Netflix is a great wellspring of interesting shows, but for every great show available on the streaming service, there’s at least one that you’ll watch one and a half episodes of then forget about completely. Sorting through which shows are worth your time can be a challenge, especially when Netflix is determined to keep making more stuff.
That’s why we’ve pulled together three excellent shows that are well worth checking out this weekend. One is a longer entry, and the other two are shows you could get through in a single weekend.
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+.
Younger (2015-2021)
Younger is the kind of long-running, low-stakes rom-com TV series that we rarely get anymore. The show stars Sutton Foster as a single mom who is trying to start up a career at the age of 40.
When she discovers that the best way for her to get a job as an assistant is to lie about her age, she enters an entirely new life in which everyone around her thinks she’s much younger than she really is. Along the way, she finds herself torn between two men and has to slowly reveal that she’s been living a lie to everyone around her. It’s silly, funny, and most importantly, shot on location in New York City.
You can watch Younger on Netflix.
Adolescence (2025)
If you haven’t made time for Adolescence yet, this show should be at the top of your list. Told in just four episodes, the series follows a family in the aftermath of their son being accused of murdering a classmate. Each episode is a single take, and every installment takes a slightly different angle on the central investigation into whether this young man is guilty and why he may have committed the crime.
Along the way, we come to understand the way rage, misogyny, and a life lived online came to influence this young man and convince him of the drastic action he had to take. It’s one of the best dramas Netflix has ever produced.
You can watch Adolescence on Netflix.
Escape at Dannemora (2018)
Before Ben Stiller was directing some of the best TV on the air with Severance, he directed the entirety of Escape at Dannemora. The series, which is based on a true story, tells the story of two inmates at a maximum security prison in a sleepy town who find themselves entangled in the life of a married corrections officer.
As she becomes romantically involved with both of them, she ultimately aids in their escape from prison, leading to a riveting, tense episode as they try to get away clean. Patricia Arquette, Benicio del Toro, and Paul Dano are all incredible in their central roles.
You can watch Escape at Dannemora on Netflix.