Australia might be on the other side of the world, but thanks to Netflix, their top-notch TV programs are finding their way into homes everywhere and dazzling us from across the globe. Oz might not be known for cranking out worldwide entertainment, but what they lack in quantity, they more than make up for in quality.
Many of the modest-budget productions listed below were never intended for a worldwide audience, but their unique storylines, refreshingly honest humor, and nail-biting dramas have made them all an international success. Could it be possible that some of America’s most popular shows, like The Mindy Project, are nothing but rip-offs of the best Australian TV shows? Here are the best Australian TV shows on Netflix.
The InBESTigators (2019)
This recent Australian television show follows a group of grade five children as they investigate mysteries in their neighborhood. This comedy mockumentary is comprised of two seasons, both of which can be found on Netflix now.
The group is led by the observant Maudie and works well together as a team to try to solve various mysteries during each new episode. It’s a fun family-friendly series that is similar to a detective series but isn’t as gritty as other crime shows on this list.
H2O: Just Add Water (2006-2010)
H20: Just Add Water is a fun and family-friendly series that follows three teenage Australian girls trying to go to high school and try to keep their secret that they’re all mermaids from their classmates.
The three friends have a difficult time keeping their secret, especially from bullies at their school, but they try their best to live normal lives at school and use their powers to help sea creatures whenever they’re in need.
Stateless (2020)
Stateless is a miniseries added to U.S. Netflix a few months after its initial release in Australia. The series follows characters stuck in an immigration detention center. Starring Yvonne Strahovski, Cate Blanchett, and Jai Courtney, the compelling drama is available to stream exclusively on Netflix.
The main characters that are the center of the series include a cult escapee, a refugee, an office worker, and a bureaucrat who all have different experiences in the detention center but all of their lives intertwine throughout the 6 episodes.
Glitch (2015-2019)
Glitch is an Australian TV show set in the small (fictional) town of Yoorana, where seven individuals literally rise from their graves after having been dead for years. When a local policeman realizes that their formerly dead wife is one of the “risen,” he is determined to discover how and why they have returned, even at the risk of his own life.
The storyline is very similar to The Returned, but the truth behind Glitch lies more in science and less in the supernatural. Either way, it’s sufficiently creepy enough to keep viewers hooked.
Offspring (2010-2017)
Offspring is Australian comedy-drama series that follows 30-something obstetrician Nina Proudman as she navigates modern life with a group of fun (but messy) family and friends.
It’s basically the original version, but instead of being filmed in NYC, it’s filmed in Melbourne’s inner north. This laugh-out-loud slice of life comedy is filled with drama, flashbacks, graphic animation, and occasional fantasy sequences. The show was so popular that it spawned a spinoff web series titled Offspring: The Nurses on the official Offspring website.
Tidelands (2018)
Tidelands was originally an eight-part Australian web television series that was released by Netflix at the end of 2018. The story follows Calliope “Cal” McTeer, a former criminal who returns home to the small fishing village of Orphelin Bay.
After a body of a local fisherman turns up on the beach, Cal started investigating the town’s strange inhabitants, a group of dangerous half-sirens, half-humans called “Tidelanders.” What kind of secrets is this little town harboring? Watch and find out.
Wentworth (2013-2021)
Wentworth is a contemporary reimagining of Prisoner, an Australian soap opera (from 1979-1986) that was set in Wentworth Detention Center, a fictional women’s prison. The series is a modern-day take on inmate Bea Smith’s early days in prison and her unexpected rise to the top of the prison’s hierarchy (similar to Orange Is the New Black).
The show was an instant success, with the first episode becoming the most-watched Australian drama series premiere in Foxtel history. Before it was acquired by Netflix, the series was picked up by several countries and was retitled Wentworth Prison.
Wanted (2016-2018)
Wanted is an Australian drama about two women, Lola and Chelsea, who find themselves unwittingly entangled in a criminal conspiracy after witnessing a murder at a suburban bus stop.
Without giving away any spoilers, both Lola and Chelsea end up being chased by criminals and corrupt police officers and soon realize that they can only trust each other. Who doesn’t love a good show about two people who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? All three seasons are currently available to watch on Netflix.
Sisters (2017)
Sisters in an Australian drama series that follows Julia Bechly, the clueless daughter of an in-vitro fertilization specialist who, upon his death bed, confesses to Julia that he has potentially fathered hundreds of children by using his own sperm over the course of his career.
Julia’s subsequent quest to find her long-lost siblings reveals that she has hundreds of brothers but only two sisters: a troubled TV star named Roxy Karibas and a belligerent and uptight lawyer, Edie Flanagan. It’s a hot mess, but it’s totally worth watching. With only seven episodes, viewers can binge-watch the entire show in a day.
Secret City (2016-2019)
Fans of House of Cards are sure to enjoy Secret City, an Australian political thriller that’s chock-full of secrets, lies, murder, and betrayal. For all the bookworms out there, the series is based on the best-selling novels The Marmalade Files and The Mandarin Code by Chris Uhlmann and Steve Lewis.
The series was released on Netflix just a few years ago, and a sequel to the series (and a departure from the books) called Secret City: Under the Eagle was released on Netflix on March 6, 2019, wrapping up the Australian series in epic fashion.
Surviving Summer (2022)
Surviving Summer is one of the best new Australian television shows currently on Netflix. The teen drama, consisting of ten episodes, depicts a young girl named Summer who must grow accustomed to her new environment in Victoria, Australia, where she quickly falls in love with the people she meets along the way.
Only months removed from its first season’s premiere on Netflix, it is still too early to confirm the production of a second season of the new drama. Now is the perfect time for new viewers to discover Surviving Summer, which may yet have a future if viewed by enough Netflix subscribers.
Pine Gap (2018)
Pine Gap is a 2018 miniseries that initially premiered on Netflix before finding its way onto ABC. The series includes several notable actors, including Steve Toussaint, who recently made his debut as Lord Corlys Velaryon in HBO’s House of the Dragon.
This international thriller delves into politics, intrigue, and betrayal over the course of its six episodes, creating a compelling and relatively short story for any fans looking for a quick binge-watch.
Tales By Light (2015-2018)
Tales By Light is an Australian documentary series produced by National Geographic which depicts several photographers on their journeys to capture some truly awesome shots of the natural world. All three seasons of the series are currently available to stream on Netflix.
With only twelve episodes to comprise its three seasons, Tales By Light is a relatively quick watch, but an awe-inspiring one as well. Fans of nature documentaries won’t be let down by this epic docuseries.
Kath And Kim (2002-2007)
Kath and Kim is a landmark Australian comedy starring Jane Turner and Gina Riley as the eponymous characters, respectively. Turner and Riley portray a mother and daughter with strikingly different personalities as they navigate life in the suburbs.
All four seasons of the hit sitcom are available to stream on Netflix US, joined by the adjoining television film and the theatrically released feature film Kath and Kimderella, which premiered after the main series had come to an end. America viewers looking to get a taste of the Australian brand of humor should not overlook Kath and Kim.
Dive Club (2021)
Dive Club is an Australian teen drama initially released in 2021. The series takes a turn when a group of friends and divers discover that one of their companions has disappeared, prompting a desperate search for their missing friend.
Dive Club has heart, drama, and intrigue as the mystery unravels regarding the missing diver. While fans of the series desperately await an announcement regarding the potential second season, new viewers can discover the Australian drama on Netflix right now.
