Best TV shows on Netflix: Our favorites

ONE DAY AT A TIME

This Netflix sitcom, based loosely on the 1975 series of the same name, follows three generations of the same Cuban-American family living in the same house.

COMEDIANS IN CARS GETTING COFFEE

Jerry Seinfeld's famous web series, "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee," finally comes to Netflix.

ALTERED CARBON

This 10-episode series follows a super soldier brought back to life a few hundred years after his death. Based on Richard K. Morgan's 2002 novel of the same name.

QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY

It's been 15 years since the the original "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" revolutionized reality television. Now, the series returns to Netflix and is going global, introducing audiences around the world to a modern aesthetic, diverse perspective and a brand new Fab Five: Antoni Porowski, Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Jonathan Van Ness and Tan France.

BLACK MIRROR

This science fiction series, which has often been compared to "The Twilight Zone," analyzes our society and the consequences of new technology. Four seasons currently streaming.

FULLER HOUSE

The much-anticipated sequel to "Full House" returns with single mom D.J. and her sister, Stephanie, and friend, Kimmy, moving in together to help raise the kids. All Tanners are back with the exception of Michele, played by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

PEAKY BLINDERS

Netflix's "Peaky Blinders" follows the Romani/Irish gang lead by Tommy Shelby (played by Cillian Murphy) in Birmingham, England in 1919, just after the First World War. Four seasons now streaming.

THE RANCH

Ashton Kutcher plays the son of a Colorado rancher (Sam Elliott) who returns home from a semi-pro football career to run the family business in "The Ranch." Four parts currently streaming.

THE CROWN

Series from "The Queen" movie writer Peter Morgan dramatizes the earlier life of Queen Elizabeth II (Claire Foy), starting with her 1947 marriage to Prince Philip (Matt Smith).

TURN: WASHINGTON'S SPIES

"Turn: Washington's Spies" is an AMC Studios series based on the Culper espionage ring of the Revolutionary War. Three seasons available for streaming.

STRANGER THINGS

If you haven't seen it, you've heard about it: Netflix's runaway success of summer 2016 is jam-packed with '80 nostalgia. Winona Ryder plays the mom whose son's disappearance is at the center of simultaneous investigations involving the police, his friends and a mysterious girl with unusual powers.

HATERS BACK OFF

A totally untalented star pursues her big-time dreams in this comedy from YouTube favorite Colleen Ballinger, also starring "The Office" star Angela Kinsey and "Eastbound & Down" actor Steve Little.

THE DEFENDERS

Krysten Ritter, Finn Jones, Charlie Cox and Mike Colter assemble their individual Marvel characters in Netflix's "The Defenders."

AMC's post-apocalyptic drama, "The Walking Dead," stars Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes. Seven seasons are currently streaming.

Netflix's "Narcos" tells the story of Columbian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura), who became a billionaire through the production and distribution of cocaine. Two seasons are available for streaming.

Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) is a Chicago financial planner by day and money launderer to Mexican drug lord Del Rio (Esai Morales) by night. To avoid being killed for his partner's theft, he creates a plan to move to Ozark, Missouri, in an attempt to launder $8 million in three months.

Boozing humanoid horse BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett), once a sitcom has-been, achieves movie stardom but continues to struggle in Hollywood. With Amy Sedaris' Persian cat, Paul F. Tompkins' Labrador retriever and Aaron Paul's human slacker.

Cultural biases, racial injustice and social activism are just a few recurring themes in the Netflix original drama series "Dear White People." The series, which follows a 2015 movie of the same name and was recently confirmed for a second season, follows students of color at a predominantly white Ivy League university.

The Baudelaire orphans must face the evil Count Olaf to unlock sacred family secrets in this Netflix original. Season one available for streaming.

In 2015, "Mad Men" officially came to an end, but the drama series, which won five Golden Globes and 16 Emmys, is still available to stream on Netflix.

Fred Armisen, left, and Bill Hader star in "Documentary Now!," which spoofs celebrated documentaries.

Kevin Spacey slides down the depravity scale each season of Netflix's "House of Cards." In the newly released season 5, his lies begin to corner him.

From left, KJ Apa, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart star in "Riverdale," the TV adaptation of the "Archie" comics. All 13 episodes in season 1 are available now.

When waves of violent animal attacks suddenly begin sweeping the planet, one group must race to stop humanity's extinction. Two seasons available for streaming.

NBC's hit show "The Office" has nine seasons of mockumentary style comedy. Stars Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Mindy Kaling, B.J. Novak and more.

Season 3 has 13 more episodes, in which guest stars Laura Dern, Rachel Dratch, Ray Liotta, Andrea Martin and Maya Rudolph join previous favorites Fred Armisen, Tina Fey, Jon Hamm, Josh Charles and Amy Sedaris.

Head back to Green Gables in this "re-imagined" family series, with young Amybeth McNulty, Geraldine James and R.H. Thomson, from "Breaking Bad" writer Moira Walley-Beckett ("Flesh and Bone").

How to build a fashion empire online, as adapted from the bestseller. Starring Britt Robertson ("The Secret Circle"). 13 episodes.

Judd Apatow-produced series with (wild) Gillian Jacobs and (nice) Paul Rust starts its second season of intimacy-fear and commitment-phobia.

"Into the Inferno," deep-diving into craters in Iceland, Ethiopia, other global locales.

Five seasons in, one of the site's first original series (only "House of Cards" came before) still ranks among its best.

Leonardo DiCaprio produced "The Ivory Game," an undercover look at ivory trafficking.

Top directors from '40s Hollywood shot World War II action and found themselves changed forever. Those masters (John Ford, Frank Capra, more) are profiled by modern filmmakers (Steven Spielberg, Guillermo Del Toro, more). Also streaming: 13 World War II documentaries.

Young-adult drama series tracks a teen (Dylan Minnette, "Awake") investigating why his crush ended her own life. With Kate Walsh, Brian d'Arcy James. From producer Selena Gomez, "Spotlight" writer-director Tom McCarthy. 13 episodes.

Part 2 of Baz Luhrmann's '70s NYC portrait finds a new beat in the Bronx. With Shameik Moore, Justice Smith and Mamoudou Athie as Grandmaster Flash. five episodes.

They're back: Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel, in four 90-minute chapters moving through the seasons. Other WB returnees include Kelly Bishop, Scott Patterson, Keiko Agena.

"Game of Thrones" favorite Jason Momoa dominates a gritty new drama of 1700s renegades trying to muscle in on North America's fur trade. (Already renewed for season 2.) Six episodes.

Season 3 with Gillian Anderson's homicide detective hunting a serial killer. Six new episodes, with Jamie Dornan, John Lynch, Archie Panjabi.

Mike Colter takes his superhuman crime-fighter from "Jessica Jones" into his own adventure series. With Alfre Woodard, Mahershala Ali, Frank Whaley, Sonia Braga.

Sex, tech and culture intersect in a Chicago-set half-hour anthology from filmmaker Joe Swanberg. With Orlando Bloom, Marc Maron, Malin Akerman, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Hannibal Buress.

With Season 3 just added, fans can catch up to all of this smart BET drama series, tracking the complicated life of a TV news anchor (Gabrielle Union).

A mid-'00s classic comedy from Mitchell Hurwitz, "Arrested Development" was as funny, original and odd as anything most viewers had ever seen on a major TV network. Its influence remains wide and deep, and, in fact, the series has been born again on Netflix.

"Breaking Bad's" spinoff, "Better Call Saul" is a 10-episode drama series that follows the life of little-known attorney Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk), as he transforms into a big-time criminal lawyer, Saul Goodman, in Albuquerque, N.M.

Season 3 wraps up this Florida Keys family thriller with Kyle Chandler, Sissy Spacek, Ben Mendelsohn, Linda Cardellini, Norbert Leo Butz. 10 episodes.

Comic Maria Bamford's original series follows a woman finding herself, with Mary Kay Place, Ed Begley Jr., Ana Gasteyer.

Chicago comic Hannibal Buress takes center stage in a Netflix comedy special. Buress recently starred on the popular TV show "Broad City," as well as the newly released film, "Daddy's Home." He also co-hosted "The Eric André Show," and publicly shamed entertainer Bill Cosby by calling him a rapist. Cosby was charged late in 2015 with felony sexual assault.

If you've been able to resist the hype (and the plethora of spoilers) surrounding the Netflix true crime documentary, what are you waiting for? The 10-part series is extremely dense, and while it can be slow at times, stick with it for the curveballs. "Making a Murderer" will satisfy fans of "The Jinx" (HBO's six-parter about Robert Durst) -- so long as they don't expect that level of production value and are prepared for their heads to spin.

"Grace and Frankie" stars two veteran actresses, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, as women blindsided by the news that their husbands are gay and planning to marry each other. This 13-episode series was created by Marta Kauffman (who co-created "Friends" with David Crane) and veteran comedy showrunner Howard J. Morris. Both Kauffman and Morris co-created the early '90s HBO comedy, "Dream On," and its star, Brian Benben, makes a cameo in their new show.

In "Jane The Virgin," Gina Rodriguez stars as a virgin determined to wait until marriage... until her doctor accidentally artificially inseminates her, mistaking her for the wife of the manager at the hotel where she works. That's when the complications begin.

"Legends," based on the Robert Littell novel, stars Sean Bean of "Game of Thrones" as Martin Odum, an undercover FBI agent uncovering domestic terrorism who also happens to have multi personality disorder. The drama's big question here is: If everything about Odum is a lie, then what exactly is the truth?

"Parks & Recreation's" Aziz Ansari stars in his own series as Dev, a struggling 30-year-old actor in New York City. Mike Schur of "Parks and Rec" is an executive producer. Fans of "Parks & Rec's" Tom -- and by extension, Aziz -- will find his show very, very funny.

Krysten Ritter shines as a tough but lonely private eye on "Marvel's Jessica Jones." While Jessica Jones is a popular character in the Marvel universe, her superpowers are almost an afterthought in this show that our critic describes as a "psychological thriller." All episodes premiered on Netflix on Nov. 20.

A prequel to the cult film, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp debuted July 31, 2015. With a ridiculous amount of stars -- Amy Poehler and Bradley Cooper, pictured, plus David Hyde Pierce, Elizabeth Banks, Janeane Garofalo and many more -- the series actually improves on the movie. It's funnier, crazier and has a slightly broader appeal.

The Internet collectively lost its mind when the complete adventures of Joey, Phoebe, Monica, Chandler, Ross and Rachel became available on Netflix on Jan. 1, and with good reason. How better to ring in 2015 than by binging on one of the best sitcoms of all time?

Netflix scores with "Sense8," the first TV series from famed Wachowski siblings Andy and Lana, of the "Matrix" trilogy and "Cloud Atlas." Max Riemelt and Tuppence Middleton appear, as does Daryl Hannah, who plays a dead woman whose death mysteriously binds eight people from around the world.

Kevin Bacon is a former FBI agent returning to duty to track down a serial killer who has earned a dangerous cult following. If you're not yet hooked on this suspenseful crime drama, start now by watching the first two seasons on Netflix before season 3 premieres March 2 on Fox.

An edgy drama following police investigating the most twisted of crimes. Even Seth Rogen can't turn it off, confessing on Twitter recently, "There is no limit to the amount of Law and Order: SVU I can watch in a single sitting." Same, Seth, same.

Follow David Duchovny who plays Hank, the dissolute sybarite Princeton educated former egghead who went to Hollywood, had great success and a couple of personal issues of his own along the way. The dramedy is available now on Netflix.

The hit drama stars James Spader as a terrorist helping the U.S. nab other baddies for reasons unknown. Newcomers can catch up with the entire first season on Netflix.

Those who adore mother-daughter duo Lorelai and Rory Gilmore can relive the show's famous quick banter, pop-culture references and kooky moments.

A&E's western detective series "Longmire" arrived in 2012 as silently as a dust devil kicked up by a high wind on the Wyoming plains.

Get ready for the Showtime version in 2016 with both seasons of the David Lynch series, definitely one of the scariest shows to ever air.

Lucky fans of this Showtime hit that wrapped in 2012 can now watch reruns of all eight seasons. About a suburban mom (Mary-Louise Parker) with a pot-dealing side business, the show was Jenji Kohan's first success, before "Orange Is the New Black."

"Frasier": Binge-watch all 11 seasons of the "Cheers" spinoff and you'll remember why it's so beloved. The chemistry is just right between uptight brother psychiatrists Frasier and Niles Crane (Kelsey Grammer, right, and David Hyde Pierce) and their working class dad (John Mahoney).

Sexy, soapy and set in The Hamptons -- what more can we ask of a TV show? Emily VanCamp plays a young woman who plays her wealthy socialite neighbors like a deck of cards in order to exact her family's, yes, revenge.

The CW's "Gossip Girl" was based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. All seasons available for streaming.

This romp through the great discoveries of modern science, hosted by smooth-voiced astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, was unlike anything Fox had ever done before, noted our critic Verne Gay upon its network premiere in March 2014. He dubbed it "one of the finest series on television this year" when the season wrapped a few months later.

The first two seasons, each complete unto themselves, are available. In the inaugural season, the Harmon family (Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott and Taissa Farmiga) moves into a house occupied by more than a few dead people. Jessica Lange plays the creepy next-door neighbor with Southern Gothic verve. Lange returns in season two as an evil nun working in a psychiatric home.

A&E's series that serves as a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 horror classic, "Psycho," is suspenseful and layered, making it worthy of a marathon. Norma (Vera Farmiga) and Norman (Freddie Highmore) are dark, complex characters that never cease to surprise -- as they should. Netflix has the first of two seasons.

Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) travel the country, hunting down demons, and exploring "urban legends" in Eric Kripke's science fiction series.

This Netflix original is the hangover to the site's "big, history-making party" that was "House of Cards," our critic said in his review of the first season, which premiered in April 2013. "It's a high-concept, low-budget genre-busting gothic horror soap that's full of non sequiturs, loose ends, dead ends and split ends" -- indigestible, but perfectly binge-worthy.