30 Best Drama Series: Complete List
If you like to watch series, you probably want directions to see next. For this, we have this guide to the best drama series. If you prefer, also check out the best Netflix drama movies and the best Netflix movies to watch on weekends!
To see the list of series, keep reading the article and check the synopsis of all of them, with links to watch.
1. This Is Us
One of the best series in the genre, This Is Us is created by Dan Fogelman and features Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown and Chrissy Metz in the cast.
It follows the story of a large family (mother, stepfather, father, three brothers and two children) and all their interpersonal relationships and live dramas. It is an extremely deep series and it makes anyone cry. Watch it right now on Amazon Prime Video!
2. Alias Grace
Among the Netflix series, we have Alias Grace, of Canadian origin. It is directed by Mary Harron and written by Sarah Polley, based on a book of the same name.
It takes place in the 19th century, where Grace Marks, a young Irish immigrant, is accused of committing a double murder: that of her employer and her maid. To watch, follow the link to Netflix, one of the best sites for watching movies and series!
3. The Operators
Another of the best drama series is As Telefonistas, of Spanish origin. The cast includes Ana Fernández, Nadia de Santiago, Blanca Suárez and Maggie Civantos.
It takes place in the late 1920s and tells the story of four women newly hired to work at the newest telephone company in the region. They must learn to handle work together in their love lives. Follow the link to check it out!
4. Condemning Eyes
If you like watching series, you need to know Eyes that Condemn. It is directed and co-written by Ava DuVernay for Netflix and stars Jharrel Jerome, Asante Blackk and Jovan Adepo.
It tells a true story, that of five young black men who were falsely accused of raping a girl in Central Park and later arrested. To watch this tragic and heavy series, follow the link to Netflix, one of the best streaming services.
5. POSE
One of the best musical series, POSE is a drama created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Steven Canals and features, in the cast, Indya Moore, Mj Rodriguez, Billy Porter and Ryan Jamaal Swain.
It takes place in the late 1980s and reports on the experiences of black, Latino and LGBTQ people in New York at the time, having to deal with the HIV epidemic. To watch this phenomenal story, head over to Netflix!
6. Russian doll
One of the best series to do marathon, Russian Doll mixes comedy and drama in an excellent way. It was created by Natasha Lyonne, Leslye Headland, and Amy Poehler and features Lyonne in the lead role.
Follows a young New Yorker who finds herself trapped in a time loop where she dies and always returns to her birthday party. Desperately tries to escape this situation. Click the link to watch!
7. Altered Carbon
Altered Carbon is a cyberpunk series created by Laeta Kalogridis based on a 2002 book of the same name. It features Joel Kinnaman, James Purefoy and Martha Higareda in the cast.
It takes place in a dystopian future where human consciousness can be digitized and stored, where a prisoner comes back to life and needs to solve a murder to gain his freedom. To watch, head over to Netflix, which has one of the best apps for watching movies and series.
8. Anne with an E
Anne with an E is another of the best drama series, created by Moira Walley-Beckett based on the book Anne by Green Gables.
Follow the adventures of a young orphan living in the late 19th century. Anne learns to navigate her new life on Prince Edward Island, living with a pair of elderly brothers. It is available to watch on Netflix.
9. Downton Abbey
A historical drama, Downton Abbey was created and co-written by Julian Fellowes and features Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Michelle Dockery in the cast.
It takes place between 1912 and 1926 and shows the lives of the aristocratic Crowley family, together with their employees. It shows how all the great historical events of the time affected them. Follow the link to watch one of the best streaming services.
10. The End of The F *** ing World
One of Netflix's best teen series, The End of the F *** ing World is a dark comedy based on a comic book – check out how to read HQ on Android – of the same name by Charles Forsman.
Follows James, a 17-year-old who is sure to be a psychopath and Alyssa, a new classmate of the same age, who sees him as his way of escaping his home life. Go to Netflix to see!
11. I Am Not Okay With This
From the same creators of I Am Not Okay With This, it is also based on a Charles Forsman HQ and features Sophia Lillis, Wyatt Oleff and Sofia Bryant in the cast.
There follows a young woman, Sydney, who has to deal with all the problems of life in high school while discovering superpowers and dealing with discoveries about her sexuality. To see this excellent series, which was among the series releases on Netflix in 2020, follow the link!
12. Dark
Dark is one of the most watched international Netflix series in Brazil and is co-created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese. It is the first of the original series of German origin on the platform.
It takes place in a small fictional town, Winden, and shows what happens after the disappearance of a child, who ends up revealing the secrets and hidden connections of four families there. Go to Netflix to see!
13. The Tale of the Maid
Another of the best drama series is The Tale of the Maid, a dystopian tragedy created by Bruce Miller based on the book of the same name by Margaret Atwood.
It takes place in a dystopian future after the Second American Civil War, where a totalitarian society forces fertile women, called Aias, into procreative slavery. Click the link to watch.
14. The Man from Castelo Alto
One of the best war series, The Man from the High Castle is created by Frank Spotnitz and is based on the book of the same name from 1962 written by Philip K. Dick.
It takes place in a parallel universe where Nazi Germany won World War II. It shows what life in the USA would be like if it had happened. Follow the link to see!
15. Sense8
Sense8 is among the best weekend series and is an American science fiction series created by sisters Lana and Lilly Wachowski together with J. Michael Straczynski for Netflix.
It takes place today and follows a group of 8 mentally connected people who must find a way to survive being persecuted by those who perceive them as a threat to the world order. Click on the link and check it out.
16. Vis a Vis
Of Spanish origin, Vis a Vis was created by Daniel Écija, Álex Pina, Iván Escobar and Esther Martínez Lobato and star Maggie Civantos, Najwa Nimri, Berta Vázquez and Alba Flores.
It takes place in a Spanish prison and shows how a girl, Macarena, who was arrested for stealing by her lover, deals with the situation. To watch, go to Netflix.
17. Impulse
Among the best drama series we have Impulse, of science fiction. It is based on a book of the same name by Steven Gould and is written by Lauren LeFranc.
Following is a 16-year-old girl who finds she has teleportation powers when she is almost raped. It shows all your discoveries about the powers, trying to better control them. It is available for free on YouTube through the link.
18. Unbelievable
Unbelievable is another of the best Netflix series, co-created by Susannah Grant, Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon. Star Toni Collette, Merritt Wever and Kaitlyn Dever.
It is based on the true story of Marie, a teenager who was accused of lying about being raped, and the two detectives who followed the path to get to the truth. Check it out right now through the link.
19. Dial Friend to Kill
Dial Friendly to Kill is one of the most popular series on Netflix in 2019. Created by Liz Feldman, it features Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini in the cast.
Two mourning women follow, who meet and approach each other during therapy. Both recently lost their spouses, tragically. To watch, click on the link.
20. Mindhunter
Mindhunter is among the most viewed series in 2019 and was created by Joe Penhall based on a book of the same name written by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker.
It follows two FBI agents, Holden Ford and Bill Tench who, accompanied by psychologist Wendy Carr, are creating a new way to identify and capture serial killers by interviewing them. Go to Netflix to see!
21. The Crown
The Crown is one of the best shows of 2019 to watch, which was created and written by Peter Morgan. It is based on a film and a play by Morgan.
The series follows the political rivalries and romances of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, as well as the events that shaped the second half of the last century. Watch this highly awarded series through the link.
22. Breaking Bad
If you like watching movies and series online and haven't watched Breaking Bad yet, put it on your list. Created and produced by Vince Gilligan, it is one of the best series of all time.
It takes place in the city of Albuquerque and tells the story of Walter White, a chemistry professor recently diagnosed with cancer who decides to produce and sell methamphetamine to finance his family's future and his own treatment. Check it out on Netflix.
23. Good Omens
Another of the best drama series is Good Omens, based on the 1990 book of the same name by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. It was created, written and scripted by Gaiman.
The year is 2018, and the Apocalypse is about to happen. An angel and a demon mourn the end of their luxurious life on earth, the child Antichrist disappears and the four Knights prepare for the End of Time. Go to Amazon Prime Video to see.
24. Wonderful Mrs. Maisel
Mixing comedy and drama, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and stars Rachel Brosnahan, Alex Borstein, Michael Zegen and Marin Hinkle.
A housewife follows in the 1950s who decides to become a stand-up comedian, abandoning her apparently perfect life. Follow the link to see it right now!
25. Orphan Black
Orphan Black is a Canadian science fiction series created by Graeme Manson and John Fawcett, with Tatiana Maslany in the cast, as several clones.
The series focuses on Sarah Manning, who takes on the identity of one of the clones after watching her kill herself. Deals with many questions about the moral and ethical problems of human cloning. Check out Netflix, one of the best streaming services.
26. The Time Between Seams
Of Spanish origin, O Tempo Entre Costuras is an adaptation of the book of the same name by María Dueñas.
Follow Sira Quiroga, a young Spanish seamstress who falls in love with a typewriter seller and moves with him to Morocco, where she ends up becoming a spy for the British cause against Nazi Germany. Watch now through the link.
27. The Night Manager
Directed by Susanne Bier and starring names like Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Olivia Colman Tom Hollander and Elizabeth Debicki, The Night Manager is based on a 1993 book of the same name by John le Carré.
Follows the night manager of a hotel in Cairo, Jonathan Pine, who is recruited to infiltrate the inner circle of a large arms dealer. Follow the link and watch on Amazon Prime Video.
28. Homecoming
Homecoming, one of the best drama series, is based on a podcast of the same name by Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg, who created and wrote the series.
It follows Heidi Bergman, an employee of a group that helps soldiers to facilitate their return to life as civilians. To watch, click on the link.
29. The Expansion
The Expansion is a science fiction developed by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby based on the series of books of the same name by James S. A. Corey.
It takes place in a future where humanity has colonized the Solar System and follows a group of anti-heroes who accidentally unravel and place themselves in the middle of a giant conspiracy that jeopardizes the peace of the system and the survival of humanity. It is available on Amazon Prime Video.
30. American Gods
Finally, we have American Gods, an excellent fantasy series based on Neil Gaiman's book of the same name, developed by Bryan Fuller and Michael Green.
It takes place these days and follows Shadow Moon, who meets a man named Wednesday. Together, they travel the United States recruiting people for Wednesday's mysterious war. Click the link to watch!
So, what did you think of our list of the best drama series?
Leave your opinion on our list in the comments, saying if you think we should have included some other series. Don't forget to check out the best anime of 2019, the best Netflix original movies and our guide on how to watch Netflix offline!
