing success worldwide, with Netflix steadily growing its library of original K-dramas. Even as Netflix adds more and more Korean television to its catalog, however, “Squid Game” still looms as the show that’s become ubiquitous with K-dramas. The 2021 series finds heavily indebted ne’er-do-well Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) agreeing to join a high-stakes competition on a remote island with a sizable cash prize. However, Gi-hun quickly discovers that the losers in each of the competition’s games are brutally killed, and that the event is monitored by a small army.

For all the hype and record-breaking viewership, it’s easy to forget that “Squid Game” is just an immensely well-made series, deserving of the acclaim it’s received. The show delivers a pointed commentary on the growing wealth divide and dehumanization of the financially impoverished compared to the sadistic upper class. But the series also brings stylish thrills, with inventively lethal games for its hapless characters to endure. Intense and tautly paced, “Squid Game” rightfully became a global phenomenon.

While the popular online game “League of Legends” has a rich lore and millions of fans worldwide, nobody could’ve predicted the animated series adaptation “Arcane” would be this good. The Netflix original series explores the game’s steampunk fantasy city of Piltover and its growing tension with its undercity, Zaun. At the center of the explosive conflict are sisters Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx (Ella Purnell), whose estrangement escalates as a full-on war breaks out. The conflict becomes much more volatile through the presence of Hextech, a strange technology that’s revealed to have its own destructive potential.

A visually stunning epic, “Arcane” takes its stakes very seriously, while confidently weaving a steampunk tale of revolutions, betrayals, and magical surrealism. The fights are stunningly choreographed, and the spectacle is always there, but there is always a heightened sense of consequence throughout the story. Vi and Jinx’s journey is as emotionally raw as it gets, and the show doesn’t pull any punches, psychologically or physically. Arguably the best video game adaptation ever made, “Arcane” is easily accessible to anyone who’s never played “League of Legends” but is looking for their next fantasy show binge.

One of the most spellbinding shows in recent memory is the Apple TV workplace thriller “Severance,” which premiered in 2022. The series follows the employees at a branch of the mysterious Lumon Industries, which has instituted a strange policy to control its office workers. Some employees are severed, meaning they carry no memories of their workplace activities when they leave the office and no memory of their outside lives while at work. This leads to the development of two distinct personalities for the staff as they try to ascertain who they are and the sort of work they do.

“Severance” plays out like a grand complex puzzle, primarily from the perspective of office worker Mark Scout (Adam Scott). There is an uneasiness that hangs over the Lumon offices, something that grows increasingly more sinister as its employees deviate from their usual routines. This sense of dark mystery and the offices’ vaguely cold ’70s aesthetics blend beautifully to instill a unique atmosphere and appeal to the show. There is currently nothing else like “Severance” on television; it’s an intelligent thriller that captivates and keeps audiences guessing, with an almost otherworldly air to it.

Hulu has seen a full-on resurgence in its original programming in recent years, and leading that charge is the culinary dramedy “The Bear.” Set in the heart of Chicago, the show follows a misfit group of cooks led by gourmet chef Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), who inherits his late brother’s sandwich shop. As Carmy rallies the restaurant’s dysfunctional staff, his own deep-seated issues and mental health struggles begin to surface and escalate. This is exacerbated when Carmy repositions the restaurant to become a fine dining establishment, significantly heightening the business and personnel pressures.

While the show’s awards-season classification as a comedy may raise some eyebrows, “The Bear” is still one of the best originals Hulu has ever produced. The show spotlights the culinary beauty that can come out of absolute interpersonal chaos, often in Carmy clashing with the rest of the staff. White does a beautiful job in capturing Carmy’s flaws and attributes — vulnerable yet closed-off, a determined leader but a major source of dysfunction, all at once. An intense tour de force for all parties involved, “The Bear” has consistently pulled out all the stops each season.

For all its perceived ups and downs, never count “Star Wars” out; the franchise still packs plenty of surprises and reinvigorated appeal. “Andor” is the best project that the franchise has had in years, a Disney+ original series that ran for two seasons, covering the origins of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and taking place in the years leading up to “Rogue One.” The titular character is a thief-turned-revolutionary after he endures oppressive injustices from the Galactic Empire. This proves pivotal in the formation of the Rebel Alliance as similarly castigated communities rally against the Empire.

While “Star Wars” has certainly produced fantastic television series before, “Andor” elevates the franchise’s television presence to a whole other level. The show presents the galaxy through the lens of a neo-noir, with moody cinematography and more grounded settings and stakes. And in its social messaging, the series’ themes resonate particularly cogently during our current moment in history. Maintaining all the action that “Star Wars” is known for with a more authentic edge, “Andor” completely reframes what the franchise can be.

James Clavell’s best-selling historical novel “Shōgun” received a much more faithful adaptation in 2024 than with a previous television miniseries in 1980. In the 17th century, English sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) is held prisoner by a local samurai in Japan after arriving on a Dutch trading ship. As Blackthorne grows accustomed to this feudal culture, he’s drawn into a powerful struggle among several warlords for dominion over Japan. Blackthorne aligns himself with Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), who tries to outmaneuver his rivals and create his own shogunate.

There are few shows that earn the classification of a historical epic, but FX’s “Shōgun” certainly qualifies. There is a rich attention to detail and steadily growing scope that explodes into bloody violence by the latter half of the first season. Through all the courtly intrigue and samurai action, Sanada and Anna Sawai bring a quiet magnetism to their respective roles. A historical drama that evokes the grandeur and sweeping scale of “Game of Thrones,” “Shōgun” is a beautifully realized vision of Clavell’s tale.