The Best New Netflix Series in 2025 (So Far)

The first quarter of the year is coming to an end so it’s time to start up our list of the best new series added to Netflix so far in 2025. By the end of March, Netflix will have released well over 110 new seasons of shows from around the globe carrying Netflix Original branding, but which ones are the best? We’ve got you covered – here are our picks of the best new series on Netflix so far in 2025. 

Before we dive in, some honorable mentions: Mo (Season 2), Wrong Side of the Tracks (Season 4), SAKAMOTO DAYS (Season 1), Medusa (Season 1), and My Happy Marriage (Season 1).

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It often feels like an unfair (and perhaps even lazy) comparison to say something looks and feels like a Black Mirror episode—but I mean it in the most sincere way possible when describing this German limited series. It has already spent six weeks in the global Top 10 and still has plenty of momentum left. The visual design of the series is incredibly unique, and when combined with the persistent, unsettling feeling that something isn’t quite right, it creates an atmospheric and brilliantly layered experience. This is arguably the best German series since Dark—which is no small feat.

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Netflix’s ambitions in animation are sadly not what they used to be. Sure, they still deliver some big new titles every now and again, but the golden age certainly seems to be over. That’s why it was such a surprise and delight to learn they were continuing with their efforts to bring Curtis Jobling’s Wereworld novels to life. The end result? An excellently produced and very British adaptation that pulls in the best of the books and combines that with an art style that’ll feel at home to fans of Arcane as well as the politics and world-building of Game of Thrones and Avatar: The Last Airbender. It’s a superb family show that will also have plenty to offer to adults too. 

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We’ve been tracking The Leopard for several years, ever since its initial announcement. From what we’d heard, Netflix invested heavily in bringing the iconic Italian novel to life as a rich, splashy, and seductive series—and it certainly delivered.

What’s on offer here is a series that remains faithful to its source material while cleverly adapting the story for a global audience. Some of the most critical reviews have come from Italian outlets—and while there is some negative sentiment—the overall consensus is that this may be one of the best period dramas Netflix has ever produced, if not the finest to come out of Europe.

The series stands tall thanks to stunning production design, including lavish sets and exquisitely crafted costumes, combined with some fantastic performances. It even gives the original film adaptation—long considered a masterpiece—a run for its money.

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Mindy Kaling’s latest comedy series is the kind of lighthearted comedy that made subscribers fall in love with Nobody Wants This and A Man on the Inside. Kate Hudson is incredibly charming and likable as Isla Gordon, and Brenda Song as Ali Lee is an inspired and delightfully fun casting choice. A second season has already been announced for Running Point, and we’re fully invested in Isla Gordon leading the LA Waves basketball team to victory,

Netflix has had a topsy-turvy record with its comedy shows over the years, but shows like Running Point prove that the streamer is moving in the right direction. 

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The year’s surprise package so far, Beauty in Black, is a wild ride you must watch and experience for yourself. With twists and turns left, right, and center, Tyler Perry has given us an entertaining and chaotic family drama that leaves you on the edge of your seat, wanting to watch more and more. It’s great that there’s a second season on the way because we can’t wait to see where the story goes next.

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Despite his career beginning in 1965, Robert De Niro has only appeared on television in cameos and guest appearances across the decades. So his leading role in television as former US President George Mullen was a landmark moment in his career and a massive get for Netflix. De Niro was phenomenal in the political thriller, which also starred the likes of Connie Britton, Jesse Plemons, and Lizzy Caplan. With a great story to boot, it’s not hard to see why Zero Day garnered so much attention from subscribers. Ever since the end of House of Cards, there’s been a gaping hole left in the political thriller department, and Zero Day helped fill that void for the time being. We hope to see more shows like it on Netflix in the near future. 

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Netflix’s head of content, Bela Bajaria, has been on record as saying that the show she most wishes was under the Netflix Original umbrella is Yellowstone. That show, among others, has led a recent revival in the Western genre, so it makes sense that most, including Netflix, have gone to great lengths to chase the genre. Netflix’s best attempt yet is American Primeval, a gritty thriller from Peter Berg. 

Thanks to some remarkable performances by Taylor Kitsch and Betty Gilpin, the authentic series sees you following the journey of a woman and her child across an unforgiving American landscape that’ll do its best to kill you on its own without the added dangers of both friends and foes. The cinematography and visuals create one of the most raw visions of an often romanticized period of history. Although some, including myself, didn’t think the ending was as satisfactory as it could’ve been, the journey is worth taking. 

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The Night Agent was the perfect remedy for Netflix, which has released some incredible action movies over the years but was severely lacking in the action series genre. It took two years, but the wait for the return of The Night Agent was worth it, with Gabriel Basso returning as Peter Sutherland. Not to mention the return of Luciane Buchanan, who remains the show’s pillar and moral conscience that keeps Agent Sutherland grounded. While the second season may not have had the same level of impact as the first, it still made us incredibly excited for an even more action-packed third season.

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You can debate whether it was wise to split the final season of Cobra Kai into three parts—and whether or not that strategy was effective—but there’s one thing that’s beyond argument: Cobra Kai stuck the landing.

Easily Netflix’s most successful acquisition to date, the continuation of The Karate Kid saga delivered six seasons that were consistently fun, emotional, and endlessly bingeable. The sixth and final season, in particular, featured some of the show’s best episodes, with the full 15-episode arc culminating in a finale that felt like a warm hug.

Now complete, Cobra Kai stands as one of the most satisfying farewells in Netflix history. It has expanded the Karate Kid universe and left the door open for more while also introducing it to a brand-new generation of fans—arguably among the most passionate and positive of any Netflix fandom.

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Netflix has been hitting home runs with its British dramas, particularly those created by BAFTA award-winning Jack Thorne. If it weren’t for Thorne’s other hard-hitting drama, then Toxic Town would have been at the top of this list.

The series stars Doctor Who’s Jodie Whittaker and Sex Education’s Aimee Lou Wood. They play mothers Susan McIntyre and Tracey Taylor, whose lives and their children are tragically impacted by the horrid handling of the toxic waste of the Corby steel plant and their fight for justice. Toxic Town is arguably Netflix’s answer to HBO’s incredible Chernobyl. While the production is not on the same budget and scale, Minkie Spiro’s direction ups the ante and, without wasting a second of screen time, utilizes the wonderful performances from Whittaker and Wood to drive home the impact on the lives and families of Corby.

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It seems Netflix UK is building a new tradition—delivering a standout series in the first quarter of each year that dominates the conversation and exceeds all expectations, even if it initially flew under the radar. That was certainly the case in 2024 with Baby Reindeer, and now again with a stunning new four-part series headlined by Stephen Graham, Ashley Walters, and a breakout performance by Owen Cooper.

Each episode is shot in a continuous take, capturing the intense, minute-by-minute events of the morning police raided the Miller household to arrest 13-year-old Jamie, accused of murdering a classmate. Watching each episode feels like enduring an emotional workout. It’s a powerful showcase of how less can be more—an expertly crafted, thought-provoking series that punches hard and does and has prompted deeper conversations long after the credits roll.