Just like that, half a year from now, Netflix Originals will be back on your TV medium. Have you woken up with the green light on to watch the Ink Game? Or, never had the idea to finally give sex a spin? Shy! The hours, days, and weeks of new Netflix Originals are on the platform, and those shows, are a distant memory. Favorites like Bridgerton, Stranger Things, The Umbrella Academy, and Ozark all return for new seasons, along with surprise hits like Inventing Anna. Really, there’s something for everyone in this little red rectangle. When you’re finally ready to embark on a new passion or just kick back with an old favorite, read our list of the best 2022 Netflix original series.
15 Best Netflix Original Series of 2022
1. Archive 81
2. After Life
Fans may find it difficult to say goodbye to this dark comedy, whose final season was released in January, given that it is centered around grieving. Tony, a widower who must navigate life after losing his wife, is portrayed by Ricky Gervais, who also serves as the episodes’ writer and director. As he deals with the death of his father in the most recent run of episodes, Tony experiences a new phase of grief.
3. Ozark
4. Inventing Anna
As the internet constantly reminds us, “They hate to see a girl win.” That’s especially true when the girlfriend is guilty of cheating. No, we’re not talking about Elizabeth Holmes; we’re talking about New York’s favorite fake heiress, Anna Delvey, whose flashy life and debauchery suddenly changed when she was arrested in 2017. From Jessica Pressler’s revelation for The Cut, Julia Garner, Anna Chlumsky and Laverne Cox star in the strange adaptation of Shondaland.
5. Love Is Blind
6. Vikings: Valhalla
7. Bridgerton
Well, Bridgerton is back for season 2. And thankfully, we don’t have to rely on Lady Whistledown’s trivia to get a glimpse of what the episodes are about. This section focuses on Anthony Bridgerton, the eldest son who has become more focused on duty than love.
8. Stranger Things 4
9. The Umbrella Academy
10. Russian Doll
11. The Sandman
Tom Sturridge is the embodiment of Dream / Morpheus, the embodiment of dreams and nightmares. After escaping the clutches of a mystical trap 106 years later, Dream sets out on a mission to restore order to his kingdom, The Dreaming. Based on the DC Comics comic of the same name, author Neil Gaiman, The Sandman has been in the works for decades.
12. Cobra Kai
Originally made for YouTube Red, this sequel to the Karate Kid series has found a new home on Netflix. Picking 30 years after 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, Cobra Kai finds Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) desperate to find redemption after his horrific loss.
13. Locke & Key
It took a long time to bring the Locke & Key comic book series by Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez to television, including the failed efforts of Fox and Hulu. However, Netflix has found a successful documentary approach thanks to Carlton Cuse, Meredith Averill, and Aron Eli Coleite. Nina Locke settled with her children in Keyhouse, the ancestral home.
14. The Lincoln Lawyer
Fans may recognize the name from Michael Connelly’s 2005 novel as well as the 2011 legal thriller starring Matthew McConaughey. This iteration moves the story from the later novel, The Brass Verdict, a legal drama distributed as a series of episodes. But the premise remains the same: Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) is a talented defense attorney who loves to work on the go, and tends to care for his “and smaller” record. The case of his Lincoln Navigator in Los Angeles.
15. Virgin River
Alexandra Breckinridge (The Walking Dead, This is Us) leads the cast in the romance drama based on Robyn Carr’s novel of the same name. A surprise hit for Netflix, Virgin River dives into a story that begins all over again as Melinda (Breckinridge) leaves her complicated life in Los Angeles to move to a small town.