Top 10 best thriller series on Netflix right now
Thrillers are great, and Netflix has some of the best series in this genre! Whether you’re looking for crime action, mind-bending psychological commentary or frantic social satire: this streaming platform has it all. These are the top 10 best thrillers on Netflix right now.
- Black Mirror
- Adolescence
- Breaking Bad
- The Blacklist
- La Casa de Papel (Money Heist)
- Squid Game
- Dark
- Lupin
- Killing Eve
- You
10. You
You is a series about the seemingly normal Joe Goldberg. He falls head over heels for all kinds of smart and beautiful women, but his love quickly turns into something more sinister. He uses every tool he can to get close to the subject of his desires, and his ways are not always morally right (far from it, even).
What I think is so good about You is that you’re forced to empathise with the villain. You watch the series fully from the villain's perspective. That means you become familiar with his way of thinking and his reasoning behind his actions. In his mind, everything seems logical. He explains his steps in such a way that we, as the audience, almost go along with it.
This means that you really have to check yourself. Am I hypnotised by Joe’s logical explanation and his beautiful eyes, or is kidnapping a woman really not as bad as it seems? This makes you as the watcher almost complicit in the events of the series, creepy.
Extra info:
- Creators: Greg Berlanti, Sera Gamble
- Actors: Penn Badgley, Victoria Pedretti, Charlotte Ritchie
- Seasons: 5
- Episode runtime: 41–60 minutes
- Release 1st season: 2018
9. Killing Eve
This thriller series breathes female power. It not only has 2 strong protagonists portrayed by legendary actors Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer, but every season of this series is written by a different female head writer: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Emerald Fennell, Suzanne Heathcote, and Laura Neal.
The series follows the uninspired MI5 agent, Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh). After some sloppy police work on a particular case, she’s fired. However, her obsession with the female assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer) grows to unhealthy levels after this. Eventually, she becomes such an expert on the case that she joins a special MI6 force tasked with catching Villanelle.
When Eve and Villanelle cross paths, a story of mutual fascination unfolds. It leads them further away from their missions and closer to each other. Phoebe Waller-Bridge, one of the head writers of the show, described their relationship as “More complex than a romantic relationship.” The writer explains: “It's sexual, it's intellectual, it's aspirational.” If that doesn’t spark your curiosity, I don’t know what will.
Extra info:
- Creator: Phoebe Waller-Bridge
- Actors: Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer, Fiona Shaw
- Seasons: 4
- Episode runtime: 42 minutes
- Release 1st season: 2018
8. Lupin
Lupin follows the master thief Assane Diop. He’s obsessed with the stories of Arsène Lupin, which are also the stories that the series is based off. He masterfully creates elaborate plans with his accomplices to heist luxury stores, huge auctions, museums and more. His plans are grand and complex, but he always gets away with it, leaving the police absolutely baffled.
Assane commits lots of crimes, but his ultimate goal is to take down Pellegrini. This extremely wealthy and powerful man framed Assane’s father for stealing an expensive necklace. After this event, Assane’s life was forever changed and for this, he desperately wants revenge.
What might seem like a silly cat-and-mouse series about a master thief and an idiotic police force at first, is actually a heartbreaking series about a man dealing with intense trauma. This balance is exactly what I think makes it so special. You’ll laugh, cry, hold your breath and melt with love, sometimes all in the same episode.
Extra info:
- Creator: George Kay
- Actors: Omar Sy, Ludivine Sagnier, Soufiane Guerrab
- Seasons: 3
- Episode runtime: 45 minutes
- Release 1st season: 2021
7. Dark
The disappearance of a child is always a horrifying experience. But in the series Dark, this takes an even more frightening turn. The German show follows 4 families who all live in the fictional town of Winden. They have no connection to each other, but all of them experience some strange events after a couple of children go missing. Eventually they uncover a mystery that spans over multiple generations and even deals with time travel.
For Dark, you really need your full attention. So no doing the laundry while watching! The show's puzzles and time-loops are mind-boggling, but in my opinion it definitely pays off. The show dives into themes of time travel, parallel universes and time paradoxes and leaves no stones unturned.
Dark is very highly praised for its acting, directing and writing. All 3 of the seasons score extremely high with viewers and critics alike. To keep a complex series like this interesting for multiple seasons, is not something that you see very often, but Dark manages to pull it off.
Extra info:
- Creators: Baran bo Odar, Jantje Friese
- Actors: Louis Hofmann, Karoline Eichhorn, Lisa Vicari
- Seasons: 3
- Episode runtime: 44–73 minutes
- Release 1st season: 2017
6. Squid Game
The Korean thriller-drama that took the world by storm: Squid Game. In 2021, it was almost impossible to miss this series, and with good reason. Squid Game has an amazing premise, extreme stakes, and incredible social commentary: what’s not to love?
Seong Gi-hun is a gambling addict and is asked to join in a mysterious game that has a huge cash prize. He’s taken to an unknown location where he’s forced to play children’s games against 455 other contestants, all dressed in the same green jumpsuits. Okay, so what’s the catch? Well, the contestants that lose a game die. There can only be 1 survivor who will walk away with a cash prize.
Aside from the insane concept, what I think makes Squid Game so brilliant is mostly the social commentary it provides. It’s not only a story of how far people will go for money, but also a critique of capitalism and economic class struggles. All of this packaged in an action thriller that has your eyes glued to the screen from beginning to end.
Extra info:
- Creators: Hwang Dong-hyuk
- Actors: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon, Jeon Young-soo
- Seasons: 3
- Episode runtime: 32–63 minutes
- Release 1st season: 2021
5. La Casa de Papel (Money Heist)
Shows about heists are always good for a nice thrill, and La Casa de Papel (English name: Money Heist) is one of the best there is. In the series, we follow a group of criminals, led by a mysterious leader called the Professor, as they plan and commit multiple heists on a big bank in Spain.
It may seem like just another series about a group of crime junkies, but there’s actually a Marxist layer to this show. The iconic red suits, Dali masks and the Bella Ciao theme song are all icons of real-life resistance groups who all in some way reject the modern capitalist system. This idea becomes clearer when we learn that the group is not actually going to steal from the bank, but rather print more money that they’re going to take with them. The system already prints money. So why is it so bad if we print some extra? A very cool second layer to the show, in my opinion.
La Casa de Papel quickly became a worldwide phenomenon and one of the best thriller series on Netflix. When the final season premiered, La Casa de Papel was the top streaming show in the world. Now, the iconic red jumpsuits are a staple of any Halloween party, and it’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t know the song Bella Ciao.
Extra info:
- Creator: Álex Pina
- Actors: Úrsula Corberó, Álvaro Morte, Itziar Ituño
- Seasons: 5
- Episode runtime: 50 minutes
- Release 1st season: 2017
4.The Blacklist
I’ll watch anything that has James Spader in it, and The Blacklist has to be one of his best performances. In this series, he plays the high-profile criminal Raymond ‘Red’ Reddington. The FBI has been on his trail for years, but they can never catch him. Then, out of the blue, Red turns himself in. But in return for his information, he wants to help track down other bad guys with the FBI Special Agent Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Kee.
In the 10 seasons that follow, Red and Liz catch dozens of dangerous criminals, all thanks to The Blacklist. At the same time, Liz is also trying to figure out why Red is so interested in her. She digs further into his past, something that he’s actively trying to hide from her.
If you think 10 seasons of catching criminals will get boring, think again. The Blacklist is absolutely addictive from beginning to end. I loved the (at times ridiculous) plot, interesting characters and curious mysteries that will keep you guessing what’s next. Before you know it, you’ll have binge-watched all through this incredible series.
Extra info:
- Creator: Jon Bokenkamp
- Actors: James Spader, Megan Boone, Diego Klattenhoff
- Seasons: 10
- Episode runtime: 43 minutes
- Release 1st season: 2013
3. The best crime thriller series on Netflix: Breaking Bad
When a down-on-his-luck chemistry teacher is diagnosed with cancer, he decides to turn his life around. Not in the way you might think. He doesn’t start collecting money for a good cause, connect with long-lost family members, or pick up a forgotten hobby. No, this teacher decides to start making drugs, meth in particular.
Breaking Bad follows Walter White as he turns from teacher to an absolute drug lord. The initial plan was to make small doses in order to provide for his family, but soon the doses become bigger and bigger. This puts him at odds with local gangs, drug cartels and even the DEA. This puts his own and his family’s lives in danger.
I feel like Breaking Bad is one of the best series ever made. The popularity of the show even led to a spin-off series about the lawyer Saul Goodman and a movie about Jesse, Walter's young accomplice. Perfect if you (like me) don’t want to stop watching after the series ends!
Extra info:
- Creator: Vince Gilligan
- Actors: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn
- Seasons: 5
- Episode runtime: 45-50 minutes
- Release 1st season: 2008
2. Adolescence
Adolescence might not be the Thriller series you have in mind to binge-watch, but hear me out. Suspense? Check. Unexpected twist? Yep. An anxiety-inducing plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat? Absolutely!
Adolescence opens in an unspecified North English town. A cop as he gears up for an important event. This event is the arrest of the 13-year-old boy, Jamie Miller. The rest of the series shows Jamie and his family as they try to deal with the fact that their son is the main suspect in the murder of Katie Leonard, a classmate of Jamie.
The series was an instant hit with viewers and critics alike. I especially like that they shot the episodes in one take, which puts you at the very heart of the action. The acting also impressed me, especially that of the very young protagonist. But most of all, the series became so popular because Adolescence shined a light on something that’s relatively new to us: what can happen if young men are too influenced by the manosphere and misogyny.
Extra info:
- Creator: Stephen Graham, Jack Thorne
- Actors: Owen Cooper, Stephen Graham, Ashley Walters
- Seasons: 1
- Episode runtime: 60 minutes
- Release 1st season: 2025
1. The best Netflix thriller series: Black Mirror
The best thrilling series on Netflix? In my opinion, it’s Black Mirror.
The British dystopian series, Black Mirror, focuses on scary and also very real future scenarios that could be coming. From uploading your consciousness to a cloud and blocking people IRL to immoral torturing methods and deadly video games: this series covers it all.
Every episode of Black Mirror tells a stand-alone story of some kind of dystopian future. These usually focus on what can happen if technology evolves too far. Even though some plots sound kind of crazy at first, like a civilization that’s forced to live underground where a man rides hours on his home trainer to compete in a reality show, every episode feels very real. Without even noticing, you're sucked into this alternate reality and all the stakes that come with it, and that’s exactly why I think this show deserves the number 1 spot.
I don’t want to give away too much, because this is one of those series where it’s best to watch without any prior knowledge. But I can describe Black Mirror as satirical, dark and sometimes just really depressing. Without fail, every episode will have your jaw on the floor.
If you haven’t watched the series Black Mirror yet, open your Netflix app and get to watching right now.
Extra info:
- Creator: Charlie Brooker
- Actors: Anjana Vasan, Cristin Milioti, Jimmi Simpson
- Seasons: 7
- Episode runtime: 40-89 minutes
- Release 1st season: 2016
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