Netflix understood a long time ago that to succeed internationally, it has to win the hearts of local audiences by producing local shows. The result is a wide array of excellent series that we count down in this concise list.
The 12 Very Best Foreign Shows on Netflix
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12.
Alice in Borderland
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Alice in Borderland is a fast-paced heart-wrenching puzzle of a show that will have you wracking your brain and wiping your tears, often at the same time. It combines the wit of Hunger Games, the ruthlessness of Battle Royal, the goriness of Saw, and the social commentary of Squid Game, though sadly it has yet to receive the same renown as these titles.
With each game, the characters must solve a given problem before the timer runs out—when it does, they die, often violently and for others to witness. While playing the games, leads Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) and Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya) also try to solve the bigger picture by figuring out once and for all who the gamemaster is. Like the story it names, Alice in Borderland drives its characters into increasingly dark and mad situations the deeper it gets. It's also built to last like the novel, a classic in the making bound to be rediscovered and re-enjoyed in the years to come.
Our staff rating: 8/10
Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Aya Asahina, Ayaka Miyoshi, Ayame Misaki, Dori Sakurada, Keita Machida, Kento Yamazaki, Mizuki Yoshida, Nijiro Murakami, Nobuaki Kaneko, Riisa Naka, Sho Aoyagi, Shuntaro Yanagi, Tao Tsuchiya, Tsuyoshi Abe, Yuki Morinaga, Yutaro Watanabe
11.
Haikyu!!
Fun, wholesome, and relatable, Haikyu!! celebrates the highs and lows of high school volleyball. The show starts off focused on two freshmen volleyball players from opposing middle school teams, who have to learn teamwork in order to be accepted into their high school club. While the team might initially come across as self-conscious, over-the-top, highly dramatic characters, it’s clear that they're coming from a shared love for the competitive sport (and that they also just happen to be going through puberty). However, the show’s strategic storytelling makes us care about the team: explanations about volleyball tactics are taught just at the right moment in order to heighten the stakes of every player’s move. Simultaneously, every player moves into each new plot point as a natural consequence of their backstory and their perception of each event. Haikyu!!’s agile approach makes the show a compelling watch, and a great place to start if you're new to anime.
Our staff rating: 8/10
Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Drama
Actor: Ayumu Murase, Daisuke Namikawa, Hiroshi Kamiya, Hiroyuki Yoshino, Hisao Egawa, Kaito Ishikawa, Kaori Nazuka, Kazunari Tanaka, Koki Uchiyama, Koutaro Nishiyama, Mark Ishii, Masaru Hayashi, Miyu Irino, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Nobuyori Sagara, Ryohei Kimura, Ryota Takeuchi, Satoshi Hino, Shinnosuke Tachibana, Soma Saito, Subaru Kimura, Sumire Morohoshi, Toshiki Masuda, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Yu Hayashi, Yuichi Nakamura, Yuki Kaji, Yuu Hayashi
10.
Dix pour cent
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Think of Dix pour cent, or Call My Agent!, as it was so horribly translated, as a smart French version of Mark Wahlberg's Entourage or, as the director once quipped, Desperate Housewives with actors and their agents. Ten percent (dix pour cent) is the fee that said French agents receive as compensation from the actor's fee. It chronicles the life of an aspiring talent agent at a French casting agency. New to Paris, she lands her dream job, but now has to deal with a variety of very stressed-out, capricious characters on both sides of the bargain. It is one of those shows that finds hilarity in the fact that nobody actually talks to each other over sometimes simple issues. On the actor's side, many of the appearing A-listers star as themselves. The countless cameos include the likes of Jean Reno, Monica Belucci, and Charlotte Gainsbourg. It's basically a soap opera but so well-written and complex, you might refrain from binging it too hard just to make it last longer.
Our staff rating: 8.1/10
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Anne Marivin, Assaad Bouab, Camille Cottin, Fanny Sidney, Grégory Montel, Laure Calamy, Liliane Rovere, Nicolas Maury, Ophélia Kolb, Ophélia Kolb, Stefi Celma, Thibault de Montalembert
9.
Rita
You might not have heard of it, but this show was huge in Denmark. I mean, one million people watching in a 5-million-people country huge. Far from being the tasteful Nordic Noir international audiences are used to, Rita revolves around a mid-40s, single mum of three older kids, leather jacket-clad private high school teacher with a big mouth and a heart to go with it. Mille Dinesen plays the titular female lead, who smokes in the school bathrooms and, well, bangs the school principal. But in addition to the rule-bending rebel facing off overprotective parents, know-it-all students, and her growing kids, Rita also deals with serious topics like balancing work and family, being a role model, and abortion, albeit in a hilarious and, well, delightfully Danish way.
Our staff rating: 8.1/10
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Alexandre Willaume, Carsten Bjørnlund, Carsten Bjornlund, Carsten Norgaard, Charlotte Munck, Elena Arndt-Jensen, Ellen Hillingsø, Ellen Hillingso, Ferdinand Glad Bach, Lise Baastrup, Lotte Andersen, Lykke Sand Michelsen, Mille Dinesen, Morten Vang Simonsen, Nikolaj Groth, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, Sofie Juul Nielsen, Tessa Hoder, Tommy Kenter
8.
The Staircase
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The latest addition to the murder mini-series genre is the incredible thriller “The Staircase.” It originally aired in 2004, but the producers took the same director and allowed him to add new episodes in 2018 to complete the story.
The plot: A famous American novelist’s wife is found dead, and he is accused of killing her. His life comes under scrutiny as everyone asks whether she died in an accident or was murdered. If you liked their other hit, “Making a Murderer,” you will love this. You should also definitely check out “The Keepers” or Netflix’s binge-worthy crime documentary, “Evil Genius.”
Our staff rating: 8.2/10
Genre: Mystery
Actor: Jean-Xavier de Lestrade
Director: Jean-Xavier de Lestrade
7.
Rilakkuma and Kaoru
Meet Rilakkuma, a relaxed teddy bear (which is indeed what his name translates to in Japanese), and Kaoru, a Japanese office worker in her mid-thirties, who lives with said bear as well as a smaller white bear named Korilakkuma and a yellow chick by the name of Kiiroitori. As whimsical as all this may sound, the show offers up endearing and humane life lessons to go with all the heart-warming cuteness as Kaoru navigates being single, her apartment building being demolished, and her job stressing her out. It combines charming stop-motion characters with great writing, adorable animation, and a beautifully quiet tone. You might be surprised at the profundity of a show that, at the surface, is about a Japanese girl with cuddly toy roommates. It's hard to compare it to anything else!
Our staff rating: 8.2/10
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Kids
Actor: Abby Trott, Ayano Kinashi, Barbara Goodson, Hitoshi Honma, Issei Takubo, Kana Odaira, Kanako Nishiyama, Mai Kanazawa, Masako Matsuno, Mikako Tabe, Shigeru Sugimoto, Soki Matsumoto, Takayuki Yamada, Veronica Taylor, Yuzuha Kobayashi
Director: Masahito Kobayashi
6.
Kingdom
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16th century Korea—the small kingdom is governed by a royal family, but the sudden death of the king causes a power struggle among the elite, which in turn opens the window for either genuine change or further corrupt rule. At the heart of this is Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon), who conspires with the rebel scholars to bring his corrupt rivals down.
This all sounds familiar, if not a bit trite, but before you can start to pin it down, Kingdom quickly morphs into something more than just a period drama. The introduction of fantasy, terror, and neverending gore elevates Kingdom into a multi-genre feat—an impressive blend of political intrigue and pure zombie horror that never fails to keep you at the edge of your seat.
Our staff rating: 8.5/10
Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Bae Doona, Heo Joon-ho, Heo Jun-ho, Jeon Seok-ho, Ju Ji-hoon, Jun Kaname, Jun Suk-ho, Jung Suk-won, Kanata Hongo, Kanna Hashimoto, Kento Yamazaki, Kim Hye-jun, Kim Jong-soo, Kim Sang-ho, Kim Sung-kyu, Kim Tae-hoon, Kim Tae-hun, Park Byung-eun, Ryu Seung-ryong
Director: Kim Seong-hun, Shinsuke Sato
5.
Signal
From the mastermind behind Netflix's Kingdom, Kim Eun-Hee's Signal is an exhilarating series that seamlessly weaves together gripping crime thriller elements with an intriguing touch of supernatural. With its unique premise of a mysterious walkie-talkie that connects the past and the present, the show follows a team of detectives from different eras as they collaborate to solve cold cases and unravel the secrets behind unsolved crimes. The superb writing and exceptional performances by the cast, including Lee Je-hoon, Kim Hye-soo, and Cho Jin-Woong, have made Signal a major hit among K-Drama fans.
Our staff rating: 8.5/10
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Cho Jin-woong, Choi Woo-ri, Hae-Kyun Jung, Hye-su Kim, Hyun-sung Jang, Im Hwa-young, Jang Hyun-sung, Je-hoon Lee, Jeong Hae-gyoon, Jin-woong Cho, Jin-woong Jo, Jung Hae-kyun, Jung Han-bi, Kang Chan-hee, Kim Hye-soo, Kim Hye-su, Kim Ki-chun, Kim Min-gue, Kim Won-hae, Lee Dong-ha, Lee Je-hoon, Lee Sang-yeob, Lee Si-a, Lee Yoo-jun, Lee Yu-jun, Park Si-eun, Seo Eun-ah, Son Hyeon-ju, Son Hyun-joo, Won-hae Kim
Director: Kim Won-suk
4.
Dark
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If you liked Netflix’ Stranger Things gloomy suspense, sit tight because there is a lot more of where that came from in Dark. Here is what they have in common: the aesthetic, great music, and they’re both about the disappearance of a child. Other than that, it is very difficult to compare Dark to anything else I’ve seen before.
This German show is about a town with a long and dark history, which is brought to the forefront of the collective conscious when a child goes missing. The plot twists and turns through decades of history – and that’s as much as I will share without ruining the show for you.
Dark uses beautiful aesthetic, both visually and musically, to be compelling and painfully tension-ridden.
Season two has more bouncing between timelines and more dark and inexplicable events, as now six people are missing.
Our staff rating: 9/10
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Science Fiction
Actor: Anatole Taubman, Andreas Pietschmann, Angela Winkler, Anne Ratte-Polle, Jördis Triebel, Karoline Eichhorn, Lisa Vicari, Louis Hofmann, Maja Schone, Mark Waschke, Michael Mendl, Oliver Masucci, Sebastian Rudolph, Stephan Kampwirth
3.
1994
Have you finished Wild Wild Country and are up for another binge-worthy documentary? If so, 1994 might be a compelling option for you to consider. Released on Netflix for the 25th anniversary of the events in 2019, most of the story would be hard to believe if it wasn't… you know… based on facts and backed up by archival footage and interviews. As it often goes with documentaries, truth is stranger than fiction.
In 1994, the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, also known as the EZLN or the Zapatistas, declared war on the Mexican government. This happened after the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, was signed into law. Incumbent Mexican president Salinas (pictured above) selected prominent reformist presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio to become his heir. Just three months later, Colosio was shot in Tijuana on live television.
1994 is a rich, informative, and fascinating account of this violent and tumultuous year in Mexican history, featuring in-depth interviews with many of those pulling the strings at the time, including former president Salinas. As the people being interviewed point out, understanding the relevance of 1994 in Mexican politics will help you understand the country's political and economic landscape today.
Our staff rating: 9/10
Genre: Documentary
Actor: Carlos Salinas de Gortari, Rafael Sebastián Guillén Vicente
Director: Diego Enrique Osorno
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