The Netflix Top 10 list won’t tell you how many people are watching a show, but it will tell you which shows people are watching the most. The Top 10 list for Tuesday, Nov. 23 finds the wildly successful limited series The Queen’s Gambit moving back into the No. 2 spot behind The Crown Season 4. There’s a slim chance that new releases Hillbilly Elegy or Christmas Chronicles 2 will unseat The Crown this week, but we predict The Crown will stay at No. 1 until Big Mouth and Selena: The Series release on Dec. 4. The only new title on today’s list is sad animated short If Anything Happens I Love You at No. 8.
But of the Netflix Top 10, which of these 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.
The Best TV Shows and Movies on Netflix in November 2020
Based on Netflix’s Top 10 from Tuesday, Nov. 24
1. The Crown
For fans of: Palace intrigue, the Royals | Is it good?: It’s the best season yet
The ambitious, decades-spanning drama series about Queen Elizabeth II is back for its second season with Olivia Colman in the lead and its fourth season overall, and it adds two pivotally important characters into the mix: Margaret Thatcher (the great Gillian Anderson) and Princess Diana (Emma Corrin), who both clash with the Queen. Their addition breathes fresh life into the series, which remains one of the grandest on all of television.
2. The Queen’s Gambit
For fans of: Chess, drugs, and character drama | Is it good?: It’s one of the best shows of the year
Budding superstar Anya Taylor-Joy (she’s been cast as young Furiosa in the next Mad Max movie) stars in this literary adaptation as Beth Harmon, a brilliant but troubled chess champion in 1950s Kentucky. She was an orphan who, in her youth, developed an incredible skill for the game but also a debilitating addiction to pills, which quiet her obsessive mind. It’s a detailed character study of brilliance and madness that’s usually reserved for male characters. It comes from one of Netflix’s go-to limited series producers, Godless‘ Scott Frank. (Yesterday’s rank: 3)
3. Kevin Hart: Zero F**ks Given
For fans of: Lifestyles of the rich and famous | Is it good?: Not particularly, but it’s not terrible, either
Kevin Hart filmed his latest special in his own living room during the pandemic. Netflix built him a stage, and a masked and distanced audience came over to watch him tell jokes in his very fancy pajamas. His living room is big enough to accommodate a comedy show. He has a very unusual life, and that’s what this special is about. (Yesterday’s rank: 2)
4. The Princess Switch: Switched Again
For fans of: Vanessa Hudgens, Vanessa Hudgens, Vanessa Hudgens | Is it good?: You won’t be bored
Yet another holiday romantic comedy. The identical Princess Margaret and once a baker, now also a princess Stacy (both Vanessa Hudgens) switch again so Margaret can try to repair her relationship with Stacy’s friend Kevin (Nick Sagar) before her coronation. But Margaret’s identical cousin Lady Fiona (you guessed it, Vanessa Hudgens) has her own scheme to do another switch and take the throne for herself. It’s a whole lotta Hudgens. These movies are very dumb, but they’re fun. (Yesterday’s rank: 4)
5. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2
For fans of: Children’s book adaptations, Bill Hader | Is it good?: Not as good as the first Cloudy, but still pretty good
The Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs mythology is too complicated to just jump in and watch this without watching the first one. You won’t understand about how food falls from the sky because of…science. I’m just kidding, this movie is fun for the whole family, no explanation required. (Yesterday’s rank: 5)
6. Boss Baby: Back in Business
For fans of: Dreamworks face | Is it good?: Kids wanna see the boss who’s a baby
The Boss Baby is the CEO of the baby corporation now, and he’s competing with another baby firm. Capitalism! (Yesterday’s rank: 7)
7. The Grinch
For fans of: the Grinch | Is it good?: It’s fine
Benedict Cumberbatch voices Dr. Seuss’ iconic green guy who learns to love Christmas. You know the story, and this CG adaptation doesn’t add much to it. But it doesn’t detract anything from it, either. It’s better than the Jim Carrey version, but not as good as the original version. (Yesterday’s rank: 6)
8. If Anything Happens I Love You
For fans of: Feeling sad | Is it good?: It’s a heavy but worthwhile 12 minutes
Two grieving parents mourn and try to carry on after the tragic loss of their daughter in a school shooting in this lovingly hand-drawn short. It’s surprising that a project this small and artsy cracked the list at all, so it’s worth checking out for that alone. (Yesterday’s rank: n/a)
9. Survivor
For fans of: Reality competition shows | Is it good?: Good enough to be on TV for 20 years
There are currently two seasons of Survivor on Netflix, Cagayan (Season 28) and Heroes & Villains (Season 20), both of which are considered to be among the very best of the pioneering reality show’s 40 seasons. So if you’ve never watched Jeff Probst‘s show, these could be the ones to get you into it. (Yesterday’s rank: 9)
10. Cocomelon
For fans of: Mashed vegetables, pacifiers | Is it good?: For babies, sure
Colorful objects, preschool songs, and big-headed babies make this multi-platform sensation catnip for toddlers and younger kids who get screentime. (Yesterday’s rank: n/a)
Lucifer, The Baby-Sitters Club, Love Is Blind