As March draws to a close it marks the quarter point of 2025. Now is a great time to take stock of the year so far, and the chance to reflect on all the best Netflix movies and shows that have landed on the world’s most popular streaming service in the past three months.
So far, 2025 has been a real mixed bag for Netflix. There have been a few highs, but significantly more lows with the platform’s slate of original movies, in particular, falling extremely flat. The likes of “Kinda Pregnant” and “The Electric State” have earned (deserved) critical derision, but at least Netflix has enjoyed more success in the TV space.
If you missed any of the shows and movies on this list, now is an ideal time to catch up as we move into the spring (we’ve also got a roundup of upcoming Netflix movies and shows you’ll want to add to your watchlist). So, let’s dive into the very best of Netflix in 2025 so far.
Best of Netflix in 2025 (so far)
‘Adolescence’
Let’s start with the pick that everybody knew was coming. “Adolescence” isn’t just the best new Netflix show of 2025 to date, it’s among the platform’s best original efforts ever. After all, there’s a reason it’s currently breaking viewing figures records.
This British crime drama is as gripping as it is harrowing, and its central setup of each episode being set in real-time and presented in a single shot is truly masterful, and never once feels like a gimmick.
It comes from the same team behind the incredible culinary drama “Boiling Point” so I went into “Adolescence” with high expectations, and it managed to surpass them.
If you’re out of the loop, “Adolescence” centers on the Miller family. Their everyday existence is torn apart when young 13-year-old son Jamie (Owen Cooper) is arrested and charged with the murder of a classmate.
Jamie’s father (Stephen Graham) and mother (Christine Tremarco) are left picking up the pieces and trying to wrap their heads around the idea that their beloved son could be a murderer.
Watch "Adolescence" on Netflix now
‘American Primeval’
Cast your memory back to the early days of 2025 and you may remember “American Primeval.”
This Western thriller drops less than a fortnight into the new year, and while it’s had a little less staying power than I perhaps expected based on the initial audience reception (it’s rated 87% by viewers on Rotten Tomatoes), it remains a series worthy of a spot on this list.
However, I should warn any Netflix subscribers looking to circle back to this six-part limited series that it’s a particularly brutal watch and doesn’t shy away from violence.
Set in the mid-19th century during the Utah War of 1857, “American Primeval” stars Taylor Kitsch, Betty Gilpin, Dane DeHaan and Jai Courtney. It opens with a mother on the run from the law with her young son, and right off the bat it draws you in with its compelling (but not always likable) characters.
Exploring the birth of the American West, there’s a lot of historical intrigue in this Netflix show, and it makes for a very compelling weekend binge-watch.
Watch "American Primeval" on Netflix now
‘Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl’
“Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” holds a rare 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, even after more than 130 reviews. That’s a testament to the distinctly British charms of this BAFTA award-winning animated movie.
Kooky inventor Wallace and his best pooch pal Gromit are a national treasure in their native U.K., and their latest adventure packs everything you could want from a “Wallace & Gromit” movie with simple (but effective) comedy, plenty of winking pop culture references and the series’ trademark handcrafted claymation-look.
In “Vengeance Most Fowl,” Wallace and Gromit square off against an old foe, Feathers McGraw (last seen in 1993’s “The Wrong Trousers”). The flick also incorporates a new robotic gnome character named Norbot, who I found a tad irritating, but nowhere near enough of an annoyance to spoil the good-natured fun.
“Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” is a delightfully fun family movie likely to leave any viewer with a big grin on their face.
Watch "Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl" on Netflix now
‘Delicious’
There’s no doubt that “Delicious” is the most unconventional pick on this list. In fact, you could even go further and say it’s a controversial selection. It’s fair to say many viewers did not like this dark thriller. Heck, many critics didn’t like it very much either.
I can’t deny it shamelessly cribs a lot of material from Best Picture Oscar winner “Parasite,” but I still found myself hooked through, and the uncomfortably bleak ending felt bold, surprising and fresh.
In “Delicious,” a wealthy German family becomes involved with a mysterious young woman (Carla Diaz) following a traffic accident. Agreeing to bring the woman into their plush vacation home in the stunning French countryside, the new arrival soon integrates herself into the family and becomes a friend and confidant.
However, her intentions are eventually revealed to be more sinister than anybody could have imagined. Give this one a chance. It deserves better than some of the very unfavorable audience reviews I've seen.
Watch "Delicious" on Netflix now
‘Running Point’
Netflix put a lot of marketing muscle behind “Running Point” so perhaps my initial skepticism was more a reaction to feeling it had been overexposed before it even debuted, or maybe I was just being cynical. Either way, I really didn’t expect this Kate Hudson-starring sports comedy to be such a breezy binge.
Also featuring Drew Tarver, Scott MacArthur, Brenda Song and Justin Theroux, it’s the definition of easy-watching television. You can probably map out the final destination after watching just a single episode, but the journey is pleasant comforting and very earnest.
The series centers on Isla Gordon (Hudson), a reformed party girl, who finds herself given a long-desired chance to prove herself to her when she’s made president of her family’s pro basketball team, the Los Angeles Waves.
Facing adversity from all sides, from the boardroom to the locker room, Isla is determined not to give up on her mission to transform the Waves back into a championship dynasty.
“Running Point” takes many of the best elements of 2000s sitcoms but updates them just enough to not feel like a stale imitation. I don’t know if it’ll be on my best-of-the-year list come December, but it’s certainly an early pleasant surprise.
Watch "Running Point" on Netflix now
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