Netflixhas a lot of series that aren’t beloved by critics, but nevertheless have enjoyed a steadily increasing stream of popularity. Thebest original Netflix showsare lauded by both critics and audiences alike, with their quality being reflected in both their critical analyses and audience participation. However, the two don’t always positively correlate, with many series being condemned by critics only to later grow in viewership.
10The Marked Heart
2 seasons
Blurring the boundary between telenovela and traditional streaming drama,The Marked Heartwas a Spanish-language thriller series that didn’t get its dues from what few critics did cast a judgmental eye its way. The story revolves around the dangerous world of organ trafficking, following a man who tracks down the recipient of his wife’s illegally-harvested heart following her murder. Critics who normally didn’t have much exposure to the stylistic choices of typical Spanish soap operas didn’t have positive things to say about the series' telenovela influence.
For those either familiar with or willing to explore the format, however,The Marked Heartrepresented a fun experience. Shocking twists and turns drew viewership into a second season, which received much higher marks on its audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, representing some leaps and bounds in popularity over time. Even if it finished relatively obscure and frightfully underrated, the series was a fantastic experience for those in the know.
9Fuller House
5 seasons
Perhaps representing the peak of the sitcom revival craze,Fuller Housewas at once a nostalgic triumph for its proponents and a desperate-looking cash grab for its harshest critics. Picking up long after theoriginal seasons ofFull Houseconcluded, most of the original series' cast returned decades later to explore what the Tanner family had been up to since. The series walked a delicate razor’s edge of over-indulging in nostalgia and updating the story with new jokes and narrative developments.
For critical tastes, the series relied far too heavily on the former, with many dismissing the series as a needless recitation of the original with a few literal wrinkles thrown in. However, sometimes familiarity can be comforting to general audiences, who basked in the repeated storylines and return of classic catchphrases without a second thought.Fuller Houseearned its name as its fanbase increased over the course of its five seasons.
8Firefly Lane
A unique premise for an ongoing drama,Firefly Lanesports an absurdly high discrepancy between its audience and critical reception. Based on a novel of the same name,Firefly Lanetakes place on the eponymous street, detailing the drama that unfolds between two female best friends over the course of their lives from teen years to adulthood. The decade-spanning storyline is fueled by the friendship of twin leads Tully and Kate as the series progresses from the 70s all the way up to the early 2000s.
Critics acknowledged the performances of multiple sets of actors playing the same characters while nevertheless disparaging the material they relied on, frequently claiming that the show’s writing didn’t have enough legs to stand on. Yet audience participation suggested a far different story, smashing records as the show accrued 1.3 billion minutes of viewership in the first week of its release. By the second season of the limited series, critics were at least able to sheepishly admit what general audiences knew all along.
7The Punisher
One of the later entries toMarvel’s NetflixDefenderscontinuitythat was later integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe,The Punisherwas quite a divisive series. Picking up the story of Frank Castle after his appearance in season 2 ofDaredevil, The Punishercontinued the titular vigilante’s murder spree and desperate bid for revenge against the criminal elements that killed his family. Critics were lukewarm on the series' existence, questioning the necessity of the intense violence and continued need to explore Frank Castle beyond his status as a side character.
However, Marvel fans sang quite a different tune surrounding the series' reception. Jon Bernthal’s performance as The Punisher has been almost as widely praised as Charlie Cox’s Daredevil, capturing the tortured psyche of the gun-lugging anti-hero in a way the likes of Dolph Lundgren weren’t able to touch. Hopefully, Bernthal’s Punisher can take aim at the MCU sometime soon, reprising himself as the second fondest-remembered Netflix Defender in the original lineup.
6Insatiable
For all that can be said of Netflix’s original offerings, it must be appreciated that the media giant isn’t afraid to get experimental and downright edgy with its original productions. EnterInsatiable,a black comedy drama series that follows a young pageant queen who sets out on a quest for revenge against those who mocked, ridiculed, and bullied her when she was overweight. The series sports an abnormally high difference in percentages between critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, differing by a staggering 71%.
This can seemingly be explained by most critics' relatively thinner skin where the dark jokes ofInsatiablewere concerned, deeming no subject sacred as they ravaged societal expectations and beauty norms. Audiences, on the other hand, had a much higher tolerance for such humor, not minding the main character’s obvious fat-suit or the narrative’s awkward commentary. Body shaming controversy aside, audiences were certainlyInsatiablefor the show’s brief-lived, seldom-seen topics of comedy.
5Emily In Paris
5 seasons (ongoing)
Compared to some of Netflix’s other critical duds,Emily in Parisis far from the worst, with a critical percentage that hovers around the mid-60s on a good day on Rotten Tomatoes. The show follows Lily Collins as the titular Emily, a marketing executive whose life is turned upside-down when she’s sent from her Chicago ad firm to Paris to lend an American perspective. Critics were quick to admonish the series for its stereotypical depictions of France and Paris, but it’s Emily’s lackluster character that truly fails to carry the show for serious reviewers.
That being said,Emily in Parishas only increased in popularity over time, winning the hearts of audiences for its indeterminable quality as fun and easy viewing. Netflix reported that during the premiere ofEmily in Paris, the series appeared on TV screens in over 60 million households. Considering that Netflix is gearing up for a5th season ofEmily in Parissoon, this number doesn’t seem to have gone down by much compared to the average TV premiere.
4Disenchantment
The most recent original cartoon from the genius mind of Matt Groening,Disenchantmentwove a spell over its captive audiences during its impressive run. Hoping to do for fantasy settings whatFuturamadid for science fiction,Disenchantmentfollows the story of the rebellious royal Bean, a young princess with a carefree, tomboyish spirit that goes against her hapless father’s constrictive wishes. Joined by companions Elfo the Elf and Luci the demon, Bean becomes involved in all manner of medieval misadventures.
Critics were quite harsh toDisenchantmentcompared to Gorening’s other works, not allowing the master cartoonist to rest on his laurels for a second. The slower pace of humor and quieter gags were lambasted by critics, but the series increased in viewership as time went on. While Netflix is no stranger to canceling popular series,Disenchantment’s season 5 endingwas very much by design of the narrative.
313 Reasons Why
4 seasons
A teen drama on the bleeding edge of social commentary,13 Reasons Whywas a sort of proto-Euphoriathat quickly fell out of critical favor after the first season. The story originally centered on the aftermath of a high school suicide victim who left behind a series of tapes explaining her reasons for taking her own life, laying much of the blame at the feet of various people in her life. The resulting seasons further explored this aftermath with storylines sporting similarly heavy themes of mental health, abuse, sexual assault, and mass murder.
Famously, the controversial subject matter of13 Reasons Whyprompted Netflix to precede episodes with content warnings and edit out particularly grueling scenes. Perhaps this can explain why the series continued to enjoy popularity despite critical reviews tanking after the first season, macabre fascination and morbid curiosity outweighing entertainment value.13 Reasons Whyalso famously enjoyed a lot of hate-watchers, artificially inflating its impact on the pop culture landscape.
2The Politician
A series just as ambitious as its protagonist,The Politicianis a fascinating, but polarizing political satire from Netflix. The series stars Ben Platt as Payton Hobart, a high schooler with presidential aspirations hoping to win an election for student body president that will set up his future career. The second season employs a time skip to see Hobart’s dreams continue to manifest with a second election, this time hoping for the seat in the New York State Senate while studying at NYU.
Helmed by notableAmerican Horror StoryandGleescribe,The Politicianhas all the stylization and flair typical of the averageRyan Murphy TV show. However, this wasn’t enough to subsist on for most critical watchers, who didn’t think the series had enough bones to subsist on underneath. Yet thanks to a combination of strong performances and fascinating character studies,The Politicianhas upset critical polls, enjoying massive success with casual viewership.
1Too Hot To Handle
6 seasons (ongoing)
Reality TV famously doesn’t review well, with most professional reviewers glossing over the genre in its entirety. That goes double for dating shows reliant on sexual tension and dastardly drama to engage audiences, looked down upon as guilty pleasures at best by serious critics. This is the case ofToo Hot to Handle,a series that is often critically panned by even casual audiences only to continue soldering on with a dedicated fan base.
The series revolves around a new crop of singles looking for love every season who are put into a house together with strict rules against sensual relations of any kind, with every infraction reducing the prize money at the end of the tunnel. Along the way, contestants go through a variety of workshops designed to sharpen their personal relationship with romance in a positive way. Though perhaps trashy and done in poor-taste,Too Hot to Handleis an undeniable moneymaker forNetflix, thriving in the eyes the reality series is able to draw.
