4 min readLet’s face it: It’s hard unsubscribing to Netflix. The streamer has come a long way since it was a DVD rental service, and its original content game is a pretty attractive commodity. Even if the final season of Stranger Things wasn’t all that great, and you feel like you’ve heard the plot repeated a handful of times, there’s still something else on Netflix worth watching. That’s especially true in 2026.
Since January, Netflix has offered a pretty killer selection of original movies and original shows. Shows like His & Hers, with Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal, and Vladimir with Rachel Weisz proves there’s still an audience for star-driven grownup fare. The year has also seen new seasons of The Lincoln Lawyer and The Night Agent, as well as unscripted behind-the-cameras docu-shows like Formula 1: Drive to Survive and WWE: Unreal. Some of 2025’s biggest headlines in sports surrounded Lewis Hamilton and John Cena, and Netflix has the deep dives into the drama surrounding them both.
The year is far from over. Later this year will see the premiere of Assassin’s Creed, a new adaptation of the hit video games, and Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85, an animated spin-off of the juggernaut series. New seasons of Devil May Cry, Beef, 3 Body Problem, and Black Doves are on the way. But for now, these are the must-see Netflix shows of 2026.
Run Away
Netflix started 2026 with a bang, with Run Away hitting the platform on New Year’s Day. The series adapts Harlan Coben’s 2019 novel, which follows a desperate father (played by James Nesbett) in the search for his eldest daughter (Ellie de Lange). To his surprise, he finds her again… but that’s when the real mystery begins. If you want a twisty thriller about painful family secrets, Run Away is what you’re after.
His & Hers
Two Marvel superstars, Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal, pack this binge-worthy miniseries. Thompson leads as a withdrawn ex-journalist who springs back to work when she hears about a murder in her Georgia hometown. She clashes with her estranged husband (Bernthal), who happens to be the detective assigned to the case. His & Hers is what happens when a marriage collides with justice; you’ll want to clear the weekend for this one.
The Lincoln Lawyer (season 4)
The tables have turned for attorney Mickey Haller. In the fourth season of the Netflix hit, which adapts Michael Connelly’s 2020 novel The Law of Innocence, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s Mickey must now prove his own innocence after Sam’s dead body is found in his Lincoln Navigator. Now, Mickey fights for his own freedom while behind bars. Four seasons deep, The Lincoln Lawyer still has gas in the tank.
The Night Agent (season 3)
Every streamer has a spy thriller to hook subscribers, and for Netflix, it’s without a doubt The Night Agent. In its third season, which premiered on Netflix in March, Gabriel Basso returns as FBI agent Peter Sutherland who tracks down a treasury agent-turned-fugitive to Istanbul. This kicks off a globe-trotting investigation that takes Peter, along with a dogged journalist (Genesis Rodriguez) deep into the underworld.
Vladimir
“How Rachel Weisz Got Her Groove Back” is basically the pitch for Vladimir, the steamy Netflix dramedy based on Julia May Jonas’ hit novel. Weisz stars as “M,” a wife, mother, and college professor whose declining personal life leads her in front of Vladimir (Leo Woodall), an attractive young colleague. M is determined to turn her explicit, R-rated daydreams into reality. But will reality actually meet her expectations?
Formula 1: Drive to Survive (season 8)
The race to the 2025 Formula One Championship is chronicled in the eighth propulsive season of Drive to Survive. The seasons kicks off at F1 75 Live in London, with the story centering on six rookies proving their mettle on the track… and the legendary Lewis Hamilton making his move to Ferrari.
WWE: Unreal (season 2)
2025 will forever be remembered as the year John Cena turned heel. WWE: Unreal, the all-access pass into the world behind WWE’s cameras, chronicles the long road to SummerSlam 2025. Along with Cena’s final year as an in-ring star—but first as a legit main event villain—the changing landscape of WWE means Unreal places the spotlight on the era’s top draws (like Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley) and new blood like Penta and commentator Pat McAfee. You think all the drama is inside the ring? Think again.
Jo Nesbo’s Detective Hole
Off-putting title aside, the grim and gritty Jo Nesbo’s Detective Hole is a showcase for Tobias Santelmann to show international viewers what he’s made of. Santelmann stars in this Norwegian crime drama as Harry Hole, a rugged Oslo detective on the hunt for a serial killer. Standing in his way is a corrupt colleague, played by Joel Kinnaman. Detective Hole is an ice-cold crime drama that goes down like Aquavit on the rocks.
Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen
Wedding blues? More like wedding boos. In their first post-Stranger Things outing, the Duffer Brothers executive produce Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, from showrunner Haley Z. Boston. Camila Morrone and Adam DiMarco co-star as a young engaged couple whose days until “I Do” are haunted by dark visions, paranoia, and other unspeakable forces.
Bloodhounds (season 2)
Bloody knuckles and heartfelt heroics make up Netflix’s Korean-language hit Bloodhounds. In the second season of the hard-hitting action-drama, Woo Do-hwan and Lee Sang-yi return as their ex-soldiers turned amateur boxers. They team up once again to throw down in an illegal underground fight league whose organizers threaten their friends and families. You won’t find better workout inspo than this.