Only on Netflix: 5 Compelling Original Dramas That Could Never Air on TV

Netflix has many brilliant shows, but it is particularly famous for its original dramas. The streaming service's collection of drama series is impressive, but some shows are blessed to have been released there because their storytelling style would have failed them on television.

These five are prime examples.

Griselda (2024, 1 season, 7.2 on IMDb)

Produced by and starring Modern Family's Sofia Vergara, this biographical crime drama tells the story of Griselda Blanco, a notorious Colombian drug lord (lady?) who came to dominate Miami's drug scene in the 1980s. A mother of three, she faces the suspicion of her "peers," who tend to look down on her. Soon Griselda shows what she's capable of, but her pursuit of wealth and power comes back to haunt her, causing tragedy in her own family.

Lupin (2021-present, 2 seasons, 7.5 on IMDb)

This French mystery thriller stars Omar Sy as Assane Diop, a fan of Maurice Leblanc's short stories about Arsène Lupin, a master gentleman thief. Inspired by his hero, Assane plans to steal a diamond necklace on display at the Louvre to avenge his father's wrongful conviction for a crime he didn't commit. To achieve his goal, Diop resorts to Lupin's most elaborate methods.

Sweet Tooth (2021-2024, 2 seasons, 7.7 on IMDb)

Based on Jeff Lemire's comic book series of the same name, this fantasy drama is set in a post-apocalyptic world where most of the human population has been wiped out by a mysterious virus and some people have begun to produce hybrid babies that have both human and animal characteristics. The film follows Gus, a ten-year-old boy with certain attributes of a deer, like his antlers, who travels the world in search of his mother after the death of his father.

The Glory (2022-2023, 1 season, 8.1 on IMDb)

This Korean psychological drama-thriller follows Moon Dong-eun, a young elementary school teacher who was violently bullied by her classmates during her school years. As it turns out, she had to give up her dreams of becoming an architect and quit her own school, and the only reason she became a teacher is to take revenge on her worst bully, whose child now attends the school where Moon Dong-eun works.

Narcos (2015-2017, 3 seasons, 8.8 on IMDb)

Netflix's famous crime drama chronicles the life of Pablo Escobar, Colombia's most notorious drug lord, whose cocaine empire had its own army. The series recounts events from Escobar's first foray into the business to his days of glory and subsequent downfall. Narcos focuses on Escobar's relationship with the Drug Enforcement Administration during his "reign" and the agency's fight against drugs after his demise.