15 Best Thriller TV Series on Netflix Right Now

There was a world before Netflix wherein we didn’t have the word ‘binge-watching‘ as it uses today. Netflix shook the video streaming content ecosystem with its mammoth collection, which includes Originals and licensed TV series and movies. Netflix’s huge variety of content and user-friendly interactive platform make it a cultural icon in the entertainment industry over the years. The streaming giant’s vast range of exclusives, originals and classics are enough to make every movie buff ecstatic.

A huge part of Netflix’s dominance over rivals like Amazon Prime Video is because of an enormous repository of syndicated content. Netflix is keen to keep the nostalgia on by streaming thrillers like Breaking Bad. It is expanding its reach and scope through the distribution of original movies and TV series. Netflix Original movie ‘Roma’ made history at the Oscars this year by taking home the awards for Best Cinematography, Best Director and Best Foreign Language Film. With Amazon Prime Video and Apple’s flagship streaming service Apple TV+ offering a neck and neck race, Netflix will provide more original content in the coming months. So, here’s the list of really good thriller TV shows on Netflix that are available to stream right now.

15. Hemlock Grove (2013-2015)

‘Hemlock Grove’ is a series which revolves around the sinister eponymous town and its inhabitants. The economic divide within the townsfolk of this country is quite extreme, and each person dwelling here seems to have some sort of secret which he is trying to protect. The town has developed around an institution called the Godfrey Institute for Biomedical Technologies and Hemlock Acres Hospital, and it is widely believed that this hospital used to conduct secret experiments on human beings which has affected a number of people living in Hemlock Grove. The first season itself begins with a shocker when we find two girls who have been brutally murdered. A teenager is suspected of committing the crime, but the townsfolk cannot be sure whether he is a human or a supernatural creature. The best part of the series is the brilliant atmosphere which it creates. There is always a constant sense of danger which permeates throughout this deadly town.

14. Orange is the New Black (2013 – Present)

Orange is the New Black

Based on the book of the same name, ‘Orange Is the New Black’ earned critical acclaim and popularity alike. The incredible series is created by Jenji Kohan and chronicles the day-to-day events in Litchfield, a minimum-security prison. The prison comedy-drama centres on Piper Chapman, played by Taylor Schilling, who is sentenced to spend time behind the bars for her association with a drug trafficker 10 years earlier. Being a successful PR executive in the external world, Chapman struggles to cope up with the unexpected friendships and conflicts evolve when she is surrounded by an eccentric group of women inmates. Even though Netflix is pretty tight-lipped about the seventh and last season of ‘Orange Is the New Black,’ reports suggest that the long-awaited final season will be aired soon.

13. Stranger Things (2016 – Present)

Stranger Things

Stranger Things‘ is one of the most talked-about shows on Netflix. The popular series returns for a third season this year. Created by Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, the series follows the mysterious disappearance of a young boy from a small town where everyone knows everyone. As the mystery behind the boy’s disappearance remains unsolved, strange-looking government agencies and evil supernatural forces reach the small town, breaking the peaceful life of its inhabitants. While searching the missing boy in the small town people uncovers a deadly secret and a little mysterious girl. ‘Stranger Things’ features Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara Buono, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Joe Keery, and Dacre Montgomery in key roles. ‘Stranger Things 3’ hits Netflix on July 4.

12. Riverdale (2017- Present)

Riverdale

Riverdale‘ is a teen drama inspired by ‘Archie Comics,’ which features the small-town rebel girls Archie, Betty, Veronica and their friends. The series has been hailed for its bold and subversive take on the teen life in small-towns, with all its surreal, mischief, dark, and weird elements. ‘Riverdale’ suffered an unexpected blow when series regular Luke Perrys untimely passed away a couple of weeks back. Created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, ‘Riverdale’ heads to its fourth season this year. The inquisitive teen girls dig deep into the mysteries of the small-town every season and turn up with hidden truth. With Betty and her friends all set to solve the next mystery, ‘Riverdale Season 4‘ is expected to air in October this year.

11. Money Heist (2017 – Present)

Money Heist

Created by Álex Pina, ‘La Casa De Papel’ or ‘Money Heist‘ holds an unbeatable record for the most-watched foreign language show ever on Netflix. Owing to the huge popularity worldwide, Netflix is going to renew the Spanish Television Series for the third season. The plot follows a mysterious mastermind named The Professor, who hires a loose gang of eight robbers to execute one of the biggest heists in history. Each of the eight-team members goes through rigorous training sessions like five months of seclusion, memorizing every step, every detail and every probability. From the hugely successful first two seasons, fans have all the reasons to expect the Professor will be developing new heists for the third season.

10. American Horror Story (2011 – Present)

American Horror Story

American Horror Story‘ is an anthology horror drama series with a huge fan following for its gore and horror. Created by Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy, the show enters a record-breaking ninth season. The horror series features a new cast and storyline each season, with a twisted and unexpected end. When FX renewed the eighth season in 2017 January, they ordered the ninth season. A tenth season was also ordered on August 3, 2018. The series focuses on themes like infidelity, sanity, oppression, discrimination, addiction, and exploitation in each season. Evan Peters, a fan favourite who played characters like James Patrick March and Kai Anderson in previous seasons, has recently revealed that he may return in season 9.

9. Trotsky (2017 – Present)

Trotsky

‘Trotsky’ is one of the most controversial historical drama in Netflix’s repertoire. The series was originally produced for the Russian public TV station Pevry Kanal, which comes under the direct control of Russian premier Vladimir Putin. When it was premiered in Netflix, the series was severely criticized by historians and critics for its pretentious production values and historical infidelity. The series intercuts between different periods in the life of Trotsky, the former leader of the Russian revolution. Trotsky can be seen as an exile in Mexico and as a civil war volunteer in the frozen fields of Russia. The series also depicts the long-lasted mind game between Trotsky and his eternal enemy, Stalin. After the portrayal of Trotsky caught up in controversy, the series producer turned up with an explanation that the show was intended as a ‘semi-fictional’ dramatization, based on the character of Trotsky.

8. Sacred Games (2018 – Present)

Sacred Games

The Indian subscribers tasted blood when Netflix hit the Bollywood dominated market with its original series, ‘Sacred Games‘ in 2018. Season 1 broke almost all the records to become one of the most-watched original series in India. The plot revolves around Sartaj, played by Saif Ali Khan, a seasoned and eccentric officer in Mumbai police department. When Sartaj gets a tip from an anonymous source that leads him to the den of the notorious don who rules the Mumbai underbelly, Ganesh Gaitonde, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Netflix India has released a teaser a while back, without revealing the release date and other details of the second season. The intriguing teaser was well received by fans who are eagerly waiting for more from Sartaj and Ganesh Gaitonde in the next season.

7. Love, Death & Robots (2019 – Present)

Love, Death & Robots (2019 - )

Netflix’s ‘Love, Death & Robots’ is a series of short episodes, with 6 to 18 minute long, which are completely different from each other in plots, characters and style. The short stories feature incredible violence. Executive produced by David Fincher, Joshua Donen, Tim Miller, and Jennifer Miller, ‘Love, Death & Robots,’ is an amalgamation of terrifying creatures, wicked surprises and dark comedy.

6. Grand Hotel (2011 – Present)

Grand Hotel (2011 - )

‘Grand Hotel’ is the American remake of the hugely successful Spanish period drama, ‘Gran Hotel.’ The Spanish original was directed by Carlos Sedes and starring Yon centres on the Mendoza family who runs hotel Riviera Grand, the last family-owned hotel in Miami Beach. When Alicia Mendoza, played by Denyse Tontz, arrives to meet her father Santiago, played by Demian Bichir, and brother Javi, played Bryan Craig, familial bonds are strained. Once she realizes the fact that her father plans to sell the hotel, Alicia turns against the family, which includes Santiago’s second wife, Gigim played by Roselyn Sanchez, and her two daughters.

5. Mindhunter (2017 – Present)

Mindhunter (2017 - )

Joe Penhall’s iconic thriller series, ‘Mindhunter‘ follows two FBI agents who develop an innovative investigative field incorporating psychology, anthropology and sociology as a method to reveal the real motive behind the murders. According to latest reports, Holden Ford, played by Jonathan Groff, Bill Tench, played by Holt McCallany, and Dr Wendy Carr, played by Anna Torv, the three dots that form the central triangle of the series, return for a long-awaited second season. The series’s co-creator, David Fincher confirmed that the Atlanta child murders will be a main source of inspiration for season 2. Even though Netflix has yet to announce the exact release date, the second season will reportedly have 8 episodes and will hit the platform sometime in 2019.

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4. Crime Diaries: The Candidate (2019 – Present)

Crime Diaries The Candidate

Crime Diaries: The Candidate‘ takes us back to 1994 when the Mexican presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio was assassinated. The series explores all the conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination with surgical precision. Season 1 is a part of an anthology series featuring the unsolved murder mysteries in Latin American countries. The plot follows Luis Donaldo Colosio’s rise to a populist icon and the eventual assassination that shook the nation. After the deadly murder, Colosio’s dying widow sets on a mission to find the true culprits behind her husband’s killing.

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3. Ozark (2017 – Present)

Ozark (2017 - )

When the popular thriller series, ‘Ozark‘ return to Netflix for a third season, the viewers can expect more thrill and excitement. Although the first two seasons received mixed reviews from critics, the series gathered momentum with the considerable fan following. Jason Bateman and Laura Linney reprise the lead roles as Marty and Wendy Byrde. The Byrde kids, Sofia Hublitz as Charlotte Byrde and Skylar Gaertner as Jonah Byrde also make their return. Julia Garner plays as the devilish criminal mastermind Ruth Langmore. Reports also suggest that Wendy Byrde will assume a more important role in the narrative as well as in the family, with the third season unfolding in the backdrop of the waterfront casino.

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2. Bodyguard (2018 – Present)

Bodyguard

The six-episode thriller, ‘Bodyguard‘ features a troubled war veteran who is commissioned to protect a controversial political tycoon from terrorist attacks. ‘Game Of Thrones’ star Richard Madden plays the titular role – a bodyguard named David Budd. Keeley Hawes plays the Conservative member of Parliament, Julia Montague, who is under the threat of assassins. The ambitious and arrogant Montague become a headache for the short-tempered Budd. Being BBC’s most-watched drama since 2008, ‘Bodyguard’ one of the most celebrated additions to Netflix last year. The series also earned Madden a Golden Globe for his stunning portrayal of the traumatic Budd. With mesmerizing performances by Richard Madden and Keeley Hawes along with Jed Mercurio’s suspenseful story creating a political thriller cocktail, ‘Bodyguard’ is certainly one of the most celebrated Netflix thrillers.

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1. Fauda (2015 – Present)

Fauda

‘Fauda,’ which means ‘chaos’ in Arabic, was an instant hit when it was first broadcast in Israel in 2015. The huge popularity prompted Netflix to acquire the series which in turn became an international hit. The series follows an undercover counter-terrorism unit of the Israeli army called the Mista’aravim. Arabic-speaking Israeli soldiers infiltrate Palestinian neighbourhood to identify suspected terrorists in the West Bank population. When an Israeli agent returns from retirement to hunt down a Palestinian militant he thought he’d eliminated years ago, the plot thickens. According to reports, the third season will have 12 episodes with the Israeli operatives crawl deep into the Gaza underbelly to disrupt the Hamas infrastructure. The first two seasons of the series were praised for the impartial and fair portrayal of the Palestine conflict.

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