Pandemic survival and Edo revenge headline 10 Netflix adventure shows where every episode is a masterpiece
Kindness after catastrophe
Sweet Tooth is set years after the Sick pandemic transforms civilization and human-animal hybrid children begin appearing. Gus, a sheltered deer-boy played by Christian Convery, leaves home to search for family.
The series balances innocence with danger, including themes of disease, loss, experimentation and militias. Its adventure focuses on kindness surviving catastrophe, alongside action and grief.
A hunt through Edo Japan
Blue Eye Samurai takes place in seventeenth-century Edo-period Japan and follows Mizu, a mixed-race sword fighter played by Maya Erskine. She conceals her identity while seeking the white men who were in Japan around the time of her conception.
The animated series combines intense combat and striking visuals with stories about identity, revenge and the consequences of decisions. Its episodes are described as emotionally forceful and carefully constructed.
A mystery across generations
The German science-fiction adventure Dark begins when children disappear from the small town of Winden. Teenager Jonas Kahnwald, played by Louis Hofmann, is drawn into a mystery connecting local families across generations.
Details about the larger puzzle appear throughout the episodes, making the story suited to viewers who enjoy working through a mystery. The series is praised for its writing, atmosphere, music, casting and direction.
Wonder beyond the wilderness
In Hilda, a curious girl moves from a wilderness inhabited by trolls, giants, spirits and bureaucratic elves to the city of Trolberg. The city proves as magical as the world she left behind.
The animated fantasy offers adventure without constant danger, taking an imaginative and charming approach to the genre. Its first season has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Key points
- Sweet Tooth follows Gus as he searches for family in a changed world.
- Blue Eye Samurai follows Mizu’s quest for revenge in Edo-period Japan.
- Dark links disappearances in Winden to families across generations.
- Hilda finds magic in both wilderness and city life.