Thrillers are, by and large, some of the most popular shows in the world. After all, who doesn’t enjoy the delightful suspense, the gut-wrenching fear of what’s going to happen next, and the wonderful feeling of a surprise twist you never saw coming? No wonder Netflix has so many great thriller shows on their catalog. But it’s not like they’re all the same, just because they’re lumped into the same genre. Even if you’ve got a list of interesting shows that you think you might like to watch, there’s still the agonizing indecision that everyone goes through before choosing their thriller fix. You need something that fits your mood, or something you can watch with others. And even when you’ve vaguely decided what sort of show you’re craving, there’s still a ton of great content to browse through.
Well, we’ve decided to make things a bit easier for you with this handy guide that’ll help you find the perfect Netflix thriller shows available in the U.S. We’ve pored over the library and assembled this list of some of the best thriller shows currently available for streaming, and we’ve got everything from classics to hidden gems to new releases and more.
Sense8
Creator: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski, and J. Michael Straczynski
Cast: Aml Ameen, Doona Bae, Jamie Clayton, Tina Desai, Tuppence Middleton, Max Riemelt, Miguel Ángel Silvestre, Brian J. Smith, Freema Agyeman, Terrence Mann, Anupam Kher, Naveen Andrews, Toby Onwumere, and Daryl Hannah
Seeing that Sense8 was created by the Wachowskis is, in itself, a big reason to watch the show. After all, the Matrix and Cloud Atlas directors are among the best in their field. But beyond the people behind the camera, the show also boasts an intriguing premise and a truly international story.
Sense8 follows eight strangers around the globe who find that their minds have been connected by a mysterious event. As these “sensates” try to make sense of their new reality, they also have to escape the clutches of an organization hell-bent on destroying them. The international cast includes veteran actors from around the world and the series was filmed in multiple diverse locations including London, Reykjavik, Nairobi, and Mumbai. With two exciting seasons, a two-hour Christmas special, and a two-and-a-half-hour series finale, there’s plenty of content here for all your binge-watching needs.
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Katla
Creator: Baltasar Kormákur and Sigurjón Kjartansson
Cast: Guðrún Eyfjörð, Ingvar Sigurðsson, Björn Thors, Íris Tanja Flygenring, Þorsteinn Bachmann, Aliette Opheim, Sólveig Arnarsdóttir
This Icelandic series is a newcomer on Netflix but it’s already proving to be one of the most popular thriller shows on the streaming service. In real life, Katla is the name of an active volcano in southern Iceland that had its last major eruption about a hundred years ago.
The show is set in a town called Vik near this real-life volcano and picks up a year after the volcano undergoes a large eruption. Ravaged by floods and ash clouds caused by the volcano, the town is all but deserted. And when a lost, ash-caked woman arrives in town, it’s the first of a series of strange events that hit what’s left of the community. And while all that is happening, a volcanologist from Reykjavik struggles to understand the strange data coming from the volcano, which could be a sign of worse things to come.
With a bleak, naturalistic setting and a mind-bending plot, the first eight-episode season of Katla has already become a favorite for thriller fans and it’s bound to be a good weekend watch.
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Travelers
Creator: Brad Wright
Cast: Eric McCormack, Mackenzie Porter, Jared Abrahamson, Nesta Cooper, Reilly Dolman, and Patrick Gilmore
When you pare it down to its bare bones, this Canadian-American series uses a tried and tested premise: time travelers trying to prevent a dystopian future. But Travelers takes this basic concept and turns it into something that’s brilliantly unique. The show follows a group of people from hundreds of years in the future whose minds are sent back in time to possess the bodies of people in our present. These “Travelers” work in secret using social media archives and what they know of history to perform missions that they hope will save humanity from their terrible future. Travelers ran for three seasons until it was canceled in 2019 and each of those seasons has had great reviews from both critics and fans.
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Altered Carbon
Creator: Laeta Kalogridis
Cast: Joel Kinnaman, Anthony Mackie, Renée Elise Goldsberry, James Purefoy, Martha Higareda, Martha Higareda, Dichen Lachman, Ato Essandoh, Kristin Lehman, Will Yun Lee, and James Saito
Based on the books by Richard K. Morgan, Altered Carbon is set in a far future where consciousness is digitally stored and you can change bodies as easily as swapping clothes – if you have the money for it, of course. This cyberpunk series has everything you could want from an action thriller and its premise allows for a ton of experimentation.
Altered Carbon has two seasons and an anime movie titled Altered Carbon: Resleeved currently available on Netflix. Joel Kinnaman plays the protagonist Takeshi Kovacs in the show’s first season while The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star Anthony Mackie essays the role in the second. Kovacs is a man who has been everything from soldier to freedom fighter to a private detective and his conflicted nature provides the bulk of the series’ emotional weight. But make no mistake, this is a thriller through and through, with complex conspiracies and twists you’ll never see coming.
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Dark
Creator: Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese
Cast: Louis Hofmann, Julika Jenkins, Andreas Pietschmann, Maja Schöne, Lisa Vicari, Lisa Kreuzer, Dietrich Hollinderbäumer, Jördis Triebel and Oliver Masucci
When it comes to mind-bending sci-fi thrillers that shock your very understanding of the universe, Netflix’s first German-language original series Dark is one of the best things you’ll find on the streaming service. With three critically acclaimed seasons, Dark is a go-to show for fans of the thriller genre. The series is a must-watch for viewers who enjoy intricate plots involving complex science and twisted inter-personal relationships in equal measure.
Set in a town called Winden, Dark is a multi-generational mystery that covers various time periods and uses a number of classic science fiction concepts. It’s an intense psychological drama that deals with four families and the otherworldly conflicts that rip them apart.
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Ozark
Creator: Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams
Cast: Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Sofia Hublitz, Skylar Gaertner, Julia Garner, Jordana Spiro, Jason Butler Harner, Esai Morales, Peter Mullan, Lisa Emery, and Charlie Tahan
Ozark is the story of a married couple who relocate with their kids to the Lake of the Ozarks to set up a money-laundering operation. That’s the short version.
This award-winning series dives into the underworld of a Missouri town and explores the intense dramatic incidents that are set off by the show’s main characters. Jason Bateman stars as Martin “Marty” Byrde, a financial advisor who gets involved with a Mexican drug cartel and finds himself in over his head. Laura Linney plays Marty’s wife Wendy, who has to deal with the fallout of her husband’s desperate decisions.
With three critically acclaimed seasons on Netflix and a fourth and final one on its way, Ozark has plenty of great content to offer its legions of fans, both old and new.
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Mindhunter
Creator: Joe Penhall
Cast: Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Anna Torv
In the late 1970s, the FBI formed a Behavioral Science Unit that interviewed convicted serial killers to understand the mind of a criminal. Mindhunter is the story of that unit.
The series is based on Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit, a 1995 true crime book written by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker. Mindhunter weaves fact and fiction together, with the stories of real-life serial killers thrown into the mix. Netflix has two seasons of Mindhunter available in the US, the first with ten episodes and the second with nine.
The show focuses on the early days of criminal psychology and many of the characters are based on real people. Mindhunter is a great watch, both for thriller fans and for people with a love of history and true crime – not to mention cinephiles. The series is executive produced by Charlize Theron and David Fincher, who directed seven episodes and essentially served as showrunner on the series.
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The OA
Creator: Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij
Cast: Brit Marling, Emory Cohen, Scott Wilson, Phyllis Smith, Alice Krige, Patrick Gibson, Brendan Meyer, Brandon Perea, Ian Alexander, and Jason Isaacs
The OA is science fiction, fantasy, and drama but it’s primarily a thriller show with a brilliant premise. At the heart of the story is a woman called Prairie Johnson (played by series creator Brit Marling) who resurfaces after disappearing for seven years. But a lot about her has changed during the time she was away. For one thing, she used to be blind but now she can see and for another, she’s taken to calling herself “The OA”. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how wild and mind-bending this series can get.
The show was originally meant to run for five seasons but it was canceled after Season 2, despite being a fan favorite. In fact, fans of the show reacted to its cancellation with a massive campaign, trying to get Netflix to reverse their decision. It hasn’t worked yet but that’s still a strong testament to how good the show is.
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Narcos
Creator: Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, and Doug Miro
Cast: Wagner Moura, Boyd Holbrook, Pedro Pascal, Joanna Christie, Maurice Compte, Paulina Gaitán, Paulina García, Bruno Bichir, Raúl Méndez, and Manolo Cardona
Whenever someone starts talking about the best shows on Netflix, it’s inevitable that they’ll bring up Narcos. This highly influential crime story is the story of Colombia’s drug trade and the DEA agents who have tried to shut it down. It’s a story of conspiracy and betrayal, crime and punishment. But first and foremost, Narcos is the story of Pablo Escobar, the billionaire King of Cocaine.
The plot of Narcos was inspired by real events and that just makes it even more enthralling. With solid acting, a brilliantly scripted plot, and hauntingly beautiful music, Narcos is one Netflix show every thriller fan should watch at least once.
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Who Killed Sara?
Creator: José Ignacio Valenzuela
Cast: Manolo Cardona, Ginés García Millán, Carolina Miranda, Claudia Ramírez, Eugenio Siller, and Alejandro Nones
Launched in 2021, Who Killed Sara? is one of Netflix’s most popular new shows, topping the streaming giant’s US charts on release. The Mexican mystery thriller show focuses on a man trying to avenge his sister’s death, after being wrongfully convicted and spending nearly two decades in prison. It’s part drama, part murder mystery, and a hundred percent revenge thriller.
The show has been praised for its cast as well as for its energetic and entertaining plot. With two acclaimed seasons already out and a new one in the works, Who Killed Sara? is set to become a classic Netflix thriller before long.
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Money Heist
Creator: Álex Pina
Cast: Úrsula Corberó, Álvaro Morte, Itziar Ituño, Pedro Alonso, Paco Tous, Alba Flores, Miguel Herrán, Jaime Lorente, Esther Acebo, Darko Perić, Enrique Arce, Hovik Keuchkerian, Rodrigo de la Serna, Luka Peroš, Belén Cuesta, and Najwa Nimri
One of Netflix’s most popular crime thriller shows, Money Heist (or La Casa de Papel as it’s called in Spanish) is high-tension heist series with powerful emotional beats and intricate strategies. It’s a show that’s so well-written you can’t help but fall in love with even the most unsavory characters on it.
Since its initial release in 2017, Money Heist has become a phenomenon, inspiring massive public response around the world. The humor and dramatic tension of the series are balanced with social and political criticisms that have really struck a chord with people around the world. Money Heist is by far one of the most successful shows Netflix has ever brought to screens and every episode is certain to leave you hungry for more.
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Behind Her Eyes
Creator: Steve Lightfoot
Cast: Simona Brown, Tom Bateman, Eve Hewson, and Robert Aramayo
This British thriller series features a complicated love triangle that escalates into a nightmare of twists and unforeseen revelations. Based on the novel of the same name by Sarah Pinborough, Behind Her Eyes premiered on Netflix in February 2021 and has since generated a dedicated fan following. The series creator Steve Lightfoot has previously worked on a number of highly popular shows including Hannibal and Marvel’s The Punisher.
It’s not a show for everyone though and it takes a bit of patience before you get to the good stuff. But with only six episodes in its debut season, Behind Her Eyes is a good option for a quick binge of psychological drama with a touch of eroticism.
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The Innocent
Creator: Oriol Paulo
Cast: Mario Casas, Alexandra Jiménez, Aura Garrido and José Coronado
One of Netflix’s newest Spanish-language thrillers, The Innocent is based on a novel of the same name by mystery writer Harlan Coben. It’s a slow-burn show that keeps the audience hooked throughout with intriguing revelations and well-timed twists.
The miniseries is spread over nine years, starting with the accidental murder of a man. In the present day, the killer is trying to move on and build a life with his wife when the past catches up to him. Since its release in April 2021, The Innocent has received a lot of praise from viewers and is a must-watch for fans of the thriller genre. Plus, it’s set in Barcelona, using the beautiful city as the backdrop for its shocking events.
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The Rain
Creator: Jannik Tai Mosholt, Esben Toft Jacobsen and Christian Potalivo
Cast: Alba August, Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen, Mikkel Følsgaard, Lukas Løkken, Jessica Dinnage, Sonny Lindberg, and Angela Bundalovic
The three-season post-apocalyptic series The Rain is one of the best Danish shows on Netflix. It’s set in a world where a virus that’s carried by rainfall has devastated the human population, a premise that hits rather close to home in our post-COVID society.
At its heart, The Rain is the story of two siblings who have spent six years sheltering in a bunker to avoid the deadly weather. Left there by their scientist father, these siblings set out to find him and possibly discover answers about how the world ended. The Rain is a haunting story that should be on your watchlist if you’re interested in dystopian tales of mystery and survival.
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Girl From Nowhere
Creator: SOUR Bangkok
Cast: Chicha Amatayakul and Chanya McClory
Girl From Nowhere is a Thai mystery thriller anthology show that’s one of the creepiest entries on this list. The show follows the stories of Nanno (Chicha Amatayakul), an enigmatic girl who keeps transferring from school to school, exposing the secrets and hypocrisies of the people she meets. It’s a brilliant, no-holds-barred look at the many flaws of humanity as a whole with an eerie storyline that leaves a strange sensation in the minds of its viewers.
While the stories in the anthology are mostly unconnected, they all share common themes of punishment and retribution. Nanno is an almost otherworldly creature who behaves like a monster straight out of a horror manga and the fact that the people she meets are usually worse just ups the horror quotient even higher.
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Ratched
Creator: Evan Romansky
Cast: Sarah Paulson, Finn Wittrock, Cynthia Nixon, Jon Jon Briones, Charlie Carver, Judy Davis, Sharon Stone
A prequel to the classic 1975 movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which was in turn based on a book by Ken Kesey, Netflix’s Ratched is a show you definitely need to watch if you’re a fan of psychological thrillers. With a gripping storyline and an ensemble cast, the show is a suspenseful origin story that explores the past of the iconic character Nurse Mildred Ratched.
Sarah Paulson dazzles as Nurse Ratched. Considering Louise Fletcher won an Oscar for her portrayal of the character in the movie, it’s a tall order for any actor who takes on the role but Paulson delivers a truly memorable performance that elevates this already great series.
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Fauda
Creator: Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff
Cast: Lior Raz, Hisham Sulliman, Shadi Ma’ari, Laëtitia Eïdo, Tzachi Halevy, Yuval Segal, Neta Gerti, Tomer Kapon, Itzik Cohen, Rona-Lee Shimon
A retired Israel Defense Force officer is brought back into active duty to hunt down an enemy he thought he had killed. Fauda is the story of the chaos that ensues when that simple mission goes horribly wrong. Primarily a spy thriller, Fauda is an engrossing watch, using the Israel-Palestine conflict as a backdrop for a nerve-wracking story of action and intrigue.
Created by two former IDF officers who have drawn on their own personal experiences for the series, Fauda is a story that’s fantastical and realistic at the same time. As thrillers go, it doesn’t get much better than this and Fauda is one of the best foreign-language shows Netflix has to offer its viewers.
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High-Rise Invasion
Director: Masahiro Takata
Cast: (Japanese) Haruka Shiraishi, Shiki Aoki, Akira Sekine, Junya Enoki, Yūichirō Umehara, Jun Fukuyama, Yōko Hikasa, and Kōji Yusa
(English) Suzie Yeung, Jennie Kwan, Stephanie Sheh, Zeno Robinson, Jonah Scott, Johnny Yong Bosch, Cristina Vee, and Todd Haberkorn
Based on the Japanese manga series Tenkū Shinpan written by Tsuina Miura and illustrated by Takahiro Oba, High-Rise Invasion is an intense ONA anime with high stakes and dangerous circumstances. Animated by the studio Zero-G, High-Rise Invasion follows a high school girl who is transported to a strange world of skyscrapers where mysterious figures are trying to hunt her down.
The fantasy elements of the series are balanced by complex relationships and the show doesn’t fully slow down for even a second, moving from one tense scene to the next. The threat of death and gore is always around the corner and it’s almost impossible to tell who are the good guys and who are the bad guys in this intense anime thriller show that’s one of the best in its genre on Netflix.
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Into the Night
Creator: Jason George
Cast: Pauline Etienne, Laurent Capelluto, Stefano Cassetti, Mehmet Kurtuluş, Babetida Sadjo, Jan Bijvoet, Ksawery Szlenkier, Vincent Londez, Regina Bikkinina, Alba Gaïa Bellugi, Nabil Mallat, Nicolas Alechine, and Astrid Whettnall
Netflix’s first Belgian original series, Into the Night is a sci-fi thriller about a plane full of people trying to survive the apocalypse. Based on the Polish novel The Old Axolotl by Jacek Dukaj, Into the Night is a suspenseful survival drama with a bleak, almost hopeless setting.
In the show, the sun’s rays are killing every living thing it touches, threatening all life on the planet. As this global catastrophe begins, the passengers aboard a hijacked flight from Brussels must work together, traveling westward by night in a desperate attempt to find shelter even as their supplies dwindle and all hope seems lost. Into the Night’s premise seems like an extreme consequence of global warming but it’s the human element in the story that makes it a truly interesting watch.
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Criminal: UK
Creator: George Kay and Jim Field Smith
Cast: David Tennant, Kit Harington, Hayley Atwell, Lee Ingleby, Sophie Okonedo, Kunal Nayyar, Clare-Hope Ashitey, and Youssef Kerkour
Part of Netflix’s anthology series Criminal, Criminal: UK is a riveting show set within the claustrophobic confines of a police interrogation room. It’s a slow-burn crime thriller that builds up with twists and turns, taking each story in unpredictable directions. The closed room premise gives the show the air of a chess game, with the accused on one side and the police on the other, both battling desperately for a checkmate when all will be revealed.
It’s got a brilliant premise and it does spectacularly well in execution, making Criminal: UK a great pick for any thriller fan. It’s just as good as its sister shows Criminal: France, Criminal: Spain, and Criminal: Germany, and the cast delivers outstanding performances that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat.
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