In case you’ve run out of shows to binge-watch on Netflix, our list of the 11 most successful Netflix originals is sure to put you back on track.
After the enormous success of Netflix as a mean to stream media online, it started to produce its own variety of films and TV shows of different genres, and when the first few of its initial productions took off, more just kept coming. To date, it has 126 originals (both TV and film) to boast of, more than any other network. The joy of watching a Netflix original series, however, comes from the delight of binge-watching, and not having to wait till the next week for another episode. Many of us have experienced those days when we dive into a Netflix hole and emerge after having completed the entire season or show in one sitting! And, of course, those occasional days when it refuses to open or work properly due to technical issues are painful to endure.
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Perhaps the only downside of Netflix is that television series and movies from other networks are available only for a while, and this is particularly irksome when something you intend to watch in the near future is taken down. However, Netflix always periodically replenishes itself with fresh new content, giving users an opportunity to watch pretty much everything. When it comes to movies, in particular, you can choose from Black and White noir films to modern day chick flicks. In case you’re confused by the sheer variety of accessible material, have a glance at our list of the 10 best movies streaming on Netflix right now, which will hopefully help you make up your mind.
To compile our list of most successful Netflix originals, we considered only Netflix originals belonging to the fiction genre (thereby excluding documentaries and docu-series) and referred to the scores allotted to each of their seasons on Metacritic. We averaged the critic and user score for all seasons and ranked the series accordingly, thus measuring its success among critics as well as the audience. In the event of a tie, we gave the Metascore (also known as the critic score) greater precedence over the user or audience score. Just in case you’re interested, here‘s how Metacritic painstakingly calculates the metascore.
Now let’s get on to the list of most successful Netflix originals!
11. Sense8
Average Metascore: 63
Average User Score: 8.2
Number of Seasons: 1
This science fiction show follows eight strangers from all over the world as they discover their unique mental connection with each other after visualizing the death of a woman named Angelica. As the eight struggle to discover how and why this unusual connection between them came to be, they face a threat from a dangerous man, another of their kind, who is out to kill them. The way the show explores sensitive subjects like gender and religion has received widespread praise and has also earned it a handful of awards and nominations.
10. Lady Dynamite
Average Metascore: 85
Average User Score: 8.6
Number of Seasons: 1
Lady Dynamite ranks 10th on our list of most successful Netflix originals. She stars Maria Bamford as, well, Maria Bamford. It follows a character, broadly founded on the actress herself, with bipolar disorder through her struggles to normalize her life, and is translated into a loose, scatter-brained comedy. The show just debuted this year, and the first season attempts to introduce the character through flashbacks, which are littered throughout the non-linear format of the show. It has received critical acclaim, especially for its unique approach to mental health problems.
9. W/ Bob And David
Average Metascore: 76
Average User Score: 7.9
Number of Seasons: 1
The beloved duo of Bob Odenkirk and David Cross from the one of a kind comedy sketch, Mr. Show with Bob and David, returns with W/ Bob and David, except the new version has been revamped and is better than ever. The show features a number of comedians alongside Bob and David, whose characters are loosely based on themselves.
8. The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Average Metascore: 80
Average User Score: 7.8
Number of Seasons: 2
Ellie Kemper stars in the show as the titular Kimmy Schmidt with an unusual backstory. Kimmy has spent the past 15 years underground along with 3 others, kidnapped by the Reverend of an apocalypse cult, and after the rescue, she decides to start a new life with a fresh outlook in NYC. The show has not only been nominated for numerous Primetime Emmy Awards but has also received nominations from the Screen Actors’ Guild and the Writers’ Guild of America. And now, let’s see what else we have in our list of most successful Netflix originals.
7. Marvel’s Daredevil
Average Metascore: 72
Average User Score: 8.8
Number of Seasons: 2
As the name of the show implies, the show follows the tales of the famous comic book character Daredevil, portrayed by Charlie Cox, in the Marvel Universe. In case you aren’t familiar with the superhero, Daredevil or Matt Murdock is a blind lawyer with special sensory abilities that enable him to fight crime and defeat his enemies, but what makes the series special is that all that seems unbelievably cool when translated into live action. It’s no surprise then that the show has been acclaimed and nominated for its stunning visuals.
6. Master Of None
Average Metascore: 91
Average User Score: 7.7
Number of Seasons: 1
Dev Shah (Aziz Ansari), a commercial actor, is 30 years old and stumbling through life in the Big Apple in this comedy show, whose title refers to the famous saying “Jack of all trades, master of none”. Life is stressful for Dev with balancing dating and his career, but luckily, he has three friends to help him out. Ansari has received multiple nominations for the Critics’ Choice Television Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards for writing, directing and starring in the comedy, and the show has been nominated too for best Comedy from prestigious award institutions like the aforementioned.
5. House of Cards
Average Metascore: 77
Average User Score: 8.4
Number of Seasons: 4
Number 5 on our list of the 11 most successful Netflix originals is House of Cards, the ongoing popular political thriller starring Kevin Spacey as a Democrat from South Carolina on the ladder to even more power and success. After not receiving the position of Secretary of State, his ambitions rises to even greater heights, and he stops at nothing to gain influence. In a character reminiscent of Lady Macbeth, his wife too plots and plans to support him in his designs. The show has been nominated for an incredible number of distinguished awards like the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Golden Globes, and that sets it apart from other web television shows.
4. Marvel’s Jessica Jones
Average Metascore: 81
Average User Score: 8.1
Number of Seasons: 1
Similar to Daredevil, Marvel’s Jessica Jones follows the life of the comic book character, played by Jessica Ritter, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, it deals with her new situation as a private investigator in a post-superhero life and touches on dark subjects like assault, rape, and her post-traumatic stress disorder. David Tennant and Jessica Ritter have received both awards and praises for their excellent performances, and the show too has been applauded – IGN even named it the best Netflix series ever released in late 2015.
3. BoJack Horseman
Average Metascore: 79
Average User Score: 8.6
Number of Seasons: 3
The only animated comedy on our list of most successful Netflix originals, Bojack Horseman follows a horse voiced by Will Arnett in a lopsided world where humans and intelligent animals live side by side. The series revolves around an alcoholic Bojack in his attempts to revive his acting career, which pretty much came to an end after he starred in the famous 80s sitcom “Horsin’ Around”. His agent (and former girlfriend), a Persian cat, human ghostwriter and Labrador Retriever rival are added to the mix in this eccentric, satirical series. It opened to mixed reviews, but successive seasons served to propel it to the top, where it continues to rise in practically everyone’s opinion. The Critics’ Choice Award for Best Animated Series that it has won in 2016 is a true testament to that.
2. Narcos
Average Metascore: 77
Average User Score: 9.0
Number of Seasons: 2
If you’re a fan of thrilling crime shows, then Narcos, the next one in our list of most successful Netflix originals is tailor-made for you. This voice-over narration show follows Pablo Escobar, played by Wagner Moura, a Colombian drug dealer who runs a cartel, and the American DEA Agent Holbrook out to get him. The show is centered on the global drug war and its often bloody conflicts between dealers and law enforcement agencies, rendering it both intense and riveting. The show has been nominated for Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Golden Globes and also a BAFTA Award.
1. Orange Is The New Black
Average Metascore: 84
Average User Score: 8.2
Number of Seasons: 4
Unsurprisingly, Orange Is The New Black grounds itself at number 1 on our list of the 11 most successful Netflix originals. The basis for the show and its protagonist, Piper Chapman came from Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison by Piper Kerman, which, as the title states, narrates her experience in a minimum security federal prison. Piper is leading a regular life in the city, till she’s sent to prison for a 10-year-old crime, helping her ex-girlfriend Alex launder drug money. The show highlights the dreadful elements prevalent in prison like corruption and racism as Piper struggles to adjust to her new surroundings. Not only is it the most-watched of all Netflix originals, but it has also received countless Emmy and Golden Globe nominations among others, winning several awards.
