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There was no official Netflix “best” list for the year. The ranking below is designed to answer both “What should I watch on Netflix from 2019?” and “Which 2019 Netflix shows still hold up?” while clearly separating new series from returning seasons.
Key takeaways
- When They See Us ranks first because it combines historical consequence, exceptional performances, formal control, and the strongest awards record: 16 Emmy nominations and two wins in 2019.
- Russian Doll, Unbelievable, and Sex Education represent three different kinds of 2019 excellence: formal invention, serious limited-series drama, and emotionally intelligent comedy.
- The ranking includes both 2019 premieres and major returning seasons, including Stranger Things Season 3, Dark Season 2, and Mindhunter Season 2.
- The Witcher is based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s books and story collections, not directly on the video games.
- Netflix catalogue availability varies by country and can change, so viewers should check the current catalogue in their market before planning a marathon.
How were the best Netflix series of 2019 ranked?
This is an editorial ranking, not an official Netflix list. The order weighs five factors: critical and awards recognition; writing and performances; formal or genre originality; cultural or audience impact; and lasting recommendation value.
The list deliberately combines new 2019 premieres with major returning seasons. That reflects how viewers usually use “best Netflix shows from 2019”: they generally mean the strongest Netflix viewing associated with that year, not only series that premiered for the first time.
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Audience response is part of the context, but not the whole judgment. For example, IMDb’s contemporaneous 2019 list was based on user ratings and rating volume as of November 25, 2019. That signal is useful, but user ratings should not replace critical judgment or official awards records.
The top 15 best Netflix series of 2019 at a glance
| Rank | Series | 2019 status | Best for | Why it stands out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | When They See Us | New limited series | Prestige drama | Historically consequential, controlled, and superbly acted |
| 2 | Russian Doll | New series | Inventive comedy-drama | A time loop becomes a sharp study of grief and self-reckoning |
| 3 | Unbelievable | New limited series | Investigative drama | Restrained storytelling centered on disbelief and institutional failure |
| 4 | Sex Education | Season 1 associated with 2019 | Warm ensemble comedy | Funny, candid, generous, and unusually well cast |
| 5 | The Witcher | New series | Fantasy spectacle | Monster stories, world-building, and broad fan appeal |
| 6 | Stranger Things 3 | Returning Season 3 | Mainstream event viewing | Brighter, faster, funnier, and still emotionally grounded |
| 7 | Dark Season 2 | Returning Season 2 | Complex science fiction | A demanding multigenerational time-travel conspiracy |
| 8 | Dead to Me | New series | Dark comedy | Grief, guilt, secrets, and friendship with a sharp comic edge |
| 9 | Mindhunter Season 2 | Returning Season 2 | Slow-burn crime drama | Exceptional dialogue, behavioral detail, and direction |
| 10 | The Crown Season 3 | Returning Season 3 | Historical drama | A new principal cast carries forward Peter Morgan’s royal chronicle |
| 11 | BoJack Horseman Season 6 | Returning Season 6 | Serious animated comedy | Addiction, depression, accountability, and recovery beneath Hollywood satire |
| 12 | Queer Eye Season 3 | Returning Season 3 | Human-interest reality TV | Emotionally direct stories and a broader range of families and communities |
| 13 | The Kominsky Method Season 2 | Returning Season 2 | Actor-driven comedy | A compact examination of aging, grief, friendship, and work |
| 14 | Kingdom | New series | International genre TV | A visually distinctive Korean historical-zombie thriller |
| 15 | Love, Death & Robots | New anthology | Adult animation | Short-form science fiction, horror, and experimental visual styles |
What are the 15 best Netflix shows from 2019?
1. When They See Us
When They See Us is the best overall choice because it joins artistic precision to real historical consequence. Ava DuVernay’s four-part dramatization of the Central Park Five case focuses on the young men, their families, the damage caused by institutional failure, and the long aftermath of wrongful prosecution. The performances are powerful without turning the material into spectacle.
The awards record supports its position without making the ranking “official”: the Television Academy records 16 Emmy nominations and two wins for When They See Us in 2019. Choose this first if you want the strongest prestige or limited-series recommendation.
2. Russian Doll
Russian Doll turns a familiar time-loop premise into a mordant, emotionally layered story about grief, identity, addiction, and self-reckoning. Natasha Lyonne’s central performance gives the series its comic rhythm and bruised humanity, while the repeated structure gradually becomes more than a puzzle.
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3. Unbelievable
Unbelievable is a restrained investigative limited series about what happens when a survivor is not believed and institutions fail to respond properly. The drama is based on real-life reporting and keeps the survivors’ perspective central rather than treating the investigation as a glamorous procedural puzzle.
Its strength is controlled storytelling: careful performances, patient investigation, and a refusal to manufacture easy thrills from traumatic material. It is one of the best limited-series choices for viewers who prefer serious, grounded crime drama.
4. Sex Education
Sex Education combines an unusually candid approach to teenage sexuality with a warm ensemble comedy about shame, friendship, family, and growing up. The series is accessible and funny, but its recommendation is not based on popularity alone; the supporting characters receive enough attention to make the school feel like a community rather than a backdrop.
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Netflix estimated that more than 40 million households watched Sex Education in its first four weeks. That is a Netflix estimate, not an independently audited audience figure, but it illustrates the show’s reach. Start here if you want a lighter watch that still has emotional substance.
5. The Witcher
The Witcher is the year’s major fantasy-event pick. Its 2019 strengths are the scale of its world-building, the monster-of-the-week structure, its performances, and the immediate appeal of Geralt’s adventures. The storytelling can be busy, especially as it moves among different points in its chronology, but the series has a strong identity and enormous fan appeal.
Rank #2
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The source material matters: Netflix identifies the show as an adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher saga, comprising eight novels and story collections. Netflix’s official announcement called the adaptation “An epic tale of fate and family.
” If the series sends you back to its source material, start with The Last Wish, the short-story collection that introduces the world and its central monster hunter. Edition, price, stock, regional availability, and retailer eligibility can vary.
6. Stranger Things Season 3
Stranger Things Season 3 is the strongest returning-season choice for mainstream event viewing. The third season is brighter, faster, and more humorous than the earlier installments, with the Starcourt Mall providing a vivid setting for its summer adventure. Under the nostalgia and spectacle, the season retains the friendships and emotional stakes that made the series a phenomenon.
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This is a 2019 season of an existing series, not a new Netflix series. That distinction matters when comparing it with premieres such as When They See Us and Dead to Me.
Optional fan-gift note: Netflix identifies Netflix Shop as its official destination for Netflix merchandise, and its Stranger Things guidance has documented licensed apparel, posters, collectibles, costumes, and related products. Individual products and Amazon availability were not verified here, so check the retailer and licensing details before buying a Stranger Things gift.
7. Dark Season 2
Dark Season 2 deepens the German science-fiction mystery into a dense, multigenerational time-travel conspiracy. Netflix’s editorial description presents the story as a conspiracy spanning multiple generations. The second season assumes close attention and rewards viewers who remember names, relationships, dates, and timelines.
Choose Dark over a more accessible genre show if complexity and rewatch value matter more to you than immediate clarity. It is one of the list’s most demanding recommendations, but also one of its most ambitious.
8. Dead to Me
Dead to Me uses dark comedy to explore grief, guilt, secrecy, and an unlikely friendship. The widow-and-friend premise, highlighted in Netflix’s official title material, gives the series a strong emotional engine while the mystery keeps the episodes moving.
Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini make the tonal balance work: the show can be sharply funny in one scene and genuinely painful in the next. It is a particularly good recommendation for viewers who want a compact binge with comic momentum and melodramatic stakes.
9. Mindhunter Season 2
Mindhunter Season 2 is a patient, dialogue-driven crime drama about the development of criminal behavioral analysis. Its interest lies less in action than in interviews, institutional friction, psychological detail, and the unsettling contrast between methodical research and violent crimes.
The second season is best for viewers who appreciate slow-burn television, precise direction, and conversations that carry as much tension as chase scenes. It is a returning-season entry and should be judged as part of the show’s continuing investigation rather than as a standalone 2019 premiere.
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The Crown Season 3 continues Peter Morgan’s dramatized account of Elizabeth II’s reign while introducing a new principal cast. The recasting gives the season a different texture, and the drama remains strongest when private relationships, public duty, and historical pressure collide.
Rank #3
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The season’s recognition extended beyond Netflix’s audience: The Crown received 2020 Golden Globe drama-series recognition. It is the best choice here for viewers seeking polished historical drama rather than a fast-moving thriller.
11. BoJack Horseman Season 6
BoJack Horseman Season 6 remains a psychologically serious animated comedy beneath its Hollywood satire and absurd visual humor. The season examines addiction, depression, accountability, and recovery without reducing those subjects to a single inspirational lesson.
Because the series has a long history with its characters, Season 6 is most rewarding for returning viewers. Its presence on this list reflects the show’s sustained emotional ambition as much as its comic writing.
12. Queer Eye Season 3
Queer Eye Season 3 is an emotionally direct reality series built around personal transformation, practical advice, and human-interest storytelling. The season broadens the range of families and communities represented, while the format continues to work because the participants’ lives—not just the makeover—drive the episodes.
It is the right recommendation for viewers who want an uplifting, conversational watch with clear emotional payoffs rather than a scripted mystery or prestige drama.
13. The Kominsky Method Season 2
The Kominsky Method Season 2 is a compact, actor-led comedy about aging, friendship, grief, and professional identity. Its humor comes from people trying to remain useful and connected while their bodies, careers, and relationships change.
The series is less structurally daring than Russian Doll and less expansive than The Crown, but its small scale is part of its appeal. Pick it for character-based comedy with a reflective edge.
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Kingdom combines Korean historical drama with zombie horror, creating a visually distinctive international genre series. Court politics, epidemic dread, period settings, and physical action all contribute to its unusual atmosphere.
Netflix’s editorial coverage places it among its notable critically acclaimed series. It is a strong choice for viewers who want a genre show that does not feel like a standard contemporary zombie story.
15. Love, Death & Robots
Love, Death & Robots is an anthology showcase rather than one continuous narrative. Its short episodes move among adult animation, science fiction, horror, dark comedy, and experimental visual styles, so quality and tone vary by segment.
Rank #4
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The anthology format makes it easy to sample: viewers can watch a single short episode rather than commit to a full season-long plot. It belongs on the list because it expanded what short-form adult animation on Netflix could look and feel like.
Which 2019 Netflix series should you watch first?
| If you want… | Start with… | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The strongest awards and prestige case | When They See Us | It has the clearest awards-backed standing and substantial historical weight. |
| A serious limited series | Unbelievable | Its investigative structure stays grounded in the consequences of disbelief. |
| Inventive comedy with emotional depth | Russian Doll | The time-loop premise becomes a story about grief, identity, and change. |
| A warm, funny ensemble | Sex Education | The series balances candid subject matter with generous character writing. |
| Fantasy spectacle | The Witcher | Monster stories and large-scale world-building provide an accessible entry point. |
| A big mainstream event | Stranger Things Season 3 | The returning season is polished, fast-moving, humorous, and emotionally familiar. |
| A puzzle to solve | Dark Season 2 | The multigenerational time-travel conspiracy rewards concentration and rewatching. |
| A dark friendship comedy | Dead to Me | Grief and secrets create both emotional stakes and comic momentum. |
| Slow-burn crime drama | Mindhunter Season 2 | Dialogue, behavioral detail, and direction carry the tension. |
| Animation and experimentation | Love, Death & Robots | Each short offers a different visual style or genre premise. |
Are The Witcher and When They See Us worth watching?
Yes, but they serve completely different viewing moods. Watch When They See Us for a serious, historically grounded four-part drama with the strongest overall prestige case. Watch The Witcher for fantasy adventure, monster stories, large-scale world-building, and a more escapist commitment.
The two titles also illustrate why a single “best” list needs more than audience size. When They See Us leads on awards recognition and historical consequence, while The Witcher leads on genre spectacle and event appeal.
Which 2019 Netflix shows still hold up?
The most durable recommendations are When They See Us, Russian Doll, Unbelievable, Dead to Me, Dark Season 2, and BoJack Horseman Season 6. Their appeal depends less on a short-lived trend than on strong writing, distinctive form, difficult subject matter, or memorable performances.
Sex Education, The Witcher, and Stranger Things Season 3 remain the better choices when you want accessible ensemble entertainment or recognizable genre spectacle. Catalogue rights are market-specific and change over time, so availability should be checked locally rather than assumed from a 2019 release date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this an official Netflix ranking?
No. Netflix did not publish a single official “best Netflix series of 2019” ranking. This list is an editorial synthesis based on awards recognition, writing and performances, originality, cultural or audience impact, and lasting recommendation value.
What are the best limited series on Netflix from 2019?
The best 2019 Netflix limited series are When They See Us and Unbelievable. When They See Us has the stronger awards record, while Unbelievable is a restrained investigative drama centered on disbelief and institutional failure.
Is The Witcher worth watching?
Yes, The Witcher is worth watching if you want fantasy adventure, monster stories, world-building, and a large-scale event series. The Witcher is based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels and story collections rather than directly on the video games.
Why are older Netflix series seasons included in a 2019 list?
The list includes both new 2019 premieres and major returning seasons because “best Netflix shows from 2019” commonly refers to the best Netflix viewing associated with that year. Returning entries are labelled by season, such as Stranger Things Season 3 and Dark Season 2.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: Start with When They See Us for the strongest all-around prestige recommendation, Russian Doll for originality, Unbelievable for serious limited-series drama, Sex Education for warmth and comedy, or The Witcher for fantasy spectacle. The ranking is an editorial synthesis, not an official Netflix verdict.
Quick Recap
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