100 Best Foreign Shows on Netflix Right Now

100 Best Foreign Shows on Netflix Right Now

March 20, 2025

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As the biggest name in streaming, it won’t be a surprise to hear that Netflix has one of the biggest libraries of movies and shows. The American streaming service obviously hosts plenty of Hollywood blockbusters and indie hits, but viewers might be surprised at the variety of their library, with some shows acquired (and sometimes produced) by Netflix from all over the world. Depending on your algorithm, you might find some of them come up top in your home page, but if you’ve stuck with Hollywood films and want to start watching something out of your comfort zone, we’ve listed some of the best foreign series available on Netflix for you to start.

61. Black Warrant

7.5

Genres

Crime, Drama

Actors

Anurag Thakur, Paramvir Singh Cheema, Rahul Bhat, Rajendra Gupta

Moods

Discussion-sparking, Gripping, Mini-series

With the fresh-faced cast and the sleek camerawork, Black Warrant, at first, didn’t seem to be the gritty adaptation of the exposé outlining the systemic corruption of the Tihar Jail in the 1980s. But, aesthetic aside, that’s precisely what Black Warrant is. Opening to Zahan Kapoor as Sunil Gupta being interviewed for the job as jailer, the show takes him and the audience to the tour of the notorious prison, and it’s a gripping one not because of the usual prisoner shenanigans, but because of the way the officers themselves happen to be in on the drugs and alcohol trade inside– and they’re ready to pin it all on Gupta if things go down. Showrunner Vikramaditya Motwane pulls it all together with excellent performances from the cast, an eerie score, and the real life headlines of some of India’s notorious prisoners.

62. Elite

7.4

Genres

Crime, Drama, Mystery

Actors

Álvaro de Juana, Álvaro Rico, André Lamoglia, Aron Piper

Moods

Binge-Worthy

Three kids from a poor neighborhood win scholarships to the best high-school in Spain and later find themselves at the center of a murder. There is a lot that comes to the surface from the working-class kids clashing with the wealthy. Themes of money, power, religion, and even sexuality make this show so compelling that I never felt like I needed a murder to keep watching.

63. Mask Girl

7.4

Genres

Drama

Actors

Ahn Jae-hong, Ko Hyun-jung, Lee Han-byul, Nana

Moods

Binge-Worthy, Dark, Intense

Mask Girl is a dark comedic thriller that follows people on the fringes of beauty norms trying to live with their pain and shame. Low self-esteem and a desire for attention are at the center of the drama, making it relatable and easy to empathize with even when everything goes awry. Although Mo-mi, the titular Mask Girl, is at the forefront of the narrative, subsequent episodes switch to new perspectives, allowing us to interact with Mo-mi in different ways. And with each new character’s POV, we witness how other ostracized people find comfort in and hurt each other when there’s no one else to turn to. The first three episodes are intense and surprisingly violent, but ultimately seeing the extremes of the discrimination that beauty standards perpetuate makes the story worthwhile.

64. Informa

7.4

Genres

Drama, Mystery

Actors

Go Morita, Kana Kita, Kenta Kiritani, Reo Sano

Moods

Action-packed, Suspenseful, Thrilling

Informa is a thrilling and fun look into the world of yakuza informants. As the titular character Keijiro Kihara takes new writer Kanji Mishima around town to show him the ropes, the series plays with a buddy cop dynamic without the restrictions that police have. Fresh-faced Mishima remains wide-eyed, as Kihara brings him to yakuza hotspots, sometimes intentionally provoking situations with the yakuza through taunting words, but walking away without harm. The series sometimes makes weird shifts, with the first episode halving a serious torture sequence of one gang, and inserting a more lighthearted sequence with Mishima’s crew in between. However, the strange edits don’t distract from the overall mystery and vibe of the series. Informa feels as intriguing but as chaotic as its titular protagonist.

65. In Love All Over Again

7.4

Genres

Drama

Actors

Albert Salazar, Blanca Martínez, Carlos González, Franco Masini

Moods

Lovely, Mini-series, Romantic

In Love All Over Again has many of the romance tropes fans of the genre would enjoy. The star-crossed lovers, the gay best friend, the absent-minded but well-meaning parent, and the classic romance drama jobs are present in the series. However, unlike other series, the show literally starts off with a bang. The main couple don’t get separated because of toxic dynamics or tragedy, but literally because of the 2004 Madrid train bombings. But this isn’t just a one-off event, it’s the event that shifts Irene’s life forever, as she tries to heal and process the event as best as she can. Some of the series’ plot points may not be new, but it’s sincere in examining how that event affected people’s lives, without being overly dramatic. The resulting series is sweet and it captures the Y2K nostalgia that’s currently en vogue.

66. GOOD NIGHT WORLD

7.4

Genres

Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actors

Akio Otsuka, Aoi Yuki, Aya Endo, Daisuke Hirose

Moods

Action-packed, Character-driven, Depressing

With games creating whole virtual worlds, with stunning landscapes, powers, and storylines, it’s easy to escape into the fictional simulations, to the point of being addicted. Good Night World reimagines this idea in the present as a family drama, where video game addict Tachiro Arima struggles to relate with his family because of his addiction. As the show progresses, the game integrates with the real world, with real life-threatening consequences, but the show slowly uncovers how this game unraveled the Arimas’ family bonds, through neglect, depression, and shared trauma. It’s an interesting series about connection and video games, if you can get into the world of the series.

67. Divorce Attorney Shin

7.4

Genres

Drama

Actors

Cha Hwa-yeon, Cho Seung-woo, Han Eun-seong, Han Hye-jin

Moods

Character-driven, Discussion-sparking, Emotional

There are plenty of divorce-related Korean dramas, but Divorce Attorney Shin is a gem among them. Based on the webtoon with the same name, the show is centered on an eccentric lawyer, whose trot-dancing ways and unconventional handling of clients doesn’t detract from his winning cases. Instead of the ruthless and collected attorneys we’ve seen previously, Shin Sung-han has a human side, a side that enables him to empathize with his clients. And like the lawyer, the show does the same, handling multiple cases, without discarding them by the end of the episode, and embracing its nuances in a well-rounded way.

68. The Snow Girl

7.4

Genres

Crime, Mystery

Actors

Aixa Villagrán, José Coronado, Loreto Mauleón, Milena Smit

Moods

Challenging, Character-driven, Dark

Child kidnapping is any parent’s nightmare, and it’s the nightmare that drives the events of Spanish crime thriller The Snow Girl. Based on the 2020 novel of the same name, the limited series takes a unique double-pronged approach to the case at hand. The show goes through the regular police investigations we’ve seen previously, but it also comes mainly from the perspective of journalist Miren Rojo, whose previous trauma understandably limits her trust with the authorities. As the show moves the story from New York to Malaga, and switches between perspectives, and timelines, The Snow Girl adeptly maintains the novel’s original suspense, without over sensationalizing the crime at hand.

69. Cigarette Girl

7.4

Genres

Drama

Actors

Aksara Dena, Ario Bayu, Arya Saloka, Dian Sastrowardoyo

Moods

Character-driven, Dramatic, Emotional

Netflix is no stranger to adapting novels, nor to period dramas – Cigarette Girl is one of many, but it’s one from Indonesia that stands out due to its unique premise and excellent execution. Based on the novel by Ratih Kumala, the show is a slow-burn, smoldering period romance set amidst Indonesia’s kretek cigarette industry, booming in the 1960s, but it’s framed within the 2000s, where the man’s family uncovers his lost love before he dies. The alternating timelines keep the mystery fresh, as each new revelation uncovers what really happened between the two, as well as what would happen with the fate of their families. This intriguing structure, along with excellent writing, and stunning sets and costumes, make Cigarette Girl a compelling show to watch.

70. VIVANT

7.4

Genres

Drama

Actors

Fumi Nikaido, Hiroshi Abe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Masato Sakai

Moods

Action-packed, Binge-Worthy, Gripping

With an accounting mistake leading to being stranded in the desert, it’s hard to predict where VIVANT would lead us to. As corporate employee Yusuke tries to undo his supposed accounting error, he gets into a series of surprising events including having to negotiate with a terrorist, being accused of a bombing, and escaping to a Japanese embassy… and that’s just in the first episode. But rather than feeling overly complicated, the story feels exciting, like something akin to a spy thriller, with its large-scale sets, multi-country stakes, and the mystery of a secret organization. Vivant feels totally unexpected and out of left field, but it’s definitely a unique and entertaining watch.

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