The best original series (May 2022)

Netflix is the best place to watch original shows, as its catalog has ballooned over the years to include some of the world’s most celebrated titles. The platform has something for everybody’s taste, from binge-worthy, light-hearted sitcoms to intense period dramas. In the last couple of months alone, Netflix has added tons of new series and renewed many of its existing mega hits. But of all these recent releases, here are the best Netflix original series that you just cannot miss.

Heartstopper (2022-)

Heartstopper is a coming-of-age series but not the typical kind you usually come across. Based on a namesake graphic novel by Alice Oseman, the series has a refreshing take on high school romance without missing out on the playful side of teenagers. It shows Charlie Spring’s (Joe Locke) anxiety while pursuing his crush on a popular player of the school’s rugby team Nick Nelson (Kit Connor).

True to its graphic novel backdrop, the series uses various animations to highlight the emotional quotient of the scene — all without getting distasteful. While these accompaniments make the show all the more engaging and light-hearted, you won’t ever need any of that because the actors have done a tremendous job of portraying these complex emotions.

The first season of Heartstopper is something you could snuggle down and binge-watch in a single stretch.

• Genre: Teen, drama
• Creator: Alice Oseman
• Stars: Kit Connor, Joe Locke, William Gao

Russian Doll (2019-)

In Russian Doll, Nadia Vulvokov (Natasha Lyonne) gets stuck in a time loop that each time ends in her dying in the most absurd ways, forcing her to relive her birthday party over and over. She desperately works out ways to get out of the loop or extend the time between her tragicomic deaths. Nadia finally encounters a man who has also been living in the same loop.

In case you thought there’s little left for the show to explore for the second season, you’re underestimating the ability of the ensemble of creators to be inventive, including Natasha Lyonne herself. The second season of the Netflix series just landed, and it’s already creating a buzz with “something worse than death.” This time you will find Nadia going back in time to alter her family history.

The icing on the cake is Natasha’s incredible acting and her comic timing that will keep you hooked and probably even wanting the third season to come right out.

• Genre: Comedy, drama
• Creators: Leslye Headland, Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler
• Stars: Natasha Lyonne, Charlie Barnett, Greta Lee

Ozark (2017-2022)

One of Netflix’s top-running drama series of all time that upped the ante with every subsequent season has come to an end, with its fourth season streaming last month. While Marty (Jason Bateman) and Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney) are the driving force of Ozark, it’s Ruth (Julia Garner) that further shined in the third season, leaving us excited about what’s in store for her in the last season. Cracks have also started to form in the Byrde family, making season four an exciting watch.

For people who have been following Ozark so far, the series finale is a must-watch to get closure on the Byrde family’s fate as their money laundering business expands. And those just starting the series, it’s going to be fascinating to watch how Marty went from being a next-door family man to having such a significant influence on the illicit businesses in the Ozarks. The grim palette and the storytelling style add to the show’s theme and draw you into the Byrde family’s downward spiral into the criminal cartel.

• Genre: Thriller, crime
• Creators: Bill Dubuque, Mark Williams
• Stars: Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Sofia Hublitz

Human Resources (2022-)

Human Resources is a workplace comedy, but the office is unlike anything you can imagine: where Hormone Monsters work and are assigned to their human “clients.” If Hormone Monsters ring a bell, you aren’t mistaken because Human Resources is a spin-off of Netflix’s renowned Big Mouth series. If you like the kind of exaggerated rollercoaster of adolescent emotions shown in Big Mouth, Human Resources will be right up your alley.

But this 2022 show makes the world much bigger with many more monsters like Lovebug (Aidy Bryant) and Logic Rock (Randall Park) and now deals with adult humans instead of teens. And you will get a peek at the other side of how various Monsters (mis)manage human emotions and mess with the brains of adults.

• Genre: Animated sitcom
• Creators: Kelly Galuska, Nick Kroll, Andrew Goldberg, Mark Levin, Jennifer Flackett
• Voiced by: Aidy Bryant, Randall Park, Nick Kroll

Top Boy (2011-)

Originally a two-season British Channel 4 series, Top Boy was renewed by Netflix in 2019 for two more seasons (with the fifth and final installment in the pipeline). Ashley Walters and Kane Robinson reprised their lead roles as Summerhouse drug kingpins Dushane Hill and Sully Sullivan, respectively. The original creative team has also been retained, which is why the series has only gotten better since its revival on Netflix.

The first two seasons deal with Ra’Nell Smith (Malcolm Kamulete) and how his life gets intertwined with the criminal realm of Dushane and Sully. You can catch up on these original seasons on Netflix itself, but they are listed separately as Top Boy: Summerhouse. In the third season, the show follows Dushane making a living away from crime, but he soon finds himself, along with Sully, on the way back to Summerhouse to regain his top boy status.

• Genre: Crime, drama
• Creator: Ronan Bennett
• Stars: Ashley Walters, Kane Robinson, Micheal Ward

Bridgerton (2020-)

Bridgerton is among the most-watched Netflix series of recent times. The show is based on a novel collection by Julia Quinn and is set in Britain in the early 1800s. Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) of the elite Bridgerton family, along with her other seven siblings, must find a suitor for herself during the social season. But her plans are thrown off the track by her brother Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and a scandal fanned by one mysterious Lady Whistledown.

By the second season, you will learn who this mysterious lady is and see Anthony on his journey to find a partner. But he gets caught up in a complicated relationship while juggling his duty toward the family. No matter the season, you will be in awe of the show’s grandness and how lively it feels to watch, with the chemistry between the characters, which is further complemented by its impressive score. A prequel to the show is also in the works focusing on Queen Charlotte’s (Golda Rosheuvel) early years.

• Genre: Period, romance, drama
• Creator: Chris Van Dusen
• Stars: Adjoa Andoh, Julie Andrews, Lorraine Ashbourne

The Last Kingdom (2015-2022)

There aren’t many shows that can match the scale of Games of Thrones, but Netflix’s The Last Kingdom comes the closest, minus the fantasy part of GoT. The show is based on the novel series The Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell. It follows Uhtred Ragnarsson (Alexander Dreymon), who is captured by the Danes at a young age, along with Brida (Emily Cox), as an enslaved person. He is later adopted and raised by his captor, which creates a conflict later on in his life.

Uhtred quests to avenge his family’s assassination as his loyalty is tested. The show is a fictional account of the events that happened centuries ago in Britain and is generally appreciated for being closer to the actual events than many other shows. A feature film from Netflix is also in the works after the show became a massive success with its fifth and last season.

• Genre: Period, action, drama
• Creator: Stephen Butchard
• Stars: Alexander Dreymon, Emily Cox, David Dawson

After Life (2019-2022)

After Life’s protagonist Tony Johnson, played by the hilarious Ricky Gervais, has his own way of coping with his wife’s passing: pushing everyone around him away. Being insolent is a “superpower” that he can easily get away with for Tony. The show essentially deals with depression, but not without Gervais’s wit, which makes it a fun watch.

Tony’s various quirky interactions with his interviewees as a reporter for a weekly newspaper and his mailman make for a wholesome comedy series, but they also tell you what’s going on in his mind. The show weaves such a somber subject with black comedy and gives you moments of good laughs (though not without some awkward ones). After Life’s third and final season started streaming earlier this year and gives closure to Tony’s grief.

• Genre: Black comedy, drama
• Creator: Ricky Gervais
• Stars: Ricky Gervais, Tom Basden, Tony Way

Raising Dion (2019-2022)

Raising a child is already a demanding task. But it gets a notch higher for a single mother, Nicole Warren (Alisha Wainwright), whose pre-teen son Dion (Ja’Siah Young) has been gifted with some superhero-like capabilities. Little Dion doesn’t know how to control his newfound powers, but many not-so-friendly people have a growing interest in what Dion can do. And Nicole must do everything to protect her son from getting exploited for his abilities.

In the second season of Raising Dion, the stakes get super high as the kid, now able to manage his powers, has to prove his might against the Crooked Man and save the whole city with help from his team of friends. Interestingly, the Crooked Man has a connection with Dion’s deceased father and scientist Mark (Michael Jordan). Unfortunately, the show was canceled after the second season, but it will still make for a good watch with your kid on a weekend.

• Genre: Superhero, drama
• Creator: Carol Barbee
• Stars: Alisha Wainwright, Ja’Siah Young, Jazmyn Simon

Find your new favorite show

Netflix is a vast place to explore new content originating from all over the world and in many languages. Original shows and movies have grown to be the strongest suit of Netflix, and the catalog continues to grow as we speak. Our best Netflix original series selection should give you enough content to sail through the month, but there’s (much) more coming your way in the coming weeks — and not just from Netflix.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to Netflix or canceled your membership a while ago, you’re missing out on many good shows to watch. It’s a good time to get back on the platform and probably start your binge spree with Russian Doll.

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