Netflix has plenty of content to sort through, no matter what kind of mood you’re in. Want a comedy? There are a zillion hilarious movies and TV shows to watch. Love medical shows? The streamer finally added “Nurse Jackie” back to the platform, and of course, “Grey’s Anatomy” is there if you need a long binge or rewatch session. Go wild for a new true crime drama? Netflix has quite a few — including this year’s shocking doc “Unknown Number: The High School Catfish.”
But, perhaps you’re looking for something new, addictive and outside of your worldview. Netflix has a huge library of international and foreign-language TV shows. They range in length — from four-episode miniseries to 16-episode limited series to multi-season shows that have built cult followings that have begged for more seasons. (To fans of “The Law According To Lidia Poët,” “All of Us Are Dead,” “The Devil’s Plan,” “Dept. Q” and “Culinary Class Wars,” new seasons are on the way.)
We asked HuffPost readers on social media to tell us some international and foreign language TV series on Netflix that deserve more attention. And whew, there’s everything from dark mystery-thrillers to adorable rom-coms to brilliant competition shows in this list.
China
“The Story Of Pearl Girl”
Cast: Zhao Lusi, Liu Yuning, Tang Xiaotian
Episodes: 40
Netflix’s Logline: “After narrowly escaping an abusive pearl farm, a young woman with unmatched talent carves out her own fate as treachery meets the world of jewelry.”
France
Cast: Victoire Du Bois, Lucie Boujenah, Tiphaine Daviot
Episodes: 8
Netflix’s Logline: “Lured back to her hometown, a famous horror writer discovers that the evil spirit who plagues her dreams is now wreaking havoc in the real world.”
Germany
Cast: Emily Beecham, Aneurin Barnard, Andreas Pietschmann
Episodes: 8
Netflix’s Logline: “A ship that disappeared months earlier is found adrift on the Atlantic with just one of its passengers onboard — but reality isn’t what it seems to be.”
“The characters speak different languages. When I read up on it, you’re supposed to watch the show in its native language and then you understand why some of the things happened. They didn’t understand each other!””
– Sarah Elizabeth Jackinsky, a Facebook user on “1899”
Cast: Louis Hofmann, Oliver Masucci, Jördis Triebel
Episodes: 10 in Season 1, 8 in Seasons 2 and 3
Netflix’s Logline: “Secrets unspool when a boy disappears from a small town in this cerebral series RogerEbert.com calls “one of the most mind-melting shows on television.”
Italy
“The Law According To Lidia Poët”
Matilda De Angelis as Lidia Poët in “The Law According To Lidia Poët.”
Camilla Cattabriga/Netflix
Cast: Matilda De Angelis, Eduardo Scarpetta, Pier Luigi Pasino
Episodes: 6 in Seasons 1 and 2; Season 3 is on the way
Netflix’s Logline: This mystery period drama about Italy’s first female lawyer “is exactly the TV series we needed,” raves Esquire.
Japan
“Alice In Borderland”
Cast: Kento Yamazaki, Tao Tsuchiya, Mijiro Murakami
Episodes: 8 in Seasons 1 and 2, 6 in Season 3
Netflix’s Logline: “Unwitting participants are subjected to a sadistic game of survival in a parallel Tokyo, where the vibrant streets are replaced by a desolate wasteland.”
Mexico
“The House of Flowers”
Cast: Cecilia Suárez, Aislinn Derbez, Dario Yazbek
Episodes: 13 in Season 1, 9 in Season 2, 11 in Season 3
Netflix’s Logline: “In this dark comedy, a wealthy matriarch tries to maintain her family’s facade of perfection after her husband’s mistress exposes their dirty secrets.”
Nigeria
“War: Wrath and Revenge”
Cast: Rahama Sadau, Mofe Duncan, Yakubu Mohammed
Episodes: 6
Netflix’s Logline: “Nuhu Bula looks set to be the next governor of Kowa. Until his wife learns he wants to marry another woman — and does everything she can to stop him.”
Cast: Ini Dima-Okojie, Nancy Isime, Kate Henshaw-Nuttal
Episodes: 4
Netflix’s Logline: “A toxic relationship. A fiery family feud. A deadly scandal. To clear their names, two best friends go on the run — and danger lies at every turn.”
Norway
Cast: Steven Van Zandt, Trond Fausa, Steinar Sagen
Episodes: 8 in Seasons 1, 2 and 3
Netflix’s Logline: “After testifying against the Mafia, ex-gangster Frank Tagliano enters witness protection and asks to be sent to Norway.”
South Africa
Ama Qamata as Puleng Khumalo in “Blood & Water.”
Cast: Ama Qamata, Khosi Ngema, Gail Mabalane
Episodes: 6 in Season 1, 7 in Season 2, 6 in Seasons 3 and 4
Netflix’s Logline: “After they cross paths at a party, a Cape Town teen sets out to prove whether a private-school swimming star is her sister who was abducted at birth.”
South Korea
“Crash Landing On You”
Cast: Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Seo Ji-hye
Episodes: 16
Logline: “A wrong turn leads a South Korean heiress right into the arms of a man she never dreamed she’d fall for in this binge-worthy romantic adventure.”
Cast: Song Hye-kyo, Lee Do-hyun, Lim Ji-yeon
Episodes: 16
Netflix’s Logline: “When she was 18, her classmates inflicted wounds that will never heal — and got away with it. Now 18 years later, she’s planned the ultimate revenge.”
Cast: Park Gyu-young, Kang Min-hyuk, Lee Chung-ah
Episodes: 12
Netflix’s Logline: “Ready to log into the lavish lives — and dark reality — of Seoul’s glamorous social media elites? A scandalous drama series starring Park Gyu-young.” (Park starred in Seasons 2 and 3 of “Squid Game.”)
Cast: Seo Yea-ji, Park Byung-eun, Yoo Sun
Episodes: 16
Netflix’s Logline: “A tumultuous past and a thirst for revenge drive a young woman to infiltrate the powerful chaebol family who wronged her own.”
Cho Yi-hyun in “All of Us Are Dead.”
Cast: Park Ji-hu, Yoon Chan-young, Cho Yi-hyun
Episodes: 12 in Season 1, Season 2 is on the way
Netflix’s Logline: “First one student. Next a high school. Then an entire city. As a zombie apocalypse spreads fast, only those who can help themselves may stay alive.”
“Under The Queen’s Umbrella”
Cast: Kim Hye-soo, Kim Hae-sook, Choi Won-yeong
Episodes: 16
Netflix’s Logline: “A charismatic queen with a heart of gold stops at nothing to protect her own children — even if it means going up against her powerful mother-in-law.”
Cast: Uhm Jung-hwa, Kim Byong-chul, Myung Se-bin
Episodes: 16
Netflix’s Logline: “Twenty years after leaving her medical career, a housewife returns as a first-year resident — struggling to find her footing in a job full of surprises.”
Cast: IU, Yeo Jin-goo, Shin Jung-keun
Episodes: 16
Netflix’s Logline: “When he’s invited to manage a hotel for dead souls, an elite hotelier gets to know the establishment’s ancient owner and her strange world.”
“’Hotel del Luna’ is such a great show. I was so disappointed that it was a limited series and only had one season. It’s a mix of fantasy, drama, horror, romance, you name it!””
– Robin Adamowicz, a Facebook user on “Hotel del Luna”
“Bon Appétit, Your Majesty”
Cast: Lim Yoon-a, Lee Chae-min, Kang Hanna
Episodes: 12 episodes
Netflix’s Logline: “A modern-day chef travels back in time and meets a tyrant king. Can her cooking win his heart?”
“Extraordinary Attorney Woo”
Cast: Park Eun-bin, Kang Tae-oh, Kang Ki-young
Episodes: 16
Netflix’s Logline: “Brilliant attorney Woo Young-woo tackles challenges in and out of the courtroom as a rookie at a prominent law firm and a woman on the autism spectrum.”
Cast: Han Ji-min, Lee Min-ki, Suho
Episodes: 16
Netflix’s Logline: “A psychic vet and a detective join forces to crack small-town cases — but their skills are tested when they unravel a chilling serial killer mystery.”
Cast: Kang Ji-yeong, Kyuhyun, Kim Ha-rin
Episodes: 12 episodes each in Seasons 1 and 2, Season 3 is on the way
Netflix’s Logline: “Brilliant contestants. Cerebral games. Huge cash prize. Can they fire up all parts of their brain and come out on top? May the best player win.”
“Culinary Class Wars”
Jung Ji-sun in “Culinary Class Wars.”
Judges: Paik Jong-won, Anh Sung-jae
Episodes: 12 episodes in Season 1, Season 2 coming Dec. 16
Netflix’s Logline: “From amateur hobbyists and restaurant cooks to Michelin-starred chefs, 100 people skilled in the art of flavor compete in a gripping cooking face-off.”
Sweden
Cast: Ida Engvoll, Björn Mosten, Carla Sehn
Episodes: 8 in Seasons 1 and 2
Netflix’s Logline: “It started innocently enough. He reignited her sense of adventure. She inspired him to be his best self. But playing with fire might get them burned.”
“I highly recommend the original Swedish version as the American dubbing isn’t always accurate.””
– Debra Pelto, a Facebook user on “Love & Anarchy.”
United Kingdom
Cast: Matthew Goode, Chloe Pirrie, Jamie Sives
Episodes: 9, Season 2 is on the way
Netflix’s Logline: “No cause too lost. No case too cold. No clue too cryptic. Welcome to Dept. Q, where missing persons are sought and old crimes are solved.”
All these TV series are streaming on Netflix.
