Broadcast, cable and the box office have kept busy this year with a staggering stream of new releases, so there’s no shortage of great content to take in over the holiday. You can check out thebest TV that’s on right nowhere or thebest movies in theaters here, but if you’re looking for something new to stream right now, we’ve got you covered with the best Netflix movies and TV series of 2019 so far.
Netflix didn’t become the giant of streaming by taking it easy on content and Netflix’s 2019 haul is yet another overwhelming abundance of titles and familiar faces. So help with the endless scrolling that comes with all those options, the Collider staff voted on our picks for the best of the year, and in a testament to Netflix’s diversity of content, there’s something in just about every genre you could think of.
TV saw returning hits likeBlack Mirror, the end of the Netflix Marvel-verse, breakout newcomers likeRussian DollandWhen They See Us, the farewell of one of TV’s best horror comedies inSanta Clarita DietSeason 3, the bewildering return ofThe OA, animated wins (Love, Death and RobotsandShe-Ra, among them,) laugh-a-minute sketch comedy (I Think You Should Leave,) and pretty much everything in between.
If you’re in more of a movie mood, Netflix’s newest original films include everything from the A-list thrills ofTriple Frontierto festival breakouts likeThe Perfection,a new Soderbergh film, and more of the streaming service’s in-house romantic comedies (including that viral Keanu Reeves moment fromAlways Be My Maybe) for some lighter fare.
Check out our picks for the best Netflix Originals of 2019 below, and if you don’t find what you’re looking for, be sure to head over to theBest Movies on Netflixand theBest TV Shows on Netflix.
The Best Netflix TV Shows of the Year
I Think You Should Leave
Point Total:12
I honestly can’t remember the last time a show scored as many genuine laughs-out-loud thanI Think You Should Leave, a sketch comedy masterpiece that combines absurdity, surrealism, and a healthy dose of mudpies into art. Springing from the minds ofTim RobinsonandZach Kanin,I Think You ShouldLeave is the type of series I don’t even want to elaborate too deeply on, because each episode—all coming in at a tidy 15-ish minutes—is filled with sketches that set themselves up only to take a sharp left turn right off the rails several times. The important things to know going in are 1) TC Tuggers by TC Topps is not clothing you joke about, 2) Bart Harley Jarvis is the most badass motherf*cker in the Best Baby Competition, and 3) If you flinch, you have to marry your mother-in-law.dabs–Vinnie Mancuso
Russian Doll
Point Total:9
Russian Dollstands as one of the most satisfying and compelling pieces of television we’ve seen all year. The series takes an intriguing premise—a somewhat aimless woman keeps dying, only to wake up on the same night at the same party over and over again—and executes it to perfection. The key toRussian Dollis the way the story is told. The meticulous, cinematic direction; the dynamic performances; the writing that folds back in on itself, revealing new layers of its characters and its story at the perfect moment. Indeed, the title of the series is apt in more ways than one, asRussian Dollcontains multitudes. It’s a tremendously intriguing sci-fi show, a hilarious dark comedy, and an emotionally devastating character drama all rolled into one. The whole thing is anchored byNatasha Lyonne, who serves as co-creator, co-writer, and director and still delivers one of the best performances of the year as the lead character. –Adam Chitwood
When They See Us
Created, co-written and expertly directed byAva DuVernay, the four-part Netflix limited seriesWhen They See Uschronicles the notorious case of the five teenagers of color from Harlem –Antron McCray,Kevin Richardson,Yusef Salaam,Raymond SantanaandKorey Wise– who became labeled the Central Park Five, after being accused of a violent rape in New York in the spring of 1989. After being questioned as teenagers and pressured to confess, they were convicted and sentenced and served between 6 and 13 years in prison before their exoneration in 2002.
Watching their journey will break your heart, turn you into a sobbing mess who’s angry at the injustice of it all, and inspire hope. What these men went through when they were still just boys is unconscionable, and the fact that they are a beacon of light today, now known as The Exonerated 5, is truly a miracle, but they went through it and even though it is, at times, painful to watch, it’s also important to witness and understand. They are not the first, last or only individuals wrongly accused and convicted, and their story is still so relevant today.
The project all started when one of the real-life men, Raymond Santana, reached out to filmmaker Ava DuVernay via Twitter and suggested that she be the one to tell their story. And what she put together is a beautiful piece that does the men and their story justice, in a way that can continue to educate people about where they came from, so that they can look to the future. –Christina Radish
The Chef Show
The most delightful surprise of the year so far,The Chef Showis a heaping serving of pure joy, culinary creativity, and an endless stream of enthusiastic curiosity fromJon Favreau. The actor andIron Mandirector co-hosts alongside celebrated chefRoy Choi(of Kogi fame), who worked with the filmmaker on his 2014 gemChef.The Chef Showkeeps that lovely, passionate spirit (and hearty love of good food) alive as Favreau and Choi tour some killer kitchens, including BBQ legend Franklin’s in Austin, Texas, and then attempt to make the recipes together on their own. There are some super star-studded appearances including multiple Avengers (this would be the series where Gwenyth Paltrow made her viral realization that she was inSpider-Man: Homecoming) and directorRobert Rodriguez, but the series highlights are the exchanges between Favreau and Choi in the kitchen.The Chef Showis just pure good energy, two folks who love food sharing their love of food, Favreau bringing his easy charisma to the table and Choi bringing his wealth of expertise, which he passes down with a perfect balance of efficiency and geniality. In short, it’s one of the best, easy-going finds of the year. –Haleigh Foutch
Stranger Things
Point Total:7
Netflix’s spooky sensationStranger Thingsreturned for its third season, leaving behind the All Hallow’s energy of Season 2 in favor of a fun-in-the-sun summer edition. With the door to the Upside Down closed, the residents of Hawkins are having a peak-80s Americana summer. equipped with a new mega-mall, until the Russians set up shop in town determined to re-open the portal into another dimension. Spookiness, nostalgia, and aw-shucks, heartwarming tales of family and friendship ensue. The coreStrangerensemble is as delightful as ever, and The Duffer Brothers have fun splitting their crew into new combinations once again – though favorite duos like Joyce and Hopper, Mike and Eleven, and Dustin and Steve – still get plenty of moments. And the newcomers are (mostly) a home run too, especially the delightful Dr. Alexei (Alec Utgoff) and Scoops Troop queen, Robin (Maya Hawke). There’s no denying the series is growing up along with its cast, and while it doesn’t always capture the heights of Amblinesque awe like it used to,Stranger Thingsis still a delightful mix-tape of nostalgia, genre storytelling, and cinephile love letters, anchored by a loveable cast of character you’re always happy to see again. –Haleigh Foutch
Black Mirror
Though it’s not untrue to categorizeBlack Mirroras something of a mixed bag, that’s part of what makes it so fun. Episodes of the anthology series always range wildly in tone, concept, and even visual aesthetic, so your mileage may vary. The three new episodes of Season 5, however, are quite solid if not on the level of something like “San Junipero.” The unique love story “Striking Vipers” is particularly interesting and takes the idea of interactive gaming to a whole other level, and while “Smithereens” is worth watching for the simple fact that it’s a great acting showcase forAndrew Scott(aka “The Hot Priest” fromFleabag).–Adam Chitwood
Love, Death and Robots
Point Total:6
If you’re looking for an R-rated animated anthology series with a hard sci-fi slant, you won’t find much better thanLove, Death and Robots. Hailing fromTim Miller(Deadpool) and executive producerDavid Fincher, this collection of 18 animated shorts represents some of the best animation, voice acting, and storytelling around. The variety of tales, adapted from authors likeJohn Scalzi,Joe Lansdale,Ken Liu,Claudine Griggs, andAlastair Reynolds, range from an all-out alien assault on a far-out farm to a deeply introspective story about what it means to be a creative soul. There’s something for everyone here, even if everything isn’t necessarily for you. But the first season was such a hit that Netflix ordered a second helping. This time,Jennifer Yuh Nelson(Kung Fu Panda 2) will oversee all episodes, which should shake up the boys’ club aesthetic a bit. If you haven’t seen this stellar series yet, now’s the time to remedy that. –Dave Trumbore
A pretty regular response to me recommendingThe OAto every person I know is, “I don’t believe that show really exists,” and reader, I’ve seen every episode and I’m still not sure myself. The dreamy, dimension-hopping drama fromBritt Marling—who also stars—andZal Batmanglijestablished itself as one of the weirdest Netflix originals in its first season, but its return for season 2 is several further layers of WTF-ery in the most beautiful way possible. The show zips between timelines as Marling’s Prairie Johnson butts heads across multiple worlds withJason Isaacs' deliciously villainous Dr. Hunter Aloysius ‘Hap’ Percy. Go in knowing as little as possible, be open-minded to strangeness, and look out for the horny psychic octopus along the way. Trust me when I say this thing builds to a finale so audacious, ambitious, and ridiculous it needs to be experienced to be believed. –Vinnie Mancuso
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
There really isn’t a bad time of year to watchCAOS, though I’d understand if you wanted to wait until the Halloween holiday to get caught up. But if you find yourself looking to spookify your summer season a bit, then Sabrina & Co. are for you. This live-action take on the “Archie” comic book series spin-off follows the mystical, magical, and rather dark tales of the title character, a teenage witch growing up in a non-traditional household with all kinds of occult oddities. You’ve got plenty of adventures to enjoy at the moment sinceCAOSboasts 20 episodes and a Christmas holiday special with more to come. With lots of romantic entanglements, family drama, and complicated relationships between friends, foes, and fiends,Chilling Adventures of Sabrinais not to be missed, whatever time of year it is. –Dave Trumbore
Black Summer
Point Total:5
The Netflix seriesBlack Summeris a terrifying look at life for the survivors of a cataclysmic event that forces ordinary people to fight for their lives as they face off with the infected. When Rose (Jaime King) is torn from her daughter, she vows that they will be reunited, but as civilization collapses due to an outbreak that brings the dead back to life in their most feral form, that becomes a journey far more harrowing than she initially expected, forcing Rose to figure out just how far she’s willing to go.
Its 30-minute runtime makes it a quick watch, but it also ratchets up the tension and intensity, which works to the benefit of the storytelling, and never using the word “zombies” makes the story being told that much more real and frightening. One rule that always seems to be true, in any zombie story, is that zombies are like gremlins – they multiply and, no matter how many you kill, there seems to be an endless supply and they are always focused on feeding. And so often, the humans that one comes across and the lengths that they’re willing to go to for their own survival are far worse than the monsters. –Christina Radish
