40 Best Shows to Binge Watch on Netflix – July 2017

This Netflix original thriller follows a dysfunctional family of hotel owners in Munroe County, Florida. When Danny, the black sheep of the family, comes home, no one is happy to see him. Skeletons will be brought out of closets, and family will consider unthinkable crimes.

This musical drama about the birth of hip-hop and the death of disco is set in the South Bronx in 1977. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “It suffers from a 90-minute pilot that will be divisive in its aesthetic choices--think West Side Story, not Spike Lee--but rises again in the next two episodes to give all the crazy a chance at becoming something really good.” You might recognize the over-the-top style of  the 2001 movie Moulin Rouge, which was directed by The Get Down's creator Baz Luhrmann.

A romantic comedy developed by Judd Apatow, Leslie Arfin, and Paul Rust, Love is a down-to-earth look at dating that explores the nature of romantic relationships through a variety of characters.

Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin play the titular characters in this hilarious show, who form an unlikely friendship after their husbands announce they are in love with each other. The two women have never particularly liked each other, but when their husbands leave them, they move in together and support each other as they both try to navigate the next phase of their lives.

This dramedy anthology series and investigates the intricacies of a wide range of sexual and romantic relationships taking place in Chicago. It was written and directed by Joe Swanberg, a pioneer of “mumblecore” style filmmaking, which gives the show an intimate, authentic atmosphere.

Being a pro athlete didn’t pan out for Colt. Now he’s helping his dad and brother keep the family ranch afloat, and figuring out how he fits into the family. With a heavyweight cast including Ashton Kutcher, Sam Elliott, and Debra Winger, The Ranch has gained a reputation for sensitivity and strong performances.

This sequel to the sitcom Full House, which ran from 1987 to 1995, features the returning character of DJ, who is now a veterinarian and the widowed mother of three sons. Many of the original cast reprise their former roles, although Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen opted out. Fans of the original will love it.

DC Comics has had better luck with its TV shows than its big-screen adaptations lately (at least until Wonder Woman came out), and Arrow is one of their strongest offerings. Wealthy scion Oliver Queen returns home with incredible archery skills and a desire to fight crime. (It's no sillier than Batman, if you think about it.) Arrow has all the makings of great binge-watching, from a brooding protagonist to colorful, melodramatic plotting, and fun secondary characters who absolutely steal the show.

Hemlock Grove, a fictional Pennsylvania town, suffers a spate of brutal murders. Roman Godfrey, a wealthy inhabitant, and newcomer Peter Rumancek team up to investigate, but each harbors his own dark secret. All three seasons of this Netflix original horror TV series available for a good, long binge.

The first of many Marvel-Netflix partnerships, Daredevil follows the adventures of Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer by day and masked vigilante by night. As Murdock fights crime in his spare time in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City, he faces down organized crime and eventually more supernatural threats. Daredevil set the bar for Marvel's Netflix offerings, with strong performances, visual style to spare, and impressive martial arts action.

The Canadian frontier of the late 1700s was an unforgiving place, but the fur trade promised to make men rich if they could survive it. Jason Momoa (who you might have seen as Khal Drogo in in Game of Thrones or Aquaman in the upcoming Justice League movie) gives a powerhouse starring performance as Declan Harp, a half-Irish, half-Native American fur trapper who is determined to break the Hudson Bay Company's grip on the region by any means necessary.

Each season of this acclaimed ABC series starts with a crime and then spins out to show how it affects everyone involved. The series' creator, John Ridley, wrote the screenplay for 12 Years a Slave, so you can expect some unflinching drama and serious looks at social issues from American Crime.

Luke Cage (Mike Colter) is an ex-con with unbreakable skin and super strength who also made an appearance on Jessica Jones as a short-term love interest. This is Marvel's third Netflix series, and it stands out with both a thoughtful focus on its largely African-American cast, and a winking 70s-Blaxploitation aesthetic. Luke wants to live a quiet life, but his determination to right wrongs makes him a reluctant hero of Harlem--and a target for local gangsters with big plans.

This sitcom was created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, and stars Ellie Kemper in the title role. 29-year-old Kimmy was rescued from a Doomsday Cult after spending 15 years as an underground hostage, held by the Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne (played by Jon Hamm). She moves to New York to begin her life as an adult, and we get to follow her as she discovers our weird modern world with enthusiasm and zany naivete.

Jessica Jones is  Marvel's second comic-based series on Netflix. Jessica (Krysten Ritter) is a super-powered private eye who mostly wants to be left alone. The one person who won't leave her alone is the villainous Kilgrave, an eccentric psychopath with the power to control minds, who's played by a terrifying David Tennant.

The Magicians takes an adult, intensely cynical look at the tropes of some famous children's fantasy books. Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph) is a graduate student addicted to a Narnia-type book series, who discovers the world of the books is more than just escapism. He ends up at an elite school for young magicians (sound familiar?), makes a bunch of misfit friends, and ends up transported to the universe of his favorite fantasy novels. Meanwhile his childhood friend Julia (Stella Maeve) breaks into the world of magic by less traditional means.

Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) is the ruthless congressman who manipulates politicians to accumulate power from behind the scenes, with the help of his wife, Claire (Robin Wright). From the pilot, which opens with Underwood killing an injured dog with his bare hands and then lying to its owners, it’s clear that this is a man you don’t want to be on the wrong side of. But Spacey is so charming, and his rise to power so darkly engaging, that House of Cards is a wild ride.

Piper Chapman has been sentenced to fifteen months in prison after being ratted on by an ex. Now she must leave her fiancé and life behind and learn to adapt in women’s prison. Orange is the New Black has become Netflix’s most-watched original series. It’s also won many awards, and is the only television series to have won Emmys in both the Comedy and Drama categories.

FBI agent Audrey Parker (Emily Rose) finds herself in the town of Haven, Maine, where the residents are suddenly afflicted with all sorts of supernatural troubles. There's a deeper mystery tying it all together, connected to why "The Troubles" seem to recur every few decades, and maybe to Audrey herself. Fun characters, crime-serial structure, and an engaging love triangle all add binge-ability. This show is inspired by Stephen King's novel The Colorado Kid, and it's full of references to his other stories.

Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) was a secret agent until he got his "burn notice"--word that the agency was cutting him loose. Now stranded in Miami, he has no choice but to use his spy skills to go into business for himself. Some of the show's more memorable elements include its clever "how-to" style narration and a supporting cast that includes cult action hero Bruce Campbell.

They have arrived from a bleak and hopeless future to save us all from our greatest enemy: ourselves. In this series, a group of operatives get sent back in time, taking over the bodies of people moments before they are going to die. Their mission is to avert some disaster without letting on that the timeline is being tampered with. Of course, all this meddling with history has unintended consequences of its own...

Idris Elba is amazing as DCI John Luther, the tormented cop who returns to duty from a mental-health leave to come face to face with a psychotic serial killer, chillingly portrayed by Ruth Wilson. Dark and well-written, this show is propelled from good to great by Elba's captivating performance.

In this loving tribute to 1980s sci fi and fantasy, a group of kids investigate mysterious goings-on in their hometown. The cast is absurdly talented, with a standout performance from Winona Ryder as a missing boy's frantic mother, and the show really nails the look and feel of the 80s movies it imitates. A word of warning: leave time to binge, because once you start watching, it’s very hard to stop.

On watching the pilot, I thought, "There's no way they can sustain this level of hilarious entertainment and great writing through the series," but they do. This incredibly original series was written by screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada) and former Youtube sensation Rachel Bloom. The latter stars as Rebecca Bunch, in a role that has garnered Bloom a Golden Globe for Best Actress. Rebecca leaves an amazing career in New York after she runs into an ex-boyfriend, Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III), who she went to summer camp with when she was 16. She drops everything, including a promotion at a New York Law firm, to follow Josh to West Covina, CA. She's convinced that the road to happiness lies in West Covina. “It’s just two hours from the beach, four hours in traffic.” She sings and dances her way through this hilarious show. This is truly one of the best comedies to come along in a long time.

This hilarious 1999 high-school dramedy was created by Paul Feig and only ran for one season--its cancellation is considered one of the greatest injustices in modern pop culture. It stars Linda Cardellini as Lindsey Weir, and John Francis Daly as her younger brother Sam, as they try to find and fit in with their school cliques. The cast also features a young Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jason Segel, and Becky Ann Baker.

This show by Sally Wainwright, set in present-day Yorkshire, is great for baby boomers and kids of all ages. It’s the story of two old flames, Celia and Alan (Ann Reid and Derek Jacobi), who reconnect as septuagenarians after 50 years apart. Both characters have middle-aged daughters with relationship problems of their own. Celia's daughter's (Sarah Lancashire) ex-husband wants to move back in, forcing her to break it off with her lesbian lover, whom she works with. Alan's daughter (Nicola Walker), doesn't quite know what to think about her dad's new-old love or her new stepsister.

This Netflix original series traces the rise and fall of real-life drug kingpin Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura), and the U.S. and Colombian authorities who worked to bring him down. The series has a documentary sensibility, and is very true-to-life when the showrunners must have been tempted to sensationalize things. The show doesn't have many sympathetic characters, but the tense writing and strong performances will keep you invested.

Raised in New York City as a good Irish Catholic, you might say I've never been an anglophile--that is, until I saw The Crown, created by Peter Morgan. I had no idea Queen Elizabeth (Claire Foy) was such a bad-ass! Consuming the first season over one weekend, I fell in love with her. Being a natural skeptic, I was sure the series whitewashed the story but was gratified to discover that the parts I admired most were recorded history (if you trust that sort of thing). The Crown begins with Elizabeth’s marriage to Prince Philip (Matt Smith), King George’s (Jared Harris) failing health, and Winston Churchill’s (John Lithgow) appointment as Prime Minister for the second time. The series successfully captures the sibling rival between Elizabeth, who never wanted the crown, and Princess Margaret (Vanessa Kirby), who thinks she'd be much better as queen. Central to the series is the relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and Winston Churchill, who teaches the young woman how to "say nothing" and "do nothing" when it is the right thing to do. I highly recommend this riveting, fascinating show.

Starring the dreamy Jon Hamm, Mad Men was created by Matthew Weiner. It tells the story of Donald Draper (Hamm), an ad-man in the early 1960s who actually stole another man’s identity to achieve his place in life. At first, it seems like it was worth it--he has a beautiful wife, played by the stunning January Jones, a couple of gorgeous kids, including my personal favorite character, Sally Draper (Kiernan Shipka), and a wonderful career as the Head Creative in a successful advertising firm. If only he didn’t have such a self-destructive streak. Other stand-out characters include Peggy Olsen (Elisabeth Moss) as the woman who starts as secretary to Draper but is too talented to stay there. Christina Hendricks plays Joan, the executive assistant all the men drool over, who also happens to have a good brain and a heart besides. In season one, she's the lover of Roger Sterling (John Slattery), one of the firm's founding partners. Rounding out the Sterling/Cooper team is Robert Morse as Bertram Cooper, the eccentric older partner who collects art and demands everyone remove their shoes when entering his office. Mad Men is one of the 10 best television series ever made, with tons of period-style appeal.

Eight strangers from around the world find that they are psychically linked to each other's minds, experiencing whatever the other seven feel. This strange but promising premise comes courtesy of the Wachowskis (The Matrix). It shuffles a diverse, interesting cast in creative ways, making for lots of intriguing, unexpected developments.

Definitely one of the best TV shows ever made, Breaking Bad follows a mild-mannered chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with terminal cancer, and decides to make quick money by cooking crystal meth. The show runs on great cinematography, hard questions about human nature--can good people turn bad?--and brilliant performances by Bryan Cranston as the protagonist, and Aaron Paul as his sidekick. If you haven't seen it yet, I'm jealous that you have the opportunity to see it for the first time now.

This is another one of my all-time favorites, probably because it actually makes me feel like my dysfunctional childhood wasn't so bad after all! Shameless offers some of the best entertainment to be had in front of the tube. It’s about the Gallaghers, a family of six kids raised by the oldest, Fiona (Emmy Rossum). Dad Frank (William H. Macy) is a hopeless alcoholic, Mom Monica (Chloe Webb) split, and the kids have to use their heads to survive as they straddle the law and their own morality. The extremely gifted ensemble includes Cameron Monaghan as Ian, the gay son who comes out in the pilot. Then there's his older brother, Lip (short for Philip), who's a real brain and sits for the SATs for money, and Joan Cusack, who plays their agoraphobic neighbor, Sheila. The other kids are Debbie (Emma Kenney), Carl (Ethan Cutkosky), and Liam (Brendan Sims), the youngest who also happens to be inexplicably black. They’re all super-industrious and the show never ceases to surprise.

This hit show, based on Robert Kirkman's comic series by the same name, follows a group of survivors through a bleak and violent zombie apocalypse. Detective Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) is our protagonist, swinging between hero and anti-hero as he tries to protect himself, his son, and the group that forms around him. The show is at its best when the characters manage to find moments humanity in spite of all the carnage--although some of the carnage makes for great TV, too.

You don't have to be gay to appreciate this groundbreaking series by Russell Davies, adapted for American television by Daniel Lipman and Ron Cowan. This Showtime production is an in-depth look at a group of queer friends: six men and a lesbian couple, all of whom have been ostracized in some way by straight society. By forming their new community under the matriarchal Debbie (one of the men’s moms, played with lighthearted humor and compassion by Sharon Gless), the group finds respite from the homophobic world. The story centers on the love affair between Brian (Gale Harold) and Justin (Randy Harrison), who have Moonlighting-quality sexual chemistry, and are nice to look at besides—they spend a lot of time naked. Brian's best friend and Debbie's son is Michael Novotny (Hal Sparks), the boy-next-door who is in love with Brian and more than a little jealous of teenager Justin. Ted (Scott Lowell) is a conservative, opera-loving accountant and Emmet Honeycutt (Peter Paige) is the flamboyant queen who's proud to let his flame burn big and bright. Although the show shocked the world with its gay sex (in the pilot episode, the 17-year-old Justin is deflowered by the 29-year old Brian Kinney), it was timely and the show made great strides for the portrayal of LGBT characters on television.

One of the most gorgeous men ever to walk the face of the earth, Charlie Hunnam (yes, you guessed it, I’m a fan-girl), stars as Jax Teller, next in line to lead the motorcycle club that calls itself the Sons of Anarchy. This show was written by Kurt Sutter, partly as a vehicle for his gifted wife, Katey Sagal, who plays Jax’s mom. The show draws on William Shakespeare's Hamlet (among other things) for its themes, dealing with loyalty, redemption, and revenge. With a great ensemble and writing, Sons of Anarchy is yet another excellent crime drama.

Created in 2013 by Jamie Brittain, Skins was groundbreaking in so many ways. The cast is a diverse group of teenagers on their ow,n since their parents are either absent or so clueless they might as well be. What are the kids up to? Barrels of fun, drugs, sex, pressure, eating disorders, death and all manner of peril. Each character is so memorable that, years after watching the show, I can still remember them like old friends.  This is teen drama the way it should be. Leading the ensemble is Tony Stonam (Nicholas Hoult), the kid everyone looks up to for his sexual prowess, confidence, and charm, while he leads his friends into all manner of trouble. His girlfriend, Michelle (April Pearson), helps him scheme to get his lovable, clueless best friend Sid (Mike Bailey) de-virginized on his sixteenth birthday in the pilot episode. This show was enough of a hit that MTV tried to remake it for US audiences, but the original was much better and more successful, and the original is what you'll find on Netflix.

Masterpiece Mystery, Mark Gattis, and Steven Moffat bring us this modern-day re-imagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's genius detective, Sherlock Holmes. The always fascinating Benedict Cumberbatch plays the title role, while Martin Freeman plays his best friend, Watson. Sherlock is a self-identified “high-functioning sociopath,” and its fun to see him think rings around everyone else in the show.

Starring a cast of heavyweights, the show takes place in London of the 1890s. It's a shameless mashup of 19th-century monster stories: Dracula, Dorian Gray, werewolves, and Frankenstein and his monster all play major roles. The core cast consists of Timothy Dalton as an aging adventurer, the brilliant Eva Green as a woman locked in a battle for her own soul, and Josh Hartnett as her tough American bodyguard (another Victorian-era cliche Penny Dreadful plays to the absolute hilt).

If I could only recommend one show on Netflix, it would probably be Peaky Blinders. This show tells the story of Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy), the oh-so-smart and oh-so-cold brains behind the Peaky Blinders, an Irish-Gypsy gang in 1920s England. World War One casts a fascinating shadow over this show, as everyone was damaged in some way by the war, and the criminal underworld is still returning to "normal" after the men have come home. Shelby climbs the ranks of Birmingham's underworld, making big plays while evading a police inspector (Sam Neill) dispatched by Winston Churchill himself to clean up the town. Shelby also contends with other gangs and the politics within his own family.