Anthology series have been a staple of modern television for decades, allowing audiences to experience various stories in interesting and concise ways. Whether it’s a series of short cautionary tales like The Twilight Zone, serialized episodes with a different theme each season like American Horror Story, or loosely connected personal stories delivered via a consistent character’s interaction with a myriad of colorful characters like in High Maintenance, the storytelling medium has so much to offer. But don’t take my word for it — grab your remote and dive in yourself! In fact, I’ll get you started with the best anthology shows on Netflix right now.

For more recommendations, check out our ranked lists of the best anthology movies and shows.

Disclaimer: These titles are available in the US.

Created by Lee Sung Jin and produced by A24, Beef is a dark comedy-drama anthology show that brings out the tragedies and comedies of human relationships. The first season, starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, follows two strangers who get into a road rage incident that hilariously escalates into an all-out feud, eventually leading to a profoundly transformative spiritual journey. A second season following a new story was announced in 2024, with Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton, Cailee Spaeny, and Youn Yuh-jung in key roles. Beef’s 10-episode first season received universal acclaim when it premiered in April 2023, winning eight Emmy Awards and three Golden Globes. The show has been praised by critics and viewers for its compelling writing, stylish visual narrative, and nuanced performances. Perfectly balancing its comedic and dramatic elements, Beef is a masterpiece of character-driven storytelling, slowly peeling back the layers of its characters to reveal the traumatic incidents and self-hatred that have filled their lives with so much pain. - Remus Noronha

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British satirist Charlie Brooker asks viewers to take a look at themselves through this Twilight Zone-style sci-fi anthology show. Brooker, who has traditionally worked in the comedy space, steps into the realm of speculative fiction and psychological horror as he creates a star-studded series of lightly interconnected stories that aim to shock and surprise audiences while delivering biting commentary about the perils of our relationship with technology. Black Mirror has had many familiar faces grace its harrowing tales over the seasons, including Daniel Kaluuya, Jon Hamm, and Bryce Dallas Howard. Typically, I wouldn’t do this, but I will give you a personal warning as a recommender: The first episode has an absolutely wild premise, so I usually advise people to skip it and go straight to Fifteen Million Merits, which captures the tone of the show more accurately. Maybe come back to the pilot later.

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This animated collection of short stories produced all around the world is for sci-fi fans who can truly appreciate the wide breadth of the genre. Unlike the other popular sci-fi anthology, Black Mirror, whose stories are generally steeped in bleak dystopian themes, Love, Death + Robots spans the full gamut of tones, themes, and emotions — from a jolly group of robots hanging out after the fall of humanity to a captivating tale about a pool cleaning robot’s evolution from simple machine to the world’s greatest artist. The episodes tend to feel like just enough of a peek into a bigger universe to spark the imagination and make the audience ponder what happens next without ever overstaying its welcome. A warning for anyone watching with their parents: Sometimes, there are CGI boobs, so be wary of the potential for awkwardness.

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And now for some science FACT! So much of our sci-fi focuses on the dystopian outcomes of our obsessions with technology, but so few highlight how it affects the natural world. Our Planet uses each episode to take the audience into a different ecosystem to focus on the delicate balance that nature has created and the ways that humans have impacted it. Narrator David Attenborough lends his glorious voice to this breathtaking exploration of diverse habitats while also explaining the long-term effects that climate change has imposed on the living creatures trying to survive within them. Between the stunning visuals, evocative score, and top-tier narration, it's almost a meditative experience as it takes you across the globe.

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Master of creature features, disturbing designs, and menacing monstrosities, Guillermo del Toro handpicks a collection of award-winning horror writers and directors for a collection of eight gothic-themed tales. Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities is a star-studded affair with beautiful cinematography that only makes the spine-tingling horror more acute as directors like The Babadook’s Jennifer Kent and Pan's Labyrinth’s Guillermo Navarro lend their unique styles to these fearsome fables. But the star power doesn’t stop behind the camera, as each episode features a slew of great talents like Tim Blake Nelson, Dan Stevens, Peter Weller, and Crispin Glover, who aren’t afraid to get down and dirty on the practical sets among intricate costumes and creature effects. If you watch nothing else on this list, check this one out so that Netflix will make another season. I beg you!

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Before Rob Letterman and Nicholas Stoller turned R. L. Stine’s horror novels into a serialized teen drama set in a Stephen King-style haunted town, this original Goosebumps series faithfully adapted his stories to the screen for all kids to enjoy. Modern adaptations of the stories seem to forget how camp these children’s horror stories are meant to be, but that is where all the fun lies — practical masks, budget CGI, and cringe moments are the bread and butter of classic media that you can enjoy with friends. Each episode tackles a different book, capturing fan-favorite stories like The Haunted Mask, Welcome to Camp Nightmare, and Phantom of the Auditorium that you can enjoy as a quick 30-minute watch.

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Inspired by online flash fiction in the style of the viral creepypasta that finds its way onto everyone’s feeds only to leave them full of dread, Two Sentence Horror Stories takes the concept of the short-form horror story and expands it into half-hour tales featuring diverse casts and modern fears. Throughout the three-season run of the series, the show moves through different subgenres of horror while using them to highlight social issues like police brutality, societal expectations of mothers, and bullying in transgender spaces. Having aired on The CW, the episodes are specifically geared towards the lives of teenagers, and it does a great job mapping their struggles into the supernatural.

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This Schoolhouse Rock!-inspired collection of animated educational music videos is a vibe with a great visual style. We the People is a collaboration between Doc McStuffins creator Chris Nee, Black-ish creator Kenya Barris, and the Obamas that partners musical artists like Janelle Monáe and Lin-Manuel Miranda with popular animation directors to help teach children about civics. The series is a quick watch, each episode being only the length of a song, but I can guarantee that the bops in this 10-episode series will be on repeat once your kids get them stuck in their heads. (And honestly, they’re so good, you may even start bumping them when the kids aren’t around.)

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Putting an anime twist on the classic fairytales from the Brothers Grimm, The Grimm Variations takes the old stories out of the German countryside and places them into different eras of Japanese culture. Adapting fables like Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and lesser-known gems like The Town Musicians of Bremen, this anime gives full creative control to six different directors to remix the elements as they please for a new spin on the original dark fantasies concocted by the Grimms. Beyond the fluid animation and fantastic score, the updated takes on the stories we’ve become oh-so-familiar with are a breath of fresh air that infuses new life into the fairy tales we’ve grown to love.

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