(Credit: Netflix)

Netflix didn’t fail us in 2025. As a result, it only makes sense that we give it back to the platform the momentum it truly deserves before the year comes to an official close.

From record-breaking days to Emmy-sweeping nights, the streaming giant made it big in terms of entertainment this year. While Netflix is only going to get bigger and better once the clock hits midnight on New Year’s, we must make the most of the shows the streamer has offered so far now that it has all boiled down to the final few days.

In retrospect, Netflix already gave viewers plenty of reasons to stay glued to its screens this year. However, it’s also possible that amid the scrolling sessions, we may have overlooked a few hidden gems here and there.

So, going into 2026, make sure to cover your tracks with the five underrated Netflix shows you probably missed out on, because otherwise the FOMO could get really real.

Five underrated Netflix shows you probably missed this year

Asura (Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2025)

Based on Japanese TV screenwriter Kuniko Mukōda’s 1970s miniseries, Like Asura, Asura is a seven-episode domestic period drama released earlier this year on Netflix to unanimous acclaim. Directed by Palm d’Or winner Hirokazu Kore-eda, the series is set in 1979 Tokyo and follows the story of four Takezawa sisters – Tsunako, Makiko, Takiko, and Sakiko. Asura picks up the family drama on a fine winter day when these sisters come together to discuss the exploits of their father, Kotaro, for the first time in what is believed to be a long period.

Takiko informs her siblings about her father’s ongoing affair while also detailing to them how he even had a child out of wedlock. Although the women initially have their doubts about the claims, they still pledge to hide those findings from their mother, Fuji. But little do they know that not all secrets are meant to be kept because sometimes the more you tighten the closet, the clearer the cracks begin to show up on your sleeves.

Boots (Andy Parker, 2025)

Just because Netflix cancelled the fan-favourite military comedy drama, Boots, after one season, it doesn’t mean it’s worthy of a skip. But if you have a hard time convincing yourself, the Netflix series, based on Greg Cope White’s memoir, currently boasts a whopping 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. For those still out of the loop, the coming-of-age drama follows the story of Cameron Cope, a closeted gay teenager from Louisiana.

Set in the 1990s, Boots tells the story of Cope’s enlistment in the United States Marine Corps with his straight best friend in a period when the military specifically excluded queer people from serving the country. The character-driven drama revolves around Cope’s boot camp training under Sergeant Sullivan, where he not only navigates the physical and emotional challenges of the rigorous training but also takes special care to hide his sexuality while forming multitudes of bonds.

FOREVER (Mara Brock Akil, 2025-Present)

Loosely based on Judy Blume’s 1975 novel, FOREVER is a romantic teen drama, which was renewed for a second season within barely a month of the series’ debut. While that should be enough to leave you lingering longer, for those in need of further convincing, the premise should do the rest of the deed. The coming-of-age drama revolves around two Black teenagers, Keisha and Justin, in 2018 Los Angeles, who are experiencing many of their firsts, including the bliss and chaos of their messy teenage lives.

As they navigate their first serious romance, a flight of fantasy, which comes with the added complications of intimacy and heartbreak, FOREVER also pans the focus to their grounded reality – one which arrives with issues surrounding identity and race. To top that off, there’s the typical parental pressure and the complexities of growing up. However, whether they learn to balance it all is for you to find out before the second season drops on Netflix.

North of North (Stacey Aglok, MacDonald, and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, 2025-Present)

Netflix really peaked with diversity in its lineup of 2025 content, and North of North is all the proof you need. The Canadian comedy-drama takes us to the far extreme, telling a very humane story of a young Inuk mother in the Arctic community of Ice Cove, Siaja, who abandons her married life and self-absorbed husband publicly to start anew.

Since she resides in a rather tight-knit community where everyone knows everything about her life, Siaja’s journey of self-discovery and independence begins with quite a few forks stuck in the road. North of North makes us a part of that very journey as Siaja confronts uncanny chaos and community scrutiny, all while navigating dreams of reinvention. Although never-before-heard family secrets also come into play, it’s all thanks to the mysterious visitor who adds layers to her already vulnerable situation.

Secrets We Keep (Per Fly, 2025)

Netflix showed no shortage of thrillers in 2025, and it only makes sense if we wrap up this binge session with one of the most underrated titles it had to offer, Secrets We Keep. The Danish limited series, with a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, follows a wealthy woman, Cecille, who gets deeply involved in the investigation of the disappearance of her neighbour’s au pair, Ruby.

Although Cecile maintains quite an informal relationship with the neighbours, who also happen to be involved with her husband’s profession, Ruby’s vanishing makes her question the worst. And the fact that there are invisible links connecting the crime with her neighbours and her husband doesn’t really help. While it’s easy to ask what the harm is in keeping distance, knowing things aren’t looking exactly great on her end, well, one of the reasons could be that Cecille was the last one Ruby turned to for help right before her mysterious disappearance.