From Squid Game to Love on the Spectrum

We’ve watched far too much in the past year to tell you what the best of Netflix 2021 is. We also briefly look ahead to 2022.

The best of Netflix 2021

No streaming service can compete with the huge range of series and movies that Netflix continues to add. Fortunately, we have watched an embarrassing amount of hours so that we can tell you exactly which series and films you should definitely check out if you missed them. Both the winners we designate and the runner-ups are well worth the effort.

We limit ourselves here to the exclusive Netflix series and movies. Not the purchased content, because it will disappear again at some point. These series and movies will remain on Netflix and will still be relevant in a few years.

Let us know in the comments what you thought the best of Netflix 2021, because we had to make difficult choices and then beloved series and films are dropped.

Best New Series: Squid Game

Squid Game was not only the biggest series for Netflix in 2021, but one of the biggest cultural things worldwide this year. That’s not for nothing. The hype is all worth it. In this series you follow a group of people with enormous debts. They get the one-time chance to earn a lot of money, but for that they have to play games from their childhood. That seems harmless, except that the losers and cheaters are killed instantly.

In the first two episodes, the show needs to get going a bit, but after that you’re on a roller coaster with your arms up and you stay put until the end. This series is pure indulgence. It took ten years to make Squid Game and it was worth the wait. Hopefully the second season will come a little sooner.

Best new series runner ups

• lupin
• Maid
• Sweet Tooth
• Shadow and Bone

Best New Season: Sex Education (Season 3)

Sex Education has everything. The series is well written and excellently acted. The sets are beautiful, you have to laugh and cry and Sex Education also scores very high points in terms of diversity.

The series follows a group of college students who are all preoccupied with their sexuality. This season there is a new headmaster who is introducing a bunch of new rules. Because it has to end with all that sex. Everyone must wear a uniform and no one is allowed to walk next to each other in the corridors.

While it’s no fun to see the individuality of our beloved students being squeezed out, this is just what the series needed. A twist that provides new stories, including about being non-binary in a binary world. Hopefully there will be many more seasons of this amazing series.

Best new season runner ups

• You (season 3)
• La Casa de Papel (season 6)
• Master of None (season 3)
• I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (season 2)

Best Picture: The Power of the Dog

Netflix does not have a good history when it comes to movies as the streaming service has always been better at series. This year, the company seemed to be doing its best more than ever to make exclusive quality films as well. The ultimate example of this is The Power of the Dog.

In this film you follow two brothers on a ranch. One brother is the tough leader, while the other brother is more concerned with his new love. He marries, leaving his wife and her gentle son to live on the ranch. The tough brother, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, has a hard time with that and makes life difficult for the new family members.

The film is made very strong, with the acting performances as the highlight. This is a film that will be nominated for many different awards. You really have to see this one.

Best movie runner ups

• Pass
• Tick, Tick… ​​Boom!
• The Harder They Fall
• Space Sweepers

The best from the Netherlands: The Battle of the Scheldt

More and more series and movies for Netflix are being made in the Netherlands. That this can deliver quality is apparent from the film The Battle of the Scheldt. The film tells the stories of three people who become entangled in Walcheren in Zeeland during the Second World War. A Dutch boy who works for the Nazis, a girl from Zeeland who becomes involved in the resistance and an English pilot. This is one of the best Dutch war films ever made.

The best from the Netherlands runner-ups

• Undercover (season 3)
• Forever Rich
• The Claus Family 2
• Misfit: The Series

Best Animation: The Mitchells vs. The Machines

For fans of animated films and series, there was also a lot to enjoy in 2021. The recent highlight was Arcane, based on the game League of Legends. But this year the prize goes to the film The Mitchells vs. The Machines.

This film is about a family in which the father finds it difficult that his children are mainly involved with screens. Once the Earth is taken over by robots thanks to a Facebook-like company, they must work together to save everyone. That happens in a fine and super creative film.

Best animation runner ups

• Arcane
• Love, Death and Robots (season 2)
• Inside Job
• Pacific Rim: The Black

Best Comedy Special: Bo Burnham – Inside

Just like Squid Game, Inside, the special by comedian Bo Burnham, has also kept things busy in 2021. Bo was locked up at home during the quarantine and wanted to make a special anyway. The result is a film in which you see how Bo slowly deteriorates, in which he takes care of the cameras and lighting himself and there is no audience present. this downward spiral is of course not without humor. The songs, in particular, stay with me for a long time.

Best comedy special runner ups

• Nicole Byer: BBW (Big Beautiful Weirdo)
• Russell Howard: Lubricant
• Nate Bargatze: The Greatest Average American

Best Reality Series: Love on the Spectrum (Season 2)

If you like reality series, then Netflix is ​​the right place for you. From the most fake and cheesy tasty television to heartwarming series. Love on the Spectrum belongs to the second category. No reality series is so genuine and so beautiful. In this show you follow some people who are on the autistic spectrum as they go on dates to find love. It doesn’t take long until you want the best for these open people.

Best reality series runner ups

• Too Hot to Handle (season 2)
• Sparking Joy With Marie Kondo
• Cooking With Paris
• The Circle (season 2 and 3)

Netflix in 2022

Netflix’s prices will go up in 2022. For a premium subscription you pay 15.99 euros per month. Is that still worth it? Netflix hopes to keep its subscribers with new seasons of top series such as The Crown, Stranger Things, Bridgerton, Peaky Blinders, The Umbrella Academy and Lupine.

The long-awaited series The Sandman, based on the work of Neil Gaiman, will also be released. And new series around Resident Evil, The Witcher and Cyberpunk. In addition, there is much, much more to come.

The best of 2021

At the end of the year, we traditionally look back at the past year. Check out our other lists, including the best of Apple TV Plus, the best games of the year and more.