The five best series to watch on Netflix this weekend
The bidding war on what to watch next on Netflix has officially begun, and if you’re queuing up on your weekend watchlists, you’re free to select your pick of your choice.
While the streaming giant has been spoiling viewers with choice right from the outset, it is not unlikely or uncommon to feel at a loss for direction whenever you land on the homepage.
If you feel somewhat similarly, we sincerely recommend taking it easy. Of course, it’s easier said than done. However, it’s not exactly impossible when you receive a tray of captivating suggestions for a five-course meal without having to lift a finger.
So, if you’re already scrolling like your life depends on it, here are the five best series to watch on Netflix this weekend to ease the search.
The five best series to binge on Netflix this weekend
Little House on the Prairie (Sarah Adina Smith, Julie Anne Robinson, Kat Candler, Erica Tremblay, and Sydney Freeland, 2026)
Based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s semi-autobiographical book of the same name, Little House on the Prairie is undoubtedly the ultimate pick of the weekend. Inspired by her own upbringing on the American frontier, the debut season is based on the third book of the series, which follows the Ingalls family as they settle into the quaint, small, yet rapidly developing town of Independence.
Little House on the Prairie brings equal parts family drama and an epic tale of survival, blending a partial origin story of the American West. It revolves around the Ingalls family and their dog, Jack, who confronts the adverse conditions of 1800s prairie life, navigating severe fever, wolves, and fire. Although the family is the heart of the story, the Netflix adaptation aims to explore beyond what the previous adaptations have.
Sparks of Tomorrow (Minoru Ōta, 2026)
Up next on our weekend watchlist, we have yet another literary adaptation, Sparks of Tomorrow. But instead of a live-action series, it is a new anime adaptation based on Hiro Yūki’s 2020 novel, Seiki Denki Mokuroku. The Netflix series tells the story of two teens – Kihachi Sakamoto and Inako Momokawa – in a 1907 alternate history Kyoto. Described as a cynical young man, Kihachi is a tinkerer bitter over his brother’s death.
As for Inako? She’s a devout girl, hiding grief for her deceased mother. Together, they join forces to find the Electrical Catalogue, ultimately using it to fulfil their dreams and avoid an arranged marriage. Sparks of Tomorrow is set in a world where technological progress has diverged, leaving Kyoto plagued by the smoke of coal and steam engines instead of embracing electricity.
I’m Not Afraid (Earnest Contreras, Alba Gil, and Alejandro Zuno, 2026)
Weekends won’t really be weekends if we miss out on a gritty mystery while we’re at it. So, to continue the Netflix marathon, opt for the Mexican mystery drama I’m Not Afraid with eyes closed. Set during the 1986 World Cup in a remote Mexican village that was once a thriving coffee community, the Netflix limited series follows Miguel, who stumbles upon a chained-up boy, Felipe, in a well.
Miguel doesn’t take long to befriend Felipe, completely unaware that the adults he looks up to with admiration and respect have a major involvement in the wealthy kid’s abduction. I’m Not Afraid centres on Miguel’s determination to take care of the chained boy and protect him, only for him to realise that the culprits are closer to him than he thinks.
MobLand (Guy Ritchie, Anthony Byrne, Daniel Syrkin, and Lawrence Gough, 2025-Present)
Ronan Bennett and Guy Ritchie’s critically acclaimed crime drama, MobLand, is finally on Netflix. So, it only makes sense to make it one of our weekend stops, right? The gritty, stylised thriller follows a bloody turf war between two warring London dynasties: the Irish Harrigans and the Stevensons. The plot thickens when a Harrigan heir accidentally fans the flames of the rivalry, leaving the family’s deadly fixer, Harry Da Souza, to take reins of the chaos.
MobLand centres on a dispute that spirals out of control when Eddie Harrigan gets caught up in a nightclub stabbing alongside the son of their arch-rival, Richie Stevenson. But what makes the situation all the worse is when the Stevenson heir mysteriously vanishes into thin air, inadvertently pushing the criminal families to wage an all-out war.
Top Boy (Yann Demange, Jonathan van Tulleken, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Aneil Karia, Nia DaCosta, Brady Hood, Myriam Raja, William Stefan Smith, and Koby Adom, 2011-2023)
Although most of our weekend suggestions are relatively new, to wrap up the marathon, we recommend a blast from the past that experienced a Netflix revival, Top Boy. Divided into three distinct arcs, the crime drama series revolves around dangerous drug dealers and lifelong friends Dushane and Sully as they lay the building blocks to square off for the control of a massive empire in East London.
Top Boy explores Dushane and Sully’s ruthless business tactics and shifting allegiances, while offering a stark social commentary on the layered impact of street crime, especially on local communities that are devoid of the shield. The series captures the dynamic duo’s treacherous journey in securing their control in the local drug trade as they battle rival gangs, corrupt officials, and internal betrayals to maintain the notorious reputation they have made.