As a huge TV fan, I love most genres. I grew up watching the corny kids’ horror shows Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark? My high school years were defined by coming-of-age shows like My So-Called Life. Now my favorite shows range from the always hilarious and relevant sitcom Seinfeld to the masterful medical drama The Pitt. But when it comes to a Netflix series that everyone should try, I don’t think you can beat a thriller.
Haunted houses, blood, and gore aren’t for everyone. (Horror is my favorite film genre, but I know not everyone feels the same way.) Thankfully, along with hit action shows like the recent release Man on Fire and comedies like Nobody Wants This, Netflix has more than a few thrillers that most will love. While some have high Rotten Tomatoes scores, others are more underrated. Each series has an interesting premise, and most viewers will likely find at least one thing to like about each of them. My number one pick has strong character development and a great series finale, although not everyone agrees that it was the best way to wrap up the story.
‘Mindhunter’ (2017-2019) – The Netflix Thriller Everyone Recommends
Have you watched Mindhunter? If you haven’t, you’ve heard critics, and perhaps some people in your life, praise its premise: it follows agents at the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI who examine how serial killers act and think. Maybe you’ve also heard how much Holt McCallany, Anna Torv, and Jonathan Groff impressed viewers. Some Netflix thrillers are total guilty pleasures. I wouldn’t recommend The Hunting Wives to everyone, despite how wild and fun that first season is. But I do think most people would be fascinated if they checked out Mindhunter.
Yes, the series is disturbing, so it’s possible to watch one episode and decide that it’s not for you. However, if you can get past the dark serial killer storylines and focus on the characters, it’s one of Netflix’s most solid thrillers. And you might join the list of those asking Netflix to make Season 3.
‘The Beast in Me’ (2025) – A Miniseries With Two Career-Best Performances
As a fan of the ’90s TV drama My So-Called Life, I’ll watch any series starring Claire Danes. The Beast in Me is worth it thanks to Danes and Matthew Rhys’s performances. Their characters differ from each other and from the roles they’ve played previously. While author Aggie Wiggs (Danes) is more emotional since she’s dealing with a tragedy, Rhys is almost too cool as the rich Nile Jarvis, who moves in next door.
It’s interesting to watch even just one episode and compare Danes’s performance with her portrayal of Carrie Mathison on Homeland, a character who also struggles with her mental health, but who has a higher-pressure, more dangerous job than writing books. (Although, of course, things change when Nile moves in and Aggie learns more about him.) As a character accused of murdering his wife, Rhys is also less likable here than his spy protagonist Philip Jennings on The Americans. Even if you don’t love the ending, the series, with an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, has so much talent.
‘Clickbait’ (2021) – A Solid Story About Family, Grief, and Social Media
Yes, not everyone would call Clickbait a “masterpiece,” but I will. I think it’s nice when a TV show is both a fun binge-watch and a smart reflection on society. Clickbait stars Adrian Grenier as Nick Brewer, who is kidnapped and appears in a video online with a sign that says, “At 5 million views I die.”
How can you not watch a show that starts like that?! Although it’s not as critically beloved as other Netflix thriller series, Clickbait has something to say about social media obsession, the grief that a family feels when they’re thrown into a nightmare, and the ongoing fascination with true crime. It makes viewers think about what they would do if they saw a video like this featuring their relative, friend, or partner, and it’s as sad as it is bingeworthy.
‘The Night Agent’ (2023-2026) – Action, Adventure, and a Beloved Main Character
Netflix has some stand-out comedies, like The Four Seasons, which tells a moving story about long-time friends on vacation, and Running Point, which makes sports interesting. (Just kidding. I know sports can be interesting… I would just rather watch, say, a Netflix thriller.) The streamer has some incredible dramas, like Orange is the New Black, and of course, released the beloved sci-fi series Stranger Things. But the platform has one great action show, too.
Thanks to the success of Amazon Prime Video’s Reacher, action thrillers have become one of the most popular TV genres, and many who love Prime’s series enjoy The Night Agent, too. Anyone who has ever watched an action movie and wished there was better character development will appreciate the series. Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) is a charming Night Action agent, and most will enjoy keeping up with his interesting job over the show’s three seasons.
‘Archive 81’ (2022) – The Underrated Eight-Episode Series With a Compelling Premise
Everyone will like something about Archive 81, the thriller based on the podcast of the same name that Netflix canceled after one season. Maybe you’ll enjoy the two wonderful main characters, Melody Pendras (Dina Shihabi) and Dan Turner (Mamoudou Athie), who have an unexpected dynamic. Dan learns about Melody when working on a conservation project and watches tapes that she recorded while a resident of the Visser, a beautiful and strange older building in New York City. Perhaps you’ll love the twists the tale takes.
Or maybe, like me, you’ll enjoy the ending the most… and, like me, wonder why Season 2 couldn’t happen. (I’m still thinking about this final scene, several years later.) Give Archive 81 a try, and feel satisfied by a show that manages to explain its mystery despite not having more than eight episodes.
‘Bloodline’ (2015-2017) – An Emotional Story With a Stand-Out Cast
I wanted to watch Bloodline because I think Kyle Chandler’s performance as a high school football coach on Friday Night Lights is one of the most compelling in a 2010s TV drama. It soon became clear this was one of Netflix’s most exciting thrillers. Bloodline is about the Rayburn family, who get together for a big party at their hotel, Rayburn House, in Florida in the first episode.
Some thriller series have one or two big names. Bloodline has more than a few incredible cast members, including Linda Cardellini, Chloë Sevigny, Sissy Spacek, Jacinda Barrett, and Ben Mendelsohn. Its three seasons have darkness, danger, twists, and family trauma. Since it’s not particularly gory or scary, it’ll appeal to a wide audience, and many will relate to the problems that the family has with one another. Hopefully, though, no one has experienced the intensity that the Rayburns have.
‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ (2020) – Mike Flanagan’s Memorable Ghost Story
While Midnight Mass is my favorite Mike Flanagan Netflix series, The Haunting of Bly Manor has perhaps the most universal appeal of his five thriller/horror shows. Adapted from the novella Turn of the Screw by Henry James, Bly Manor stars Victoria Pedretti as Dani Clayton, who becomes a nanny at a haunted mansion in the English countryside.
Like Bloodline and The Beast in Me, Bly Manor isn’t super gory or disturbing, which also makes it an easier series to binge-watch than Flanagan’s The Fall of the House of Usher and The Haunting of Hill House. While those series feature important reflections on the pain that many families experience, this one is a more straightforward and entertaining, yet still meaningful, ghost story.
‘You’ (2018-2025) – A Guilty Pleasure With 5 Great Seasons
Want twists? A main character who is charming and frustrating but intriguing, too? Several other fascinating characters? Five solid seasons and an unforgettable series finale? Season 1 of You premiered on Lifetime and then moved to Netflix, and I still remember how excited I was when I first tuned in.
Every episode of You impressed me, and I think most will love it. It’s bingeworthy and smart, and asks viewers to think about why they’re so drawn to Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), a serial killer. While the premise might seem like it would lend itself more to a movie, You needed several seasons to share Joe in more detail, along with all his raw emotions, dark thoughts, and terrifying actions. But the best thing about You is that, while it addresses questions about love and generational trauma, it balances some heavy storylines with purely entertaining moments.
Was your favorite Netflix thriller series on the list? Are there any shows you would add? Let us know in the comments!
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
