15 Best Thriller Shows on Netflix [Updated 2024]

As regular binge-watchers, we know you must be here to know something to watch on your weekend so step into a world where every scene on your screen will increase your heart rate as well as create more thrill and suspense, all the fascinating plot twists of each episode works as a rollercoaster ride of excitement.

Below we have come up with some of Netflix’s finest thrilling shows, from chilling mystery to thrill action, all the mentioned series deliver a thrill ride that will leave you craving more.

Best Thriller Shows to Binge-Watch on Netflix in Dec 2024

Thriller is one of the most binged genres on Netflix globally. After all, who doesn’t enjoy the gut-wrenching and suspenseful shivers of what’s going to happen next and the subliminal feeling of a plot twist you never saw coming? No wonder, Netflix has so many great thrillers shows in its library. To help you, we have assembled below the best thriller shows on Netflix for a premium streaming experience:

Safe (2018)

• IMDb Ratings: 7.2/10
• No. of Seasons: 1 season
• Genre: Thriller

The British television drama series “Safe” is one of the thrilling yet interesting TV series based on a surgeon named Briton Tom Delaney who is a widowed father also, having two teenage daughters it was created by crime author Harlan Coben and written primarily by screenwriter Danny Brocklehurst and consists of eight episodes.

While struggling with the grief of his lost wife he is trying to connect with his daughters also, the twist starts when one of his 16-year-olds goes missing Tom unveils a web of dark secrets as he starts anxiously searching for his daughter.

The Story takes thought-provoking turns with all the passing time which will surprise the viewers and make them stick to their screens till the last scene.

Alice in Borderland (2022)

• IMDb Ratings: 7.7/10
• No. of Seasons: 2 seasons
• Genre: Drama/Thriller

Let us take you on a rollercoaster ride of a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Haro Aso, the story revolves around a group of friends who find themselves transported into a deserted dark version of Tokyo, where they have to survive by playing various deadly games and return to their world.

Arisu the main character of the show along with his friends Karube and Chota uncover the secrets behind the strange world they find themselves in, including the true nature of the games and the organization behind them.

Alice in Borderland is a thriller series full of suspense, action, and psychological drama as the characters fight to survive the mysteries of Borderland.

Ozark (2017)

• IMDb Ratings: 8.5/10
• No. of Seasons: 4 seasons
• Genre: Drama/Thriller

Let’s dive into the world of organized crime, The TV show Ozark is all about crime and money laundering and is produced by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams. It premiered on Netflix in 2017 and now completed its fourth season.

The Story is about the Byrde family – Marty Byrde who is a financial planner stuck in a case of money laundering for a Mexican drug cartel and after the deal goes wrong, he decides to move his family to Ozark for a larger money-laundering operation.

As the story moves forward the Byrdes are involved in dangerous situations, facing threats from all sides and they are bound to make difficult decisions to survive in their new and unsafe reality.

Ozark is a very intense and thrilling story with complex characters and suspenseful plot twists that make it a popular and critically acclaimed series around the world.

Accused (2023)

• IMDb Ratings: 7/10
• No. of Seasons: 1 season
• Genre: Drama/Thriller

A British crime thriller show is all you need to watch to make your weekend more interesting.

Accused is a collection of mini-TV series based in Britain created by Jimmy McGovern. Every episode has a different character who is accused of a crime and in a series, you will explore their journey through the Justice system.

The story of the series revolves around the accused person’s arrest by the police and the story continues with you will see the accused person’s interactions with lawyers, family members, and other key figures involved in the case.

With full of suspense and thrill each season consists of six standalone episodes and focuses on a different character and their unique circumstances.

The Tourist (2022)

• IMDb Ratings: 7/10
• No. of Seasons: 2 seasons
• Genre: Drama/Thriller

Jamies Dornan’s thrilling TV series? sounds convincing right? A British Australian thrilling TV series “The Tourist” produced by Harry and Jack Williams.

The story starts with The Man waking up in a hospital in the desert areas of Australia with amnesia after a car accident, he has lost his memory as well.

As “The Man” a character played by Jamie Dornan tries to find his identity and mystery about his past he also encounters some individuals including a journalist and a police detective who know his true identity.

The Tourist is a binge-worthy series because of its suspenseful and thrilling story, beautiful setting, and Jamie Dornan’s compelling performance as the nominal character.

You (2018)

• IMDb Ratings: 7.7/10
• No. of Seasons: 4 seasons
• Genre: Drama/Thriller

A psychological thriller TV series “YOU” created by Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble based on the novel of the same name by Caroline Kepnes. The series is accessible to all Netflix subscribers and has almost three seasons the story is about Joe Goldberg, who is a bookstore manager and becomes obsessed with the women he becomes romantically involved with.

Joe played Penn Badgley who became obsessed with women and started stalking their personal life, social media, and other means. Creates manipulating situations to be closer to them and in the end, his obsessions take a dark turn which leads to violence and tragedy.

In this series, you will explore love, obsession, and the dark side of human nature full of suspense, complex characters, and exploration of the blurred lines between love and obsession in the digital age.

The Killer (2023)

• IMDb Ratings: 6.8/10
• No. of Seasons: 1 season
• Genre: Drama/Thriller

All the K-drama lovers here is something exciting for you all! “The Killer” is a South Korean TV series also known as “Hwagaeg”. The story is about a group of people who are hired on contract to kill corrupt and influential figures within society.

The series is about the expedition of Mo Tak (played by Jung Woong-in) who is an ex-detective who turned into a leader of a group of contract killers, and his mentor Seo Mi-poong (played by Park Seo-joon) is also included.

While completing the tasks his team faces various challenges with their targets and going into the dangerous world of contract killing in which they uncover the hidden truths that make their missions more complicated.

The show is full of thrill violence and actions that will keep you hooked on its suspenseful plot twists and intense action sequences.

Dear Child (2023)

• IMDb Ratings: 7.3/10
• No. of Seasons: 1 season
• Genre: Drama/Thriller

We are talking about thriller shows so how can we forget about “Dear Child” it is a German thriller series based on a novel which is a best-selling German thriller by author Romy Hausmann.

The Story of this show revolves around a woman named Lena Beck who escapes from her abductor after being held imprisoned for years in a cabin in the woods.

Lena and the girl Hannah struggle a lot while trying to adjust to society meanwhile a detective is involved in this case and uncovers the dark and hidden secrets about Lena and Hannah’s trial.

The plot of Dear Child is full of gripping suspense and a thought-provoking exploration of trauma, identity, and resilience. The story will keep you stuck to your seats because of its mystery and chilling truths.

Ratched (2020)

• IMDb Ratings: 7.3/10
• No. of Seasons: 1 season
• Genre: Drama/Thriller

A TV series full of thrill and suspense that will keep you stuck to your screens? surely it would be “Ratched” It was created by Evan Romansky and developed by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan. It is a prequel to the novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” by Ken Kesey.

The series covers the early career of Mildred Ratched a character played by Sarah Paulson, as she wants a job at a psychiatric hospital in Northern California, despite having a composed personality she becomes involved in the hospital’s threatening operations.

The series is popular because of its production design, captivating performances, and dark storytelling, the story takes interesting turns that make it more binge-worthy.

The Rain (2018)

• IMDb Ratings: 6.3/10
• No. of Seasons: 3 seasons
• Genre: Drama/Thriller

We all are curious to know about what will happen after the apocalypse, so here is a TV show named The Rain which is a post-apocalyptic world created by Jannik Tai Mosholt, Esben Toft Jacobsen, and Christian Potalivo.

The show’s story is about a brother and sister named Simone and Rasmus, as they have to find a way from a world destroyed by a deadly virus spread because of rainfall, these two were sheltered by their scientist father in an underground bunker for six years. The series starts when a scientist experimented by releasing a virus to fight climate change.

The Show explores different themes like survival, family, loyalty, and the consequences of scientific experimentation. Viewers will experience the thrilling and emotional journey through a world transformed by disaster.

Sweet Home (2020)

• IMDb Ratings: 7.3/10
• No. of Seasons: 2 seasons
• Genre: Drama/Thriller

A Korean action thriller to spend your long weekend? So, A series like Sweet Home is full of action, suspense, horror, and adventure, the story starts with a high school student named Cha Hyun-soo who moves to a rundown apartment after the death of his family and struggles with suicidal thoughts and isolation.

Suddenly his life takes a dark turn when a mysterious thing changes into a monstrous creature like “monsters” or “mutants.” So, the outside world turns into madness, and the residents of his apartment have to survive together with their fears, secrets, and desires all of them confront their inner demons fight for their lives, and uncover the truth behind this mystery.

The series is all about resilience, humanity, and the darkness inside us, every scene will give you the chills.

The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)

• IMDb Ratings: 7.9/10
• No. of Seasons: 1 season
• Genre: Drama/Thriller/Horror

Horror and thrill are everyone’s favorite genres so The Fall of the House of Usher is all about suspense it is a classic gothic horror story written by Edgar Allan Poe.

The series starts with an unmanned narrator who visits his friend Roderick Usher at his moldy ancestral mansion the Usher family is beset by a curse and the house is mysterious which weakens the physical and mental health of its residents.

As the narrator starts living in the mansion, he feels something strange about Roderick and his sister, Madeline eventually Madeline dies due to mysterious circumstances Roderick falls away into madness, the story takes a chilling turn as the house collapses signifying the fall of the Usher family and their cursed legacy.

Mindhunter (2017)

• IMDb Ratings: 8.6/10
• No. of Seasons: 2 seasons
• Genre: Drama/Thriller

A psychological thriller TV show “Mind Hunter” which was produced by Joe Penhall, based on the true crime book “Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit” written by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker.

The story observes two FBI agents, Holden Ford a young ambitious FBI agent, who feels fascinated by the minds of serial killers so with the help of his colleague Bill Tench and psychologist Wendy Carr they make innovative technology to interview the serial killers to know their behavior.

As the story moves forward Holden and Bill encounter various real-life serial killers, and with every passing time, Holden becomes obsessed with his themes, which leads to conflict with his team and FBI bureaucracy.

The Woods (2020)

• IMDb Ratings: 6.6/10
• No. of Seasons: 1 season
• Genre: Drama/Thriller

A Polish mystery thriller TV series “The Woods” based on a novel written by Harlan Coben, the story is about two timelines, one in 2019 and the other one in 1994 also about the disappearance of a teenage girl Kamila in a summer camp.

In the present day, prosecutor Paweł Kopiński is still concerned about the unsolved disappearance of his sister, Kamila, 25 years earlier. When new evidence came, Pawel was resolute to know the truth behind her disappearance, he visited the summer camp again to learn the answers from old friends.

Then Pawel uncovers the dark truths about people once he trusted, meanwhile, flashbacks from 1994 about Kamila’s disappearance, because of two timelines interweave all the viewers to experience a suspenseful journey filled with twists, turns, and shocking expose.

The Diplomat (2023)

• IMDb Ratings: 8/10
• No. of Seasons: 1 season
• Genre: Drama/Thriller

A political thriller TV series “The Diplomat” was created by Debora Cahn and produced by the Israeli network Keshet Broadcasting, the story is about the complex world of diplomacy while focusing on the personal and professional lives of diplomates who are working for the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

The story is set in Jerusalem, in which the main character Yael Greenberg an ambitious diplomat navigates the challenges of her career while altering her personal life including her romantic interests, friends, and family.

As the story continues Yael makes difficult decisions for international relations which makes her face moral dilemmas and conflicts in loyalties, as she faces the challenges of her profession Yael fights with the questions of integrity, identity, and the true meaning of diplomacy.

Conclusion

The best way to spend some free time is by watching some good movies, reading books, and eating snacks, so in this article, we have suggested some of the best thriller shows on Netflix including some that are based on novels, so don’t wait, grab the popcorn and enjoy!

Betty Carter

Betty is an enthusiastic Computer Science Graduate and an extrovert who loves to watch Netflix, and is a binge-watcher always seeking quality shows to add to her watch history! She loves to write about the show, she has watched, to make her readers acknowledge them, and witness a cherished time with friends, and family!