Why Netflix's International Lineup Matters
Netflix has made a strategic bet on the world. Rather than stuffing the platform with only English-language content, the streaming giant has acquired and produced shows from every corner of the globe, betting that local audiences will stick around for local stories. The result? A foreign language section that's actually worth your time, full of shows that rival anything made in English.
The Power Players: Nordic Crime and Political Drama
Let's start with Denmark, which has quietly become a powerhouse of sophisticated television. Borgen, the original political drama created by Adam Price, tells the story of Birgitte Nyborg Christensen, a minor centrist politician who becomes Denmark's first female prime minister. The show earned praise for its strong female characters, originality, and its approach to politics and other current topics, per Screen Rant. If you want more from this world, Borgen: Power & Glory is a Netflix miniseries revival where Birgitte steps down as prime minister and takes over as foreign minister, dealing with a geopolitical crisis over oil drilling in Greenland.
For something darker, The Chestnut Man follows a hunt for a serial killer in a chilling Danish series that leans into atmosphere and dread. Meanwhile, The Mire, a Polish Netflix series set in a gritty town riddled with dark secrets, offers what Ranker calls an excellent atmospheric crime mystery.
German and Austrian Historical Drama
The Empress is a German historical drama created by Katharina Eyssen that traces the life of 16-year-old Elisabeth 'Sisi' von Wittelsbach as she marries Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria. It's the kind of prestige historical storytelling that makes period dramas feel essential rather than quaint.
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On the sci-fi side, Dark is a German science fiction thriller that takes viewers on a journey through time-travel mysteries intertwining the lives of four families in a small town. Fair warning: it's dense, rewarding, and requires attention.
The Intense and Unforgettable: Japan, Korea, and Beyond
Alice in Borderland, a Japanese sci-fi thriller adapted from a manga by Haro Aso, throws protagonists into a deadly simulation game set in a fantasy version of Tokyo. The show is widely recognized for its intense, fast-paced narrative, per Ranker, and it's the kind of premise that sounds wild until you're three episodes deep and completely hooked.
Crash Landing on You, a Korean romantic drama with 16 episodes, offers a completely different vibe. It tells the story of a South Korean heiress who accidentally lands in North Korea and falls for a man there, according to HuffPost. It's charming, funny, and proves that foreign shows can deliver genuine romance without feeling saccharine.
Comedy and Character: France and Mexico
Family Business is a French TV show that earned praise for its humor, concept, and exploration of French Jewish life, per Screen Rant. Club de Cuervos, a Mexican comedy-drama created by Gaz Alazraki and Michael Lam, centers on a family fighting over ownership of soccer club Cuervos FC. Both shows prove that foreign comedies have a different flavor, often sharper and less concerned with broad appeal.
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Stories From South Africa, India, and Turkey
Queen Sono is a South African Netflix spy series featuring dialogue in multiple African languages alongside English. It's a reminder that Netflix's international strategy includes truly global storytelling, not just European content dubbed and shipped worldwide.
Bombay Begums, an Indian Netflix series consisting of six parts, follows six women from different classes and backgrounds dealing with gender inequality in a patriarchal society. It's character-driven television that uses specificity of place to explore universal themes.
Kübra, a Turkish Netflix series, stands apart for its meditative quality. It follows a lost ex-military man who receives messages possibly from Allah through a social media screen name. Per A Good Movie to Watch, it's more meditative than thrilling, which is exactly the point.
How to Know These Shows Are Actually Good
You might wonder how anyone determines which foreign shows are actually worth your time. A Good Movie to Watch uses a specific rubric: they require at least 7/10 on IMDb combined with 70% on Rotten Tomatoes, then have the title watched and vouched for by a human curator. That human touch matters. Algorithms can't catch nuance or cultural context the way a person can.
What's Coming Next
New seasons are on the way. Per HuffPost, as of late 2025, Netflix was preparing new installments of The Law According to Lidia Poët, All of Us Are Dead, The Devil's Plan, Dept. Q, and Culinary Class Wars. The platform's commitment to foreign content isn't slowing down.
The best foreign shows on Netflix share one thing: they trust their audiences to meet them halfway. They don't explain themselves. They don't sand down their edges for maximum accessibility. They're made by and for people in their countries, and Netflix has had the good sense to let them be. That's why they're worth your time, even with subtitles, even if the cultural references slip past you sometimes. That's also why you should probably check out more of Netflix's underrated international selection, because there's always something unexpected waiting.
The foreign shows that stick with you are the ones that feel like they were made without Netflix's permission. Borgen didn't become a beloved political drama because it was trying to appeal to everyone. Alice in Borderland didn't become a phenomenon by playing it safe. These shows exist because filmmakers and networks in other countries decided to tell the stories they wanted to tell, and Netflix decided to get out of the way. That's a combination that rarely fails.
