Updated: 21 Dec 2015 7:18 pm
Posted: 17 Dec 2015 12:05 am
It should be noted this is a Top 10 list for original Netflix shows only. Not rescues. So no series they've picked up that first aired somewhere else, such as Arrested Development, Longmire, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, or The Killing. But that still leaves an impressive group of shows to consider that is only growing nearly every month.
Here are the Top 10 Netflix original shows so far...
10
Fitting in nicely with our long-standing fascination with bad men on TV, Narcos - which Netflix head Ted Sarandos claims may have more viewers globally than Game of Thrones (though you'll never get actual hard data from Netflix) - rocked our world at the end of this past summer. Detailing the true-to-life rise of drug lord Pablo Escobar and the hunt that brought him down, Narcos was laced with stellar performances and tension-filled stand-offs.
9
With many feeling that the show got notably better as it progressed, including in its second season this past summer, the animated adult-oriented BoJack Horseman features Will Arnett as a flawed, has-been Hollywood star seeking a return to glory (...who's also a horse). Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Aaron Paul, Paul F. Tompkins, Kristen Schaal, Patton Oswalt and more add to the voice hilarity and BoJack arguably stands as Arnett's most successful post-Arrested Development gig to date.
8
If we were only considering House of Cards' first season, it would have ranked higher on this list. Three seasons in now though and the show has been somewhat of a mixed bag since its freshman run. Still, it can be readily counted on for high caliber performances from leads Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, while also resting comfortably on its status as the grandaddy of Netflix original content.
7
As a show that was originally developed for NBC by 30 Rock's Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt takes an extremely dark premise - four women held captive underground by a religious nut for 15 years - and creates comedy gold. Thanks in large to Ellie Kemper's effervescent performance as the wide-eyed, ultra positive Kimmy. A strong ensemble and a season full of guest stars (Fey, Jon Hamm, Dean Norris, Nick Kroll, etc) helped make this a memorable one.
6
As a prequel series done 15 years after the fact - and starring the entire original cast as their characters from the 2001 movie - Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp is still somewhat of minor miracle in the creative property resurrection game. Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, and more all returned to Camp Firewood for a look back at how the summer that was so wet, hot, and American all began. Guest stars Chris Pine, Jon Hamm (him again!), and Michael Cera also helped add to the hilarity.
5
From Damages' Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler, and Daniel Zelman, Bloodline took us down to the Florida Keys for a nail-biting drama set around a well-respected family becoming unglued and undone by the unexpected return of the "black sheep" of their clan. Kyle Chandler's local deputy John struggled to keep everything from crumbling while Ben Mendelsohn gave an award-worthy performance as down-and-out Danny, the family's cast off son.
4
The Emmys may not quite know what to do with Orange is the New Black in terms of placing it in the "drama" or "comedy" category, but this remarkable series stands as a true testament to the ensemble. Season 1 may have started out more focused on Taylor Schilling's Piper and her initial journey into Litchfield Penitentiary to serve out a 15-month sentence, but it has since grown into a show that spreads the love out to all its characters, creating a true and intimate family experience.
3
Having proven himself as a standup and as a "kooky" peripheral sitcom player, Aziz Ansarai - along with Parks and Rec's Alan Yang - created a massively satisfying star vehicle filled with laughs, love, and poignancy. A true sleeper surprise, as Ansari's unique brand of humor tackled everything from relationships to relatives to racism.
2
With Daredevil, Marvel was able to create a street-level hero world that's able to stand separate, and with, the rest of the MCU. Darker and grittier in tone - a hard PG-13 - Daredevil featured some of the year's best action while also delivering big on comic characters that others had previously tried and failed to successfully bring into live-action.
1
In perhaps Marvel's riskiest venture to date, Jessica Jones, as a comic property, didn't have the instant name value of pervious works. Nor did the titular character feature powers that were all that impressive, in the grand scheme of all things superhuman. But Krysten Ritter's stellar performance (along with David Tennant's equally poisonous showing) helped introduce the world to a very real and human side of heroics. One involving the long-term, lasting trauma of physical and mental abuse. A courageous topic for any series, much less a superhero show, to tackle.
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