If there is a television equivalent to comfort food, it’s a great action show. These shows allow you to turn your brain off, grab your favorite snack and drink, and stream a great, pulsating action series. One of the best streaming platforms to catch a great action show on is Netflix, which has a treasure trove of great series from which to choose. Whether you’re interested in its original content (which the service is great at) or one that was imported to the service, you won’t be disappointed in the offerings Netflix has in the action series department.
This got us thinking: with so many shows, which are the very best? Using this question as a basis, and curating all the different action shows you can watch on the service, we’ve come up with the seven greatest action shows you should definitely stream on Netflix. Sure, all lists are subjective, so think of this as a starting point to finding your next favorite.
7
‘Alice in Borderland’ (2020-Present)
Most of us have grown up on the story ofAlice in Wonderland, and it’s a timeless tale. Well, what if you took that classic story and twisted it on its head to make something more daring and thrilling? It seems as if writers Yoshiki Watabe, Yasujo Kuramitsu, and Shinsuke Sato had this thought, as in 2020, Alice in Borderland premiered on Netflix.
Directed by Sato, Alice in Borderland tells the story of two allies who get trapped in an alternate Tokyo — one that forces them to compete in different, dangerous games to keep their “visas” from expiring. If you’re wondering why visas are in quotation marks, well, that means staying alive and not being shot from the sky. This is a twisted re-telling of the classic children’s story, and one that is infused with sci-fi action at every turn. You truly don’t have the feeling that our protagonists are going to make it out of this sadistic game alive, and that’s the best thing about Alice in Borderland. Man, we hope there’s a Season 4 around the corner.
6
‘The Night Agent’ (2023-Present)
On the surface, it seems like The Night Agent is your typical, generic action drama, one that follows the tropes to a T. In some respects, it is, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad show. Far from it. The Night Agent, created by Shawn Ryan and based on the Matthew Quirk novel of the same name, is actually one of the best action series on Netflix today.
The action thriller follows FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso), a lower-level agent who is suddenly thrown into a vast conspiracy that connects all the way to the highest levels of the U.S. government. The action and tension in The Night Agent build with each episode, and the action is certainly palpable. Not only that, but the grand mystery that is unfurled here is pretty shocking and fun to watch unravel. We write all of this to tell you not to sleep on The Night Agent. Sure, it plays by the rules, but it’s a fun watch that allows you to turn your mind off and enjoy the action that unfolds.
5
‘Mercy for None’ (2025)
If there’s one thing that Netflix does incredibly well, it’s that it showcases shows from overseas that can rival the best that Hollywood has to offer, especially when it comes to action. When discussing the greatest action shows on the service, you can’t leave out Mercy for None, an action noir from South Korea.
Based on the webtoon Plaza Wars: Mercy for None, the Netflix series follows Nam Gi-jun (So Ji-sub), a former criminal gang enforcer who gets back into the crime world to investigate and extract revenge on the people responsible for murdering his brother. Some may see ranking Mercy for None, a series that was released in 2025, so high as premature, but trust us — once you watch how this brutal story of revenge plays out, you’ll agree that this is without a doubt one of the best action shows Netflix has ever produced.
4
‘Arcane’ (2021-2024)
Arcane, with its incredible steampunk action, will instantly make an impression on you. Created by Christian Linke and Alex Yee, Arcane was a series that had big ambitions, and one can say it successfully succeeded in what it wanted to accomplish, creating a world that will be hard for other shows to replicate.
Arcane follows sisters Violet/“Vi” (Hailee Steinfeld) and Powder/”Jinx” (Ella Purnell), who become embroiled in a conflict between Piltover, a rich utopian city, and Zaun, a poorer enclave where the sisters reside, over arcane technologies. The action in this show is pulsating, and there is never a dull moment in this beautifully animated series. You’ll be intrigued by the story Arcane tells, and the show was, rightfully, met with widespread critical acclaim. Although the series came to an end in 2024 after two seasons, it should still be regarded as one of Netflix’s best action series ever.
3
‘Lupin’ (2021-Present)
As mentioned earlier, Netflix has done an incredible job producing original content from other countries that is just as engaging and action-packed as American-made content. This applies toLupin, a French mystery thriller that also has a good amount of action that will keep any fan of the genre plenty satisfied. Created by George Kay and François Uzan, the series is actually inspired by the adventures of Arsène Lupin, a master thief created by French novelist Maurice Leblanc in 1905.
Lupin puts a modern spin on Leblanc’s famous thief, here portrayed by Omar Sy, who goes by the name Assane Diop, who is greatly inspired by Lupin’s mastery of stealing things. Diop, though, has a reason. You see, after his father was framed for stealing an expensive diamond necklace from Hubert Pellegrini (Hervè Pierre), he sets out on a revenge mission to get back not only at Hubert, but the entire Pellegrini family. There’s plenty of mystery here, but the story also allows for plenty of action. One of Netflix’s most underrated series, Lupin is a great watch that will easily satisfy any fan of international action.
2
‘The Recruit’ (2022-2025)
Imagine you’re fresh out of college, and you land a job with the CIA as a lawyer. You think this job is going to be sweet. Good pay and a normal workload. That is, until you run into a CIA asset who threatens to extort a longtime CIA agent. Now, instead of being in a cushy lawyer position with the CIA, you’re suddenly thrown into international politics, having to negotiate with individuals who are not so savory, risking your life just by doing this.
Welcome to the life of Owen Hendricks (Noah Centineo) in the hit Netflix spy action series The Recruit. Although the series was canceled after just two seasons, there was a lot to love, especially when it came to action. Granted, the series focuses on spying, but the plot, much like Lupin, leaves room for action to take root and become a focal point of the story. Centineo is a great lead, with funny moments that will have you wondering how he got pulled into this in the first place, and holding his own when it comes to the action sequences. The entire series is a likable spy action series that will leave you plenty satisfied (and a bit upset that Netflix gave up on this great series so soon).
1
‘Cobra Kai’ (2021-2025)
“You’re the best!”
That song, by Joe Esposito as part of The Karate Kid’s soundtrack, is the perfect tune to describe the TV adaptation of the famed martial arts movie series, Cobra Kai. First premiering on the now-defunct YouTube Red in 2018 and brought and produced by Netflix in 2021, Cobra Kai has since been recognized as one of, if not the, greatest Netflix action series ever and one of the best TV adaptations of a famous movie franchise.
With Ralph Macchio and William Zabkareprising their roles as Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, Cobra Kai moved the franchise into the 21st century, perfectly mixing nostalgia with a new, fresh story that was full of martial arts action that pulled no punches. One would think that Cobra Kai, which was framed as a redemption story for Johnny Lawrence, would rest on its laurels and depend on nostalgia to move the story along, but Cobra Kai did something special: it told a different story while tying into the plot of the films. The end result was the greatest action series Netflix ever produced.
