These 1-Season-Long Netflix TV Shows Are Flawless From Beginning to End (& Absolute Masterpieces)

Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Here is a simplified version of the story contents: Here is a lighthearted take on the story contents: Explore a different perspective:

Netflix began as the mail-order DVD rental service that put Blockbuster out of business and became a streaming juggernaut when it shifted to producing original content. Netflix found immediate success with House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black. As more streaming services popped up, they put a premium on their in-house programming. Over the years, they have created truly phenomenal television.

From limited series to anthologies to the prematurely canceled, several one-season shows on Netflix are absolute masterpieces. Some programs stand above the rest with brilliant performances, well-structured narratives, themes that resonate with their audience, and distinct aesthetics that remain with viewers long after they finish the last episode.

Godless Brings a Fresh and Compelling Installment to the Western Genre

Every Episode Is Written and Directed by Logan's Scott Frank

Set in the 1880s, Godless follows a vicious outlaw gang searching for his former protégé, Roy, and the town of La Belle. After a devastating mining disaster, La Belle is almost entirely inhabited by women. Roy, the sympathetic fugitive, takes refuge in the isolated town on Alice Fletcher’s farm. When the women of La Belle learn that the notorious Frank Griffin is headed their way, they band together to defend their home. The Emmy-award-winning series starred Jack O’Connell and Michelle Dockery.

The seven-hour miniseries is beautifully acted with standout performances by Jeff Daniels as the vile gang leader and Merritt Weaver as Mary Agnes, who is effectively the mayor of La Belle. It’s gritty and well-paced, and while Godless doesn’t reinvent the old-fashioned Western, it refreshes the classic tropes in an interesting narrative. Even though the audience knows it will ultimately end in a massive shootout, its sweeping landscapes, breathtaking visuals, and character-driven plot make it hard to stop watching until the end.

Godless

TV-MA Western Drama

Powered by

Expand Collapse

Bodyguard Is an Intense and Gripping Political Thriller

The British Crime Drama Was Created by Jed Mercurio

Bodyguard stars Game of Thrones‘ Richard Madden as the traumatized David Budd. The intense crime drama starts with a twenty-minute heart-pounding introduction that sees Budd pursuing a terrorist through a train station, hooking viewers and not letting go until the end. While the twisty and gripping plot gets more far-fetched as it goes, it works brilliantly. Bodyguard‘s raw emotional undertones and Budd’s crippling PTSD make this an intriguing and riveting series fraught with tension, compelling the audience to keep watching until it’s over.

Bodyguard

Powered by

Expand Collapse

The Haunting of Hill House Is a Poignant and Terrifying Series

Created by Mike Flanagan and Based on the Novel by Shirley Jackson

The Haunting of Hill House expands the greatest horror novel of all time into a 10-part limited series that explores grief, trauma, and mental illness in a stirring and ominous setting. Years after they’ve left, Hill House is calling the Crain family back, starting with Nell. The story jumps between the past and the present as the Crain family is forced to confront the traumatic events of their past. The slow-burning, emotionally charged series stars Carla Gugino and Henry Thomas.

In a gripping and cinematic adaptation of the Gothic horror novel, Mike Flanagan reimagines the book, working all the best elements into a tragic and beautiful show. The first five episodes introduce the Crain children and their most haunting memories of Hill House. Each character brilliantly represents a different stage of grief. The driving mystery of the series is what happened to their mother, with different elements being revealed as their father tries to protect them from the devastating truth.

The Haunting of Hill House

TV-MA Drama Supernatural Horror

Powered by

Expand Collapse

Julie and the Phantoms Is an Uplifting Story with a Fantastic Soundtrack

Produced and Directed by High School Musical's Kenny Ortega

Julie and the Phantoms is a family-friendly comedy series by Kenny Ortega—the guy who directed Hocus Pocus, High School Musical, and Descendants. Ortega discovers a whole new generation of incredibly talented young actors. Julie hasn’t been able to touch her piano since her mother died. When a trio of musicians on the verge of stardom die unexpectedly in the 90s, they appear as ghosts twenty-five years later in Julie’s music room. The musical ghosts help Julie by reigniting her passion for music and for life, and she helps them achieve their dreams by playing at a legendary music venue.

Julie and the Phantoms picked up three Emmy Awards and introduced the world to the charming and gifted Madison Reyes. The uplifting story deals with loss and emotional honesty as Julie and her ghosts make literal magic together. The passion and energy are infectious, along with the catchy and inspiring songs. The quirky and hopeful series is about friendship, found family, and connection. While it may be a little silly, the show’s charm and joyfulness more than makeup for it. The series was sadly canceled by Netflix after only one season.

Julie and the Phantoms

Fantasy Family Comedy

Powered by

Expand Collapse

The Queen's Gambit Is a Mesmerizing Story of Addiction and Triumph

The Limited Series Is Another Masterpiece by Scott Frank

The Queen’s Gambit was a coming-of-age story about a fictional chess prodigy named Elizabeth Harmon. Set in the 1950s, nine-year-old Beth was orphaned and sent to the Methuen Home for Girls, where they gave the children tranquilizer drugs. When she began playing chess, the drug helped her visualize the board, leading her to abuse the pills. As Beth rose through the ranks, she became addicted to pills and alcohol to help her win. The empowering and visually stunning miniseries by Scott Frank is just under seven hours long and stars Anya Taylor-Joy.

Praised by real-life chess champions for its realistic choreography and ability to capture the emotion of the game, The Queen’s Gambit brings chess alive in a well-crafted period drama. With breathtaking cinematography and smart writing, the series glues viewers to their screens, keeping them hooked until the final episode. Exploring themes of addiction, feminism, adoption, and overcoming adversity, the mesmerizing story is full of soul and deep emotions.

The Queen's Gambit

Sport Drama

Powered by

Expand Collapse

Lockwood & Co. Is A Clever and Atmospheric Ghost Story

Developed by Joe Cornish and Based on Books by Jonathan Stroud

Set in an alternate London, where a plague of ghosts has swept over the country, only the young have the talent to see, hear, and fight the ghosts in Lockwood & Co. Agencies that employ children to dispel the hauntings and protect people are born. Lockwood & Co. is a boutique agency run by a teenager, free from adult interference and exploitation and trying to make a name for itself. The series begins with Lucy, an exceptionally gifted listener, joining the brilliant but abrasive George Karim and the charming but reckless Anthony Lockwood.

The wryly funny and engaging series had a distinctly vintage aesthetic that immersed viewers in a new world with impressive attention to detail. Lockwood & Co. brings fresh new tactics to ghost-hunting, using rapier swords, iron chains, and Greek fire to fight the deadly «visitors.» The engaging and intelligent series tackled themes of loss, grief, and found family, exploring the divide between the powerful and the powerless. The thrilling and spooky story is full of heart and hope, faithfully adapting the first two Lockwood & Co. novels. Sadly, Netflix canceled the fan-favorite series, leaving audiences wondering what was behind that door on the landing.

Lockwood & Co.

Action Adventure Supernatural Thriller

Powered by

Expand Collapse

Dead Boy Detectives Deliver Whimsy and Snappy Dialogue

Created by Steve Yocky and Based on Characters from the Sandman Universe

Dead Boy Detective follows Charles and Edwin—two deceased teenage boys avoiding Death and helping lost spirits crossover. When they take a case to exorcise a demon from a psychic girl, things don’t go as planned. Crystal doesn’t remember who she is and is still haunted by the demon who wants back inside the powerful psychic. The Dead Boy Detectives head to America with their new psychic team member to find and save a missing child, but when Edwin binds a cat to get information on the witch that has the child, the Cat King traps Edwin’s spirit in the town.

The charismatic characters instantly pull viewers into the world of magic, ghosts, and rude Dandelion sprites. The dark and whimsical series features authentic and beautiful queer representation with ample tension between Charles and Edwin, two best friends who would literally go to heel and back for each other. Dead Boy Detectives deals with themes of trauma, loss, and identity, balanced perfectly with heartfelt moments of friendship and found family. The cast of quirky and lovable supporting characters round out the show brilliantly with the manga-loving Niko and their nihilistic and misanthropic landlord, Jenny. The Sandman-universe series was canceled by Netflix after one season.

Dead Boy Detectives

TV-MA Comedy Mystery Adventure 1

Powered by

Expand Collapse