The Top 10 Most Popular Shows and Movies on Netflix Today, May 31

Did you have a nice Memorial Day weekend? There’s a pretty good chance you spent it watching Stranger Things, which dropped its long-awaited, super-sized fourth season on Friday and has been at No. 1 on Netflix’s list of the Top 10 Most Popular Shows and Movies ever since. It bumped The Lincoln Lawyer, which has been at the top for the past two weeks, down to No. 2, while the Canadian mystery film Disappearance at Clifton Hall comes in at No. 3. Ozark takes No. 4, and Wrong Side of the Tracks closes out the top 5. A note that Netflix is only displaying nine items on today’s list (what up with that, Netflix?), so we’ve made an educated guess and assumed that the actual No. 10 belongs to Love on the Spectrum U.S., which closed out the ranking three days in a row last week.

But of the Netflix Top 10, which shows and movies are actually worth watching? We break down the entire Netflix Top 10 list and guide you through what to binge and what to skip. We do the same for Netflix’s Top 10 TV shows, as well as Netflix’s Top 10 movies. We also have recommendations for the best movies on Netflix and the best TV shows on Netflix to watch right now. 

Based on Netflix’s Top 10 from Tuesday, May 31

For fans of: ’80s movies, the world’s most popular television show Stranger Things | Is it good?: It’s one of Netflix’s best

The beloved sci-fi adventure series is finally back for its fourth season after an interminable three-year break. It’s Netflix’s TV event of the year. It might single-handedly revive the steamer’s stock price. There’s a lot riding on this season, and if the trailer is to be believed, the Duffer Brothers & Co. are going to deliver. The kids face a new threat from the Upside Down, while Hopper (David Harbour) fights to survive in a Soviet prison camp. The first seven episodes drop on Friday, with the final two coming July 1. (Yesterday’s rank: 1)

For fans of: Network dramas made for streaming | Is it good?: It’s peak dad TV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au06yHMuMGc

Netflix doesn’t do a lot of network-style dramas, so this legal drama from prolific writer-producer David E. Kelley stands out. Long before he became the Big Little Lies guy, Kelley dominated the lawyers-on-TV space with L.A. Law, The Practice, Ally McBeal, and Boston Legal, among others. This is his return to the genre. The Lincoln Lawyer is based on a bestselling novel series by Michael Connelly, who also created Det. Harry Bosch, and follows Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), a Los Angeles defense attorney who doesn’t like defending people who are guilty. He was previously played by Matthew McConaughey in the well-liked 2011 movie of the same name. (Yesterday’s rank: 2)

For fans of: David Cronenberg as an actor | Is it good?: Yes

This thriller is set at a motel in Ontario, so it’s sort of like a dark Schitt’s Creek. It’s about a woman who returns home to the small town where she believes she witnessed a kidnapping when she was a child, a crime that’s never been solved and may not have even happened. It’s a solid little slow-burn thriller with a fun supporting performance from legendary director and occasional actor David Cronenberg. (Yesterday’s rank: 5)

For fans of: The color blue, money laundering | Is it good?: It is the perfect show for people who love this type of show

Jason Bateman plays a normal-seeming guy who moves his family to the Ozarks after he gets in too deep with a money laundering scheme and a drug cartel. It’s Netflix’s blue-tinted answer to Breaking Bad, and the second half of the final season is here. Do the Byrdes finally get their wings clipped? (Yesterday’s rank: 3)

5. Wrong Side of the Tracks

For fans of: Tough grandpas, cartel stories | Is it good?: It’s gripping

In this Spanish drama, a grizzled war veteran sets out to protect his granddaughter after she becomes involved with the local drug cartel. (Yesterday’s rank: 4)

For fans of: Adults in high school, comas | Is it good?: Nah

Rebel Wilson is back! Did you miss her? Well, in any case, here’s a movie where she plays a cheerleader who falls into a coma for 20 years and wakes up as a 37-year-old woman, ready to finish high school. You’d think they’d let her do it online or something, but then we wouldn’t have this movie, would we? It’s a pretty big stinker, but Sam Richardson is in it, and I love seeing him in stuff. (Yesterday’s rank: 6)

For fans of: Babies who are bosses | Is it good?: You probably have to be a kid to enjoy this one

Teach your kid about white collar crime with this series about adult Ted Templeton reverting back to his alternate Boss Baby persona after he’s framed (!) for embezzlement (!!). To hide out, he goes to live with his brother and poses as one of his children! I can’t believe that’s what this show is about. (Yesterday’s rank: 8)

For fans of: The Simple Life, cowboy hats, ranches | Is it good?: It’s definitely not Netflix’s worst original rom-com

Victoria Justice plays a Los Angeles sommelier who tries to secure a new client by traveling to Australia to work on their farm, doing manual labor for the first time in her life. And as if that weren’t crazy enough, she also strikes up a bond with the hot ranch hand (Adam Demos). I wonder how this one will work out. (Yesterday’s rank: 7)

For fans of: People being stuck in one place with no way of getting out, but in a fun way | Is it good?: It’s not as good as it was in Season 1

It kind of seems like The Circle just premiered its third season, but in any case, it’s already back for a fourth. Netflix’s competition series follows contestants who are confined to their own rooms in an apartment complex and can only communicate with each other over social media. There’s tons of catfishing, tons of poorly kept secrets, and tons of cheesy hashtags. Also, Baby Spice and Scary Spice are competing under their own catfish profile this season. Sure, why not? New episodes are being released weekly. (Yesterday’s rank: 9)

10. Love on the Spectrum U.S.

For fans of: Dating shows that actually make you feel good | Is it good?: It’s heartwarming and moving

Love on the Spectrum, the Australian Netflix series about dating on the autism spectrum, has come to America. Love on the Spectrum U.S. follows singles who are looking for love as they step into the dating pool. Experts and their families are on hand to offer help and advice, but, refreshingly, the perspectives of people with autism are the focus here. (Yesterday’s rank: n/a)

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