Best on Netflix › Drama
Included with subscription · US · updated October 28, 2026
Best dramas on Netflix right now, ranked
The highest-rated dramas you can stream with a standard Netflix plan in the US today: 25 movies and 25 series, checked title by title. Titles that need a paid add-on channel, a rental or a purchase aren’t counted.
How this is ranked: when a title has at least 5 ratings from Wochly users, its score is their average (green). Otherwise we use TMDB’s user rating weighted by how many people voted (marked “TMDB, weighted”), so a title with a handful of votes can’t outrank an established favorite. Talk, news and reality shows are left out. Availability comes from JustWatch via TMDB and is re-checked every few hours.
Best drama movies on Netflix
- 1
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Animation, Drama, War
In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.
8.4TMDB, weighted
- 2
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Raj is a rich, carefree, happy-go-lucky second generation NRI. Simran is the daughter of Chaudhary Baldev Singh, who in spite of being an NRI is very strict about adherence to Indian values. Simran has left for India to be married to her childhood fiancé. Raj leaves for India with a mission at his hands, to claim his lady love under the noses of her whole family. Thus begins a saga.
8.3TMDB, weighted
- 3
Gladiator (2000)
Action, Drama, Adventure
After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiator and battle to the death against other men for the amusement of paying audiences.
8.2TMDB, weighted
- 4
The Prestige (2006)
Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction
A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.
8.2TMDB, weighted
- 5
Green Book (2018)
Drama, Comedy, History
Tony Lip, a bouncer in 1962, is hired to drive pianist Don Shirley on a tour through the Deep South in the days when African Americans, forced to find alternate accommodations and services due to segregation laws below the Mason-Dixon Line, relied on a guide called The Negro Motorist Green Book.
8.2TMDB, weighted
- 6
Scarface (1983)
Action, Crime, Drama
After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands in his way, Tony eventually becomes the biggest drug lord in the state, controlling nearly all the cocaine that comes through Miami. But increased pressure from the police, wars with Colombian drug cartels and his own drug-fueled paranoia serve to fuel the flames of his eventual downfall.
8.1TMDB, weighted
- 7
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Action, Drama
After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell finds himself training a detachment of TOP GUN graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen.
8.1TMDB, weighted
- 8
Call Me by Your Name (2017)
Romance, Drama
In the summer of 1983, a 17-year-old Elio spends his days in his family's villa in Italy. One day Oliver, a graduate student, arrives to assist Elio's father, a professor of Greco-Roman culture. Soon, Elio and Oliver discover a summer that will alter their lives forever.
8.0TMDB, weighted
- 9
Miracle in Cell No. 7 (2019)
Drama
Separated from his daughter, a father with an intellectual disability must prove his innocence when he is jailed for the death of a commander's child.
8.0TMDB, weighted
- 10
1917 (2019)
War, Drama, History
At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers.
7.9TMDB, weighted
- 11
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997)
Animation, Science Fiction, Drama
SEELE orders an all-out attack on NERV, aiming to destroy the Evas before Gendo can advance his own plans for the Human Instrumentality Project. Shinji is pushed to the limits of his sanity as he is forced to decide the fate of humanity.
7.9TMDB, weighted
- 12
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Mystery, Thriller, Drama
Following an unexpected tragedy, child psychologist Malcolm Crowe meets a nine year old boy named Cole Sear, who is hiding a dark secret.
7.9TMDB, weighted
- 13
Lion (2016)
Drama
A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.
7.9TMDB, weighted
- 14
Heat (1995)
Crime, Drama, Action
Obsessive master thief Neil McCauley leads a top-notch crew on various daring heists throughout Los Angeles while determined detective Vincent Hanna pursues him without rest. Each man recognizes and respects the ability and the dedication of the other even though they are aware their cat-and-mouse game may end in violence.
7.9TMDB, weighted
- 15
Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Drama, History
Loosely based on the true-life tale of Ron Woodroof, a drug-taking, women-loving, homophobic man who in 1986 was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and given thirty days to live.
7.8TMDB, weighted
- 16
About Time (2013)
Drama, Romance, Fantasy
The night after another unsatisfactory New Year's party, Tim's father reveals to him that the men in their family have the ability to travel through time. They can't change history, but they can change what happens and has happened in their own lives. Thus begins the start of a lesson in learning to appreciate life itself as it is, as it comes, and most importantly, the people living alongside us.
7.8TMDB, weighted
- 17
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Drama, War
Three steelworkers enlist in the army and are sent to Vietnam, one leaving behind a rushed marriage, the others a shared love. What they encounter during the war changes their lives forever.
7.8TMDB, weighted
- 18
Society of the Snow (2023)
Drama, History
On October 13, 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, chartered to take a rugby team to Chile, crashes into a glacier in the heart of the Andes.
7.8TMDB, weighted
- 19
Purple Hearts (2022)
Romance, Drama
An aspiring musician agrees to a marriage of convenience with a soon-to-deploy Marine, but a tragedy soon turns their fake relationship all too real.
7.8TMDB, weighted
- 20
Loving Vincent (2017)
Animation, Drama, History
A young man arrives at the last hometown of painter Vincent van Gogh to deliver the troubled artist's final letter and ends up investigating his final days there.
7.8TMDB, weighted
- 21
The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019)
Drama, Romance
A family dog – with a near-human soul and a philosopher's mind – evaluates his life through the lessons learned by his human owner, a race-car driver.
7.8TMDB, weighted
- 22
Remarkably Bright Creatures (2026)
Drama, Mystery
Through unlikely bonds formed during night shifts at a local aquarium, Tova, an elderly widow, learns of a life-changing discovery that may bring her joy and wonder once again.
7.7TMDB, weighted
- 23
Voicemails for Isabelle (2026)
Romance, Comedy, Drama
A young woman's hilariously confessional voicemails to her late sister are unknowingly redirected to a stranger, who begins to fall in love from afar.
7.7TMDB, weighted
- 24
On My Skin (2018)
Drama
The incredible true story behind the most controversial Italian court cases in recent years. Stefano Cucchi was arrested for a minor crime and mysteriously found dead during his detention. In one week's time, a family is changed forever.
7.7TMDB, weighted
- 25
Straight Outta Compton (2015)
Drama, Music, History
In 1987, five young men, using brutally honest rhymes and hardcore beats, put their frustration and anger about life in the most dangerous place in America into the most powerful weapon they had: their music. Taking us back to where it all began, Straight Outta Compton tells the true story of how these cultural rebels—armed only with their lyrics, swagger, bravado and raw talent—stood up to the authorities that meant to keep them down and formed the world’s most dangerous group, N.W.A. And as they spoke the truth that no one had before and exposed life in the hood, their voice ignited a social revolution that is still reverberating today.
7.7TMDB, weighted
Best drama shows on Netflix
- 1
Breaking Bad (2008)
Drama, Crime
Walter White, a New Mexico chemistry teacher, is diagnosed with Stage III cancer and given a prognosis of only two years left to live. He becomes filled with a sense of fearlessness and an unrelenting desire to secure his family's financial future at any cost as he enters the dangerous world of drugs and crime.
8.9TMDB, weighted
- 2
Teach You a Lesson (2026)
Action & Adventure, Drama, Comedy
An inspector from the Educational Rights Protection Bureau (ERPB) who is authorized by the government to use physical intervention and unconventional methods to discipline delinquent students and reform the educational system.
8.7TMDB, weighted
- 3
Better Call Saul (2015)
Crime, Drama
Six years before Saul Goodman meets Walter White. We meet him when the man who will become Saul Goodman is known as Jimmy McGill, a small-time lawyer searching for his destiny, and, more immediately, hustling to make ends meet. Working alongside, and, often, against Jimmy, is “fixer” Mike Ehrmantraut. The series tracks Jimmy’s transformation into Saul Goodman, the man who puts “criminal” in “criminal lawyer".
8.6TMDB, weighted
- 4
Anne with an E (2017)
Drama, Family
A coming-of-age story about an outsider who, against all odds and numerous challenges, fights for love and acceptance and for her place in the world. The series centers on a young orphaned girl in the late 1890s, who, after an abusive childhood spent in orphanages and the homes of strangers, is mistakenly sent to live with an elderly woman and her aging brother. Over time, 13-year-old Anne will transform their lives and eventually the small town in which they live with her unique spirit, fierce intellect and brilliant imagination.
8.5TMDB, weighted
- 5
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009)
Animation, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Disregard for alchemy’s laws ripped half of Edward Elric’s limbs from his body and left his brother Alphonse’s soul clinging to a suit of armor. To restore what was lost, the brothers seek the Philosopher’s Stone. Enemies and allies – the corrupt military, the Homunculi, and foreign alchemists – will alter the Elric brothers course, but their purpose will remain unchanged and their bond unbreakable.
8.5TMDB, weighted
- 6
Peaky Blinders (2013)
Drama, Crime
A gangster family epic set in 1919 Birmingham, England and centered on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby, who means to move up in the world.
8.5TMDB, weighted
- 7
FROM (2022)
Mystery, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Unravel the mystery of a nightmarish town in middle America that traps all those who enter. As the unwilling residents fight to keep a sense of normalcy and search for a way out, they must also survive the threats of the surrounding forest – including the terrifying creatures that come out when the sun goes down.
8.4TMDB, weighted
- 8
BoJack Horseman (2014)
Animation, Comedy, Drama
Meet the most beloved sitcom horse of the '90s , 20 years later. He's a curmudgeon with a heart of...not quite gold...but something like gold. Copper?
8.3TMDB, weighted
- 9
Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995)
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Animation, Drama
At the turn of the century, the Angels returned to Earth, seeking to wipe out humanity in an apocalyptic fury. Devastated, mankind's last remnants moved underground to wait for the day when the Angels would come back to finish the job. Fifteen years later, that day has come... but this time, humanity is ready to fight back with terrifying bio-mechanical weapons known as the Evangelions. Watch as Shinji, Rei, Asuka and the rest of the mysterious shadow agency Nerv battle to save earth from total annihilation.
8.3TMDB, weighted
- 10
Heartstopper (2022)
Drama
Teens Charlie and Nick discover their unlikely friendship might be something more as they navigate school and young love.
8.3TMDB, weighted
- 11
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (2023)
Animation, Action & Adventure, Drama
After the party of heroes defeated the Demon King, they restored peace to the land and returned to lives of solitude. Generations pass, and the elven mage Frieren comes face to face with humanity's mortality. She takes on a new apprentice and promises to fulfill old friends' dying wishes. Can an elven mind make peace with the nature of life and death? Frieren embarks on her quest to find out.
8.3TMDB, weighted
- 12
Haikyu!! (2014)
Animation, Comedy, Drama
Inspired by a small-statured pro volleyball player, Hinata creates a volleyball team in his last year of middle school. Unfortunately the team is matched up against the "King of the Court" Tobio Kageyama’s team in their first tournament and inevitably lose. After the crushing defeat, Hinata vows to surpass Kageyama After entering high school, Hinata joins the volleyball team only to find that Tobio has also joined.
8.3TMDB, weighted
- 13
Fighting Spirit (2000)
Animation, Comedy, Drama
Makunouchi Ippo is an ordinary high school student in Japan. Since he spends most of his time away from school helping his mother run the family business, he doesn't get to enjoy his younger years like most teenagers. Always a target for bullying at school (the family fishing business grants him a distinct odor), Ippo's life is one of hardship. One of these after-school bullying sessions turns Ippo's life around for the better, as he is saved by a boxer named Takamura. He decides to follow in Takamura's footsteps and train to become a boxer, giving his life direction and purpose. Ippo's path to perfecting his pugilistic prowess is just beginning...
8.3TMDB, weighted
- 14
It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)
Drama, Comedy
Desperate to escape from his emotional baggage and the heavy responsibility he’s had all his life, a psychiatric ward worker begins to heal with help from the unexpected – a woman who writes fairy tales but doesn’t believe in them.
8.2TMDB, weighted
- 15
Your Lie in April (2014)
Animation, Comedy, Drama
Kousei Arima was a genius pianist until his mother's sudden death took away his ability to play. Each day was dull for Kousei. But, then he meets a violinist named Kaori Miyazono who has an eccentric playing style. Can the heartfelt sounds of the girl's violin lead the boy to play the piano again?
8.2TMDB, weighted
- 16
Young Royals (2021)
Drama
Prince Wilhelm adjusts to life at his prestigious new boarding school, Hillerska, but following his heart proves more challenging than anticipated.
8.1TMDB, weighted
- 17
Banana Fish (2018)
Animation, Drama, Action & Adventure
A teenaged gang leader in New York City faces his abuser and rival gangs alongside a photojournalist from Japan as they investigate a deadly new drug.
8.1TMDB, weighted
- 18
Vincenzo (2021)
Action & Adventure, Comedy, Drama
During a visit to his motherland, a Korean-Italian Mafia lawyer gives an unrivaled conglomerate a taste of its own medicine with a side of justice.
8.1TMDB, weighted
- 19
Crash Landing on You (2019)
Drama, Comedy
A paragliding mishap drops a South Korean heiress in North Korea -- and into the life of an army officer, who decides he will help her hide.
8.1TMDB, weighted
- 20
Vinland Saga (2019)
Animation, War & Politics, Action & Adventure
For a thousand years, the Vikings have made quite a name and reputation for themselves as the strongest families with a thirst for violence. Thorfinn, the son of one of the Vikings' greatest warriors, spends his boyhood in a battlefield enhancing his skills in his adventure to redeem his most-desired revenge after his father was murdered.
8.1TMDB, weighted
- 21
When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025)
Drama
In Jeju, a spirited girl and a steadfast boy's island story blossoms into a lifelong tale of setbacks and triumphs — proving love endures across time.
8.1TMDB, weighted
- 22
Violet Evergarden (2018)
Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
The war is over, and Violet Evergarden needs a job. Scarred and emotionless, she takes a job as a letter writer to understand herself and her past.
8.1TMDB, weighted
- 23
The Apothecary Diaries (2023)
Animation, Drama, Mystery
Maomao lived a peaceful life with her apothecary father. Until one day, she's sold as a lowly servant to the emperor's palace. But she wasn't meant for a compliant life among royalty. So when imperial heirs fall ill, she decides to step in and find a cure! This catches the eye of Jinshi, a handsome palace official who promotes her. Now, she's making a name for herself solving medical mysteries!
8.0TMDB, weighted
- 24
Alchemy of Souls (2022)
Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure
She was named Naksu because wherever she went, a trail of heads followed. She performs the alchemy of souls, magic that can change people's bodies and souls, which is forbidden in Daeho, and ends up being chased. Naksu hurriedly abandons her body and attempts the alchemy of souls on a woman passing by. Jang Wook, the son of the King of Daeho, realizes that Mudeok's soul has been changed and helps her. Jang Wook wants to learn Naksu's martial arts and become a sorcerer, and Naksu, in the body of Mudeok, stays by his side so she can recover her strength.
8.0TMDB, weighted
- 25
Girl from Nowhere (2018)
Drama, Mystery, Crime
A mysterious, clever girl named Nanno transfers to different schools, exposing the lies and misdeeds of the students and faculty at every turn.
8.0TMDB, weighted
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