In a Showhole? Cue Up These Best Shows on Netflix

Here’s something to know about me: I don’t sleep much. I’m a bit of an insomniac, and I blame it on my brain — it never shuts up. No matter how tired I am, I cannot stop thinking. Fortunately, Netflix keeps me company. Between my insomniatic viewing habits and my job as an entertainment/TV writer, I’m forever being asked what the best shows on Netflix are. For that very purpose, I’ve always kept a handy list running in my office in case I should ever need to update the “shows you should be watching” feature I created for SheKnows or to rattle off some ideas to a friend languishing in a showhole (the emptiness you experience after finishing a series on Netflix and just don’t even know what to do with yourself anymore).

I’ve been thinking of updating it for a while now, and a #NaBloPoMo prompt gave me the perfect excuse. The question posed was: “What TV show should just be canceled already?” Well, I racked my brain and didn’t have a good answer for that. Instead, I decided to go in the opposite direction and share watch-worthy shows. It still kind of works, right? Just think of it this way — if you’re watching a TV show and it gets canceled or you lose interest, you could simply refer to this list to find a filler show to entertain you until a new crop comes to network television.

In full disclosure, this list is yuuuuuge. We’re talking 226 titles (and counting). Hopefully my genre categorization will help you hone in on the types of shows you’ll find most interesting. Or, at the very least, help you rule out some you know wouldn’t be your scene. It goes without saying, though, that I’m happy to answer questions about any of the shows listed or offer suggestions for whittling down your watch list based on my own personal favorites. Believe me, I have a few I feel like everyone should watch — which is why I’ve included a “Top 5” for every category.

Without further ado then, I present my curation of the best of Netflix. Oh, for your convenience, I’ve also linked the titles to their page on Netflix for easy access. Happy binge-watching!

Best Shows on Netflix 2021

Comedy

1. New Girl
2. The Office
3. Jane the Virgin
4. Grace & Frankie
5. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
6. Parks and Rec
7. Arrested Development
8. Chewing Gum
9. Derek
10. Lilyhammer
11. Maron
12. The Ranch
13. Easy
14. Trailer Park Boys
15. Flaked
16. The Good Place
17. Schitt’s Creek
18. Santa Clarita Diet
19. Rules of Engagement
20. Master of None
21. Glow
22. Disjointed
23. Portlandia 
    Top 5 Older: The Office, Parks and Rec, Arrested Development, New Girl, Portlandia
    Top 5 Newer:Jane the Virgin, Grace & Frankie, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Good Place, Santa Clarita Diet
    

Crime — Light

1. Orange Is the New Black
2. Law & Order: SVU
3. Criminal Minds
4. NCIS
5. Blacklist
6. Republic of Doyle
7. Person of Interest
8. White Collar
9. Hawaii Five-O
10. Blue Bloods
11. Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries
12. The Glades
13. Crossing Jordan
14. Leverage
15. Quantico
16. Limitless
17.  Father Brown
18. Death in Paradise
19. Mind Hunter
20. Breaking Bad
21. Longmire
    
    Top 5: Law & Order: SVU, Criminal Minds, OITNB, Breaking Bad, Mind Hunter

Crime — Dark

1. Rectify
2. Hinterland
3. Luther
4. The Following
5. The Fall
6. Wentworth
7. Marcella
8. The Killing
9. Broadchurch
10. Bates Motel
11. Dexter
12. Slasher
13. Top of the Lake
14. Wallander
15. American Crime
16. Happy Valley
17. Longmire
18. Narcos
19. Sons of Anarchy
20. Crossing Lines
21. Red Road
22. Paranoid
23. The Sinner
24. Secret City
25. Seven Seconds
26. Shooter
27. Harlan Coben’s SafeHarlan Coben’s The Five
    
    Top 6 Older: Rectify (!), Broadchurch, The Killing, The Fall, Dexter, Bates Motel
    Top 6 Newer: Marcella, Wentworth, Seven Seconds (!), Harlan Coben’s The Five, Harlan Coben’s Safe, The Sinner

Dramas About Families But Not Necessarily Family-Friendly

1. Parenthood
2. Shameless
3. Bloodline
4. Weeds
5. Offspring
6. Blackstone
7. Last Tango in Halifax
8. Doctor Foster
9. Friends From College
10. Dynasty
11. Ozark
12. Californication
13. Wanted
    
    Top 5: Parenthood, Shameless, Bloodline, Weeds, Doctor Foster (new fave!)

Family-Friendly

1. Heartland
2. When Calls the Heart
3. Lost in Space
4. A Series of Unfortunate Events
5. Anne with an E
6. Beyond Stranger Things
7. Girl Meets World
8. One Day at a Time
9. The Good Witch
10. The Worst Witch
11. Liv and Maddie
12. Alexa & Katie
13. Bunk’d
14. Fuller House
15. Richie Rich
16. Mako Mermaids
17. Free Rein
18. The Who Was? Show
    Top 5: When Calls the Heart, Lost in Space, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Anne with an E, The Worst Witch
    

Girly (For Lack of a Better Word)

1. Gossip Girl
2. Gilmore Girls
3. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
4. Love
5. Hart of Dixie
6. Pretty Little Liars
7. Girlfriends Guide to Divorce
8. The Carrie Diaries
9. Queen of the South
10. Being Mary Jane
11. Cable Girls
12. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
13. The L Word
14. Client List
15. Sensitive Skin
16. The Let Down
    
    Top 5: Gossip Girl, Gilmore Girls, Pretty Little Liars, Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce, Queen of the South 

Medical

1. Grey’s Anatomy
2. Private Practice
3. Nurse Jackie
4. Royal Pains
5. The Night Shift
   
   Top 5: You’re lookin’ at ’em (above).

Supernatural/Sci-fi/Paranormal

1. Haven
2. American Horror Story
3. Zoo
4. Supernatural
5. Black Mirror
6. The Returned
7. The 4400
8. Glitch
9. Sense 8
10. The OA
11. The Travelers
12. Altered Carbon
13. Crazyhead
14. Dark Matter
15. Merlin
16. Residue
17. The Mist
18. Wynonna Earp
19. The Rain
20. 3%
21.  Into the Badlands
22.  Once Upon a Time
23.  Ash vs Evil Dead
    
    Top 5: AHS, The OA, Altered Carbon, The Mist, Once Upon a Time, Ash vs Evil Dead (honorable mention!)

Vampires, Werewolves, & Zombies

1. Bitten
2. Hemlock Grove
3. Lost Girl
4. The Walking Dead
5. The Vampire Diaries
6. The Originals
7. Z Nation
8. Being Human (US version)
9. Being Human (UK version)
10. iZombie
11. Helix
12. Van Helsing
13. Containment
14.  Penny Dreadful
    
    Top 5: Bitten, Hemlock Grove, The Walking Dead, Penny Dreadful, Van Helsing

Superheroes

1. Flash
2. Arrow
3. Jessica Jones
4. Gotham
5. Luke Cage
6. Supergirl
7. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
8. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
9. Black Lighting
10. Daredevil
11. The Defenders
12. Punisher
13. Iron Fist
    
    Top 5: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Daredevil, Punisher, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones

Reality TV

1. Fixer Upper
2. Monster Fish
3. Genevieve’s Renovation
4. Fearless
5.  Churchill’s Secret Agents: The New Recruits
6. Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
7. Alaska State Troopers
8. Girls Incarcerated
9. Queer Eye: More Than a Makeover
10. Skin Wars
    
    Top 5: Fixer Upper, Monster Fish, Churchill’s Secret Agents, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Queer Eye

Docu

1. Making a Murderer
2. Planet Earth
3. Blue Planet
4. Africa
5. Frozen Planet
6. UnBranded
7. Virunga
8.  Miss Representation
9. Life
10.  13th
11. The Ivory Game
12. Into the Inferno
13. American Vandal
14. Auschwitz: The Nazis and the Final Solution
15. Departures
16. Evil Genius
17. The Staircase
18. The Confession Tapes
19. Tales By Light
20. The Keepers
21. World War II in Color
22. Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons
    
    Top 5: Making a Murderer, Planet Earth, 13th, The Confession Tapes, The Keepers

Tasty

1. Cooked
2. Chef’s Table
3. Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
4. The Layover
5. Cupcake Wars
6. Food Inc.
7. Rotten
8. Nailed It
9. The Great British Baking Show
10. The Wild Chef
11. Zumbo’s Just Desserts
12. Young & Hungry
13. The Big Family Cooking Showdown
14. Ugly Delicious
15. Somebody Feed Phil
    
    Top 7 (couldn’t do just 5): Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Nailed It, The Great British Baking Show, Zumbo’s Just Desserts, Young & Hungry, Ugly Delicious, Somebody Feed Phil

Political/Legal

1. Scandal
2. House of Cards
3. The Crown
4. Drop Dead Diva
5. Madam Secretary
6. Better Call Saul
7. The West Wing
8. How to Get Away with Murder
   
   Top 5: Scandal, The Crown, Better Call Saul, The West Wing, How to Get Away with Murder

Historical(esque)

1. Hell on Wheels
2. Sherlock
3. Strange Empire
4. Reign
5. Peaky Blinders
6. Marco Polo
7. Turn
8. The Last Kingdom
9. The Lizzie Borden Chronicles
10. Spartacus
11. The Tudors
12. The Borgias
13. Galavant
14. Hatfields & McCoys
15. Ripper Street
16. Call the Midwife
17. Mad Men
18. Alias Grace
19. Frontier
20. Grand Hotel
21. Marseille
22. North & South
23. The Frankenstein Chronicles
24. Godless
    
    Top 5: Sherlock, Peaky Blinders, Call the Midwife, Alias Grace, Godless (fingers crossed for a second season!)

Nostalgic

1. Friends
2. Twin Peaks
3. Freaks and Geeks
4. Star Trek
5. The Andy Griffith Show
6. Cheers
7.  The Twilight Zone
8. That ‘70s Show
9. Frasier
10. Jericho
11. Bill Nye the Science Guy
12. Charmed
13. Mystery Science Theater 3000
14. Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return
15. Party of Five
16. Pee-Wee’s Playhouse
17. The Dick Van Dyke Show
    
    Top 5: Friends, Charmed, Cheers, That ’70s Show, Frasier

Far-Too-Short Series

1. Somewhere Between
2. Life Sentence
3. Vexed
4. Spotless
5. Rectify (yes this is in two categories… it’s that good)
6. River
7. About a Boy
8. Emily Owens M.D.
9. Gypsy
10. Life Unexpected
11. Nikita
12. Reckless
13. The Mysteries of Laura
14. Valor
15. Girlboss
    
    Top 5: Somewhere Between, Life Sentence, Rectify, Gypsy, Girlboss

YA

1. Friday Night Lights
2. 90210 (the new years)
3. Glee
4. Haters Back Off
5. Scream
6. Switched at Birth
7. The Fosters
8. Atypical
9. Degrassi: Next Class
10. Everything Sucks
11. Greenhouse Academy
12. On My Block
13. The End of the F***ing World
14. Riverdale
15. 13 Reasons Why
16. The 100
17. Stranger Things
    
    Top 5: Scream, Riverdale, 13 Reasons Why, The 100, Stranger Things