It can be comforting to watch the same shows over and over again, but sometimes, you might be looking for something that breaks up the tedium. Netflix is filled with interesting shows, but knowing where to start can be a challenge.
Hopefully, that’s where we come in. We’ve compiled a list of three underrated Netflix shows that are well worth checking out this weekend. Even better? Each show is relatively bite-sized, meaning you can get through it in a single weekend or savor it a little bit longer to make it last.
We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
A totally under-the-radar coming-of-age series, Penelope follows a young girl who feels alienated from modern society and decides to try to build a new life out in the wilderness. Anchored by a revelatory performance from Megan Stott, Penelope is beautifully shot and the kind of fantasy about escaping modernity that many people long for today.
The coming-of-age genre is filled with stories that repeat the same beats ad nauseam. Yet one of the best things about Penelope is that the show understands how it can be genuinely innovative.
You can watch Penelope on Netflix.
Adapting a best-selling novel of the same name, One Day tells the story of two star-crossed lovers on the same day every year over decades. The series, which stars Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod in two brilliant central performances, is all about the ways people may or might not ever really sync up, even if they’re clearly meant for one another.
One Day is the kind of modern romance that seems to understand the way love really works, and its ability to chronicle different days in each episode gives it a structure and rhythm that few shows of this kind can imitate.
You can watch One Day on Netflix.
Mike Flanagan’s Netflix work has been varied, but his most underrated series might be The Haunting of Bly Manor. Adapted from Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, the series tells the story of a governess who is hired to look after two troubled children in the 1980s.
As she becomes increasingly convinced that something supernatural is happening at the house, we come to understand the house’s haunted history and how the children at the manor have been affected by it. Bly Manor is spooky, sweet, and surprising, anchored by a truly excellent central performance from Victoria Pedretti.
You can watch The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix.
Some of the best shots in Grok Imagine’s AI-made Odyssey don’t contain actors. Ancient landscapes stretch into the distance. Close-ups of grimy hands suggest people who have touched something rougher than a keyboard. For a few seconds, the illusion holds.
https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911
YouTube videos could soon look better without eating quite so much data, right? Thankfully, the platform plans to introduce a new video format called AV2 on its web player in early 2027, promising more efficient streaming and potentially fewer playback hiccups on slower internet connections. The big headline is a roughly 30% improvement in compression efficiency over AV1, YouTube's existing video format. That doesn't guarantee every video will use 30% less data, but it could make streaming a little easier on both internet connections and data allowances.
What is AV2, and why should viewers care?
YouTube is changing how its Home page works, giving viewers more control over what shows up there and making some of the app’s most-used sections easier to reach. Custom Feeds are now replacing the existing topic chips for eligible users, while YouTube is also testing a redesigned top bar on mobile that moves Subscriptions closer to the Home feed.
YouTube first started experimenting with Custom Feeds earlier this year, letting you type out what you wanted to watch and turning that request into its own stream of recommendations. Now, the feature is starting to look less like a side experiment and more like something YouTube actually wants people to use as part of their everyday Home page.