Netflix has stood out for its original TV shows, through which it has covered various genres, and it has produced some masterpieces that only needed one episode to hook viewers. Despite there now being a wider variety of streaming platforms to choose from, Netflix is still one of the biggest and most popular ones. This is thanks to its extensive catalog of licensed content and its variety of original movies and TV shows, some of the latter now ranking among the best TV shows of all time.
Although Netflix has had some unfortunate failures with some of its original TV shows, and at one point it became infamous for canceling great shows too early, the platform has also produced some modern masterpieces. Many of Netflix’s original miniseries rightfully earned the title of “masterpiece”, such as The Queen’s Gambit and The Haunting of Hill House, and there have also been multi-season shows that are considered perfect from beginning to end.
However, not all of those masterpieces managed to hook the audience from the very beginning. It often happens that it takes two or three episodes for a show to fully get the audience’s attention and curiosity, and while that doesn’t make them any less great, it’s a more impressive achievement to get it in just one episode – and, in some cases, it only takes them a couple of minutes for the audience to be fully into their stories.
Baby Reindeer (2024)
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Baby Reindeer is a British black comedy drama miniseries created by Richard Gadd, based on his autobiographical one-man show of the same name. Baby Reindeer follows aspiring comedian Donny Dunn (Gadd), who works as a bartender in London. One day, he offers a free cup to a distressed customer named Martha (Jessica Gunning), but she develops an unhealthy attachment to him. Martha begins to stalk him online and in person, and it escalates quite quickly, with this situation forcing Donny to confront past trauma.
Baby Reindeer was a critical success and became one of Netflix’s biggest hits of 2024. Baby Reindeer‘s first episode introduces viewers to Donny, his struggles in his career, and shows his first meeting with Martha, how her disturbing behavior begins, and how Donny initially deals with it.
Money Heist (2017-2021)
Money Heist is a Spanish crime drama TV series created by Álex Pina. Money Heist chronicles two heists – one on the Royal Mint of Spain and one on the Bank of Spain – led by the Professor (Álvaro Morte). The Professor recruits a group of eight people, all of them with city names as their aliases, to carry out these heists. Money Heist is told through the perspective of one of the robbers, Tokyo (Úrsula Corberó), and is told in a real-time style.
The first episode of Money Heist shows the Professor forming his team of robbers, to whom he briefly explains his plan, as well as police investigator Raquel Murillo (Itziar Ituño) taking over the case. Money Heist was a huge hit with critics and general audiences, and it spawned a franchise.
Arcane (2021-2024)
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Arcane is an animated steampunk TV series created by Christian Linke and Alex Yee, and it’s part of the universe of League of Legends. Arcane takes viewers into a world where the conflict between the wealthy utopian city of Piltover and the impoverished city of Zaun continues to grow. Orphaned sisters Violet and Powder find themselves entangled in this conflict, and after a tragedy, Powder is taken in by a Zaun crime lord, becoming a mercenary known as Jinx.
Arcane is now one of the best animated TV shows of all time, praised for its animation, worldbuilding, writing, and voice acting. In its first episode, Arcane gives a look at the tragedies the sisters have endured, as well as their current dynamic between them and with their adopted brothers, while also introducing the crime lord who would go on to be an important influence on Powder.
Squid Game (2021-2025)
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Squid Game is a South Korean dystopian survival drama TV series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk. Squid Game centers on a secret contest that consists of different children’s games where the winner will get a large cash prize. In need of money, divorced father and indebted gambling addict Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) signs up for the game, but once there, he learns that not only are they under watch all the time, but if you lose a game, you die, with each death contributing to the prize pool.
Squid Game is one of Netflix’s biggest successes of all time, as well as the platform’s most-watched series. Squid Game‘s first episode introduces viewers to Seong Gi-hun, shows how he ends up being part of the game, and the very first “game” he and hundreds of other people must play, giving a good idea of the type of tension, horrors, and drama the show is about.
Adolescence (2025)
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Netflix’s biggest hit of 2025 was Adolescence, a drama miniseries created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham. Adolescence takes viewers to a town near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, to meet the Miller family: father Eddie (Graham), mother Manda (Christine Tremarco), and children Jamie (Owen Cooper) and Lisa (Amélie Pease). Thirteen-year-old Jamie is arrested on suspicion of the murder of his classmate, Katie, and so the show covers his arrest, questioning, the investigation, and the impact of all this on the Miller family.
Adolescence has been praised for its cinematography, writing, tone, and performances, and while it might not be an easy watch due to its themes, it’s definitely worth giving it a chance. The first episode of Adolescence shows Jamie’s arrest, his detention at the station, and the first part of the investigation, while Jamie maintains his innocence.
The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
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Loosely based on Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel of the same name, The Haunting of Hill House is a supernatural horror drama miniseries created by Mike Flanagan. The Haunting of Hill House follows the Crain family – father Hugh, mother Olivia, and children Steven, Shirley, Theo, Luke, and Nell – who move into the Hill House mansion to renovate it and sell it. Unexpected repairs keep them there longer than planned, as they all experience increasing paranormal phenomena that result in tragedy.
Years later, after another tragedy, the Crains reunite and are forced to confront their past at Hill House, both individually and as a family. The Haunting of Hill House is one of the best horror TV shows of all time, and it starts strong. In its first episode, The Haunting of Hill House goes back and forth in time, following the Crain siblings in the present and in the past at the mansion, showing how Hill House impacted their present and ending with a disturbing twist.
Mindhunter (2017-2019)
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Based on John Douglas and Mark Olshaker’s 1995 true-crime book of the same name, Mindhunter is a psychological crime thriller that takes the audience back to the 1970s and 1980s to meet FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany). Along with psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), they launch a research project to interview imprisoned serial killers to understand their psychology and use that knowledge to solve ongoing cases.
Mindhunter is one of the best TV shows of all time, but also one that ended too soon – it wasn’t canceled, but it never got a third season, either. Mindhunter‘s first episode explores the beginning of the project, mostly focusing on Ford and how he came up with the idea, along with a new case he and Tench are assigned to.
Dark (2017-2020)
Dark is a sci-fi mystery thriller TV show created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese. Set in the fictional town of Winden, Germany, the events of Dark begin with the disappearance of a young boy named Mikkel, which leads to the unbelievable discovery of a time travel conspiracy that spans several generations, connecting all residents of Winden.
Dark is one of the smartest, most complex, and fascinating sci-fi shows of all time, and a masterpiece with no plot holes and loose ends. Dark‘s first episode begins with a death, and goes on to show Mikkel’s disappearance, the beginning of the investigation, and the first appearance of a mysterious location that’s key to the show. Dark is a must-watch, not just for sci-fi fans, but for everyone.
Netflix is a global streaming service offering on-demand access to movies, TV shows, documentaries, and original content. Founded in 1997 as a DVD rental service, it transitioned to streaming in 2007 and now operates in over 190 countries.
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