Netflix is home to so many excellent TV shows these days, which means it was tough for us to come up with a list that didn't run into the hundreds for our best Netflix shows guide. But we did it, and thousands of you have already had your say about the best Netflix series around.

We've chosen a wide selection of Netflix shows that you should be watching right now. There's ones that will make you chuckle (Santa Clarita Diet, RIP), those that will make you scratch your head (The OA, RIP) and shows that, despite flying below the radar, already have a huge fanbase (Lucifer).

Below you'll find the Netflix TV shows you should all check out, even if it's just for a one-episode taster...

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20. The Fall

One of the best shows about serial killers of all time, The Fall is a dark take on the genre pushing our preconceptions of what a serial killer should look and act like. Gillian Anderson is brilliant as the detective on the hunt for a murderer, but it is Jamie Dornan as serial killer Paul Spector who is the real standout here. It’s a shame he went from this to those crap 50 Shades movies as he’s an utter acting talent.

19. Unorthodox

A four-part limited series based around the Orthodox Jewish religion, Unorthodox, is a show worthy of your attention. Following a 19 year-old woman who flees her arranged marriage in favour of a less restrictive life, the plot sees her husband (and his outlawed cousin) set out to find her and bring her back to their community in Williamsburg, New York. Discovering what life is like outside her insular, NY community, will she be able to start afresh? You'll have to watch to find out.

18. Fargo

All three seasons of the Fargo TV show are available to stream and each of them are a masterclass in how to do TV. Taking place in different timelines, they are all standalone but hint at each other throughout. The series is packed with talent, too, with Billy Bob Thornton, Ewan McGregor and Kirsten Dunst all starring. If we had to choose, the second seasons would be our favourite but each is a fantastic take on the Coen Brothers classic movie.

17. Schitt’s Creek

In these times of unease, a show about bankruptcy doesn’t sound like the easiest watch but this is wonderful TV. If you are looking for something that is easy to watch, packed with lovable characters, and is actually complete, then look beyond the terrible title and you will find something sublime.

16. The Good Place

The creators of The Good Place have announced that the show is to end after Season 4, which is a real shame as this is one of the funniest and cleverest comedies around. Set in the afterlife and, well, saying more would be spoiling things. The main ensemble comprises the likes of Kristen Bell and Ted Danson and the whole thing is one big philosophical conversation.

15. Unbelievable

Unbelievable is the latest hard-hitting US drama to land on Netflix, based on the true story of Marie Adler. With a cast that includes Toni Collette, Merritt Wever and Kaitlyn Dever, the series tells the tale of a teen accused of making a false rape allegation and the two detectives who chance upon her rape case whilst investigating a new pattern of attacks. It's a gritty, hard-hitting series that will keep you holding on until the very last episode to see how things pan out. It's got the right pace, right cast and carries a truly harrowing message.

14. Dark

This German thriller is one of the best sci-fi shows we have seen in years. It starts off as a simple missing person’s tale and balloons into something far more, where everyone is hiding a secret and the truth is continually kept out of reach. A third and final season has been revealed, which should answer some of the (many) questions we have. Brilliant stuff.

13. The Crown

Now Season 4 of The Crown is here, the series has undergone a time shift, with Claire Foy's queen being replaced by the brilliant Olivia Coleman who is now joined by a young Princess Di (Emma Corrin) and Prince of wales. If you're new to the show, you have two superb seasons to catch up on, which recount the romance between Prince Philip and Elizabeth, and so much more. This is a lavish soap opera that's well worth your time. Although, we still can't get over Gillian Anderson as Thatcher. It, er, makes us rethink everything.

12. The Queen's Gambit

This fantastic limited series is about an orphaned girl who turns out to be a chess genius. Played with aplomb by Anya Taylor-Joy, it's a brilliant series that looks lavish and is brilliantly acted. Netflix has a surefire hit on its hand with this one.

11. Sex Education

The new season of Sex Education has landed. The series follows a group of young people trying their best to navigate sex, friendships, relationships and their own identities. It's been written with a lot of input from sex and relationship experts and young people, so it feels fresh, genuine and extremely watchable.

10. Black Mirror

Black Mirror is from the fevered brain of Charlie Brooker and boy does it turn a harsh light on technology and the potential dystopian futures that might only be a few years awa. The first two series were three episodes long and contain some fantastic episodes - including The National Anthem. Season 3 and 4 were boosted to six episodes apiece and if you haven't seen San Junipero then grab the tissues and watch season 3's immaculately told love story. A Christmas special and Bandersnatch, an interactive episode, are also included as is the brand-new fifth season, which stars Miley Cyrus as a future pop star. Bizarre, brilliant and sometimes brutal, Black Mirror is as subversive a TV show there is right now.

9. Peaky Blinders

Peaky Blinders may not have started out on Netflix, like many of the Netflix Originals shows on this list, but that's where you can stream all five seasons right now. The show is set in Birmingham and begins in 1919, following the story of the Shelby family or 'Peaky Blinders' gang, a fictional crime family loosely based on a real 19th century urban youth gang of the same name.

8. The Witcher

Based on the hit series of books by ‎Andrzej Sapkowski - which have also spawned a successful series of games - The Witcher is one of the biggest budgeted TV shows on Netflix. Henry Cavill is Geralt, the Witcher, someone who travels the Continent hunting monsters that threaten the world. It's a lot of fun and perfect for those looking for a Game of Thrones replacement. There are just eight episodes, but if the show is a success then expect it to run and run.

7. Mindhunter

We were hoping for a third season of Manhunter to tie up some loose ends but it’s unlikely we will get this now, as David Fincher has gone on to other things. That doesn’t stop the first two seasons of this show being fantastic television. It’s a brooding, terrifying look at serial killers that rarely shows anything graphic. It’s what’s implied and that is a whole lot worse.

6. Better Call Saul

There was a lot of trepidation when it was announced that Breaking Bad was getting a prequel, and even more so that it was to be a comedy. It turns out, though, that when Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan started writing the show, it turned into something entirely different. Shot at a glacial pace (especially when compared to Bad), Saul is a superb comedy drama that has the DNA of its meth-infused sibling but is its own thing entirely. The entire cast is top notch, but Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn are mesmerising as the legal eagles who go about things in very different ways.

5. Ozark

While it was originally billed as a lesser Breaking Bad, over the course of three seasons Ozark has proven itself as one of the tensest dramas on Netflix. About a family who must launder millions of money for a drug kingpin, the show goes to places you don’t expect.. Then even further still. It’s mesmerising television.

4. The Umbrella Academy

Based on the comic book series by Gabriel Bá and Gerard Way (who once fronted emo band My Chemical Romance, fact fans), The Umbrella Academy is a delightfully off-kilter take on the superhero genre. At its heart is a dysfunctional family of super-powered misfits, who must put their differences aside and come together to avert the impending apocalypse. Any series that features ’90s R&B star Mary J. Blige as a dog mask-wearing assassin has to be worth a look.

3. After Life

This latest effort from Ricky Gervais is the perfect vehicle for the British comic’s particular brand of shtick. After his wife dies tragically, a near-suicidal Tony (Gervais) resolves to live without restraint, saying and doing whatever he wants - no matter how painful or offensive that might be to the people around him. You either love or hate Gervais, but a lot of people seem to think After Life is the best thing he’s done since The Office.

2. Stranger Things

Every now and then a piece of pop culture explodes so brightly, you feel you’re missing out if you end up just one episode behind the rest of the people at your office. Stranger Things was one of these cultural grenades back in 2016.

It’s a supernatural mystery that follows a gang of kids teleported (not literally) right from an 80s adventure movie. Stranger Things is drenched in Steven Spielberg charm. It’s also funny, scary and deliciously moreish. The third season of Stranger Things arrived on July 4, 2019 and although there's less mystery – we know a little about The Upside Down and the Mindflayer now – it's possible the best season yet, with fantastic acting, tension, just enough horror and a whole load of 80s nostalgia.

1. Lucifer

Lucifer was originally a Fox production. The show was cancelled. But its horde of “lucifan” followers were so passionate, Netflix was persuaded to give it an all-new afterlife. Well, to take on the fourth season.

Lucifer Morningstar is a free agent who consults with the LAPD. He also happens to be the devil. The series is propelled by a so-slick-it’s-greasy lead performance by Tom Ellis. And for those who like a little weight behind their TV concepts, the character comes from Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed The Sandman comics.

WANT MORE: HEAD TO OUR 35 BEST TV SHOWS LIST