5 Underrated Netflix Shows You Can Binge In One Day

The big red N of Netflix continues to cast a shadow of streaming service supremacy, and it's not hard to see why. With some award-winning hits and shows that have become pop culture phenomena like "Stranger Things," "You," and "Bridgerton," we're almost spoilt for choice. But where does that leave some of the underdogs hiding among the streamer's recommendations? What about the ones that are hits with niche audiences, or the classics that were canceled too soon? 

Not only have we put together a list of egregiously underrated shows on Netflix, but also ones that you could probably binge in a day and still have time to relax, or whatever it is you do after binging a show. From animated swordmasters to super-secret spies, this collection of shows is all worth your attention, and in some cases, provides a taster for more of what's to come. So what are you waiting for? Fire up the TV and start adding these to your watch list after you're done with your usual comfort show. You could be about to add one that you didn't even know about.

Netflix has certainly shown a knack for delivering incredible animated shows like "Arcane" and the "Castlevania" series. One show that absolutely deserves the same level of praise is "Blue Eye Samurai," which should satisfy those looking for an epic, fight-fueled tale of revenge. Created by a couple of married creative geniuses, Amber Noizumi and Michael Green, the show follows the blood-soaked story of Mizu (Maya Erksine), a female half-white, half-Japanese warrior on a mission to kill four white men, one of whom she knows is her own father (Kenneth Branagh). This villain, who shares a bloodline with her, is bent on making his mark on the country he's infiltrating through modern engineering and firepower, setting Mizu on a path to play a major role in a new era of Japan, which is in the process of closing its borders to outside forces.

With an incredible voice cast that includes "Star Trek's" George Takei, as well as Brenda Song, Randall Park, Masi Oka, and the late, great Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, "Blue Eye Samurai" plays like "Kill Bill" from a different time and moves with the same vibrancy as "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." Notable episodes include Mizu outnumbered and fighting for her life in a brothel, and set pieces that have you hanging on for dear life as our hero dispatches numerous foes with stunning expertise. A second season is set to arrive in 2026, so draw your sword and get the practice in before Mizu returns.

If you like your spy dramas led by British agents with stiff upper lips and very mean demeanors, then make some time for the Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw-starring thriller series, "Black Doves." Debuting in 2024 and from the "The Lazarus Project" showrunner, Joe Barton, the show stars Knightley in an Emmy-nominated performance as Helen Webb, the wife of the United Kingdom's Secretary of State for Defense, who is caught in an affair. To make matters worse, it turns out that Helen isn't just an unfaithful wife but a deep undercover spy who uses her husband's position to gain intel from the inside. Now, with her cover at risk of being blown, her employers — the Black Doves — send her former mentor and friend, Sam (Whishaw), to keep tabs on her and find out who was responsible for the death of her lover.

With conspiracy thrillers on the rise and seasoned spies with attitude problems becoming favorite small-screen heroes, "Black Doves" features two guns-for-hire firing on all cylinders. While obvious comparisons to "Slow Horses," there are also elements of "Atomic Blonde" and even "John Wick," with Knightley getting her hands excessively dirty to bring down bad guys, with a fight in a jewellery shop being a particular highlight. There's also Sarah Lancashire as her steely-eyed boss, who is okay with dishing out kill orders and barbed one-liners. Watch the first season now before the Black Doves return to Netflix later this year.

If there's one show you can power through on this list, it's "Love, Death & Robots," executive produced by David Fincher and created by "Deadpool" director Tim Miller. Originally appearing on the streaming service in 2019, the animated anthology series tells a variety of stories that have taken viewers across time, space, and even the bottom of a swimming pool, resulting in some mind-blowing mini-movies.

From comedy to space-age horror to thought-provoking stories steeped in science fiction, there really is a tale for anyone and everyone who loves things to get a bit futuristic and breathtakingly animated. A personal favorite in the first season is "Shape-Shifters," set in a world where werewolves are used as military assets to fight in Afghanistan. There's also live-action shorts starring the likes of Topher Grace and "Sinners" star Michael B. Jordan. One critically acclaimed short in the series, however, is "Zima Blue," which follows a world-renowned ethereal artist as he chronicles his origins as a robotic swimming pool cleaner.

The fourth season of the show was released in 2025, but since then, there have been no new reports of a fifth season making its way to screens this year. Thankfully, given the short runtime of all these episodes, there's enough time to get them all watched when and if it returns. If you're really left wanting more, you can check out Prime Video's "Secret Level," which is produced by Miller's Blur Studios, who were also behind this as well.

In 1982, Jim Henson and Frank Oz got their heads together and built a tripped-out universe in a movie where everyone and everything was obsessed with the giant McGuffin known as "The Dark Crystal." The film became a cult classic in the same hemisphere as "Labyrinth," and 37 years later, Netflix decided to take a gamble and commission one of the most expensive and demanding prequel television shows to tack on to it. Set decades before the original film, "Age of Resistance" serves as a perfect stepping stone for those who don't know their Gelflings from their Fizzgigs, while also giving die-hard fans a dose of the world they've loved for almost four decades.

Capturing the puppet-fuelled magic that Henson and Oz thrived on back in the day, "Age of Resistance" gets some extra help from the vocal talents of Simon Pegg, Anya Taylor-Joy, Taron Egerton, and Jason Isaacs, to name a few. Unfortunately, the outcry from fans and immense praise from critics wasn't enough to keep "Age of Resistance" in Netflix's good books, and the show was canned after one season, reportedly due to budget issues. Nevertheless, as far as fantasy shows go, this is a great one to add to the watchlist and get through in a single day. And don't forget, you've at least got a film to follow things up with once you're done and dusted with it.

It's one of the best zombie television shows ever made; it got a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, and we still can't for the life of us understand why it suffered the Netflix curse of being canceled after three seasons. Nevertheless, if there's a chance to suggest the grossly underrated "Santa Clarita Diet" to anyone who hasn't seen it, we're going to do it, even if it leaves them just as confused as we are about why this show got the axe. The consistently lovable and charismatic Drew Barrymore is cursed with a hunger for human flesh after she accidentally eats an unholy artifact, turning her into a member of the undead who still looks far more fresh-faced. Thankfully, her loving husband (played by Timothy Olyphant) goes above and beyond to keep her secret safe and her stomach full, even if it means burying body parts out in the desert or buying large refrigerators to store her necessary dietary requirements.

While it might've been given the boot after three seasons, there's still something brilliantly entertaining about "Santa Clarita Diet" that tickles the funny bone in the same way as some of the great sitcoms from recent years. Barrymore is on top form, bringing the same warm, welcoming attitude you see on her talk show, only far more carnivorous. While you might be a tad annoyed by the cliffhanger you're left with in the third and final season, just be glad you had a taste of "Santa Clarita Diet", which tastes better than most.