Forget ‘Breaking Bad,’ Netflix’s Brilliant 30-Episode Crime Series Is Even Better

Published Nov 6, 2026, 7:19 AM EST

Giovana Gelhoren is a High-Trending Topics Writer at Collider, covering the most-talked-about stars, movies, and TV shows. Before joining Collider, she was a Digital News Writer at People Magazine and served as Associate Editor at SheKnows, where she honed her expertise in celebrity coverage and entertainment journalism.

A proud Latina from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Giovana graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Journalism and International Studies. She has interviewed countless celebrities, including Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Brenda Song, and is known for her encyclopedic knowledge of film, TV, and pop culture.

While some TV shows have managed to give prison a Hollywood twist, like Orange Is the New Black or Prison Break, capturing the realities of prison is a much more layered and complicated task. Among the series that have attempted to show the true experience of being in prison, as well as the challenges and mental struggles of leaving imprisonment and readjusting into society, is Rectify, a little-known series that aired on SundanceTV from 2013 to 2016.

The four-season Gothic drama, that first premiered April 22, 2013, gives an in-depth look into one man's path from a tiny prison cell and back into society, and the ever-growing challenges of having to redefine yourself in a world that's already made up their minds about you. Rectify is a gritty, complex tale that not only deserves to be your next crime series binge, but just recently landed on Netflix starting on November 1, 2026.

What Is 'Rectify' About?

Rectify tells the story of Daniel Holden (Aden Young), a man who was convicted as an 18-year-old of raping and murdering his teenage girlfriend, Hanna Dean. Despite maintaining his innocence throughout his trial, he is sentenced to death and imprisoned. The series kicks off when, after new DNA evidence casts doubt on his conviction, Daniel is released from prison after 19 years behind bars. He is finally free, but his almost two-decade isolation with very limited contact with other inmates changed him, making him much more than the gentle teenager who was first convicted.

As he returns to his small hometown of Paulie, Georgia, Daniel attempts to adjust to life outside prison while re-entering a community that remains deeply divided over whether he is innocent or guilty. Throughout the seasons, he struggles to reconnect with his family, including his mother, Janet (J. Smith-Cameron), stepfather, Ted (Bruce McKinnon), and younger half-siblings. His release also reignites tensions with Hanna's family, particularly her brother, who remains convinced Daniel is responsible for her death. Meanwhile, Daniel's sister, Amantha (Abigail Spencer), who has spent years fighting for his freedom, becomes his strongest ally and confidant, and someone who helps him navigate a world that has moved on without him. Throughout its four seasons, Rectify becomes a deeply introspective character study about guilt, forgiveness, trauma, faith, and the difficulty of starting over.

'Rectify' Is an Authentic and Compelling Drama

From the premise alone, it's clear that Rectify doesn't mean to sensationalize or give a comedic spin into Daniel's experience. Instead, with the help of brilliant performances, excellent cinematography, and an expert use of flashbacks to show Daniel's traumatic and almost claustrophobic experience in prison, the series delivers an authentic portrayal of what 19 years of imprisonment can do to a person and those around them. In a review for Collider in 2013, writer Allison Keene pointed out that the show's authenticity is what makes it a must-watch. "What stands out about Rectify, though, is how real and natural everything feels, from the cadence of the Southern accents, dialogue and mindsets (. . .), to the confusion, anxiety and awkwardness of how to reintegrate with someone coming back into your life after two decades," Keene writes.

With all that said, while Rectify has stayed under the radar for years, its new arrival on Netflix gives the series, which earned 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, a second chance to get the appreciation and acclaim it's always deserved. With authentic portrayals, a compelling drama, and a story that's as interesting and relevant as ever in society today, Rectify is a true must-watch.

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  Aden Young

  Daniel Holden

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  Amantha Holden

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  Janet Talbot

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  Tawney Talbot