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. 17 finds the Netflix holiday movie A California Christmas still at No. 1, while Manhunt: Deadly Games ranks at No. 2, and ballet drama Tiny Pretty Things holds strong in third position. The only new addition to the ranking is British true crime docuseries The Ripper, which debuts at No. 10.
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. 17
1. A California Christmas
For fans of: Corny holiday movies, lying | Is it good?: Does it have to be?
‘Tis the season for lovably ridiculous rom-coms! A wealthy businessman poses as a ranch hand in the hopes of convincing a hardworking farmer to sell away her family’s property before Christmas. You can probably guess where this is going. (Yesterday’s rank: 1)
2. Manhunt: Deadly Games
For fans of: True stories, crime shows | Is it good?: It drags in some places, but it’s worth a watch
Cameron Britton stars as Richard Jewell, the security guard turned FBI suspect in the investigation of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing. Over 10 episodes, this series tells Jewell’s story, as well as the stories of the real bomber Eric Rudolph (Jack Huston), journalist Kathy Scruggs (Carla Gugino), and Jewell’s mother, Bobi (Judith Light). (Yesterday’s rank: 2)
3. Tiny Pretty Things
For fans of: Ballet, high school melodrama, soap operas | Is it good?: Not really, but the dancing sequences are well done
After the star student at an elite ballet academy suffers an accident, her replacement is thrown into a cutthroat world where almost all the students seem to be in vicious competition with each other. It’s pretty over the top in its soapiness. (Yesterday’s rank: 3)
4. Ava
For fans of: Prestige actors, morally gray assassins | Is it good?: Not particularly
Three very talented actors — Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell, and John Malkovich — are all pretty under-utilized in this generic thriller about an assassin (Chastain) who is targeted by her own black ops after a hit goes wrong. (Yesterday’s rank: 4)
5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
For fans of: Jim Carrey, Baby Grinch | Is it good?: People certainly love it
Jim Carrey’s 2000 adaptation of the Dr. Seuss book has become a holiday classic for plenty of people. If you’re a fan, you’ve probably already made a plan to revisit it for the holidays. (Yesterday’s rank: 7)
6. 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: 5)
7. 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: 8)
8. Big Mouth
For fans of: Puberty, Hormone Monsters | Is it good?: It keeps getting better with every season
Do you remember how awful puberty was? If you don’t, Big Mouth wants to make sure you can’t walk away from an episode without doing so. Now in its fourth season, the Netflix animated series tackles a host of new issues, including race, growing up as a young transgender person, and summer camp. (Yesterday’s rank: 6)
9. 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: 9)
10. The Ripper
For fans of: The story of the Ripper, but not that Ripper | Is it good?: It’s great if you’re into true crime
If you already know everything about Jack the Ripper, brush up on a less famous creep. This four-part British true crime docuseries dives into the serial killer known as the Yorkshire Ripper, who murdered 13 women in northern England between 1975 and 1980. The killing spree eventually set off a massive manhunt that left the country on edge. Beyond the terrifying subject matter, what makes The Ripper so compelling is how well it explores the social and economic issues that put the Ripper’s victims — many of whom were sex workers — in his path. The cops don’t come off well either. It’s chilling stuff. (Yesterday’s rank: n/a)
The Best Netflix Originals of 2020 So Far
Lucifer, The Baby-Sitters Club, Love Is Blind
