If you’ve just cut the cord and are going exclusively with online video streaming services, you’re probably curious about the best shows to watch that are exclusively on the major streaming platforms. Lucky for you, we’ve gone through the Metacritic ratings to pick out the best overall shows that you can watch only on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. Let’s check them out below.
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Netflix
As the top dog in original online content, Netflix offers the biggest number of high-quality shows and it’s not just about House of Cards anymore. Here are the best shows available:
- Master of None, Season 1 (Metacritic rating of 91 out of 100): Aziz Ansari of Parks and Recreation fame has created a very witty show about looking for love in most of the wrong places. Unlike a lot of contemporary comedies, this show is full of characters who manage to be both funny and filled with human decency.
- Bojack Horseman, Season 2 (90 out if 100): An animated comedy starring Will Arnett and Lisa Kudrow.
- Orange is the New Black, Season 3 (83 out of 100): This prison dramedy starring Taylor Schilling was better than ever in its third season.
- Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Season 1 (81 out of 100): Put simply, this is a Marvel series that even people who hate Marvel shows and movies might like. It’s darker than any other superhero action show I’ve ever seen and is filled with emotionally complex characters.
- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Season 1 (78 out of 100): Master of None and Bojack are rated more highly but for my money this was the single funniest show I saw on Netflix all year. Tituss Burgess absolutely steals every single scene he’s in.
- Narcos: Season 1 (77 out of 100): A highly acclaimed drama about the international drug trade starring Wagner Moura.
- W/ Bob & David: Season 1 (76 out of 100): A sketch comedy series starring Bob Odenkirk and David Cross.
- House of Cards: Season 3 (76 out of 100): This was by far the weakest of the three seasons of the popular political drama so far, although the stage has been set for Frank Underwood to come roaring back in season 4.
- Marvel’s Daredevil: Season 1 (75 ouf of 100): A more conventional superhero show compared to Jessica Jones, this series isn’t as deep or smart but it’s still a lot of fun.
- Bloodline: Season 1 (75 out of 100): A strong family drama that features Ben Mendelsohn, Sissy Spacek and Sam Shephard.
Amazon
- Transparent, Season 2 (93 out of 100): This comedy starring Jeffrey Tambor about a transexual undergoing the change from male to female recently cleaned up at the Golden Globe nominations.
- Catastrophe, Season 1 (80 out of 100): A British comedy about a man and a woman who try having a go at a real relationship after he gets her pregnant during what was supposed to be a one-night stand.
- The Man in High Castle, Season 1 (77 out of 100): Based on a classic Philip K. Dick novel of the same name, this show ponders what would have happened if Germany and Japan had won World War II.
- Mozart in the Jungle: Season 1 (73 out of 100): Yes, it’s possible to make a really funny show about classical music. This show also did well at this year’s Golden Globes.
Hulu
Although it’s taken Hulu a bit to come up with its own winning original content, this year was a breakthrough for the streaming service that saw it get its first-ever Golden Globe nominations.
- The Mindy Project: Season 4 (81 out of 100): Fox cancelled this show but Hulu was quick to scoop it up for a fourth season and it’s been better than ever.
- Casual: Season 1 (76 out of 100): A very funny comedy about a family that will make you feel instantly better about your own, no matter how dysfunctional you think it is.
- Difficult People: Season 1 (75 out of 100): Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner star in this comedy about people who are so self-absorbed they make the crew over at Casual seem tame by comparison.
The best part about the war for online content is that it’s just getting started — Netflix is poised to double its lineup of original content next year and it’s going to be fun seeing how Hulu and Amazon plan to keep up.
