Netflix top 10 shows — here's the 3 worth watching right now

American Primeval
(Image credit: Netflix)

Anyone who's spent even a handful of minutes scrolling through the Netflix library will know that the streaming service is home to a huge range of entertainment.

That huge offering is an obvious benefit for would-be viewers, but it can also make choosing your next watch a big challenge. Turning to the Netflix Top 10 is an easy way to cut through the noise, but you can't always guarantee that what's popular will necessarily be the best thing Netflix has to offer. That's precisely why we keep such a close eye on the streamer's charts.

While several of the biggest shows that have been in the top 10 have occupied their spaces for a while, it's still worth calling them out for any latecomers. Right now, the best three things to stream are a brutal Western drama, the second season of "Squid Game", and our new arrival, an energetic Netflix anime adaptation.

I'd also throw out an honorable mention to "The Night Agent", which has recently crept back into the charts ahead of the show's imminent return; clearly, plenty of people are cramming in a last-minute rewatch!

This article was recently updated based on what was in the Netflix U.S. top 10 shows list as of 12 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025.

Best shows in the Netflix top 10

'American Primeval'

YouTube YouTube
Watch On

"American Primeval" has pretty consistently been Netflix's no. 1 show since this brutal miniseries first landed on the service earlier this month.

This intense Western survival thriller comes from "The Revenant" writer Mark L. Smith and takes us back to 1857 to chart a mother and son's desperate journey across the Old West as they set out to make a fresh start. Along the way, we meet various groups of Americans all doing their best to survive in his harsh landscape of freedom and cruelty. It's a brutal, intense, and violent watch, but nevertheless compelling Western series.

Watch on Netflix

'Squid Game'

YouTube YouTube
Watch On

Surprisingly, the much-loved K-drama is still one of the most popular shows on Netflix. Despite debuting almost an entire month ago, "Squid Game" season 2 is still sitting at the #3 position in the Netflix charts; clearly people are still catching up with Seong Gi-hun's (Lee Jung-jae) return to the deadly competition!

If you've not got around to the new chapter just yet, this second season sees sole season 1 survivor Gi-hun re-entering the competition a couple years later, aiming to tear the games down from the inside. As he soon finds out, though, that job will be anything but easy, as he brushes up against new contestants and faces fresh trials.

Watch on Netflix

'Sakamoto Days'

YouTube YouTube
Watch On

Netflix's adaptation of Yuto Suzuki's intense manga, "Sakamoto Days" premiered on Jan. 11, and new episodes have been dropping on a weekly basis since, and the show's finally leaped into the streamer's charts after dropping episode 3.

The series introduces us to a skilled ex-assassin, Taro Sakamoto (voiced by Tomokazu Sugita or "Critical Role's" Matt Mercer, in the English dub). Having fallen in love with a convenience store clerk, Sakamoto built a life with his new partner and turned his back on his career. Unfortunately, it isn't quite as easy to leave the criminal underworld behind, and when his past reputation as the greatest hitman in the business catches up to him, Sakamoto's got to fight to protect his new life and family.

Watch on Netflix

Full Netflix top 10 shows list

  1. "American Primeval"
  2. "XO, Kitty"
  3. "WWE Raw"
  4. "Squid Game"
  5. "Younger"
  6. "Sakamoto Days"
  7. "The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live"
  8. "Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action"
  9. "The Night Agent"
  10. "The Breakthrough"

More from Tom's Guide

Staff Writer, Streaming

Martin is a Streaming Writer at Tom’s Guide, covering all things movies and TV. If it’s in the theaters or available to stream somewhere, he’s probably watched it… especially if it has a dragon in it. Before joining the team, he was a Staff Writer at What To Watch where he wrote about a broad range of shows that stretched from "Doctor Who" and "The Witcher" to "Bridgerton" and "Love Island". When he’s not watching the next must-see movie or show, he’s probably still in front of a screen playing massive RPGs, reading, spending a fortune on TCGs, or watching the NFL.

Read more
Taylor Kitsch and Betty Gilpin in "American Primeval" coming soon to Netflix
Netflix's top 10 has 3 great shows to stream right now — and one's a brutal Western thriller
Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) as seen in Netflix's "The Night Agent" season 2.
Netflix top 10 shows — here's the 3 worth watching right now
Rosalind Eleazar as Detective Inspector Kat Donovan in "Missing You" now streaming on Netflix
Netflix's top 10 has three shows worth streaming — and one's a must-watch mystery thriller
Squid Game lead actor Lee Jung-jae, who reprises his role as game winner Seong Gi-hun in the new season Squid Game 2 on Netflix from Dec. 26, 2024
Netflix top 10 shows — here's the 3 worth watching right now
Noah Centineo in The Recruit
Netflix top 10 shows — here's the 3 worth watching right now
Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller in "Adolescence"
Netflix top 10 shows — here's the 3 worth watching right now
Latest in Netflix
L-R: Claude (Marco Calvani), Danny (Colman Domingo), Kate (Tina Fey) and Jack (Will Forte) have their bags packed for Netflix's "The Four Seasons"
Netflix just teased a new comedy series starring Tina Fey, Steve Carrell and Colman Domingo — and we already have a release date
Ensemble cast members of Netflix's "The Residence" cast peak around a doorway
I just started streaming 'The Residence' — Netflix's new murder mystery show already has me hooked
Ryu Jun-yeol as Sung Min-chan and Shin Min-jae as Kwon Yang-rae in "Revelations" on Netflix
Netflix’s new psychological thriller is one of the best movies I’ve seen in 2025 so far — stream it now
Cristin Milioti in "Black Mirror" season 7 coming to Netflix
5 biggest Netflix movies and shows I can’t wait to watch in spring 2025
Netflix
3 Netflix movies I'm adding to my watchlist before they leave this month
Gerard Butler as Detective Nick "Big Nick" O'Brien in "Den of Thieves 2: Pantera"
Netflix just got this action crime thriller with Gerard Butler — and the critics got it wrong
Latest in News
Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo Switch 2 rumored specs — here’s what we know so far
iPhone 17 Pro render
iPhone 17 Pro — 7 biggest rumored upgrades
CAD renderings of the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL
Pixel 10 leak could be good news for all Android phones
A magnifying glass on top of the Steam logo in a web browser
Valve just pulled a malicious game demo spreading info-stealing malware from Steam
Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari looks on during Sprint Qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of China at Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China, on March 21, 2025. (Photo by Song Haiyuan/Paddocker/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
How to watch Chinese Grand Prix 2025 online – stream F1 without cable, qualifying highlights
NYTimes Connections
NYT Connections today hints and answers — Saturday, March 22 (#650)