So many new Netflix original TV series [1] have already debuted in 2019 that it would truly be impossible to watch them all (unless you never leave your house again, which we wouldn't recommend). Naturally, there are some standouts [2] among the dozens of new series, so rather than working your way down the list, we're got some shows that you should really prioritise. From dark thrillers to kinky romps, a few new series have really pushed the envelope when it comes to originality, diversity, and incredible storytelling, and we can only hope to see a second season of them all. Please, Netflix?
Sex Education
In Sex Education — starring Gillian Anderson and Asa Butterfield — an inexperienced high school student, who ironically has plenty of sexual knowledge thanks to his sex therapist mother, decides to team up with a bad girl and open an underground sex therapy clinic at school. It's hilariously implausible, it's insanely raunchy, it seems to take place in a mysterious vacuum of time [3], and it's brilliant. We need more details on season two [4], stat.
Watch it now [5].
Osmosis
Set in near-future Paris, this French sci-fi series is basically an extended episode of Black Mirror, following the effects of a dating app — created by tech company Osmosis and run by brother-sister duo Paul and Esther — that matches people with their supposed soulmates based on an algorithm that uses brain data and personal memories. A second season has not yet been announced for this freaky series, but we're feeling pretty damn hopeful that we'll see one.
Watch it now [6].
Russian Doll
Orange Is the New Black [7]'s Natasha Lyonne stars in this dark comedy series about a woman caught in a Groundhog Day-type loop, repeatedly attending the same party, dying, and waking up the next day unharmed. Lyonne also serves as an executive producer for the show alongside Amy Poehler [8] and Leslye Headland, so if you have any doubt about how funny it is, you shouldn't. Future seasons haven't been confirmed yet, but the creators have dropped hints [9] about a potential second and third season, so stand by.
Watch it now [10].
Dead to Me
This dark comedy from Liz Feldman, the writer of 2 Broke Girls, tells the story of an unlikely friendship that blossoms between Judy, a free spirit played by Linda Cardellini, and Jen, a hotheaded widow played by Christina Applegate [11]. The Jen-Judy dynamic is one of the best dysfunctional female friendships we've seen since Grace and Frankie, and the totally bingeable 10-episode series ends on a cliffhanger that has us certain it will return for more [12].
Watch it now [13].
The Society
You'd think that waking up in a world that exactly resembles your affluent New England town — except for the fact that it's missing all of your parents — would be awesome, but (spoiler alert!) the fun in New Ham doesn't last long. The cast of this YA drama series is full of sparkly Gen-Z actors [14] who you may or may not already know from their other projects, and the premise is just as delicious and addicting as Pretty Little Liars [15] (before, you know, that show got totally bonkers). Think Gossip Girl [16] meets Lord of the Flies.
Watch it now [17].
Bonding
In this short-form dark comedy series, two former high school BFFs, Pete and Tiff, reconnect years later in New York City only to discover that Pete is gay and that Tiff (who attends grad school by day) is secretly one of the city's top dominatrices, introducing Pete to a whole new underground world of sexual secrecy and BDSM. Yes, the premise is totally crazy, but it's crazy in a great way, and we're keeping our fingers crossed that it returns for a second season.
Watch it now [18].
Chambers
Starring Uma Thurman [19] and Tony Goldwyn, this supernatural drama revolves around a young heart attack survivor who finds herself taking on the characteristics of her teenage heart donor — some of which are pretty disquieting, to say the least. It's the best paranormal series we've seen since The Haunting of Hill House, and it's got a beautiful young cast [20] that gives us major 13 Reasons Why [21] vibes. Super scandalous and genuinely terrifying — what more could you want in a show?
Watch it now [22].
Special
Based on the hilarious Ryan O'Connell's part-memoir, part-manifesto I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves, this coming-of-age comedy series follows O'Connell's own challenges and triumphs as a gay man navigating the world with mild cerebral palsy. We haven't heard anything about a second season yet, but the revolutionary show has already proved itself to be tightly constructed, painfully honest, and seriously laugh-out-loud funny (not to mention easy to binge in a single weekend!).
Watch it now. [23]