The Netflix Top 10 list won’t tell you how many people are watching a show, but it will tell you which shows people are watching the most. The Top 10 list for Thursday, Dec. 3 finds Virgin River Season 2 steadily holding on to its No. 1 spot, while three action movies — Jennifer Garner’s Peppermint, the indie thriller Rust Creek, and Ryan Phillippe’s The 2nd — have taken over most of the top 5. The Crown has also officially been dethroned, moving down to the No. 7 spot.
But of the Netflix Top 10, which of these shows and movies are actually worth watching? We break down the entire Netflix Top 10 list and guide you through what to binge and what to skip.
The Best TV Shows and Movies on Netflix in November 2020
Based on Netflix’s Top 10 from Thursday, Dec. 3
1. Virgin River
For fans of: Hallmarkian romance, heartwarming tearjerkers | Is it good?: It’s a fun time for any hopeless romantic out there
Adapted from the Virgin River novels by author Robyn Carr, the romantic drama stars Alexandra Breckenridge as Melinda “Mel” Monroe, a midwife and nurse practitioner from Los Angeles who moves to a beautiful but remote Northern California town following a series of traumatic heartbreaks. It all has a very Hallmark vibe to it, but in a good way! (Yesterday’s rank: 1)
2. Peppermint
For fans of: Jennifer Garner, moms getting revenge | Is it good?: Not really
Jennifer Garner plays a mother on a mission to exact her revenge on the cartel that killed her husband and daughter. It was critically panned and is full of typical action movie clichés, but Garner’s performance makes it watchable. (Yesterday’s rank: 6)
3. The 2nd
For fans of: Ryan Phillippe, corny action movies | Is it good?: Not particularly
Ryan Phillippe plays a man named Vic Davis tasked with rescuing his son’s crush, who is also the daughter of a Supreme Court justice, after she gets kidnapped. Since she’s someone else’s child, The 2nd puts a spin on the usual “daughter gets taken” plot. (Yesterday’s rank: 2)
4. Rust Creek
For fans of: Survival thrillers, anxiety | Is it good?: Yes
A college student takes a wrong turn on her way to a job interview, leaving her stranded in an unfamiliar forest. She suddenly finds herself being pursued by two ruthless men and is forced to hide out with a mysterious meth cook in order to survive. It’s a wild ride. (Yesterday’s rank: 10)
5. The Queen’s Gambit
For fans of: Chess, drugs, and character drama | Is it good?: It’s one of the best shows of the year
Budding superstar Anya Taylor-Joy (she’s been cast as young Furiosa in the next Mad Max movie) stars in this literary adaptation as Beth Harmon, a brilliant but troubled chess champion in 1950s Kentucky. She was an orphan who, in her youth, developed an incredible skill for the game but also a debilitating addiction to pills, which quiet her obsessive mind. It’s a detailed character study of brilliance and madness that’s usually reserved for male characters. It comes from one of Netflix’s go-to limited series producers, Godless‘ Scott Frank. (Yesterday’s rank: 4)
6. The Christmas Chronicles 2
For fans of: Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn, Christmas | Is it good?: The first is better, but it still gives a good dose of holiday cheer
In the sequel to 2018’s The Christmas Chronicles, Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn return as Santa and Mrs. Claus, which is pretty delightful all on its own. There’s also a plot here, though, with Kate Pierce (Darby Camp), who has grown into a cynical teen, reuniting with the Clauses to help save Christmas after it’s threatened by an elf gone bad. (Yesterday’s rank: 2)
7. The Crown
For fans of: Palace intrigue, the Royals | Is it good?: It’s the best season yet
The ambitious, decades-spanning drama series about Queen Elizabeth II is back for its second season with Olivia Colman in the lead and its fourth season overall, and it adds two pivotally important characters into the mix: Margaret Thatcher (the great Gillian Anderson) and Princess Diana (Emma Corrin), who both clash with the Queen. Their addition breathes fresh life into the series, which remains one of the grandest on all of television. (Yesterday’s rank: 5)
8. Alien Worlds
For fans of: Otherworldly entities, space, wanting to believe | Is it good?: Yes, plus it’s visually beautiful
If you’ve ever watched Planet Earth and thought, “I want that, but scarier,” Alien Worlds is the show for you. Netflix’s new docuseries doesn’t introduce us to any actual aliens (unfortunately), but it uses CGI to imagine what life on other planets might look like. Sometimes it veers a little too far into sci-fi territory, but it’s a fascinating (and terrifying) exploration of what could exist beyond our world. (Yesterday’s rank: n/a)
9. The Grinch
For fans of: the Grinch | Is it good?: It’s fine
Benedict Cumberbatch voices Dr. Seuss’ iconic green guy who learns to love Christmas. You know the story, and this CG adaptation doesn’t add much to it. But it doesn’t detract anything from it, either. It’s better than the Jim Carrey version, but not as good as the original version. (Yesterday’s rank: 7)
10. Cocomelon
For fans of: Mashed vegetables, pacifiers | Is it good?: For babies, sure
Colorful objects, preschool songs, and big-headed babies make this catnip for toddlers and younger kids who get screentime. (Yesterday’s rank: 9)
The Best Netflix Originals of 2020 So Far
Lucifer, The Baby-Sitters Club, Love Is Blind
