Netflix's 10 First Original Series Ranked, According To Rotten Tomatoes
It's difficult to believe that Netflix launched its first original series way back in 2013. Since then, Netflix has released plenty of original series in a variety of genres, from dramas to comedies as well as animated series, anime, docuseries, reality shows, talk shows, and even foreign language series.
While many of the shows have gone on to be huge successes, running for multiple seasons, some were canceled just as quickly as they were released. Netflix doesn't release viewership numbers, but review aggregate websites provide an indication as to how a show was received by both critics and audiences.
10 Richie Rich (2015) – No Score
This series was arguably so bad that critics didn't even bother to review it. However, the 38% audience score suggests that viewers didn't like it either. Based on the Harvey Comics character, the aptly-named kid Rich made trillions of dollars from his method of turning vegetables into an energy source and now lives a lavish life.
As with the 1994 film interpretation starring Macaulay Culkin, Richie Rich didn't go over well. It did, however, last for two seasons before Netflix quietly stopped making it.
9 Chef's Table (2015) – No Score
Given the tremendous popularity of this series and high ratings on other review aggregator sites like IMDb and Metacritic, this docuseries, Netflix's first of the genre, isn't technically rated last. But since Rotten Tomatoes has no score for the show, it falls at the end of this list.
Every episode looks at a specific chef, from Massimo Bottura to Christina Tosi, and follows them to learn more about their cooking philosophy and personal life, from childhood to today. Chef's Table is engaging, visually stunning, and will make one's mouth water.
8 Hemlock Grove (2013) – 38%
While other review aggregator sites are more generous, Rotten Tomatoes was not feeling this horror series by Eli Roth about a wealthy heir in a fictional town experiencing strange events.
Hemlock Grove did earn Netflix its first-ever Primetime Emmy Award nomination and lasted three seasons. But reviewers referred to it as everything from ugly and unpleasant, calling out the increasing levels of unnecessary gore as being a turn-off.
7 Bloodline (2015) – 62%
Ben Mendelsohn and Kyle Chandler were particularly praised for their leading roles in Bloodlines, a thriller drama about a man, the black sheep of the family, who returns home only to deal with his siblings who don't want him there.
Bloodline streamed for three seasons but ratings significantly dropped from season one to two and three: season one had a score of 81% but seasons two and three were 53% each. Reviewers said subsequent seasons failed to "recapture…the dramatic intrigue" of the first.
6 Marco Polo (2014) – 66%
After investing millions in making and heavily marketing this series, Marco Polo didn't quite yield the results Netflix had hoped, and the streaming service reportedly lost a ton of money on it. But it was one of Netflix's earliest attempts at an original and did seem to be well-liked by those who watched: interestingly, the average audience score is a much higher 94%.
Nonetheless, Netflix gave the show the axe after two seasons. Ironically, while critics called the first season an "all-around disappointment," they gave season two a much higher rating.
5 House of Cards (2013) – 77%
The Underwoods became Netflix's first TV power couple and in 2013, if someone hasn't watched House of Cards, they were out of the loop during watercooler conversations at the office. A delicious political ride, it told the story of Frank Underwood, an ambitious, power hungry political figure who would stop at nothing to take over the White House. Meanwhile, his wife Claire was just as clever, cunning, and ruthless as he, working her own game on the sidelines.
The series lasted six seasons during which it received 33 Primetime Emmy nominations, the first streaming series to do so in major categories.
4 Grace and Frankie (2015) – 88%
Two women in their 70s are shocked to discover that their husbands and business partners have been having a decades-long affair with one another. One an uptight and refined woman and the other a free-spirited hippie, the very different Grace and Frankie discover that they need each other more than ever now.
With a star-studded cast that includes Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sam Waterson, and Martin Sheen, Grace and Frankie has gotten better with age (much like the actors) and earned many Emmy nods. It will end with the upcoming seventh season.
3 Orange is the New Black (2013) – 90%
The biggest series for Netflix after House of Cards, the comedy-drama showed that Netflix really had something up its sleeve and could produce quality TV. Loosely based on the life of Jenji Kohan and her time spent in a women's prison, it stars a predominantly female cast and broke barriers for TV with a series centered around an predominantly female cast representing all races and sexual orientations.
Orange is the New Black ended after seven seasons and was nominated for 12 Primetime Emmys in its first season alone, including ones in the major categories.
2 Daredevil (2015) – 92%
Despite its tremendous popularity, this series about Matt Murdock (Daredevil), a blind lawyer by day and vigilante superhero by night, was cancelled after three seasons.
As the first of many Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) series offered by Netflix, all of which have been cancelled, chances are Daredevil could emerge once again through the rival Disney+ streaming service.
1 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015) – 96%
Rotten Tomatoes critics seem to love this sweet Netflix sitcom about Kimmy, a woman who must re-integrate herself into society after being rescued from an underground bunker, where she spent the last 15 years. Now 29, she not only needs to deal with the trauma of what happened to her but figure out how to navigate the negativity and bitterness that exists in the world; not an easy feat for a grown woman who still has the happy-go-lucky attitude of a 15-year-old kid.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, received 20 Emmy nominations through its run. It lasted four seasons plus a fun interactive, choose-your-own-adventure-style follow-up special.