These 5 must-watch Netflix shows are some of the best series that Netflix has to offer this New Year’s week, December 29, 2025–January 2, 2026. They include top trending new releases, acclaimed hidden gems, and several binge-worthy series leaving the platform in just a matter of days at the end of the year.
Screen Rant’s weekly binge guides cover all the new series, viral hits, and more across major streaming platforms, such as Prime Video and Paramount+. Start your 2026 off on the right foot by diving into any one of these standout, immersive, and celebrated shows worth bingeing on Netflix right now.
The Red Road
Jason Momoa’s forgotten crime thriller series The Red Road was just recently added to Netflix last week and has already seen a surge in viewership, landing in the Top 5 on Netflix’s global viewership chart over the last weekend of 2025.
The Red Road, which originally premiered in 2014, follows Momoa’s ex-con character Phillip Kopus, who lives on an Indigenous settlement in New York. He comes into conflict with NYPD officer Harold Jenson, played by Martin Henderson, who investigates a missing persons case in the area.
Combining coming-of-age elements with a suspenseful crime thriller, The Red Road consists of just 12 episodes, making it the perfect length for a one-week binge. The series, which also stars Julianne Nicholson and Tim Sizemore, is a certified fan-favorite, earning an 86% Rotten Tomatoes audience score, providing a strong indication that it’s worth your time.
Cashero
Cashero is a must-binge Netflix series this week as it’s both brand new and top trending on Netflix’s worldwide chart. Released in full on December 26, Cashero is an 8-part superhero action-adventure K-drama series that’s immersive and enjoyable with outstanding visuals and production value.
Cashero follows a superhero named Kang Sang Woong, who recently discovered he has superpowers and takes on the responsibility of protecting ordinary people in their daily lives. The series stars Lee Jun-ho, best known for other K-dramas like Typhoon Family and King the Land, and is already a viral sensation heading into New Year’s Day.
Stranger Things
The month-long Stranger Things season 5 rollout comes to an end this week, with the series finale dropping on New Year’s Eve at 8 PM ET. Fans have been mostly satisfied with the fifth and final season of the beloved Netflix supernatural/horror/coming-of-age series, although its latest episode, which just premiered on Christmas, marked a new series low in audience rating on IMDb.
Stranger Things is still the #1 trending Netflix series in the world right now, as expected, but the anticipation for the movie-length series finale has been slightly deflated following what many would call a disappointing penultimate episode. This actually adds additional pressure and unexpected stakes to the Stranger Things franchise, which will try to avoid a Game of Thrones-level finale catastrophe by sticking the landing this week on Netflix.
That said, there’s truly never been a better time to binge-watch all of Stranger Things season 5 than right now, with the finale, titled “The Rightside Up”, just hours away.
Mr. Robot
Netflix subscribers will lose access to one of the best TV series available to stream on the platform, Mr. Robot, in just a matter of days. The 4-season thriller masterpiece will be leaving Netflix on January 4, 2026, so there’s only a limited time for viewers to still enjoy one of the most critically acclaimed series of the 21st century.
Mr. Robot stars Rami Malek before his rise to worldwide fame as Freddie Mercury in the Oscar-winning movie Bohemian Rhapsody. Malek plays a genius but unstable cybersecurity engineer who moonlights as a vigilante hacker with the help of his incessant anarchist associate, Mr. Robot, played by Christian Slater.
Winner of 3 Emmys and recipient of a Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score of 94%, Mr. Robot has an instantly addictive quality to it, thanks to its sharp writing and quick pace, that keeps viewers hooked from start to finish. Don’t miss your chance to binge all 4 seasons of this modern TV masterpiece before it leaves Netflix on January 4, 2026.
Lost
Another celebrated classic TV series that’s leaving Netflix soon is Lost, considered by many to be one of the best shows of all time. Co-created by J.J. Abrams and Damien Lindelof, Lost was one of the most-watched series on TV during its 6-season run between 2004 and 2010.
Lost follows a group of plane crash survivors who work together to continue living on a seemingly deserted island. The series earned 10 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series in 2005, and has an 89% Rotten Tomatoes audience score. If you’re looking for something thrilling, mysterious, and nostalgic with great twists and memorable characters, Lost is a guaranteed winner.
Lost will officially be taken off Netflix on January 1, 2026, so if you’ve been meaning to dive into it or rewatch some of your favorite moments, now is the time to do so. While it’s impossible to binge the entire series before it’s gone on Netflix, viewers will still be able to watch it in 2026 on Hulu.
founded
January 16, 2007
founders
Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph
