Some fantastic non-English shows are about to be released on Netflix, including the third and final season of a certain Korean series that had everyone hooked ever since the first episode aired back in 2021. There’s no shortage of international shows on the popular streamer and Squid Game isn’t the only binge-worthy popular title. From the disquietingly addictive Dark to Spanish sensation Money Heist, recent obsession The Royals, and many, many more, there’s a little something for everyone.
But there are also many hidden gems in various languages on Netflix that you’ve probably never heard of. On top of that, if you’ll be traveling this summer, you’ll have access to an even wider catalogue, as the available titles on Netflix vary with every location, so chances are you’ll stumble upon an even wider selection of shows. And of course, if you’re at home and looking to bypass geo-restrictions, you can always find out how to change a VPN.
Regardless of how you’ll access these titles, we made a list of great non-English Netflix shows to binge this summer, belonging to different genres and including some hidden gems. Find them all below in alphabetical order, and enjoy!
1. Call My Agent! (Dix Pour Cent)
Country: France
Showrunner: Fanny Herrero
If you’re a fan of Emily in Paris and workplace dramas set in the world of fashion, Call My Agent! – or, Dix Pour Cent in its original title, which means “ten percent” – is the show for you! The series revolves around a talent agency that charges their star clients the titular fee. In Season 1, we meet an aspiring talent agent who has just arrived in Paris with dreams of a glamorous job, but who soon finds out that the job itself isn’t exactly the way she thought it would be. And so, Camille Cottin’s Andréa begins her adventure at Agence Samuel Kerr (ASK), and just like that, her days consist of trying to keep some very demanding stars and colleagues happy.
Call My Agent! is the rare series that managed to take a lighthearted, even clichéd premise and turn it into four incredibly binge-worthy seasons of television that even earned it a BAFTA nomination in 2022. Watch it for a fun premise, a relatable protagonist whose adventures you’ll love to follow, and many fun cameos of stars playing themselves, including Charlotte Gainsbourg, Juliette Binoche, Jean Reno, Sigourney Weaver, and many more.
2. Ethos
Country: Turkey
Showrunners: Berkun Oya, Ali Farkhonde
Here’s another popular show, this time from Turkey. The Istanbul-set Ethos (Bir Başkadır) is the perfect series to watch if you’re looking to escape to a place you may not know much about, and immerse yourself in the lives of not one, but more than ten characters with different backgrounds and lifestyles. It all starts when Meryem (Öykü Karayel), who works as a cleaner in the city’s suburbs, starts feeling unwell and visits a therapist, the wealthy and intellectual Peri (Defne Kayalar). Soon, we get to find out more about Peri, when we witness her sessions with her own therapist, Gülbin (Tülin Özen), and discover that she actually has controversial views about Turkish society.
If you’re in the mood for a gripping show, look no further than Ethos: you’ll be so enthralled by the colorful world-building and compelling narrative that you’ll lose count of how many episodes you’ve watched, until the finale’s credit will roll. There’s only one season in Ethos, but star Öykü Karayel is very famous in Turkey and has taken part in a number of successful movies and shows in various languages. We’d recommend Dublin-set series Kin on AMC and the one-take film Umami, in Turkish, on Disney+.
3. Extremely Inappropriate!
Country: Japan
Director: Fuminori Kaneko
Here’s a new show we guarantee you’ve never heard of, as it hasn’t yet been discovered by international audiences. But in Japan, where it was made, it was hugely popular upon release, thanks to an interesting premise that’s bound to spark debate and fantastic performances from acclaimed Japanese stars. Not only that, but it’s also – wait for it – a musical, with surprisingly catchy tunes inserted naturally into the narrative.
Released in 2024, Extremely Inappropriate! (Futekisetsu ni mo Hodo ga Aru!) begins when widower Ichirō (Sadao Abe), father to Yūmi Kawai (Desert of Namibia), boards a bus that accidentally takes him from 1986, known as the “Showa” era, to 2024, the “Reiwa” era, or our modern times, where his views on the role of women in society aren’t exactly welcome. It doesn’t help that the only person who’d seem to know that he’s not in the right era, having somehow been able to time-travel herself, is a mysterious woman named Sakae (Yō Yoshida), who would appear to be a feminism expert. And who would Sakae’s son Manato (Kiyoshi Sakisaka) fall for, in Ichirō’s absence, if not our protagonist’s daughter?
Extremely Inappropriate is a comedy, and its highly original premise allows for many funny scenes and dialogues, with a pinch of commentary that makes it all the more memorable. But what’s even more surprising about this hidden gem is that, at its core, it’s also a story about grief, love, and ultimately, family. Don’t miss it!
4. Kingdom
Country: Korea
Directors: Kim Seong-hun, Shinsuke Sato
Let’s move on to a popular series, this time from Korea! The show is set in the 16th Century and revolves around the titular royals. When Kingdom begins, the king has just died, which causes chaos among a series of people, some more corrupt than others, who all aspire to the throne. Just like other shows with similar premises – from The Tudors to Game of Thrones and even, metaphorically, Succession – what comes next is a conspiracy, with the Crown Prince (Ju Ji-hoon) at its center.
It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, and if you expect Kingdom to revolutionize the formula, you’ll be disappointed. But the series has a few surprises up its sleeve, including gore, supernatural twists, and even suspense and horror. We guarantee that you won’t be able to take your eyes off it.
5. Tear Along the Dotted Line
Country: Italy
Creator: Zerocalcare
While there are plenty of non-English animated shows on Netflix, most of them are anime, and they are so popular that chances are you’ve already heard of them. So we thought we’d pick this hidden gem instead, from Zerocalcare, aka Michele Rech, an Italian cartoonist who’s very popular in his country for many years, having released several books, but who skyrocketed to international fame when his Netflix show was released in 2021.
Zerocalcare – a name that literally means “zero limescale” – is known for using animation to tackle serious matters with humor, often from the lens of mental health. In Tear Along the Dotted Line (Strappare Lungo I Bordi), he takes us on a train journey whose destination we only find out at the end, after learning all we need to learn about his protagonist. It’s an autobiographical tale, so we follow a cartoonist as he reminisces about the past while refusing to look at the future, accompanied by his conscience, which takes the shape of an armadillo, and occasionally by some of his friends.
If based on this synopsis, you’re expecting something dark and gloomy, think again. Tear Along the Dotted Line will absolutely get you emotional, but not before delivering an endless series of relatable, clever jokes that will have you laugh out loud throughout. This is the perfect series to watch if you’re looking for a comfort watch that knows you more than you know yourself, and that understands when to be funny and when to bring on the tears. Be warned: after watching the show, you’ll want to show it to all your friends!
The 5 non-English Netflix shows listed above are very different from one another, but they all have one thing in common besides the language: they’re extremely bingeable. We guarantee you won’t be able to stop until you’ve seen every episode, which makes them the perfect series to binge this summer. Happy watching!
