‘Dark, twisted, great performances’: Your favourite underrated shows on Netflix
Thrillers, sci-fi, historical drama — whatever genre you love to binge, Netflix has it.
From Stranger Things and Wednesday to Bridgerton and Squid Game, the streamer has produced some of the most talked-about TV shows of recent years. Which helps explain why it’s the world’s most subscribed streaming platform, with a whopping 300 million users.
But while these popular series are deserving of their praise, Netflix’s enormous catalogue means there are plenty of equally gripping, high-calibre shows available that have flown under the radar.
We asked Metro readers to share their favourite hidden gems on Netflix, and these are the underrated series they recommended…
Get personalised updates on all things Netflix
Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro’s TV Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we’ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you.
Metro readers have their say
Stephen Davis said Netflix original series 1899 is the ‘most underrated’ adding: ‘How that never got a second series is mystifying!’
Released in 2022, 1899 follows a group of international immigrants on a steamship heading to America at the turn of the 20th century, but there’s a supernatural twist.
Meanwhile, Liam Green said Altered Carbon, a sci-fi series set 300 years in the future, is ‘worth a watch’, while Dave Pearson praised From Dusk ‘Till Dawn: The Series.
Based on the 1996 action horror film starring George Clooney, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series left Netflix in 2022. But it’s available to purchase on Amazon Prime Video for fans of the horror genre.
Elsewhere, a user calling themselves tunacow recommended mockumentary series American Vandal, hailing it as ‘hilarious’.
They said: ‘The first season generated some buzz, but it has fallen out of public consciousness. I still think it’s one of the best things Netflix has produced.’
Not the only fan of the series, curiouschloe added of American Vandal: ‘I would give anything to watch this for the first time again’.
TV fans also recommended shows that were first broadcast on traditional TV channels around the world, before making their way to Netflix.
The Sinner, a detective thriller set in a small New York town, proved a popular choice.
One user said of the show: ‘I am a huge thriller fan and in terms of TV series, this one was the most intriguing one for me (especially the first season). Some top notch acting too’.
Another fan replied: ‘The Sinner is incredible. Dark, twisted, great performances. Left me with a weird crush on Bill Pullman.’
Meanwhile, Fuzzy_Painting_1427 said: ‘The Last Kingdom, though originally a BBC show, doesn’t get talked about enough despite its greatness.’
And bks1979 praised Glitch. ‘It’s an Australian drama with a supernatural bend, but otherwise grounded. Three seasons of six episodes each, so it’s easy to binge.’
1899
The passengers on Kerberos come from all over the world, but they have the same goal: to start anew in America.
However, their trip to the land of the free is interrupted when they find a second vessel abandoned and adrift in the open sea.
A period drama on the surface, 1899 is full of twists, turns and cliffhangers. It comes from the creators of Dark, one of the streamer’s most popular thrillers.
Fans were devastated when the series was cancelled after just one season, leaving a few unresolved storylines as a result.
Taking to X to express their frustration, @jensen_elizz wrote: ‘Kills me every time I remember there’ll never be a second season for 1899. Netflix really cancelled a sci-fi masterpiece’.
And @the6facegod said: ‘They almost had another gem with 1899 until Netflix decided to be stupid and cancel it’.
Metro's review of 1899
Metro TV critic Keith Watson reviewed 1899 when it was first released, awarding it four stars.
‘If you decide to set sail with 1899, a period saga centred on an ocean liner lost at sea, then be prepared to throw away your life jacket and drop anchor in a world of secrets and illusions. 1899 is not so much a drama, but more an enigmatic jigsaw puzzle.
‘Some may find it self-indulgently obscure and its pacing too stately. But if you cast off your preconceptions of what a thriller should be, you’ll find yourself caught in 1899’s sinister undertow.’
Altered Carbon
Starring The Killing’s Joel Kinnaman and Severance’s Dichen Lachman, Altered Carbon is another pick for sci-fi fans.
It’s based on the 2002 cyberpunk novel of the same name and is set hundreds of years in the future, in a world where consciousness can be digitally stored and delivered into different bodies.
The first season follows a prisoner (Kinnaman) who has been resurrected in a new body. To win his freedom once and for all, he must solve a murder.
The show boasts a respectable 75% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Sydney Morning Herald writing in their review: ‘Well worth checking out, even if you’re not a big sci-fi fan.’
Unfortunately, Netflix axed the sci-fi drama after two seasons.
American Vandal
Praised as ‘funny’, ‘addictive’ and ‘refreshing’ by critics, American Vandal is a satirical mockumentary that parodies popular true crime shows like Making a Murderer.
The first season follows two students, Sam Ecklund (Griffin Gluck) and Peter Maldonado (Tyler Alvararez), as they investigate a high school prank in which 27 phallic images were drawn on faculty cars.
In season two, Sam and Peter follow the work of the mysterious Turd Burglar, who laces a school’s lemonade with laxative.
American Vandal is another show that was cancelled after two seasons, but not for lack of popularity.
It has a near-perfect 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the Guardian praising: ‘It all feels surprisingly, tangibly real and helps extend what is essentially a playground joke into a JFK-style, hall-of-mirrors investigative four-hour epic.’
The Sinner
This crime thriller is an anthology series, meaning it follows a different storyline for each of its four seasons.
The Sinner stars Bill Pullman as Detective Harry Ambrose, who, while wrestling with his own demons, investigates the perplexing crimes that take place in a small New York town.
Rather than a whodunnit, The Sinner is more of a whydunnit, with Detective Ambrose’s search for the truth continuing even after he’s revealed who committed the crime.
It’s been compared to Mindhunter, one of Netflix’s most popular crime thrillers (which is rumoured to be returning), with critics on Rotten Tomatoes praising it as ‘essential viewing’ and ‘sneaky but satisfying’.
The Last Kingdom
Originally broadcast on BBC Two in 2015, before landing on Netflix three years later, The Last Kingdom is a historical drama that sees the Anglo-Saxon King Alfred the Great (David Dawson) defend his kingdom from Norse invaders.
Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon), meanwhile, was born a Saxon but raised by Vikings and is now seeking to claim his ancestral birthright.
The series boasts an impressive 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes across its five seasons, with the third instalment awarded a perfect 100% by critics.
Of the first season, the Daily Telegraph wrote in a review: ‘There were satisfyingly high production values, a bloodthirsty appetite for violence and a proper cliffhanger.’
Meanwhile, one viewer praised it as ‘Awesome, brilliant and bingeworthy.’
Glitch
Patrick Brammall, who is perhaps best known for his role as Gordon in Colin From Accounts, stars as James Hayes, a small-town policeman, in this Australian drama.
It’s not your average police procedural, however. In a supernatural twist, James sees his life turned upside down when seven local residents inexplicably return from the dead.
With no memories of their identities or past lives, the resurrected are determined to find out who they are and what happened to them.
Meanwhile, James and local doctor Elishia McKellar (Genevieve O’Reilly) must keep the case hidden from the rest of the world.
There are three seasons of Glitch to binge in total, and it’s proved to be a hit with audiences.
On Google reviews, Richard Williams wrote: ‘The show is full of surprises and rarely goes the way you think it will. Each episode ends on a cliffhanger and leaves you salivating for the next. Totally binge worthy but try not to gorge it all in one go!’
And Peter Ward praised: ‘What a fantastic show from start to finish, dramatic, thought-provoking and constantly emotional to watch.’
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
