16 unmissable Netflix shows you can binge in under 10 hours

When you think of binge watching, you probably think of Netflix. The streamer practically invented the practice, and to this day most new seasons of its shows are released in the same model, with all the episodes becoming available at once.

This can be a joy for viewers, but can also be daunting. Getting stuck into a show which runs and runs can be a less than ideal prospect, especially if you’re short on time.

That’s where we come in. We’ve looked through Netflix’s library and picked out 16 of the best shows you can watch in under 10 hours.

These show are all thriller, no filler, and you can blast through them at pace. Of course, they are from all sort of genres – whether it’s big, zeitgeist capturing dramas like Adolescence and Baby Reindeer, beloved Harlan Coben thrillers like Fool Me Once or comedies like After Life, Ricky Gervais’s show which recently won Radio Times‘s modern comedy poll.

So what are you waiting for? Read on four our list of 16 shows you can watch now on Netflix in under 10 hours.

1. Baby Reindeer

Richard Gadd stars in this semi-autobiographical drama as Donny Dunn, a struggling comedian whose life is upended after a chance encounter with Martha, a vulnerable woman who starts to stalk him. What begins with a moment of awkward kindness spirals into relentless harassment, as the series veers between the darkly comic and deeply harrowing. As the drama peels back layers of Donny’s own past, it stands out for its honesty and willingness to confront uncomfortable truths.

2. Adolescence

This hard-hitting four-part drama, created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, delves into the aftermath of a shocking crime. The series charts the emotional fallout that occurs after a teenage boy is accused of murdering a female classmate. Graham, who also stars in the series, delivers a powerful performance as the boy’s father, while Ashley Walters plays the investigating detective. Each episode is filmed in a single take, heightening the intensity and realism, while the series tackles themes of toxic masculinity, online activism and violence against women with unflinching honesty.

3. Bodies

This inventive crime drama interweaves four timelines, each featuring a detective somehow investigating the same murder in London. The series jumps between 1890, 1941, 2023 and 2053, stars Shira Haas, Stephen Graham, Amaka Okafor and Kyle Soller, among others. It has an ambitious, compelling structure, and features strong performances throughout. Bodies keeps viewers guessing, blending detective intrigue with science fiction elements for a truly original experience.

4. Ripley

Adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s acclaimed novels, this 1960s-set psychological thriller follows the enigmatic Tom Ripley, played by Andrew Scott. Hired to travel to Italy and persuade the wealthy Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) to return home, con man Ripley soon becomes entangled in a web of deceit and ambition. With stunning black and white visuals and a backdrop of sun-soaked Mediterranean glamour, this is a thriller you can really sink your teeth into.

5. The Haunting of Hill House

This modern reimagining of Shirley Jackson’s classic novel follows the fractured Crain family, haunted by both literal and figurative ghosts. The story shifts between past and present, revealing the events that drove the family from the sinister Hill House. The ensemble cast includes Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Carla Gugino, and the series has been celebrated for its atmospheric horror, as well as its intricate storytelling and its exploration of grief and trauma.

6. Maniac

This mind-bending limited series stars Emma Stone and Jonah Hill as Annie and Owen, two strangers who meet during a mysterious pharmaceutical drug trial. As the experiment unfolds, their realities fracture, plunging them into surreal dreamscapes and alternate lives. Directed with visual flair, the series blends science fiction, dark comedy and psychological drama, while Stone and Hill’s chemistry anchors the narrative.

7. The Stranger

This twisty thriller, based on Harlan Coben’s novel, stars Richard Armitage as Adam Price, an ordinary man whose life is upended when a mysterious stranger reveals a devastating secret about his wife. The propulsive eight-part series also stars Hannah John-Kamen, Siobhan Finneran and Jennifer Saunders, and was a huge hit for Netflix in 2020.

8. Fool Me Once

This psychological thriller, based on a novel by Harlan Coben, stars Michelle Keegan as Maya, a widow who begins to question everything when she spots her supposedly dead husband on a nanny cam. As she investigates, secrets unravel and danger mounts. The series also stars Adeel Akhtar, Richard Armitage and Joanna Lumley and was a huge hit for Netflix upon its debut.

9. Toxic Town

This four-part drama from Jack Thorne brings attention to the Corby poisonings case, where several mothers fought for justice after their babies were born with birth defects linked to hazardous waste. Jodie Whittaker, Aimee Lou Wood, Claudia Jessie and Karla Crome star as just some of the women at the heart of the story and the series, like Mr Bates before it, has been praised for shining a light on a very real issue, while also acting as a heart-breaking and inspiring drama in its own right.

10. After Life

This comedy-drama series from Ricky Gervais sees the actor, writer and comedian play Tony, a local journalist struggling with overwhelming grief following the death of his wife. After Life blends dark, caustic comedy with heartfelt drama, as Tony’s bitterness gives way to unexpected moments of kindness and connection. The series, which ran for three seasons, also stars the likes of Penelope Wilton and Diane Morgan.

11. Missing You

This Harlan Coben thriller follows Detective Inspector Kat Donovan, played by Rosalind Eleazar, who one day finds her fiancé, who has been missing for 10 years on a dating app. As she tries to uncover the truth, it leads her into a web of secrets, lies, and danger, where she must confront her own past and the possibility that her fiancé may not be who she thought.

12. The Queen’s Gambit

Anya Taylor-Joy delivers a mesmerising performance as Beth Harmon, a chess prodigy navigating the male-dominated world of competitive chess in the 1960s, in this acclaimed period drama. The series charts Beth’s rise to fame, her struggles with addiction and her quest for self-acceptance – few thought that chess could ever be this intense of exciting, but this series really does make it both thrilling and accessible, even to newcomers.

13. Living with Yourself

Paul Rudd stars in this dark comedy as Miles, a man who undergoes an experimental treatment which offers to give him a better life. However, he soon releases that he’s been replaced by a clone, a better version of himself. As Miles grapples with his existential crisis and battles his doppelgänger for control of his life, the series blends humour, sci-fi and psychological drama.

14. When They See Us

Ava DuVernay’s powerful miniseries tells the true story of the Central Park Five, five Black and Latino teenagers who were wrongfully convicted of assault in 1989 New York. The series chronicles their arrest, interrogation, trial and eventual exoneration, highlighting the systemic racism and injustice they faced.

15. Clark

This stylish Swedish crime drama is inspired by the life of Clark Olofsson, a notorious criminal whose exploits captivated the public and brought about the term ‘Stockholm syndrome’. The series, which stars a never-better Bill Skarsgård, blends fact and fiction, chronicling Clark’s audacious heists, prison escapes and complex relationships while throwing some outlandish sequences into the mix.

16. One Day

Based on David Nicholls’s best-selling novel, this Netflix adaptation of One Day follows the lives of Emma (Ambika Mod) and Dexter (Leo Woodall), who meet at university and pass in and out of each other’s lives. We track them over the years by checking in on the same day each year, as their relationship evolves. It’s a series which charts emotional highs and lows, and will likely not leave a single dry eye come its heartbreaking end.

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