Top 5 Best Netflix Original Series 2021 - Best New Shows on Netflix
By now, your nightly scroll through, across, up, and down Netflix is as much of a staple in your routine as eating dinner. We usually know what is coming out on Netflix every week because this is our job, and still most nights, we wind up scrolling aimlessly for longer than we'd like to admit. Thankfully, the cruel beast that is Daylight Savings is behind us, spring is upon us, and as the weather warms up, we're hopeful that more evenings will be spent outdoors. But still, just in case, it's nice to have a list of the best bets on the platform right now, an abbreviated rundown that keeps you from getting arthritis in your scroll thumb.
From true crime documentaries that'll keep you up at night to new adaptations of classic films, Netflix is churning out something for everyone this year. Here are the best of the original series that have been released so far.
1. Sons of Sam
Not your standard Netflix true crime doc, Sons of Sam is rewriting history instead of retelling it. The doc is told with the help of the archives of journalist Maury Terry, who spent his life trying to convince the world that notorious New York serial killer David Berkowitz did not carry out the murders he plead guilty to alone. Instead, the docuseries presents Terry's evidence to show that Berkowitz was part of a Satanic cult, while also positioning Terry as an obsessive unreliable narrator who spent his life going too far down the rabbit hole. It's both a biography of Terry and a fascinating display of his life's work, compelling and powerful enough to forever impact the way we remember the infamous Son of Sam case.
2. Shadow & Bone
The fantasy book series comes to life on Netflix in this new adaptation, which won't disappoint its die-hard fans. The Grishaverse is mostly done justice in Shadow & Bone, which follows orphan mapmaker Alina Starkov as she discovers her powers, which create for her great allies and enemies alike, in war-torn Ravka. The series is perhaps slightly confusing to follow for non-book fans, but hey, isn't that what fantasy worlds are all about?
3. Last Chance U: Basketball
We've come to expect to shed a tear or two whenever a new season of Last Chance U lands on Netflix, and this season of Last Chance U: Basketball is no different. On the heels of cultural phenomenon Cheer, Last Chance U: Basketball follows the hopeful D1 athletes at East Los Angeles College. Touching, hilarious, and raw, the season, which features some of best personalities we've ever seen in the series, is not to be missed.
4. The Serpent
With drugging, robberies, and brutal murder, BBC/Netflix series The Serpent is not for the faint of heart. It's an eight-part dramatic retelling of the terrifying real life crimes committed by Charles Sobhraj around Asia in the 1970s, as well as the story of the Dutch diplomat who worked to bring him down. What's more chilling is that Sobhraj is still alive today, serving a life sentence in Nepal for one of the murders depicted in the series, but he has never been arrested or prosecuted in Thailand, where the bulk of his crimes occurred.
5. Murder Among the Mormons
Perhaps the niche world of rare Mormon document dealing does not immediately come to mind when you think of criminals, bombs, and murder. But Murder Among the Mormons, a new docuseries from filmmakers Tyler Measom and Jared Hess, is an unbelievable tale of crime and deception that shook the Latter-day Saints Church in 1985 Salt Lake City, and it will undoubtedly shock you, too.
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By now, your nightly scroll through, across, up, and down Netflix is as much of a staple in your routine as eating dinner. We usually know what is coming out on Netflix every week because this is our job, and still most nights, we wind up scrolling aimlessly for longer than we'd like to admit. Thankfully, the cruel beast that is Daylight Savings is behind us, spring is upon us, and as the weather warms up, we're hopeful that more evenings will be spent outdoors. But still, just in case, it's nice to have a list of the best bets on the platform right now, an abbreviated rundown that keeps you from getting arthritis in your scroll thumb. From true crime documentaries that'll keep you up at night to new adaptations of classic films, Netflix is churning out something for everyone this year. Here are the best of the original series that have been released so far.
1. Sons of Sam
Not your standard Netflix true crime doc, Sons of Sam is rewriting history instead of retelling it. The doc is told with the help of the archives of journalist Maury Terry, who spent his life trying to convince the world that notorious New York serial killer David Berkowitz did not carry out the murders he plead guilty to alone. Instead, the docuseries presents Terry's evidence to show that Berkowitz was part of a Satanic cult, while also positioning Terry as an obsessive unreliable narrator who spent his life going too far down the rabbit hole. It's both a biography of Terry and a fascinating display of his life's work, compelling and powerful enough to forever impact the way we remember the infamous Son of Sam case.
2. Shadow & Bone
The fantasy book series comes to life on Netflix in this new adaptation, which won't disappoint its die-hard fans. The Grishaverse is mostly done justice in Shadow & Bone, which follows orphan mapmaker Alina Starkov as she discovers her powers, which create for her great allies and enemies alike, in war-torn Ravka. The series is perhaps slightly confusing to follow for non-book fans, but hey, isn't that what fantasy worlds are all about?
3. Last Chance U: Basketball
We've come to expect to shed a tear or two whenever a new season of Last Chance U lands on Netflix, and this season of Last Chance U: Basketball is no different. On the heels of cultural phenomenon Cheer, Last Chance U: Basketball follows the hopeful D1 athletes at East Los Angeles College. Touching, hilarious, and raw, the season, which features some of best personalities we've ever seen in the series, is not to be missed.
4. The Serpent
With drugging, robberies, and brutal murder, BBC/Netflix series The Serpent is not for the faint of heart. It's an eight-part dramatic retelling of the terrifying real life crimes committed by Charles Sobhraj around Asia in the 1970s, as well as the story of the Dutch diplomat who worked to bring him down. What's more chilling is that Sobhraj is still alive today, serving a life sentence in Nepal for one of the murders depicted in the series, but he has never been arrested or prosecuted in Thailand, where the bulk of his crimes occurred.
5. Murder Among the Mormons
Perhaps the niche world of rare Mormon document dealing does not immediately come to mind when you think of criminals, bombs, and murder. But Murder Among the Mormons, a new docuseries from filmmakers Tyler Measom and Jared Hess, is an unbelievable tale of crime and deception that shook the Latter-day Saints Church in 1985 Salt Lake City, and it will undoubtedly shock you, too.
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