10 Netflix Sleeper Hits That Got So Much Better After Season 1
Jiminna Shillingford is an avid reader and a passionate storyteller. She is obsessed with all things TV, from anime and romantic fantasy to action-packed series. With that deep affection, Jiminna longs to share her excitement with all her readers through the Collider platform as a TV author. Through her writing she has created stories and blog posts of amazing book recommendations, showcasing her love of writing. Jiminna's goal is to inspire others to discover and embrace their love of stories in all of its forms.
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Netflix hosts several shows that weren't iconic standouts upon their first season release, but instead grew into their strengths during later seasons. Some needed their first season to simply set their roots, building their worlds, introducing characters, and finding the right balance between emotion, action, humor, and deeper storytelling. By the time these Netflix shows move on from their introductory chapters, they go on to prove themselves to be sleeper hits that become far more confident and captivating.
Shows like the fantasy series Lucifer, which expands past its procedural setup into a richer supernatural story about family, love, and redemption, and the drama After Life, which grows in strength as it progresses beyond one man's grief, giving more space to forgiveness, kindness, and community, are just two series in the Netflix sleeper hits catalog that prove themselves so much greater than what their first season portrays. Compiled on this list are some of the strongest Netflix series that stand as sleeper hits that got so much better after their initial season.
10 'The Umbrella Academy' (2019–2024)
This sleeper hit has definitely stayed under the radar since its end, but it remains a truly captivating Netflix pastime for anyone looking for a superhero series that grows more confident after its first season. The Umbrella Academy follows seven superpowered siblings who reunite after their adoptive father’s death, only to find undiscovered secrets hidden in their familial trauma.
There is absolutely no doubt that the mixed reviews about The Umbrella Academy’s story are valid, but its earlier seasons are still continuously praised as masterpieces. After the show’s initial season, it moves on to become much more confident, leaning into its weirdness, familial chaos, and hilarity. The Umbrella Academy Season 2 is actually dubbed the best by many die-hard fans, for its tighter pacing and emotional payoff. The show is a cult favorite that definitely picked up after its first season, making it a great pick for this list of sleeper hits.
9 'Shadow and Bone' (2021–2023)
Shadow and Bone is a sleeper hit that found far more energy after its first season. Based on Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse novels, the series centers around a mapmaker named Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li), who discovers that she hosts a rare power that is capable of destroying the Shadow Fold.
By widening its world and leaning further into the characters fans were desperate to see and learn more about, Shadow and Bone does a great job of being much more engaging after its initial season. Season 1 definitely acts as the worldbuilding foundation needed for the show, loosely adapting two book series, while the second season jumps in with far more focus as it gains confidence. The show delivers a more even tone and gives each thread space, proving itself to be an unexpectedly good time that gets so much better after its debut season.
8 'After Life' (2019–2022)
This dark comedy-drama definitely grows stronger after its first season because it expands its portrayal of grief beyond one man’s bitterness, and instead allows the story to confidently explore how an entire community learns to live with loss, pain, loneliness, and one another. After Life focuses on the devastated widower Tony Johnson (Ricky Gervais), who is doing his best to navigate life and death after his wife’s cancer.
After Life does a good job of introducing Tony’s despair during its first season, but Season 2 is where the show’s greatness begins to truly shine, as it displays its protagonist’s empathy and growth. The series moves on after its debut season to show real range and true heart, with fans noting that after Season 1 there are richer life lessons and a much more emotional balance. After Life’s bleak first season may be quite essential to its story, but its later seasons give it a much warmer, more hopeful depth that reinforces its status as a true sleeper hit.
7 'Kingdom' (2019–2020)
This underrated Netflix sleeper hit masterfully uses every one of its later reveals to make its world feel much more dangerous and tragic. Set in Korea’s Joseon era, the historical horror-thriller Kingdom follows Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon), who grows suspicious when the king, his father, is mysteriously kept hidden from everyone, said to be plagued with a mysterious illness.
Kingdom is a genuinely ambitious watch that only improves as it becomes bigger without losing control of its story. After its initial season, the show goes on to deliver even more political intrigue and thrilling action, deepening characters like those that initially seemed destined to remain supporting nobodies, while giving its main figures even greater emotional weight. Kingdom is definitely an underrated sleeper standout that grows a lot from its first season, making it an ideal choice for this list of Netflix unexpectedly fantastic shows.
6 'The Witcher' (2019–Present)
The Witcher is an iconic fantasy Netflix gem whose first season may jump across timelines and introductions, but its later seasons offer a clearer sense of what is actually at stake and much more direct emotional momentum. The series focuses on monster-hunter Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) as he roams the land, wrestling with his past and destiny.
The Witcher may not have turned out exactly as most fans would have wanted in its later seasons, but it definitely stands as a quality fantasy gem that is easier to appreciate after its first season. The show definitely grows in strength as its characters' paths begin to intersect more as they come together. The Witcher allows its world to feel much more connected after its initial season, giving its storylines more emotional shape while further developing its captivating mythology. It’s a complicated series portraying a messy world, but admittedly, after its first season, it does grow in entertainment value.
Collider Exclusive · 8 Questions · 2 Minutes Which Netflix Character Would Be Your Best Friend? Dustin · Emily · Wednesday · Gi-hun
Some friends drag you out of the house. Some sit with you on the worst night of your life. Netflix has written both, plus the one who tells you the truth you have been avoiding all week. Answer eight quick questions about how you actually do friendship, and find out which of them was always going to end up in your corner.
🧢Dustin(Stranger Things)
🗼Emily(Emily in Paris)
🕷️Wednesday(Wednesday)
🟢Gi-hun(Squid Game)
01
How do you usually end up making a new friend? The origin story says a lot about the friendship that follows it.
02
What is a perfect Saturday with your best friend? Friendship is mostly built out of very ordinary hours.
03
You call them at two in the morning. What happens? This is the real test of a friendship, and everybody knows it.
04
What do you want from them when you are clearly wrong? The best friendships are the ones that survive being corrected.
05
What do your friends actually value about you? The friend you attract says something about the friend you are.
06
You have a falling out. How does it go? How a friendship repairs itself matters more than how it breaks.
07
What do you actually need a best friend for? Everybody is missing something. The right friend fills that gap.
08
Ten years from now, what keeps the two of you close? Eight questions in, this is the one that decides who you get.
The Group Chat Has Spoken Your Best Friend Is…
Four Netflix characters, four completely different ways of showing up for somebody. This is the one who fits how you actually do friendship, and what having them in your life would be like.
Dustin Henderson
You do not do friendship at half volume, and neither does he. What you want is somebody who says yes to the plan before you have finished describing the plan.
- Dustin is the friend the entire show runs on: loyal past the point of sense, enthusiastic about everything, and incapable of leaving anybody behind.
- You have the same instinct. Your friendships are loud, specific and slightly ridiculous, and they last for decades because of it.
- He is also the one person who would take your strangest interest completely seriously, which is far rarer than it sounds.
- You would have a group chat. It would never once be quiet.
Emily Cooper
You are the friend who makes things happen, and so is she. Together you would be mildly exhausting to everyone around you and completely delighted with yourselves.
- Emily treats an ordinary Tuesday as something that could be turned into an occasion, which is either the best or the worst quality in a friend depending on your energy levels.
- You share her refusal to sit still. Neither of you has ever accepted a night in when something was happening somewhere else.
- She is far more loyal than people give her credit for. She defends her friends loudly, publicly, and occasionally before checking the facts.
- She would post the photo without asking. You would forgive her, because it is a very good photo.
Wednesday Addams
You have no patience for pleasant lies, and she has no ability to tell them. What looks like coldness from the outside is the most reliable friendship on this list.
- Wednesday never says a kind thing she does not mean, which makes the rare ones count for an enormous amount.
- You would rather be told the truth than be made comfortable. She is constitutionally incapable of offering you anything else.
- Underneath all of it she is ferociously protective. She simply refuses to make a performance out of caring.
- Do not expect a birthday message. Do expect her to ruin anyone who wrongs you.
Seong Gi-hun
You look after whoever is having the worst day. So does he. It is the least strategic way to move through the world and the best possible quality in a friend.
- Gi-hun is not the strongest player in Squid Game, or the cleverest. He is the one who keeps choosing to protect somebody else, over and over, at genuine cost to himself.
- You have the same instinct. You notice who is struggling and you stay with them, long after anybody would blame you for leaving.
- He is a flawed friend, and that is part of why it lands. He lets people down, then comes back and tries again, which is more than most manage.
- He would give you his last chance and never once mention that he had done it.
5 'Outer Banks' (2020–Present)
This teen drama is a treasure-hunting staple that turned out to be an unexpectedly ambitious masterpiece with a sprawling story after its debut season. Outer Banks follows John B (Chase Stokes), a poor, working-class teen, who leads a tight-knit group of friends in the Outer Banks, NC, as he navigates a world without his father while indulging in a bit of treasure-hunting antics.
Outer Banks' first season was no doubt one of the best seen on the Netflix platform, but even after it was released, the show came back with a greater adventure and a much more intriguing story. The treasure-hunting thrill ride of the second season actually widens the scope of the story, answering key questions and making the plot all the more exciting. Outer Banks definitely cements itself with a solid hook as it blends Indiana Jones with teen soap, but its later seasons highlight the show’s willingness to be ambitious and prove itself as a sleeper hit that unexpectedly grew to great heights.
4 'BoJack Horseman' (2014–2020)
BoJack Horseman is a fantastic animated series that may be one of the clearest examples of Netflix's most beloved sleeper hits. The show centers on the washed-up 1990s sitcom horse BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett), who is struggling terribly with loneliness, addiction, and depression.
BoJack Horseman’s first season is as bleak as the rest turns out to be, but its later seasons defiantly deliver something much more powerful as it slowly exposes the sadness beneath the show’s absurd comedy. The series’ transformation after its debut on Netflix marks it as one of the platform’s greatest slow-burn success stories. BoJack Horseman is counted as one of TV's most iconic dramas because it improved dramatically after its first season, offering audiences a devastatingly emotional story that rewards them for their patience.
3 'Lucifer' (2016–2021)
This series may not have found its start on the Netflix platform, but this makes it all the more of a masterful sleeper hit because, with a bigger budget given by the streaming platform, it produced some pretty fantastic content, especially in comparison to its initial season. Lucifer centers around the Devil himself, Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis), who leaves hell behind and heads to Los Angeles to run a nightclub, only to become a LAPD consultant.
Lucifer definitely works great as a supernatural procedural, but it brilliantly grows in strength as it leans more into celestial mythology and character growth during its later seasons. With the show’s added depth later on, the series becomes more than what it likely set out to be—so much more. Lucifer’s first season is rather good, but what makes the show such a perfect sleeper hit is that in its later seasons, it feels genuinely richer with more emotional fantasy drama, marking it a gem that definitely grew into itself.
2 'Voltron: Legendary Defender' (2016–2018)
This underrated Netflix animated series is definitely one of the platform’s greatest sleeper hits that delivers quite the spanning adventure after its first season. Voltron: Legendary Defender, a reboot of the 1980s cartoon, focuses on five pilots: Shiro (Josh Keaton), Lance (Jeremy Shada), Pidge (Bex Taylor-Klaus), Hunk (Tyler Labine), and Keith (Steven Yeun), who each control a lion that forms a giant robot form called Voltron.
Voltron: Legendary Defender is definitely an unexpectedly great viewing experience. Season 1 uses its time to introduce the team, but with each season after, the series raises the bar with sci-fi mythology and political intrigue. Voltron already started off pretty strong, but the series only improves, widening its ambitious scope and delivering satisfying season finales. It’s a wonderful sci-fi animated show with real growth that makes it feel all the more rewarding as it progresses.
1 'Alice in Borderland' (2020–2025)
Alice in Borderland is an overlooked gem that definitely proves itself a sleeper hit after its first season. The survival thriller follows slacker gamer Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) and his two close friends as they’re mysteriously transported to a deserted Tokyo and forced to play deadly games in order to survive.
Alice in Borderland is one of Netflix’s most underrated sci-fi works, and with its first season of deadly games, it delivered quite the hook for fans of the genre who are willing to give it a chance. After the show’s initial season, the series becomes far more powerful as it starts offering more emotional depth, danger, and questions that ensure viewers wonder about life and purpose. Alice in Borderland is absolutely a strong fit for this list because it truly improves by making its violence mean more, marking it a Netflix sleeper that definitely delivers better material after its first season.
Alice in Borderland
5 10
- Release Date
- 2020 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- Netflix
- Directors
- Shinsuke Sato
- Writers
- Yasuko Kuramitsu
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