Part 2: THE BEST STREAMING SERIES

I yesterday focused on streaming films and Rotten Tomatoes.  In Part 2 today, I will bring series with episodes into the discussion, beginning with the best 50 series from Rotten Tomatoes.

• #1    Fleabag (2016-2019) 2 seasons, Rotten Tomatoes 100/93 (Amazon Prime Video), watched a couple of episodes before the pandemic, and never returned.  So I now will.
• #2    Master of None (2015-present) 3 seasons,  94/71 (Netflix)

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  #3    Catastrophe (2015-present) 4 seasons, 98/92 (Prime), watched one episode from season 1 and never returned.  Guess I'll now take a re-look.
• #4    Happy Valley (2014-2023 3 seasons), 98/94 (started on Netflix, but switched to AMC+)

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  #5    Dear White People (2017 to present) 4 seasons, 88/39 (Netflix).  Careful, there is also a film with the same title, with the same actors, 91/61, which can be found on Disney+ and Hulu.
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• #21  One Day at a Time 99/89 (2017-present) 4 seasons 99/89 (Netflix).  Re-make of an old American series with Bonnie Franklin that aired on CBS from 1978 to 1984.
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• #50  Bojack Horseman 93/96.

The problem is that some of them above are not today available for streaming.  

• So here are are the popular TV shows (meaning series) now available on Netflix.  Some of them don't score that well on Rotten Tomatoes.
• 11 Best New Shows on Netflix (August 2025).  Some are still coming.
• From TV Guide:  The 46 Best TV Shows on Amazon Prime Video Right now (August 2025).  These are the free shows.  Kind of something for everyone, with some  from that first list above.
• Also from TV Guide, The Ultimate Guide to What to Watch on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, HBO Max and More in August 2025.

From Rotten Tomatoes, best shows (meaning series) of 2025.  You would think there would be a close correlation with the above list, but, no.

• #1    Pee Wee as Himself 100/92.  Here is another video of him:  The Tragic Genius Behind Pee Wee Herman: The True Story of Paul Reubens.  
• #2    The Narrow Road to the Deep North 100/70
• #3    Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light: Season 2 100/78
• #4    Common Side Effects 100/90

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  #5    Get Millie Black 100/76
• #6    North of North 100/77
• #7    Toxic Town 100/84
• #8    Adolescence 98/74
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• #34  Dexter 89/83
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• #57  Squid Game: Season 3 80/51
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• #70  And Just Like That...: Season 3 68/36

Aside from Squid Games, no Korean series, and many of them are at or close to 100 as rated by Rotten Tomatoes.  Could be because they are not "popular."  There are also some other shows from Spain and other parts of the world that should be on that list.

Netflix dominates in series, especially from Korea, but Time magazine has an article entitled, The Best K-Dramas (also meaning series) that are Not on Netflix.

• They don't themselves talk about this much, but Hulu and Disney+ dominate this list.
• However Prime and Tubi also should be checked.

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  Rakuten Viki, an American streaming service, incidentally, is devoted entirely to Asian content.
• Here are some of the best K-dramas not on Netflix.

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  Moving (2023) Hulu/Disney+, Rotten Tomatoes 100/97.  Season 2 is coming.
• Revenant (2023) Hulu/Disney+, 78/84, not Korean, but American

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  Light Shop (2024) Hulu/Disney+, /89
• Marry My Husband (2024) Prime
• Others...go to article.

Rotten Tomatoes has a binge guide on 11 Korean-dramas, all on Netflix.  I've seen a few, as the ones below.

• Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022), Rotten Tomatoes 100/94.  Season 2 is in the making.  She definitely is most extraordinary.

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  Hospital Playlist (2020), /100.
• K2 (2016), /100.
• Crash Landing on You (2019), 100/97.
• I must have another two dozen or more K-dramas in various phases of watching.

And, by the way, here's what's new on Netfix this month.

• Rush Hour films now available and the Fast and Furious productions will become available on August 16.
• The Thursday Murder Club with Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren and Ben Kingsley debuts on August 28.

What's new on Amazon's Prime Video in August?

• A new heist comedy, The Pickup with Eddie Murphy and Eva Longoria.
• Six-episode spy thriller Butterfly, with Daniel Dae Kim and Piper Perabo.
• Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction returns.

Google's Artificial Intelligence Overview lists the following popular shows on Netflix:  Squid Game (South Korea), Money Heist (Spain), Dark (Germany), Lupin (France), Elite (Spain), Mirzapur (India), The Family Man (India) and Asur (India).

Last year, PC magazine ranked the 37 best foreign-language shows on Netfllix:

• #1    The 7 Lives of Lea (France), Rotten Tomatoes /90.
• #2    Abla Fahita:  Drama Queen (Egypt), a puppet show.
• #3    An Astrological Guide for Broken Hearts (Italy), /67.
• A good assortment.  Some are on my series list and a few I have completed.

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