5 Emmy-nominated shows on Netflix you must watch this week — here is a clear breakdown of what happened and why it matters right now.
The details below put the news in context: the key points first, the background after.
After months of predictions, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the nominations for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, which will air on NBC on September 14, 2026. One of the networks that garnered a significant number of nominations was Netflix with 111. Speaking of Netflix, the streamer landed key nods in Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Drama Series, and Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.
If you’re like me, you’ll use these next two months before the ceremony to catch up on Netflix shows you missed or revisit your favorite episodes. The five shows listed below are now available to stream on Netflix. It’s an eclectic list featuring two miniseries, one anthology, one drama, and one comedy.
The rom-com is not dead. However, it’s been reimagined. While the genre might never reach the highs of the 1990s, there are still rom-coms worthy of your attention today. One of them, Nobody Wants This, happens to be a Netflix TV show. Created by Erin Foster, Nobody Wants This chronicles how two people from different backgrounds can find love.
Joanne Williams (Kristen Bell) is a sex-positive podcaster with no religious ties. Noah Roklov (Adam Brody) is a rabbi with strong Jewish roots. Joanne and Noah instantly connect, and in season 1, the two try to see if they’re compatible enough for a relationship. In season 2, the relationship gets more serious as they take the next step and try to convince their family and friends that their love is real. Nobody Wants This is a fun hang with two innately charming leads in Bell and Brody. Don’t take the title literally — we do want this.
Nobody Wants This season 2 received two Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
The Diplomat feels like a show from a different time. It’s a throwback to a kind of show that would’ve drawn huge viewership on broadcast TV. It’s clearly inspired by elements of The West Wing. It helps to have a creator (Debora Cahn) and two celebrated actors (Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford) who worked on The West Wing.
Keri Russell stars as Kate Wyler, the new U.S. ambassador to the U.K. Initially, Kate works to uncover who attacked a British ship that killed 41 sailors. By season 3, Kate has her eyes on the vice presidency, but her rocky relationship with Vice President Grace Penn (Janney) might cost her the job. Again, The Diplomat is like the political dramas your parents loved but updated for a new generation of fans.
The Diplomat season 3 garnered seven Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series and acting nods for Russell and Janney.
A common theme of this list: Put great actors together, and watch them cook. That is essentially what happened with The Beast in Me, the pulpy crime thriller with Emmy winner Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys. Author Aggie Wiggs (Danes) has lived in seclusion since losing her child. They say that inspiration always comes when you least expect it, and for Aggie, that happens with the arrival of her new neighbor, real estate developer Nile Jarvis (Rhys).
Did Nile murder his first wife? It’s certainly possible, or that’s what most people believe, since investigators never solved the case. Aggie makes Nile the subject of her next book, but the ensuing drama transforms into an intriguing chess match between the two parties. This show is an example of how two overqualified actors can elevate a show’s critical reception on their performances alone.
The Beast in Me received nine Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series and acting nods for Danes and Rhys.
In 2023, Beef season 1 became an Emmy-winning breakout hit for Netflix. What started with a road rage incident turned into a show with more to say about class inequality and trauma. In 2026, Beef Season 2 tried to recapture the magic of season 1 and still found success to a lesser extent. The titular “beef” in season 2 revolves around one millennial couple and one Gen-Z couple at a country club.
The younger couple, Ashley (Cailee Spaeny) and Austin (Charles Melton), witness a fight between Josh (Oscar Isaac) and his wife, Lindsay (Mulligan). The two then jockey for better standing with the club’s wealthy owner (Youn Yuh-jung). Season 2 morphs into a crime drama toward the end of the season, resulting in a darker, bleaker ending.
Beef season 2 garnered 16 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series and acting nods for Isaac, Mulligan, Melton, and Youn Yuh-jung.
Who would’ve thought that Michael Bluth would be an ideal actor to star in crime dramas? Jason Bateman has found a niche playing criminals in the Netflix crime thriller. First, he chronicled a family man who laundered money for the mob in Ozark. Now, he’s playing a wild brother in trouble with the mob in Black Rabbit.
Jake Friedken (Jude Law) owns Black Rabbit, a new restaurant and VIP lounge in New York City. Jake’s estranged brother, Vince (Bateman), is the black sheep of the family. When Vince returns to Jake’s life, trouble soon follows. If you thought Ozark was dark, watch Black Rabbit, which is much more stressful and bleak.
Black Rabbit received seven Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (Bateman) and Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (Bateman).
About the Author
