24 of the Best Shows on Netflix Right Now—Prepare to Get Hooked
If you’re craving a good binge-watching session this September, these are the best shows on Netflix to dive into right now.
This list is for the best shows on Netflix in September 2019—see the best shows on Netflix right now for October 2019 for a more recent list.
If you’ve never indulged in a binge-watching session, you don’t know what you’re missing. Watching a full season (or all the seasons) of some of the best shows on Netflix is a great way to keep up with all the TV shows out there. (It’s also a guaranteed way to spend hours, maybe even days, of entertainment on a lazy or rainy weekend.) Streaming services have completely changed the way we watch TV, and with all the good TV shows on Netflix (including the best Netflix originals) and other streaming services, there is always something to watch.
Right now, Netflix is arguably the queen of streaming TV shows, with endless options to suit any taste. Watching a show is fun, and dangerously easy. But actually picking a Netflix TV show? That’s nearly impossible, particularly if you’re watching with friends or family and need to find something everyone will enjoy. Netflix is great, but actually picking something to watch can take hours (or close to it) because of the sheer volume of options on the streaming service. Add in all the Halloween movies on Netflix, Christmas movies on Netflix, and more, and there’s almost too much to sift through. Hopefully, this list of 24 of the best shows on Netflix right now can help narrow it down.
Some popular Netflix shows require your full attention, while others are fine to keep on in the background while you’re cooking, cleaning, or doing other activities. (A Netflix TV show you’ve already seen, even if it is pretty attention-intensive, can be a background show on second-viewing.) Take a look at this list of top shows for September 2019 for inspiration. With any luck, one of these top shows will grab your interest; if not, you can always make a Netflix request for a show you’d like added.
The best shows on Netflix in September 2019
1. Stranger Things
A Netflix Original darling, this 80s blend of supernatural horror and pre-teen drama just launched its third season, officially putting it in binge-worthy territory. Prepare to jump, reminisce, and scream (just a little).
2. Schitt’s Creek
It’s a riches-to-rags tale with the most ridiculous family imaginable, perfect for curling up and laughing on a particularly dreary day.
3. Parks and Recreation
Okay, admittedly the first season is a bit of a slog, but this mockumentary series quickly turns into a tear-jerking, laugh-inducing, heart-warming hit—and it has seven spectacular seasons to enjoy.
4. Friends
This classic 90s ensemble show won’t be on Netflix for much longer, so now is your chance to watch all 10 seasons—if you haven’t already.
5. Orange Is the New Black
With the seventh—and final—season recently released, this dark comedy on life in a women’s prison is one of the best shows on Netflix right now and will include more than a few now-familiar faces.
6. New Girl
Perfect for a girls’ weekend or a rainy weekend in, the antics of the title character and her out-there roommates will have everyone laughing through all seven seasons.
7. Shameless
This dark family drama is still airing on Showtime, but Netflix subscribers can binge-watch the first eight seasons. The show follows the dysfunctional Gallagher clan as they fight (sometimes literally) to stay together and afloat. Fair warning: This one isn’t for the kids.
8. Scandal
If you somehow missed this irresistible political drama while it was airing, now’s your chance to catch up—and join the Kerry Washington fan club. With all the high-stakes and stark cliff-hangers, you’ll wonder how anyone managed to wait between episodes.
9. Gilmore Girls
Heart-warming, family-friendly, quick-witted—there’s a reason this mother-daughter series has a special place in our hearts. It’s so good, in fact, that Netflix brought it back to life, so there’s even more binge-watching to be done.
10. Supernatural
This one’s for the serial binge-watchers who never want shows to end. Sci-fi or fantasy fans are probably already familiar with this cult TV show, but anyone can appreciate the sibling dynamics, monster-hunting, mysteries, and enticing horror—and with 14 seasons, there’s plenty to watch.
11. Jane the Virgin
Enjoy charming family dynamics with a healthy dose of telenovela-level antics in this romantic, funny series about a woman who finds herself pregnant after an accidental, artificial insemination. All five seasons (and 100 episodes) are now available on Netflix for hours and hours of entertainment.
12. Lucifer
The devil goes to Los Angeles—literally—in this crime-solving series, which features romance, some interpretive deism, a little bit of action, and plenty of dry humor. This popular TV show is now a Netflix Original, with one season (and another to come) produced by the streaming service.
13. Hart of Dixie
Get back to your Southern roots (or imagine you have some) with this soapy show, which features a high-powered doctor who ends up in a small Southern town that just so happens to be full of eligible bachelors. The titular Hart is spunky and quirky (in a very mid-2010s way) and the cast of characters is undeniably fun—a perfectly light-hearted watch.
14. Grace and Frankie
In this gal-pal comedy, two women nearing retirement realize their respective husbands have fallen in love—with each other. They make unlikely friends but a great show, fortunately. This Netflix Original has five seasons available, too, so there’s plenty of buddy-comedy to be enjoyed.
15. Grey’s Anatomy
Does this top Netflix show need an introduction? 15 seasons of pure medical drama, hot doctors, a rotating cast—if you haven’t watched yet, now might be the time.
16. Dexter
This dark 2013 drama won a series of awards in its day—and with eight seasons, there’s plenty to binge-watch. The show follows a man who is a blood-splatter analyst by day and a serial killer by night and has all the twists and intrigue someone tired of more formulaic crime shows will love.
17. That ’70s Show
The show that arguably launched Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis’s careers, this comedy about a group of teenaged friends in the 1970s offers nostalgia and big laughs in equal measure.
18. Mad Men
If you missed this dark drama during its mid-2010s heyday, now’s your chance to binge-watch all seven critically acclaimed seasons about a philandering, hedonistic ad man working during the prime days of advertising in the 60s.
19. The Blacklist
If you’re feeling the need to watch a crime show partnering a fugitive with a rule-follower (and there are a few on this list), here’s one option. This one stars James Spader in his twice-nominated role as a criminal mastermind who decides to help the good guys—for now.
20. Weeds
In this irreverent suburban drama, a women loses her husband and starts selling marijuana to her wealthy neighbors to make ends meet (before some states started legalizing it, of course). Predictably, things don’t go exactly as planned, and the series has eight seasons of (adult) antics to enjoy.
21. The Office
If you don’t already quote this much-loved comedy with some frequency (or know someone who does), what are you even doing? You’ll see some very familiar faces in this nine-season binge, and you’ll likely enjoy every one of them—you might even become one of those people who quotes The Office often by the end. (We won’t judge.)
22. Jessica Jones
This popular Netflix show loosely ties into the Marvel universe (of Captain America and the Avengers fame), but it also follows a hero who doesn’t really want to be one. Krysten Ritter, who you’ll probably recognize from lighter shows or movies, plays the tormented title character as she does all the things heroes do—fights bad guys, solves crimes—while indulging in some other vices, too.
23. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
The irrepressible Ellie Kemper—who you might recognize from The Office—stars as a woman who was kept in a bunker by a doomsday abductor for years. When she’s finally released, it’s to a whole new world—one she explores with plenty of enthusiasm and naivety, enough to keep anyone hooked (and laughing) for all four seasons.
24. Breaking Bad
As one of the best shows on Netflix right now, this TV show arguably inspired the current wave of popularity for the anti-hero in TV and movies. Breaking Bad follows a science teacher–turned-drug dealer (who is also battling cancer), offering gritty humor and thrills through all five seasons.
