Netflix’s library seems to be endless and keeps growing by the day. No wonder it’s easy to miss out on some real gems. While hits like Virgin River and The Witcher tend to hold down spots on Neflix’s top 10 list for weeks, other titles can fall under the radar.
It’s easy to find the Netflix shows everyone else is watching. Just look at that top 10 list or cruise around social media. But we’re here to shine the spotlight on underrated gems — the ones you might only see if you scroll for hours, then end up bypassing because you aren’t familiar with them.
Take my word for it: These five Netflix shows are worth watching. They run the gamut from a zombie procedural to a fantasy adventure to a crime caper. Check out our recommendations and get streaming!
Ugly Betty
A smart but plain young woman who somehow lands a job at a trendy fashion magazine — no, this is not The Devil Wears Prada, but a different story (based on the telenovela Yo Soy Betty, La Fea) that follows Mexican-American Betty Suarez (America Ferrera) after she becomes an assistant at Mode magazine. She’s initially hired by new editor-in-chief Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius) because she’s the only candidate he isn’t interested in bedding.
As they settle into their new roles, Betty and Daniel encounter a variety of challenges, from chaotic photo shoots to conniving co-workers. Making things particularly difficult is scheming creative director Wilhelmina Slater (Vanessa Williams), her snarky assistant Marc (Michael Urie) and mean girl receptionist Amanda (Becki Newton).
Genre: Workplace comedy
Seasons: 4 (85 episodes)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Watch now on Netflix
iZombie
When Liv Moore (Rose McIver) wakes up the morning after a raging boat party, she wishes what she feels is a hangover. Instead, she’s turned into a zombie. Liv abandons her dream of becoming a doctor, breaks up with fiancee Major (Robert Buckley) and takes a job as a medical examiner. See, if she doesn’t feed her appetite for brains, the monster within emerges. So, she depends on the brains of the corpses in the morgue.
But soon, she discovers that eating those brains causes her to temporarily absorb the person’s memories. In the case of murder victims, the flashbacks provide clues to whodunnit. Liv uses her newfound ability to help Detective Clive Babineaux (Malcolm Goodwin) solve cases.
Genre: Supernatural crime drama
Seasons: 5 (71 episodes)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Watch now on Netflix
Teenage Bounty Hunters
Yes, the title is pretty silly, as is the premise of this teen dramedy. But it also has snappy dialogue and a satirical eye for the hypocrisies of affluent, religious suburbanites. Maddie Phillips and Anjelica Bette Fellini play twin sisters who attend a Christian high school, and their normal, humdrum lives are turned upside-down after a car accident leads them to work for a veteran bounty hunter (Kadeem Harrison).
The show’s biggest asset is the chemistry among the cast members as they dish out snappy one-liners. Sadly, Teenage Bounty Hunters wasn’t renewed by Netflix, so its season-ending cliffhanger will never get resolved. Still, this underrated gem is worth watching.
Genre: Teen comedy/drama
Seasons: 1 (10 episodes)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Watch now on Netflix
The Magicians
Take Harry Potter and friends, put them in college, surround them with sex, booze, drugs and dark magic, and you’ve got The Magicians. The fantasy series ran on Syfy for five seasons so it’s a cable-level TV-MA (a few notches below Game of Thrones in sex and violence). The show follows Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph) and his friends at Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy as they face a dangerous threat to all of humanity.
Aside from the school setting and friends-against-the-evil-monster plot, don’t mistake this for Harry Potter. The Magicians deals with a lot of heavy stuff, from mental health to sexual assault to addiction. While powers can fix a lot of things, they can’t fix everything. (Oh, and be sure to stick around to catch the absolutely wild musical episodes.)
Genre: Fantasy drama
Seasons: 5 (65 episodes)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Watch now on Netflix
Imposters
Con artist Maddie (Inbar Lavi) has gotten away with her marks’ money, leaving behind a string of broken hearts in the process. The latest is Ezra Bloom (Rob Heaps), who is shocked to learn that he’s not the only man — or woman — Maddie married before vanishing without a trace. He teams up with two other victims, car salesman Richard Evans (Parker Young) and artist Jules Langmore (Marianne Rendón) to track her down.
Meanwhile, Maddie begins a new assignment with her con colleagues Max (Brian Benben) and Sally (Katherine LaNasa). Their new mark is a bank manager, but Maddie soon becomes entangled with the handsome, rich Patrick (Stephen Bishop), which endangers the entire game.
Genre: Crime comedy/drama
Seasons: 2 (20 episodes)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Watch now on Netflix