100 Best TV-MA TV Shows on Netflix Right Now

Created by Harlan Coben (the crime novelist-turned-showrunner behind many streaming mysteries), Safe is a fast-paced thriller following a widower in search of his missing daughter. The more he digs, the more he realizes that his town is anything but small and sleepy, and that he can’t trust the people closest to him. It’s the sort of show that involves multiple people and plotlines, which could easily go south if it fell into the wrong hands, but Safe manages to make it all work. It doesn’t require you to care deeply about these characters, but it does pull you in with its shocking secrets and (at times frustrating) cliffhangers. Sure, it can get soapy at times, but it’s never not entertaining. And though it revisits the night of the disappearance often, it always features a new angle and point of view, making it feel fresh every single time.

Released just a few weeks after Amazon Prime’s three-parter on the same subject, Netflix’s Escaping Twin Flames focuses on the victims of the cult, their recovery, and how some of them are making amends for the harmful things they’ve done while part of the cult. Director Cecilia Peck is a careful storyteller, balancing cold hard facts with heavy emotion so that the overall tone is respectful and never overly sentimental or sensational. Notably, Peck doesn’t shine too much light on the perpetrators themselves, Jeff and Shaleia Ayan, but this leaves plenty of room for the victims to share their manifold stories. The three hours pass by swiftly, and the build-up to its heartbreaking end feels very much earned. 

Tragedy can strike at any time, but some instances are preventable, and rare is the instance where people do seek justice for it. After all, after losing so much, it would be awful to fight and lose again. But these instances do still exist, and one such incident is the Uphaar cinema fire. Trial by Fire depicts this tragedy, but rather than focusing on the fire itself, it focuses on the fight the victims’ families took in order to seek justice. The show doesn’t play out as a courtroom drama, it takes an intimate look into their day-to-day actions, faithfully portrayed by the excellent Rajshri Deshpande and Abhay Deol. And while the industrial giants depicted tried to file an injunction against this show’s screening, thankfully, Trial by Fire is still able to make its stand. It’s solemn and grim, but it’s a potent reminder of the power we hold as a collective.

When watching fantasy anime, there’s a wonderfully whimsical world that viewers can fully explore. Spectacular magic, brave warriors, and strange creatures are all expected, but every exploring troop needs supplies. Money, weapons, and of course, food are needed to survive the wondrous yet perilous adventures they set out to embark on. Delicious in Dungeon recognizes these practicalities, and creates a whole episodic adventure that focuses more on the possible food ecosystems of a fantasy world rather than the seemingly serious quests they embark upon. It makes for a slightly silly approach poking fun at the fantasy genre, but it’s definitely something unique, especially when it brings about mouthwatering exotic dishes made from monsters.

It takes Monsieur Spade some time to settle into its skin. The first few hours are dedicated to introducing as many side characters and backstories as possible, and though this could have been more elegantly executed, it eventually pays off. The main mystery, once you get to it, is layered and complex, and watching Spade physically and verbally spar with Philippe is its own kind of reward. Their curt but cutting dialogue harkens back to past noirs, and it’s a delight to see that tradition live on in the genre.

The Program starts small and intimate, with director Katherine Kubler sharing the story of how she got into a school that turned out to be, in everything but name, a prison. In Ivy Ridge, Kubler and her peers were physically assaulted and subjected to cult-like practices, with most of the kids leaving the institution worse off than better. But soon the diaristic approach gives way to a complex and well-researched investigation of what is known as the “troubled teen industry.” As it turns out, there are plenty of other institutions like Ivy Ridge that scam desperate parents into spending thousands of dollars to incarcerate their kids and hand them over to faux educators. There are times when Kubler’s anger (understandably) gets the better of her and the storytelling, but ultimately, this is a well-made and important account of an overlooked atrocity.

A lot of different (good) shows come to mind after watching Bodkin’s first few minutes. Like Ted Lasso, it follows a relentlessly optimistic American as he prances along in a foreign land. Like Only Murders in the Building, it follows true crime podcasters while also parodying them in a funny and meta way. I can go on and on, especially about small towns and the secrets they hold close to their chest, but ultimately Bodkin is its own thing. It has a smart, confident, wry tone that is always intriguing and never off-putting to watch. Each of the trio expertly balances the other so that the show never gets too snarky or saccharine. It’s just right, and offers some great surprises near the end.

About love as much as it is about loneliness, romance as much as realism and the longing for a genuine connection as much as being tired of that longing – this is a smart and well nuanced series on building relationships. It follows Gus and Mickey, two damaged people trying to recover from bad breakups. They’re respectively played by writer/creater Paul Rust and Gillian Jacobs (Britta from Community). Love portrays their love story as an example of relationships by default, chemistry that stems more from the need to be in a relationship than any physical or intellectual attraction. And it features many hilarious sequences, some are cleverly composed jokes but most of them are the painfully-real type.

With a turbulent publication history – rebooting three times with three separate publishers – the Netflix adaptation of Akuma Kun doesn’t have the exact same plot or protagonists. Instead of the original Shingo Umoregi from the 60s manga and 80s anime, this show hands it off to Shingo’s successor and son Ichiro, who conducts the same magical experiments but also investigates rogue paranormal activity. However, this anime doesn’t stray too far from the original, taking inspiration from the 60s with its ink scratched art style, and even calling back the original director and voice actors. It makes for a weird and quirky supernatural series that stands out from today’s anime, while still honoring the original creator, the late Shigeru Mizuki, on his 100th birthday.

Today’s child pop stars have a lot on their plate. On top of the already strenuous touring schedule, they have to deal with the fact that every move they make can be recorded, saved, and spread online just to cause their own downfall. Brazilian popstar Luisa Sonza grew up with the spotlight, and at the ripe old age of 25, has gone through two messy break-ups, a nude leak, and a racist controversy, all while creating two of her most captivating albums so far. If I Were Luisa Sonza portrays her at her most vulnerable– through the creating process, and the team meetings, and the doctor visits– but also at her most defiant, as she turns her scandals into art. The resulting intimate documentary might just be one part of her life, as she declares, but it’s just the precise viewpoint from this generation’s artists that is needed to question what it means to be a young artist in this day and age.