Netflix – Red Crown Productions – Participant Media
Inspired by ComicBook’s various retrospectives, we thought we’d look back at some notable Netflix Original titles that will celebrate their tenth anniversary in 2025. By 2015, Netflix had been in the original business for only a couple of years. Still, it was slowly exploring different formats, including its first-ever distributed movies and continued investment in dramas and comedy. Here are six notable Netflix movies and series turning 10 years old this year.
As a reminder, you can find the complete list of the over 4,000 Netflix Originals available in the US (and around the world) through our library page.
Beasts of No Nation
Every film distributor had to start somewhere, and with Netflix, their first-ever released Netflix Original movie was Beasts of No Nation. Starring Idris Elba and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, the harrowing movie remains one of Netflix’s best movies in its library even a decade later after its October release. It adapts the 2005 Uzodinma Iweala novel, telling the story of a young boy recruited into an ongoing civil war conflict with the boy serving under the wing of the ruthless Commandant. It scooped a bunch of awards and scored positive reviews across the board.
Interestingly, the movie also got a limited theatrical release, something Netflix still does with its awards contenders to this day, although back then, that was handled by Bleecker Street. It was a controversial theatrical release at the time, with Netflix opting not to have a 90-day theatrical window, leading to theater chains boycotting the movie. If this sounds familiar, it’s because it remains a contentious issue to this very day.
The Ridiculous 6
Picture: Netflix
The second-ever Netflix Original movie (this time fully developed for Netflix without any theatrical release) was The Ridiculous 6, which would spawn a partnership that is still active today. We’re referring to the Adam Sandler deal, which we incorrectly said was a mistake for Netflix to jump in bed with at the time. In my defense, I was barely 20 years old and still learning (scratch that; I’m still learning and making stupid claims to this day!) Sandler actively stars in and creates under his Happy Madison banner, with over a dozen titles now produced in what Netflix dubs The Sandlerverse.
Unlike Beasts of No Nation, Netflix would score its first ever 0% on RottenTomatoes with The Ridiculous 6, meaning it had quite two debut movies. We should also note that the movie also carried some controversy, with the movie being reportedly insensitive and offensive to Apache tribes and Native Americans, leading to on-set troubles. While the movie isn’t particularly well-regarded today, its importance to Netflix finding its feet in the movie space cannot be understated.
Grace and Frankie
Back in 2015, one of the most popular shows on Netflix was Friends. As part of Netflix’s early strategy at trying to recreate things that everyone loved, it poached one of the co-creators of the beloved NBC sitcom (which would eventually leave in January 2020, at least in the US) to create a new series that would become Netflix’s longest-running scripted show.
Headlined by Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, the series tells the story of two older women who have their lives flipped upside down when their long-term husbands come out as gay for one another. Now, on their own, the two bond and go on their adventures later in life. The show took a little while to find its feet, but once it did, it became what remains one of Netflix’s best comedies on the platform.
Daredevil
Picture: Netflix
One of the other most notable series to debut in 2015 was Daredevil, the first of many to come from an expansive new relationship and universe established with Marvel, which was flying high at the time with its movie universe, MCU. Jessica Jones would arrive in late 2015, but the arrival of Daredevil on April 10th, 2015, felt truly special and part of a new era of television. It broke away from the low-budget superhero titles we had been used to on cable television and brought movie-level quality to the small screen with the story focusing on a blind superhero operating in New York City as both a vigilante and a lawyer.
Of course, Daredevil, along with all the other Defenders, would eventually leave Netflix following all of their rather abrupt cancelations as Disney opted to go all-in on its streaming service. Now, a decade on, we’ve seen Daredevil, excellently played by Charlie Cox, in a few other Marvel TV shows and movies, but this year, he’ll be getting a reboot exclusively on Disney+. This show laid the groundwork for how expansive universes could play out on TV and still remains one of Netflix’s most important shows, even if it isn’t streaming anymore.
Master of None
Picture: Netflix
Another comedy that debuted on Netflix and would become a critical darling (albeit marred later on) is Master of None. This series was created by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, with the show focusing in the first two seasons on the character of Dev Shah, with the plot revolving in part around Ansari’s life. The show came as part of a huge wave into the genre of comedians getting their own shows, and while the third season really struggled to justify its existence, those first two seasons (and especially the first) are a real gem.
F is for Family
Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2021
Netflix had already entered the animated series space in 2014 with Bojack Horseman but doubled down with the fantastic comedy F is for Family in December 2015 with comedian Bill Burr teaming with The Simpsons veteran Michael Price for a new period series that ran for five seasons through 2021.
Burr voices the role of Frank Murphy, a late 30s working Dad known to blow a gasket every once in a while being the head of a dysfunctional household. It’s easily the most accessible animated sitcom still has on its platform to this date and is my personal favorite, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments achieved throughout with an impeccable voice cast.
Notable Mentions of Other Netflix Shows Turning 10 in 2025
- Chef’s Table – Netflix’s long-running documentary series, which only just got a new season in 2024 (with more spin-offs on the way,) is a well-produced culinary show that showcases the best chefs from around the globe. It stands as the only ongoing show on Netflix that was first made in 2015.
- The Little Prince – Netflix served as the distributor for this animated feature film in select English-language countries, with it technically serving as Netflix’s first-ever animated film.
- The Last Kingdom – Netflix would eventually come to be the sole distributor of The Last Kingdom, but it all began with them picking up the international distribution rights to the historical drama from BBC Two in 2015.
- Ever After High – Netflix’s first-ever global kids & family title and their first-ever animated series aimed at kids, spawned a long-running relationship with Mattel that’s still active to this day.
What show or movie from this list of titles turning 10 do you love the most? Let us know in the comments down below.
