Tired of Netflix? 12 TV Shows to Watch Instead (2026)
Hey there, I’m Jess ✨. On The Signature, I share reflections on beauty, routines, travel, wellness, culture, and everyday life. For those drawn to a calmer, more intentional way of living, I send a free newsletter each month on the 7th. You're welcome to join.
Nowadays when someone recommends you a movie or a tv show you can already anticipate they have a single source to consume content. As we open social media, most suggestions for cool things to watch are always from the same platform: Netflix. I have nothing against Netflix, it has provided me with amazing content through the years.
But I feel it narrows our minds to be watching the exact same thing at the same time, all the time. I have already written a similar article with Miniseries you can watch out of Netflix. So it is about time to share great shows that go beyond a season.
Shows mentioned in this article
- The Pitt (2025)
- Paradise (2025)
- Cross (2024)
- Shrinking (2023)
- The Bear (2022)
- The Gilded Age (2022)
- Only Murders in the Building (2021)
- White Lotus (2021)
- Nine Perfect Strangers (2021)
- Your Honor (2020)
- The Morning Show (2019-)
The Pitt (2025)
Where to watch: HBO Max
Now on it's second second, The Pitt is a 15-episode per season show. Created by R. Scott Gemmill, you might feel some familiarities with his previous work ER. I was very young when that show was out but I know of its legacy into medical drama and how it launched George Clooney, Julianna Margulies and young Noah Wyle into stardom.
The Pitt is a medical drama also produced by John Wells from ER. Here, Noah Wyle isn't young Dr. John Carter any longer. He plays Senior Attending Dr. Michael Robinavitch who everybody calls Dr. Robby.
There is something really captivating about this show: every episode shows one hour each of the 15-hour shift (starting at 7AM) at an emergency department in a hospital in Pittsburgh, United States. This premise might remind you of the show 24 which I loved, that also tackled hour by hour in each of its 24 episodes per season.
This structure drew me back to the way classic drama tv shows were made, and having a new episode per week (instead of the drop Netflix and such has accustomed us to) made me have a positive blast from the past.
“It’s the most realistic medical show I’ve seen,” said Kathy Sikora, a registered nurse who is director of emergency services at AGH
The reviews from the medical field are very positive about the show's accuracy and also with dealing with lack of resources, staff shortages, overcrowding and PTSD after COVID.
I don't want to spoil you with details but here are a few things I love about the show:
Disclaimer: as this is an HBO Max show, be ready for hard core & explicit scenes. IYKYK.
Paradise (2025)
Where to watch: Hulu
With two seasons in tow, Paradise is one of the greatest post-apocaliptic political ever written. Created by Dan Fogelman, you could almost forget he was the brains behind the sweet tear-jerker that was This is Us. But episode by episode, you get a few similarities. And the tear-jerking moments. Paradise stars Sterling K. Brown - who I discovered on good old Army Wives, remember that show?! - as Secret Service agent Xavier Collins, who is in president Cal Bradford's detail. Bradford is played by James Mardsen who indeed looks like a Kennedy family member.
Cal Bradford is murdered and we are set on the investigation around his murder, discovering that what seemed like a normal life isn't and the world can indeed come to an end.
The series is packed with action, thrills and emotion. I do not want to spoil you on the details but Episode 1 on the second season was one of the most gorgeous things I have ever watched in my life. And those moments are when you can tie to the This is Us ethos, where emotions were always up for grabs. A spectacular show, cannot wait for season 3 which was confirmed in March 2026.
The Night Manager (2016)
Where to watch: BBC or Prime
If there is one way to grab my husband's attention to make him watch a full show with me, give us a spy thriller and make it a miniseries as the man just loathes long-winded shows (he panics when he sees me watching Grey's Anatomy 77th season). This show was right up his league and we both enjoyed it, as this is not just a spy thriller. It’s a story about power, complicity, and how evil often wears a tailored suit and a smile.
The Night Manager is a six-episode miniseries that is sleek, stylish, and quietly explosive. The kind of show where even the silences feel dangerous. Based on the novel by John le Carré, The Night Manager begins in a luxury hotel in Cairo, Egypt where Jonathan Pine (played by Tom Hiddleston) works as the night manager. He’s calm, impeccable and hiding a military past.
His carefully ordered life unravels when he gets pulled into the dangerous world of Richard Roper (played by Hugh Laurie), a billionaire arms dealer operating under the perfect façade of charm, philanthropy, and Savile Row tailoring. Recruited by British intelligence, Pine agrees to go undercover and infiltrate Roper’s inner circle. In that inner circle, he meets Jemima "Jed" Marshall, played by Elizabeth Debicki (The Crown's Princess Diana), who is Pine's girlfriend. With their intense encounters, things get even more complicated.
From "Cairo" (in reality, the Egypt bits were filmed in Morocco, but okay!) to Mallorca, Zermatt to London, the series is beautifully shot and full of espionage tension, emotional complexity, and moral greyness. You’re never quite sure if Pine is in control or spiraling. Tom Hiddleston is so so good at this duality, I love this actor. Speaking of actors I adore, we also have the exquisite Olivia Colman, who plays the MI6 agent running the operation. She is brilliant and utterly grounded. Olivia was actually heavily pregnant during filming, both in real life and in the storyline, which makes me admire her even more.
The series, directed by the wonderful Danish Susanne Bier (who also directed The Undoing and The Perfect Couple, both with Nicole Kidman) won multiple Golden Globes and BAFTAs, including much deserved acting awards for both Hiddleston and Colman.
And to make things even crispier as you read this, in April 2024, Charlotte Moore, the BBC's Chief Content Officer, said: "After years of fervent speculation, I’m incredibly excited to confirm that The Night Manager is returning to the BBC for two more series." You can be sure my husband and I will be watching it as soon as it launches
Cross (2024)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
This one was launched just a few weeks ago and it is inspired by James Patterson's books about tortured detective Alex Cross, played by the sexiest Aldis Hodge. Alex, a homicide detective who is also a forensic psychologist, just recently lost his wife in a senseless attack.
He now needs to juggle single parenthood of two young children - supported by his grandma, who raised him -, an astute intuition at work whilst on the trail of a mysterious murderer that emulates serial killers and murderers from the past.
It's not the easiest show to watch - the crimes are a bit prolonged and gruesome - yet it tackles a superb character who evolves before our eyes as does the investigation. A major kudos to Ryan Eggold ("What can I do for you?" from New Amsterdam!) who plays an incredible character throughout the series.
Shrinking (2023)
Where to watch: Apple TV
Shrinking was both emotional and a riot: we have only watched the first season so far but cannot wait for the second one that is already out. Shrinking is about the group of colleagues that tend a psychology private practice and how they truly face life and clients, on the backstage of things. We encounter Jimmy Laird (played by Jason Segel whom I had not seen since How I Met Your Mother days!) who just lost his wife and is trying to reconnect with his teenager daughter Alice.
Then we have Gaby Evans (played by Jessica Williams) who is Jimmy's delightful colleague and a voice of reason at the practice and is dealing with her own things yet she always has time for others. And finally Paul Rhoades (by Harrison Ford) who is (or should be) the sage old shrink his fellow would look up to - and they do - yet is in denial about his own capabilities health wise.
Moreover we also deep dive into Jimmy's neighbourhood and his drama with daughter as well as him trying to get into the dating pond again. The show made me think a lot about Scrubs' pace and I was right in that feeling: it was created by the same and only Bill Lawrence (Christa Miller's husband, who is also in Shrinking and was also on Scrubs)(will she always portray herself tho?). A must watch!
The Bear (2022)
Where to watch: Hulu or FX
We arrived late to the party and just binge watched this show for the past two weeks but better late than never. The Bear is just so good. To be honest, it's as good as it is absolutely nerve-wracking. Three seasons in, the show can be considered a series of small movies, from 20-minute episodes to 60-minute masterpieces you could be watching at the movies. It makes us tag along Carmen "Bear" or "Carmy" Barzotto, a young chef who goes back home to Chicago after his older brother Mikey passes away, giving him his restaurant through his will. Carmy was an upcoming and James Beard awarded chef at the world's greatest restaurant in New York (of course...), having also worked at Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark, and now he has to deal with a rundown neighbourhood restaurant. He arrives with a bang, having to deal with unorganised finances, disjointed staff and a roof that seems to be wanting to fall over their heads at every episode. This series is so good, we both completely recommend.
The Gilded Age (2022)
Where to watch: HBO Max
A few years ago I became quickly enamoured with the turmoil-filled story of the 1880s glamorous years in New York's history through its founding families such as the Vanderbilts. This was thanks to Anderson Cooper's documentary with his mother Gloria Vanderbilt, and how their dramatic personal stories entertwine with the story of America through the Gilded Age.
This is the premise that is more developed with the tale of two realities on both sides on a same street in the 1880s in New York. In the first lavish mansion, we meet new money Bertha and George Russell (played by Carrie Coon and Morgan Spector) who just upsized and relocated, with their two children. On the other side of the street, we meet old money sisters Agnes van Rhijn and Ada Brook (played by Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon), who are about to welcome two new young ladies into their fold: their niece Marian Brook (played by Louisa Jacobson), from Pennsylvania and Peggy Scott (played by Denée Benton), Agnes's personal secretary.
And from the two sides of this lane, we will follow the mischiefs of youth, the pettiness of jealousy, the greed of successful business and the story of how New York came to be.
Only Murders in the Building (2021)
Where to watch: Hulu, Disney+
This one might just be our favourite! Bruno and I are avid podcast consumers and this is one of the first shows we have watched that truly showcases what it is to be a podcast afficionados.
Meet Charles, Oliver and Mabel - Steve Martin, Oliver Putnam and Selena Gomez respectively - 3 neighbours of a grand and historical building complex in New York City. Charles is an actor, Oliver is a failed musical producer and Mabel is an unemployed young woman seeking her own path in life.
And their lives become enthralled into getting behind a murder that occurs amongst their neighbours.
The show is a major success and you can feel it from season to season as A-list actors and performers appear as guest actors or in cameos.
The White Lotus (2021)
Where to watch: HBO Max
Just two seasons in, The White Lotus has already become a cult tv show that is not only watched by millions of people around the world, it is also changing world travellers wants and desires around their travels. Produced by Mike White, both seasons on what was supposed to be just a miniseries also brought back to light the immense talent of actress Jennifer Coolidge. It is also very refreshing to see older women's storyline on the big screen. As we get older, our wants and desires do not need to be shoved and her character, even if a bit juvenile at times, showcases just that.
First season's location is in Hawaii where several families and couples are holidaying and... their supposed rest is interrupted by a murder!
The second season - and I think that it became even more iconic than the first - is set in Italy, more specifically in Sicily, which has since become even more flooded with inquisitive tourists than ever before.
Other than the disrupted holidays we also follow the staff's life and aspirations, as they live a life of service to indifferent travellers who only prioritise their own wants and desires. A must watch!
I hope they never do a The White Lotus in Scotland, I love the peace we find there and never want it to be spoiled with overcrowding!
Nine Perfect Strangers (2021)
Where to watch: Hulu, Amazon Prime
Something that doesn't happen that often: I had read the book before watching the show. I usually read the book after watching it on the screen or I read the book and never watch the adaption. Regardless it was a brand new story and setting for Bruno and we both enjoyed it a lot.
Nine strangers (some of them are family) check-in into a special resort in the middle of nowhere in Australia where they are hosted by the mysterious Masha, played by Nicole Kidman. Masha used to be a former executive who did a U-turn in her life and when from the board room to a wellness resort and programme to make people get away from their lives and reconnect with themselves and each other.
Yet the resort is not what it seems to be at all and their lives do not seem to be turning for better, on the contrary. It has deep moments yet it is also a dark humour tv show to watch when you just want to take your mind off.
I just read there is a second season? Curious about that!
Your Honor (2020)
Where to watch: Max (former HBO)
The original show is from Israel (called Kvodo) and there is also an Indian adaptation also from 2020. Two seasons in, we can say the first one was our favourite yet we cannot stop watching how immense these actors are, such as the Bryan Cranston who turned from a respectable judge in New Orleans into a man who will do anything to protect his son. Even if it goes against his core values and society's.
Do not watch this tv show if you are looking to watch something light and jolly: it is serious, dark and set in a permanent chiaroscuro mood. It's really not for the wicked! If you have watched it, tell me which season did you like best and if you think it should have stopped at being a single season miniseries.
The Morning Show (2019)
Where to watch: Apple TV
The Morning Show (or Morning Wars) has a New York based morning show production as its premise. Here we meet the two co-anchors, Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) and Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell), their routines and work, all that is real and all that is produced until we stumble upon a MeToo scandal involving Mitch. As he is put to the side by the network, reporter Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon) gains traction and a sit a the table, literally.
As the seasons go on - the latest launched was Season 4 in late 2025 - we get embroiled in corporate drama, office politics and real life events such as the pandemic and the Olympics, and how the lives of these characters unfold. The show is beautifully written and is the best I have seen from Jennifer Aniston.
Jess
Like this content? We can connect also on BlueSky | TikTok | Youtube | Pinterest
Comments ()