I'd say (in no particular order, and not talking about my favorites but the most important): House of Cards (showed that streamers could do prestige TV) Stranger Things (biggest hit. People sign Netflix just to watch it) Money Heist (insanely popular worldwide, opened doors for more international content. This was like the biggest thing ever in latin america) Squid Game (same as above) The Irishman (put them in the Oscar talk, big name director that attracted more talent to the streamer) Orange is the New Black (one of the OG flagship shows of Netflix) 13 Reasons Why (for good or for worse, it was very popular and appealed to a younger audience) Black Mirror (hugely influential, possibly the biggest sci-fi show of the last decade other than Stranger Things. "That's so Black Mirror" is now commonplace) Making a Murderer (the first high profile true crime doc, father of the true crime mania) Tiger King (king show of the pandemic) Honorable mentions to Sex Education, Mindhunter, Dark, Bridgerton, Arcane, Narcos, The Crown, Sense8 and Adolescense. Answer from Lipe18090 on reddit.com
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Netflix Tudum
netflix.com › tudum › top10 › most-popular › tv
Top 10 Most Popular Shows on Netflix of All Time - Netflix Tudum
1 and Stranger Things Slays the Top 10 Again · Plus: Sean Combs: The Reckoning enthralls viewers, and Troll 2 rises to the top. ... Watch the Stranger Things 5 Vol. 2 Trailer ... Gasps all around. ... Get ready to dive deep into the wonderfully weird world of Wednesday Season 2.
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › List_of_most-watched_Netflix_original_programming
List of most-watched Netflix original programming - Wikipedia
1 week ago - This is a list of most-watched Netflix original programming of all time in number of views, that equate to hours viewed per length of particular content, rounded to the nearest hundred thousand. These statistics are released by Netflix based on its proprietary engagement metrics.
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TV Guide
tvguide.com › news › the-best-shows-on-netflix
The 55 Best Shows on Netflix Right Now (December 2025) - TV Guide
4 days ago - Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod will ... love at 1000th sight, as we follow Dexter (Woodall) and Emma (Mod) on one day each year from the late '80s to the '00s, with all the ups and downs in between. The 14-episode limited series may seem intimidating at first, but the abbreviated run times (about 30 minutes each episode) make this a breezy binge. -Tim Surette [Trailer] Travis Fimmel and Phoebe Tonkin, Boy Swallows Universe Netflix...
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/netflix › what are the 10 most important netflix original tv shows in the history of the platform?
r/netflix on Reddit: What are the 10 most important Netflix original TV shows in the history of the platform?
May 18, 2025 -

I'm not talking about "most watched." I can look that up easily enough, but it doesn't really answer the question. For example, Orange is the New Black is no longer in the Netflix top 10, but it would be hard to argue, in my opinion, that the show which basically launched Netflix originals and helped start the binging trend doesn't belong on such a list.

I'm also not asking for your favorites, because that's very subjective and I could get hundreds of different answers.

I want to know, if you had to make a "history of Netflix" and pick the 10 most important shows to highlight - the ones that were biggest and most impact full at the time of their release, with perhaps some extra points for staying relevant if you want - what would those shows be?

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What's on Netflix
whats-on-netflix.com › home › what to watch on netflix › netflix’s most watched series and movies ever
Netflix’s Most Watched Series and Movies Ever
2 weeks ago - Wednesday and Squid Game are the most watched series launches and Troll and KPop Demon Hunters top the movie charts.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/netflix › best netflix shows of all time
r/netflix on Reddit: Best Netflix Shows of all time
August 13, 2025 -

Stranger Things

Dark

Black Mirror

BoJack Horseman

Ozark

Arcane

Cobra Kai

Haunting of Hill House

You

Orange is the New Black

Sex Education

Outer Banks

Wednesday

Mindhunter

Squid Game

Bridgerton

Ginny & Georgia

Lupin

Adolescence

Weak Hero

Never Have I Ever

Alice in Borderland

Beef

The Crown

Narcos

Queen’s Gambit

Money Heist

The Umbrella Academy

One Piece (Live action)

Locke & Key

Blue Eye Samurai

Peaky Blinders

House of Cards

Love Death + Robots

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FlixPatrol
flixpatrol.com › top10 › netflix
TOP 10 on Netflix in the World on December 15, 2025 • FlixPatrol
The most popular movies and TV shows on Netflix in the World. Who was #1 on Netflix on December 15, 2025? TOP 10 charts or full ratings charts. Check the title detail for more streaming analytics.
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
Top 10 MOST WATCHED Netflix Series of All Time - YouTube
What are the most watched Netflix series ever? How many hours of watch time did they receive and which series comes out on top? These are the questions we ho...
Published   December 3, 2024
Find elsewhere
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Collider
collider.com › home › netflix › the 30 best netflix original series of all time, ranked according to imdb
30 Best Netflix Original Series of All Time, Ranked According to IMDb
January 6, 2025 - Based on the beloved video game series of the same name, Netflix's Castlevania had a lot to live up to thanks to many skeptical fans. The series did not disappoint, portraying the dark and gothic world in an exciting and visually striking way. The show follows Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage), the last surviving member of the disgraced Belmont clan, as he battles against the powerful vampire Count Dracula (Graham McTavish).
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Rotten Tomatoes
editorial.rottentomatoes.com › guide › best-netflix-shows-and-movies-to-binge-watch-now
100 Best Netflix Series To Watch Right Now (December 2025) | Rotten Tomatoes
2 weeks ago - Look no further, because Rotten Tomatoes has put together a list of the 100 best original Netflix series available to watch right now, ranked according to the Tomatometer. To keep the list fresh with the best Netflix series to watch, the series featured here are currently in production, have been renewed for further seasons, or aired their final episode recently (within the last year or two, so people can still discover them after they’ve ended). Top shows this month: The Beast in Me, Death by Lightning, A Man on the Inside, and more!
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/moviecritic › what is the best netflix series of all time??!
r/moviecritic on Reddit: What is the best Netflix series of all time??!
November 7, 2025 - Thats an astounding show that started as a 2016 election doc and turned into a police thriller. ... It’s a decent idea to do some karma farming with this idea. Make a legit bracket and then get back to us. ... Daredevil and The Punisher are both ...
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Rolling Stone
rollingstone.com › tv-movies › tv-movie-lists › best-netflix-shows-1386323
The 20 Best Netflix Shows of All Time — Ranked
September 26, 2022 - From 'Stranger Things' to 'Squid Game' and more, TV critic Alan Sepinwall's picks for the best Netflix series ever, ranked.
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Visual Capitalist
visualcapitalist.com › ranked-the-most-watched-netflix-shows-of-all-time
Ranked: The Most-Watched Netflix Shows of All Time
May 17, 2025 - While international content is on the rise, English shows still dominate the top 10. Wednesday (Season 1)—named after the show’s mysterious and sarcastic protagonist—ranks second on the all-time list with over 252 million views.
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Paste Magazine
pastemagazine.com › home › articles › the 50 best tv shows on netflix, ranked (november 2025)
The 50 Best TV Shows on Netflix, Ranked (November 2025)
November 9, 2025 - All on the brink of financial ruin and desperate for a way out, the players are pitted against each other by the rich and powerful for entertainment, until there’s just one victor left standing. Though it hasn’t been out long, the South Korean drama already boasts significant accolades. It’s the first Korean show to ever top Netflix’s U.S. Top 10, it’s the platform’s number one series across the globe, and it’s currently on track to become the most popular Netflix series ever—usurping period romance Bridgerton.
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CNET
cnet.com › tech › services & software › streaming services › 56 of the best tv shows on netflix that will keep you entertained
56 of the Best TV Shows on Netflix That Will Keep You Entertained - CNET
1 week ago - To save you and your precious time, we've compiled a list of our favorite shows on Netflix, from some of the streamer's most iconic flagship series like Stranger Things, The Crown, and Bridgerton, reliable classics like Gilmore Girls and Scandal, ...
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Time Out
timeout.com › film › best-original-netflix-series
The 52 Best Netflix Series Of All Time
August 11, 2025 - From 'House of Cards' and 'Orange is the New Black' to 'Bojack' and 'Baby Reindeer', these are the best shows on Netflix
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Collider
collider.com › home › tv › the 10 most-watched netflix shows, ranked
The 10 Most-Watched Netflix Shows, Ranked
1 week ago - Adolescence will go down in history as one of the most thought-provoking miniseries of all time. The four-part British psychological crime drama premiered in March 2025 on Netflix and became a success like no other after earning 96.7 million views in its first three weeks. The show currently sits at No. 2 on Netflix’s all-time viewership list, with over 142 million views worldwide. The series, created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), who is arrested for the murder of his classmate.
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Pajiba
pajiba.com › tv_reviews › heres-the-definitive-top-10-netflix-shows-of-all-time.php
Here’s the Definitive Top 10 Netflix Shows of All Time (For Now)
July 8, 2025 - Bridgerton is also going strong, with two seasons on the list and more on the way, so that’s been a solid investment for Netflix. I was a little surprised to see Stranger Things isn’t as dominant as I’d assumed, with only one season cracking this Top 10. Stranger Things 3 holds 10th place on the English language list, but fell off when I combined them, alongside The Night Agent and Fool Me Once — though all three shows had more views than the bottom half of the non-English list, proving that English language shows tend to perform better overall.