With the scope of Aussie content on Netflix growing at a rapid rate, finding the best Australian shows on Netflix can be a minefield. With everything from comedy, the paranormal, drama and mystery, there is an iconic Australian series on Netflix for every mood. But don’t fret, we are here to help. Doing the hard yards and sitting down with a tea and Tim Tams in hand, we’ve unearthed a comprehensive list of the very best Australian shows on Netflix. If you don’t know where to begin, punching in these titles in the search bar is our recommendation.
Table of Contents
- 1. Rake (2010-2018)
- 2. Please Like Me (2013-2016)
- 3. Utopia (2014-)
- 4. Kath and Kim (2002-2007)
- 5. Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun (2020)
- 6. Gallipoli (2015)
- 7. Upper Middle Bogan (2013-2016)
- 8. Howzat! Kerry Packer’s War (2012)
- 9. The Secret Life of Us (2001-2006)
- 10. Stateless (2020)
- 11. Secret City (2016-2019)
- 12. Glitch (2015-2019)
- 13. Last Stop Larrimah (2023)
- 14. Irreverent (2022)
- 15. Tidelands (2018)
- General FAQs
1. Rake (2010-2018)
Richard Roxburgh plays a devious barrister in this iconic Australian series. Rake explores questions of ethics in the workplace and people’s personal life, against the backdrop of the beautiful city of Sydney. This is achieved by looking at life through the lens of a self-destructive barrister who consistently defends guilty clients and makes poor decisions in his personal life. It’s clever, witty and very popular among locals.
Director: Peter Duncan
Starring: Richard Roxburgh, Adrienne Pickering
IMDb: 8.5/10
2. Please Like Me (2013-2016)
A coming of age series about a 20-something boy called Josh, Please Like Me provides a seamless combination of humour and sensitivity that we all need from time to time. It explores current topics like homosexuality, abortion and youth suicide. Yet, the light edge that Josh Thomas casts on the series, as he does excellently in all his work, makes it a conversational, at times, lighthearted watch.
Director: Matthew Saville, Josh Thomas
Starring: Josh Thomas, Deborah Lawrance
IMDb: 8.5/10
3. Utopia (2014-)
Utopia is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning series where bureaucracy and dreams come together in an unlikely marriage. It is based on the fictional National Building Authority, a newly created government organisation where self-interest and national interest come into play. The result is an intelligent series that is perfect if you want to get the brain ticking that little bit more post-work.
Director: Rob Sitch
Starring: Rob Sitch, Kitty Flanagan
IMDb: 8.4/10
4. Kath and Kim (2002-2007)
Can you get more Australian than Kath and Kim? We don’t think so. The quintessential Australian series has made it onto Netflix and we aren’t complaining. If you’re looking for something lighthearted, ridiculous and full of odes to Australian culture, Kath and Kim is where it’s at. Strap in for a wild ride.
Director: Ted Emery
Starring: Gina Riley, Magda Szubanski
IMDb: 8.4/10
5. Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun (2020)
Australia’s funniest trio let their particular brand of comedic insanity run wild in this six-episode series that sees them tackle everything from interviewing new housemates to the culture of barbershops. In Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun, the Aunty Donna boys are also joined by a host of impressive guest stars, including Ed Helms, Kristen Schaal, Paul F. Tompkins, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, and ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic.
Director: Max Miller
Starring: Mark Bonanno, Zachary Ruane, Broden Kelly
IMDb: 7.9
6. Gallipoli (2015)
A tragic part of Australia’s history and a key part of our myth-making is unpacked in this raw telling of the infamous campaign from the First World War. Gallipoli is a seven-part mini series that follows four young Australian boys as they join the military and are sent to Gallipoli on the Turkish peninsula, where they must endure eight months facing the horrors of war and learning the very harshest lessons of survival.
Director: Glendyn Ivin
Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Harry Greenwood, Sam Parsonson, Tom Budge
IMDb: 7.9
7. Upper Middle Bogan (2013-2016)
Even the name screams Australian in a way that only Australians can understand. Upper Middle Bogan is a funny series that sheds light on Australian culture, with just the right amount of absurd humour. In the series, a middle-class woman finds out she’s adopted and is shocked to find her parents are from the outer suburbs and are indeed…bogans (could there be anything worse?) We recommend you take this series with a pinch of salt.
Director: Wayne Hope & Tony Martin
Starring: Annie Manyward, Glenn Robbins
IMDb: 7.9/10
8. Howzat! Kerry Packer’s War (2012)
Kerry Packer’s legacy still looms large over international cricket. If it weren’t for the notoriously ruthless Aussie media mogul, cricket would likely have remained in its test form. But by setting up a parallel competition in the one-day format—much to the dismay of the cricketing authorities at the time—Packer managed to completely revolutionise the game. A two-episode mini series, Howzat! captures this often quite funny clash between Packer’s brash Aussie sensibilities and the stuffy establishment of international cricket.
Director: Daina Reid
Starring: Lachy Hulme, Abe Forsythe, Damon Gameau, Clayton Watson, Brendan Cowell
IMDb: 7.7/10
9. The Secret Life of Us (2001-2006)
An ode to the town of St Kilda in Melbourne, The Secret Life of Us is an Australian drama series that celebrates the beauty in the mundane. With three silver Logies under its belt, the series’ portrayal of a group of friends in their mid-20s to 30s is as dramatic as it is funny, and we can very much relate. This series is perfect if you want to unwind with some mindless viewing.
Director: John Edwards
Starring: Claudia Karvan, Samuel Johnson
IMDb: 7.6/10
10. Stateless (2020)
Stateless is an iconic Australian miniseries that comments on the immigration detention centres in Australia. Given the subject matter is not short of its fair share of controversy, it’s high intensity and multi-layered, following the unique stories of four very different characters. Expect to gain raw insight and have plenty of moments of reflection with this new Australian series.
Director: Emma Freeman & Jocelyn Moorhouse
Starring: Asher Keddie, Yvonne Strahovksi
IMDb: 7.5/10
11. Secret City (2016-2019)
If you’re a fan of political thrillers, Secret City will make for the perfect mid-week viewing. The series is based on the best-selling novels The Marmalade Files, The Mandarin Code, and The Shadow Game by Chris Uhlmann and Steve Lewis for all the bookworms out there. It is yet another example of an amazing Australian series directed by renowned Aussie director Emma Freeman. The cast is also full of big names like a national treasure, Jacqui Weaver. If you love it, you’re in luck- there’s a sequel too!
Director: Emma Freeman, Tony Krawitz, Daniel Nettheim
Starring: Anna Torv, Jacqui Weaver
IMDb: 7.4/10
12. Glitch (2015-2019)
One of the best Australian shows on Netflix with a paranormal edge, Glitch is one of ABC’s best series. It takes place in a small fictional town called Yoorana and it explores what happens when seven individuals rise from their graves, much to the shock and horror of locals. Delving into small-town politics, gossip and everything freaky, the series is multilayered and highly entertaining.
Director: Emma Freeman
Starring: Emma Booth, Sean Keenan
IMDb: 7.2/10
13. Last Stop Larrimah (2023)
Did someone kill Paddy? That’s the question posed by this fascinating two-part documentary series, exploring the small town of Larrimah in the wake of a local troublemaker’s disappearance. The fact that the town’s population had numbered just 11 right up until Paddy’s untimely disappearance doesn’t make the job of solving the mystery any easier for authorities. Old resentments will come to light and loyalties will be tested in Last Stop Larrimah, a fascinating look into a town that redefines ‘the middle of nowhere’.
Director: Thomas Tancred
Starring: N/A
IMDb: 7.1/10
14. Irreverent (2022)
Irreverent very much lives up to its name, telling the fish out of water tale of a criminal mediator from Chicago who hides out from the mob in a small Australian reef community in Far North Queensland. However, assuming the role of local church reverend isn’t as fool-proof a plan for keeping a low profile as he might have hoped.
Director: Lucy Gaffy, Jonathan Teplitzky
Starring: Colin Donnell, P.J. Byrne, Kylie Bracknell, Wayne Blair
IMDb: 7.0/10
15. Tidelands (2018)
Originally a web series, Tidelands tells the story of a former criminal who returns to her fishing village. The plot turns sinister as a body washes ashore, catapulting the town’s inhabitants into a world of drama, with a splash of supernatural. This series is highly addictive, so be prepared to lose hours once you click play.
Director: Stephen M. Irwin
Starring: Charlotte Best, Elsa Pataky
IMDb: 6.8/10
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General FAQs
There is a wide range of Australian TV series on Netflix. Over the past few years, the streaming platform has put significant time into building its domestic offering, adding classic shows and new series from down under. Our favourites include Rake, Utopia, and Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun.
There are plenty of Australian movies on Netflix, with the amount of Aussie content ever-expanding. Recent additions include ONEFOUR: Against All Odds and Ride Like a Girl.
