The 4 best Netflix thriller series to watch this weekend

Netflix has a large number of high-quality thriller TV shows on its platform, but with so many available, it can be really difficult to find your next watch. Whether it's a fast-paced miniseries or a multi-season crime epic, the best Netflix thriller shows can quickly turn a casual TV night into a full weekend.

Netflix's library is packed with outstanding options, but there are only a handful of shows that rise above the rest thanks to their consistently gripping stories and impressive performances. From money laundering operations out of control to globe trotting and dark psychological mysteries, this weekend (June 3-5) is the best time to binge-watch Netflix's best thrillers.

4

There is a tense game of cat and mouse in The Beast in Me

Length: 8 episodes

Consisting of only eight episodes, The beast in me is a new Netflix show and a deeply wounded psychological thriller that revolves around Claire Danes' acclaimed author Aggie, whose life is consumed by grief after the death of her 8-year-old son. She becomes fascinated by her neighbor, Matthew Rhys' Nile, who was once the prime suspect in his wife's disappearance. Aggie believes Nile may be the subject of her next book, and as she begins to investigate him, she is drawn into an increasingly dangerous game of manipulation and deception.

The psychological struggle between Aggie and Nile is utterly addictive, enhanced by the captivating performances of Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys. Rhys alternates effortlessly between charming and menacing, with the two entering a tense game of cat-and-mouse as the suspense begins to mount, and the central mystery is pulled back layer by layer. Viewers are encouraged to question each character's motives, making it difficult to know whether Aggie is uncovering the truth or being absorbed by her own suspicions. The beast in me is the perfect standalone thriller, and viewers can easily complete the entire show in a single weekend.

3

Ozark is a longer but rewarding binge watch

Length: 44 episodes

Over four seasons and 44 episodes, Ozark follows Jason Bateman's Marty Byrde, a financial advisor who is forced to relocate his family to Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks after a money laundering scheme for the Mexican drug cartel goes awry. Along with his wife Wendy, Marty tries to build a new criminal business while navigating a new environment, family politics and increasingly dangerous demands. All about Ozark is bleak, and it's a smart, engrossing thriller that boasts a suffocating atmosphere and phenomenal performances.

Ozark never lets its characters, nor the viewers, rest from the barrage of threats, whether they come from the cartel, federal agents, corrupt politicians, the local criminal underworld, or irritated residents. The constant sense of escalation keeps the suspense going and ensures that the story grips the viewers from start to finish. The show has a relentless pace that makes it an irresistible binge watch, as each solution creates a new problem for the Byrdes. With its constant cliffhangers, atmospheric atmosphere and razor-sharp writing, Ozark is impossible to stop watching once you start.

2

True Crime Fans will love Mindhunter

Length: 19 episodes

Mindhunter follows FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench as they create the Behavioral Science Unit in the late 1970s. Together with psychologist Wendy Carr, they travel across the United States and interview serial killers in an attempt to understand how violent criminals work. The show is inspired by true events, which are described in the book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit, explore the origins of criminal profiling while weaving in a series of gripping investigations. Mindhunter doesn't need constant action to keep viewers engaged, and instead relies heavily on psychological tension. Very few shows are confident enough to let the dialogue do so much heavy lifting, though Mindhunter uses the characters' lines to reveal as much about the criminals as the investigators.

The Netflix crime series also adapts the real-life interviews, profiles and history of notorious killers such as Edmund Kemper and Charles Manson, providing disturbing insights into the minds of real-life criminals. With outstanding performances from Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany and Anna Torv, terrifying realism and disturbing cases, Mindhunter rarely lets up, and the result is a fascinating yet unsettling viewing experience.

1

Lupine is a smart, exciting watch

Length: 17 episodes

Inspired by Maurice Leblanc's legendary gentleman thief, Arsène Lupin, Netflix Lupine Omar Sy plays Assane Diop, a professional thief determined to uncover the powerful billionaire who ruined his father's life. Instead of adapting the novels directly, Lupine reimagines the character in modern Paris, mixing elaborate heists, detective work and a revenge story into an elegant 3-part show. Seeing the seemingly impossible plans fall into place is as gratifying as the heists themselves. Omar Sy is endlessly charismatic in the lead role, making Assane easy to root for as he manipulates and tricks everyone around him.

Each of the Lupine's 17 episodes balance suspense with clever misdirection and reward viewers with satisfying twists. The Parisian setting gives the show a distinct identity, and its fast pace makes for an incredibly easy binge-watch. That's no surprise Lupine became one of Netflix's most acclaimed thrillers, as few of the streamer's shows combine intelligence, humor and suspense quite like it.