American streaming service Netflix has had its share of popular and acclaimed original series in the English language. But to diversify its operations all over the world, it’s increasingly investing in producing and distributing shows in other languages too.
Some like Darkand Money Heisthas turned into global phenomena while others like Kingdom and Sacred Games are contributing a lot to their own country’s pop cultures, while others unfairly fall under the radar for one reason or another. Here are some of the highest-rated ones, as per their rankings on IMDb.
3% (Brazil) – 7.4
3% treads on familiar ground but adds its own twist to it. Fans of dystopian teen fiction like The Hunger Games would admire this Portuguese-language thriller series set in a futuristic wasteland where the majority of the population are impoverished.
Every year, each 20-year old from this reality is given a chance to live in a Utopian virtual island called the Offshore. But before reaching this paradise, they have to qualify a series of tests. As the title hints, only three percent make it through this test. The setting seems familiar but 3% succeeds benefits from a complex set of characters, each with a diverse backstory.
Ragnarok (Norway) – 7.5
Ragnarok refers to an apocalyptic series of events that would lead to the end of the world, as per Norse mythology. This Norwegian fantasy deals with a similar catastrophe that would be used because of increasing pollution and climate change. A rich family embodying these human-made plagues pose a threat to a small town. It turns out that this family is a group of Giants and Giantesses.
Enter the show’s teenage protagonist Magne who’s bestowed with the power and the hammer of none another than Thor, the Nordic god of thunder. Ragnarok is a fun take on the adventure/fantasy genre and while it isn’t a wildly original concept, the show still manages to entertain.
A Very Secret Service (France) – 7.8
A smartly-written, witty spy comedy from France, A Very Secret Service is set in the ’60s and revolves around a trainee officer with the French Secret Services.
While the show has enough gags and jokes to reference the spy genre, it also serves as a time capsule for a changing France. There are plenty of satirical depictions scattered all over the show from the Cold War to Algeria’s independence from France, as well as cultural developments like new-age feminism and New Wave cinema.
Unorthodox (Germany) – 8.0
A German-American production, this miniseries is mostly presented in Yiddish and German. It’s increasingly binge-worthy with its moving, relevant premise drawn in the course of just four episodes. Shira Haas shows great potential playing the lead character Etsy, a soft-spoken 19-year old woman from an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in New York.
Unorthodox offers an insider’s perspective into the strict, patriarchal, and extremist zeal in her religious sect. Frustrated with her monotonous existence, she runs away to Germany to pursue her musical interests. Unorthodoxis a show that can be uneasy to watch at times, considering the real, tragic cases it’s inspired from. At the same time, it’s a show that can inspire similar bold stories to build awareness.
TIE: Fauda (Israel) – 8.2
Fauda is a drama detailing the lives of operatives in Israeli Defense Forces in different zones of conflict, like Palestine and the Gaza Strip. The show has been vastly popular among local audiences, with many praising the way both sides of the conflict are shown in a humane manner. While viewers would root for the counter-terrorism specialist Doron and his team, Fauda also conveys the futility of war and sectarian conflicts between nations.
If there’s one criticism, it’s that Faudasometimes seems to evoke a relentless machismo in its lead characters that seems a tad bit dated.
TIE: Samurai Gourmet (Japan) – 8.2
A slice of life series, Samurai Gourmet stars Naoto Takenaka as a retired man who spends his days drinking and eating the best delicacies. Apart from pleasing his senses, these culinary experiences also awaken his imaginary persona of a samurai living in the age of Japanese civil wars.
The Japanese series makes for perfect viewing sessions for those who seek a little escapism in life. Much like the show’s simple yet elegant cinematography, Samurai Gourmet celebrates the mundane activities of human life along with our daily fantasies.
TIE: Kingdom (South Korea) – 8.4
A South Korean show that blends various genres, Kingdom is a political period horror thriller drama. Set in Korea’s Joseon period, the show depicts the life of monarch Lee Chang and his struggles to maintain peace in his kingdom as rival invasions and a plague turn into looming threats.
The first Netflix series from South Korea, the show boasts of high production value, costume design, socio-political statements, and cutting-edge action sequences that make Kingdom a unique Netflix original in its own right.
TIE: Money Heist (Spain) – 8.4
There are many things about Money Heist that can tell you about its iconic status. Its well-layered plot of bank heists with interpersonal drama helped in innovating Spanish television. The series also led to the resurgence of the Italian anti-fascist song Bella Ciao while the Salvador Dali masks that the lead characters wear are as popular as the artist.
Initially a two-part miniseries for local Spanish networks, the series acquired new life when Netflix decided to distribute the heist drama. Netflix pushed for two more highly-viewed seasons, commissioning a fifth and final one for the near future.
Sacred Games (India) – 8.7
Based on a best-selling Indian novel, Sacred Games is a show mostly written in the Indian languages of Hindi and Marathi. On the surface, it seems like a simple cat-and-mouse chase between a ruthless gangster and a troubled police officer. But it’s much more than that incorporating classic gangster drama tropes, themes from Hindu mythology, and even contemporary issues like India’s growing communalism.
Sacred Games definitely helped in building buzz for Netflix originals in India paving the way for many other Indian shows on the service which unfortunately still can’t match its cult status.
Dark (Germany)- 8.8
Germany’s first Netflix series is a mind-bending, philosophic trip in the German town of Winden. After a child disappears, several secrets and hidden connections get revealed as four estranged families find themselves connected through a time travel conspiracy.
The show is as ambitious as it sounds, exceeding expectations in more ways than one during its three seasons. Dark demands the audience’s patience at times, with its perplexing time-traveling and surreal sci-fi themes taking their time to unfold. But once viewers get the hang of it, Dark becomes a genuine nail-biter.
