The joy of a Netflix subscription is that there’s always something new and interesting worth discovering. The streaming service prides itself on adding new content basically daily, which means there’s no shortage of shows you could check out.
Unfortunately, that also makes it difficult to actually understand what shows you should be prioritizing, which is thankfully where we come in. We’ve pulled together a list of three underrated shows you should definitely make time for on Netflix.
We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
Black Sails (2014-2017)
A prequel to Treasure Island, Black Sails was originally produced at Starz but has become a hugely popular Netflix show in more recent years. The series follows Captain Flint, a hugely revered pirate who takes a young John Silver onto his crew.
As Flint fights for the survival of the pirate way of life and the debauchery of his native island, Black Sails chronicles a pirate’s life in all of its grimy, glorious detail. Although the show was produced for a relatively small budget, Black Sails has an impressive sense of scale and scope and will keep you coming back for more.
You can watch Black Sails on Netflix.
Murderville (2022)
A brilliant comedy series that didn’t get the legroom it deserved, Murderville follows Will Arnett as a detective who works with a celebrity guest to solve a murder. The twist? There’s a script for the episode, but neither Arnett nor his guest knows what that script is, and they’re improvising the entire time.
Improv can create a variable TV product, and that’s perfectly understandable. What’s remarkable about Murderville is that the show remains consistently funny regardless of who the celebrity guest might be. It was a risky gamble for Netflix, but one that should definitely have been renewed.
You can watch Murderville on Netflix.
When They See Us (2019)
A bracing, difficult show that is nonetheless well worth watching, When They See Us tells the story of the Central Park Five from the time they are first accused of raping a jogger in Central Park.
As they deal with a justice system designed to see their race before their criminal records, they come to realize that the truth is not going to set them free. When They See Us is a show about injustice and the systemic racism that landed five young men in prison for a crime they didn’t commit, forever changing the course of their lives. Directed by Ava DuVernay, the series is hard to watch but also close to a masterpiece as one of the best true crime shows.
You can watch When They See Us on Netflix.
