What to Watch on Netflix (October 2026)

The best of Netflix right now, ranked by Kernel Score, with an honest verdict and a parents' guide on every title. US availability, updated 2026-10-12.

Best Movies on Netflix Right Now

  1. I Swear 97% · 2025 · ages 15+
  2. Alien 96% · 1979 · ages 15+
    A slow-building haunted-house story set on a space freighter, where a creature picks off the crew. It still works because of its atmosphere, its tension and the design of the monster.
  3. Memento 96% · 2000 · Rated R
    A revenge thriller told in reverse, so you're as confused as the hero, who can't form new memories. It's clever, bleak and rewards a second viewing, and it puts you inside his head.
  4. Top Gun: Maverick 96% · 2022 · ages 10+
    A rare sequel that tops the original, with real flying, a likeable Tom Cruise and a clean, emotional story. Its action is thrilling and easy to follow.
  5. Grave of the Fireflies 96% · 1988 · ages 11+
    Two orphaned children try to survive in wartime Japan. It's a devastating, honest animated film that never plays down the cost of war on the young. Watch it knowing it will hurt, and you will remember it.
  6. The Prestige 95% · 2006 · ages 11+
    Two rival stage magicians spend years trying to ruin each other, and Nolan builds the story like a trick, with clues you can miss. It is dark, clever and rewarding to rewatch, with a final twist that fits.
  7. Aliens 94% · 1986 · ages 15+
    Ripley returns with a squad of marines in an action-heavy follow-up to Alien. It is tense, exciting and full of great characters, and it's one of the best sequels ever made.
  8. The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo 94% · 2020 · ages 13+
  9. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge 93% · 1995 · Rated G
    One of Bollywood's biggest love stories, about two young people and a stern father. It's long and full of songs, but it's warm, charming and utterly sincere.
  10. 1917 92% · 2019 · ages 14+
    A World War I mission shot to look like one unbroken take. The technique pulls you into the trenches and never lets go, and the cast of young soldiers keeps it human. Visually extraordinary and tense throughout.

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Best TV Shows on Netflix Right Now

  1. Breaking Bad 99% · 2008 · ages 15+
    A chemistry teacher with cancer starts cooking meth, and the show follows each choice he makes with unforgiving logic. The writing, acting and tension stay high across the whole run, and it is a benchmark for crime drama.
  2. Extraordinary Attorney Woo 94% · 2022 · ages 12+
  3. Crash Landing on You 94% · 2019 · ages 14+
  4. When Life Gives You Tangerines 94% · 2025 · ages 11+
  5. The Good Bad Mother 94% · 2023 · ages 13+
  6. Lucifer 93% · 2016 · ages 13+
    A bored Devil moves to Los Angeles and helps the police solve murders. It's light, flirty and funny, with a charming lead, though the cases can be formulaic. Viewers love it, which says plenty.
  7. Dark 93% · 2017 · ages 14+
    A dark, twisty German time-travel mystery that starts with a missing child and spirals through generations. It demands close attention, but it pays off for those who stay with it.
  8. The Queen's Gambit 93% · 2020 · ages 15+
    A tight miniseries about an orphan who becomes a chess prodigy while battling her demons. It's stylish, beautifully acted and makes chess exciting even if you don't play. A great watch.
  9. Drake & Josh 93% · 2004 · all ages
  10. My Holo Love 93% · 2020

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Best Family Movies & Shows on Netflix

  1. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge 93% · 1995 · Rated G
    One of Bollywood's biggest love stories, about two young people and a stern father. It's long and full of songs, but it's warm, charming and utterly sincere.
  2. Drake & Josh 93% · 2004 · all ages
  3. Anne with an E 92% · 2017 · ages 8+
    A talkative orphan girl arrives in a small 1890s town and slowly wins people over. It's warm, thoughtful and well acted, and it takes on harder subjects than most family dramas.
  4. Klaus 92% · 2019 · all ages
    A warm, beautifully drawn Christmas story about a lazy postman and a reclusive toymaker. It's funny, sweet and inventive, and a genuine alternative to the usual holiday fare.
  5. Violet Evergarden: The Movie 92% · 2020 · ages 6+
  6. Our Planet 92% · 2019 · all ages
  7. The Amazing Digital Circus 92% · 2023 · Rated TV-PG
  8. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 91% · 2018 · ages 6+
    Miles Morales gets bitten by a spider and becomes one of several Spider-people in a film that looks like a living comic book. It is funny, fast and heartfelt, and one of the most inventive superhero films ever made.
  9. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio 91% · 2022 · ages 8+
    Guillermo del Toro's stop-motion Pinocchio is dark, beautiful and moving, set in fascist Italy with a story about being loved as you are. It's more serious than most family films, and easily one of the best animated movies in years.
  10. Henry Danger 91% · 2014 · ages 5+

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