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. And 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.
This article is based on what was in the Netflix U.S. top 10 shows list as of 11 a.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.
Best shows in the Netflix top 10
'American Primeval'
"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'
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.
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'Sakamoto Days'
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
- "American Primeval"
- "XO, Kitty"
- "Squid Game"
- "Sakamoto Days"
- "The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live"
- "Younger"
- "Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action"
- "The Breakthrough"
- "Gabriel Iglesias: Legend of Fluffy"
- "Castlevania: Nocturne"
