The 5 Greatest 5-Season Netflix Shows of All Time, Ranked
Jessica is a young writer from Brisbane, Australia. An avid consumer and lover of all things Film and TV, you will never tear her away from a screen. A tendency rooted from childhood, she once had dreams of becoming a member of the famed kids-band 'Hi-5'. Perhaps that's what pushed her to secure an education with a theater background. But now, as dreams evolved, her passions have turned to admiring performances from afar. Frankly, she's just grateful that she can put her binging skills to good use. Outside of work, Jessica recently completed her undergraduate double degree in Arts/Communications. Other than that, she spends most of her free time with family and friends, probably never forgetting to talk about the new movie or show she watched the day prior.
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Five seasons is a tricky balancing act for any television show. It's enough time to build a rich world and develop memorable characters, but it also requires a show to avoid the pitfalls that come with success: repetition, declining quality, or simply overstaying its welcome. Luckily, there are some Netflix shows that have found a way to keep evolving while also holding onto what made audiences love them in the first place.
From fantasy adventures and historical epics to animated comedies and hard-hitting crime dramas, these shows represent some of the streamer's most rewarding long-form storytelling. Some became worldwide hits, and others earned quieter but equally passionate fanbases. Either way, every show on this list proves that when Netflix gives the opportunity to get the balance right, five seasons can be exactly the right amount of television.
5 'She-Ra and the Princess of Power' (2018–2020)
On the planet of Etheria, Adora (Aimee Carrero) is a young soldier for the Horde who's eager to defend her home from the Princesses she has learned to fear. But that all changes when she discovers a magical sword that transforms her into the foretold champion, She-Ra, Princess of Power, and learns that everything she was taught was a vicious lie. Now, she must rebuild the shattered Princess Alliance if she hopes to defeat the evil Horde.
What began as a colorful reboot gradually became one of Netflix's most rewarding fantasy shows. In many ways, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power did more than pull at the nostalgia strings as they excelled with the character development, giving nearly every member of its large ensemble meaningful growth. Adora and Catra's (AJ Michalka) relationship was particularly compelling as audiences witnessed their evolution from friends to rivals to something far more complicated. Add in great humor, imaginative world-building, and a satisfying ending, and She-Ra becomes a reminder that animated programs can tell stories every bit as rich and emotionally engaging as live-action dramas.
4 'Stranger Things' (2016–2025)
When young Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) disappears from the small town of Hawkins, Indiana, the entire community is thrown into complete disarray. Desperate to find him, his family and friends search for answers, which eventually lead them to uncover secret government experiments, a terrifying alternate dimension, and a mysterious girl with extraordinary powers known only as Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).
Few shows have had the cultural impact of Stranger Things. For one, the show combines sci-fi, horror, comedy, and coming-of-age drama with an extraordinary confidence, creating a world that feels both nostalgic and completely distinctive. Its greatest strength, however, remains its ensemble. Watching these characters grow—many from children to young adults—gave the show an emotional weight that many blockbuster tales struggle to achieve. Meanwhile, the blend of heartfelt friendships, memorable villains, thrilling action, and '80s flare made every season feel like a true event. Sure, its final season had some serious bumps along the way, but there's no doubt that Stranger Things has become one of the defining shows of Netflix's catalog as well as the entire streaming era.
3 'F Is For Family' (2015–2021)
Set in suburban Pennsylvania during the 1970s, the Murphy family navigates everyday life, work, marriage, parenting, and the many frustrations that come with it all. At the center is Frank Murphy (Bill Burr), an airport baggage handler with a famously short temper, whose attempts to keep his family together often create just as many problems as they solve.
Created by Burr, F Is for Family is much more than an adult animated sitcom full of shouting and bad decisions (although it certainly has plenty of both). Indeed, the show balances its sharp humor with a surprisingly thoughtful look at family, masculinity, and generational expectations, giving even its most flawed characters room to grow. Frank can be exasperating, but he's also deeply human, just like the rest of his family, who becomes increasingly layered over the show's run. Funny, honest, and more poignant than expected, F is for Family is easily one of Netflix's strongest comedies that has flown under the radar.
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.
2 'The Last Kingdom' (2015–2022)
Set in the late 9th-century, Saxon nobleman Uhtred of Bebbanburg (Alexander Dreymon), is captured and raised by Danes after his father's death. Now, caught between two cultures, Uhtred spends much of his life fighting for kings while attempting to reclaim his ancestral home. Against the backdrop of the formation of England, the show charts decades of warfare, shifting alliances, and personal loss as Uhtred searches for where he truly belongs.
The Last Kingdom never reached the same level of mainstream attention as other more essential fantasy epics, but it quietly became one of Netflix's most consistently entertaining dramas. Dreymon gives Uhtred a roguish charm that makes him easy to root for, while the show's battles, political maneuvering, and memorable supporting characters keep the story moving at a brisk pace. Most importantly, the show always remembered to honor its historical roots, along with the real-life characters at its center. And by the time it reached its conclusion, The Last Kingdom became one of the very few Netflix shows that produced a truly satisfying ending.
1 'Money Heist' (2017–2021)
When a mysterious criminal mastermind known as the Professor (Álvaro Morte) recruits a team of thieves for an ambitious robbery, the group sets out to infiltrate Spain's Royal Mint and print billions of euros. But what begins as a carefully orchestrated plan soon becomes increasingly complicated as hostages, police negotiations, and personal relationships threaten to derail the operation.
Money Heist became a global phenomenon for a good reason. The show simply knows how to build suspense, constantly throwing new complications at its characters even as viewers desperately want the plan to succeed. The colorful ensemble gives the show plenty of personality, especially with its perfect blend of emotional drama, cliffhangers, and outrageous twists, making it almost impossible to stop watching. Yes, it occasionally asks audiences to suspend their disbelief, but it frankly works for Money Heist, as it completely embraces its own operatic scale, turning every negotiation and betrayal into gripping television.
Money Heist
- Release Date
- 2017 - 2021-00-00
- Showrunner
- Álex Pina
- Writers
- Álex Pina, Javier Gómez Santander
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