The Best Netflix Original TV Shows of 2019
How much do you trust your Netflix algorithm? Sometimes its mysterious calculations perfectly predict how and when to introduce us to its latest offerings. Sometimes, we've never even heard of the original series that pop up on our home screens but they do turn out to be just the thing we needed to see. But there's a downside to this mathematical logic: Your taste in TV might be more than a computer can understand. Everyone else you know might be talking about a revolutionary new drama that Netflix decided you didn't need to see. (Maybe that sick day you spent crying over nature documentaries skewed the numbers and hid the latest selection of foreign teen soaps? We can only guess.)
That’s where we come in, though: by the time you read this, Netflix may have already dropped another 50 series. We did our best to look back and capture what was truly great in 2019 (both new and returning series). If we missed some, well, you can blame it on our own faulty algorithms.
On My Block, Season 2
Take all the best parts of your favorite white suburban teen/rich city kid high school drama, add some sitcom humor, and then set it in a gang-ridden neighborhood of Los Angeles with Black and Latino kids. In the show's second season, Ruby, Monse, Jamal, and Cesar deal with the heartbreak and PTSD caused by their friend Olivia's death, but every heavy moment is balanced out by humor as life goes on.
Dolly Parton's Heartstrings
We can't get enough of Dolly Parton these days. Eight episodes of fictional stories based on eight different Dolly songs is a pretty heft serving of the icon. These are kind of mini Hallmark movies — heartfelt romantic plots, familiar stars, tidy resolutions — but all elevated by the spirit of Dolly and her timeless lyrics and voice.
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Restaurateur David Chang travels the world with pals Seth Rogen, Kate McKinnon, Lena Waithe, and Chrissy Teigen. Let us put this differently: You can sit back and watch Chrissy Teigen eat Moroccan food and be e\eher general goofy self for 43 whole minutes.
Dear White People, Season 3
With more than one self-aware reference to "the third season of a Netflix series" Dear White People shifts its mood this year, much in the same way people do as they grow and change in college. Sam, Joelle, Troy, Reggie, Gabe, Lionel, and the other Winchester students continue to deal with the ongoing issues of race on campus, but they're also turning inward. Bonus subplots: Sam gets mentored by a Tyler Perry type, and Blair Underwood plays a software developer.
The Crown, Season 3
New era, new cast, new geopolitical and romantic conflicts all freshen up the story of Queen Elizabeth II, but the juicy core of The Crown remains the same. We love this show for the way it portrays the difficulties of sisterhood and love that we can all relate to, contrasted with the opulence, geopolitical delicacies, and rigid traditions that we really can't relate to at all. In this season, we get to see where the love story of Prince Charles and Camilla first began while also having our hearts stomped on by the story of a mining accident that killed 116 children.
The Society
A group of high schoolers get stranded in a world that looks just like home...but really, really sucks. They have to totally fend for themselves because there are no adults, Wi-Fi, or cell phone data. (A world with only green text bubbles is a true dystopian nightmare.)
Russian Doll
Nadia (Natasha Lyonne) is stuck in a loop where she keeps dying and waking back up at the exact same moment of her own birthday party. It’s so dark...but SO funny.
Black Mirror
Black Mirror, aka the show that makes you want to move to a deserted, technology-free island, dropped its fifth season this year. Obviously, it was equal parts amazing and horrifying. (Wait...speaking of a tech-free world...do you think The Society has any vacancies?)
When They See Us
Ava DuVernay’s limited series about the true story of the Central Park Five is really difficult to watch. But it’s also really important to watch. Seriously, stream this one ASAP.
Dead to Me
Dead to Me is right up your alley if you’re into dark comedies about murder. Which...you are. Because we all are. This is basically a perfect television show, and it is not up for debate.
The Umbrella Academy
Besides the fact that The Umbrella Academy is based on a graphic novel by Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance, this show is filled with tons of ridiculous surprises you won’t be able to stop talking about. It’s about a bunch of kids who are randomly born to women who showed zero signs of pregnancy until the day before (uh, nightmare?) and then adopted by a bajillionaire who trains them into superheroes.
Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes
Uh...this was some of the creepiest television I have ever watched. Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes took hours of unreleased footage of serial killer Ted Bundy and blew our minds with tons of brand-new information about his terrible case.
Sex Education
Honestly, Sex Education should be required viewing for every living human because (a) it’s hilarious and (b) it will teach you about all the things you really should have learned as a high school student and probably still want to know about now!
Queer Eye
The third season of Queer Eye is essentially a ray of sunshine just beaming out through your TV screen. Somehow, this show gets better every season. I think my eyes are still kind of puffy from crying over the Jones Sisters episode?
Derry Girls
The first season of Derry Girls dropped at the very beginning of the year, and thank god the second dropped in the summer. This show is the best thing to come out of Ireland in IDK how long, but these Catholic school girls will make you laugh your ass off. Promise.
You
Okay, yes, this technically started as a Lifetime show, but it went viral once it hit Netflix under the original umbrella. It’s creepy and suspenseful, and it will make you question your sexual attraction to Penn Badgley’s character. And great news, there’s a second season on the way.
Dating Around
You better believe that when Netflix turns out a dating show, it’s going to be good. Dating Around shows men and women going on blind dates in New York City, and it’s equal parts thought-provoking and entertaining. You’re gonna love it.
Workin’ Moms
This Canadian show hit Netflix U.S. at the end of February, and it follows a group of, you guessed it, working moms who are trying to navigate all the stuff that comes with that. The episodes are super short (and hilarious), making it highly bingeable. There are three seasons on Netflix so far. Have fun!
The Politician
Ryan Murphy’s first show for Netflix is absolutely as good as you’d expect. It follows a high schooler named Payton as he tries to win his student body election, but it’s the most extreme set of circumstances you have ever seen. The best news? They’re already working on the second season.
Stream now
Unbelievable
If you’re in the mood for something that’s going to make you think, try this. It’s about a girl who is accused of lying about her rape and two female detectives who investigate that together.
The End of the F***ing World
Okay, so technically, the second season of this show is the one that’s new, but if you haven’t watched the first, catch up!! It’s about Alyssa and James, two teenagers who become their own version of Bonnie and Clyde.
An extremely polarizing honorable mention:
What/If
What/If is either the best show Netflix has ever given us...or the worst show Netflix has ever given us. I really can’t decide. Either way, it...exists and is something you should maybe watch.
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