Image Credit: Netflix
The year has once again been off to a busy start for new international series. As of today, as of the time of publication the streamer has released 96 new scripted (debut and returning) and unscripted non-English series so far in 2026.
We’ve already taken a look at our picks of English-language original series, so now it’s time to look at the best foreign-language gems you probably haven’t seen. From gritty crime thrillers to sweeping period dramas, here are 6 (well, technically 7—we couldn’t resist indulging in a bonus K-drama!) fantastic new international series on Netflix so far in 2026.
captive
country of origin: France
Style: crime, drama Issued: 9 April 2026
Image Credit: Netflix
From Eric Rochant, mastermind of the hit French spy thriller the bureauThis intense and heart-touching crime drama was filmed entirely on location in Martinique. The series follows the story of a large family of eleven orphaned siblings who are left to fend for themselves after the sudden death of their mother. Desperate to stay united and keep a roof over their heads, some siblings inevitably turn to the local drug trade and organized crime. Defined by its authentic West Indies flavour, it’s not serving what hasn’t been done well elsewhere before, but where it’s from is what makes it incredibly unique. It has some compelling characters, a good amount of action, and serves as a great follow-up to the British series Top boy.
Sadly, as you may have noticed, Netflix opted not to immediately renew the series for a second season. This is a surprising cancellation, as it actually got some good viewership.
lead the children
country of origin: poland
Style: Medical Thriller, Historical Drama | Issued: 11 February 2026
Image Credit: Netflix
2025 was a pretty good year for Netflix Poland, with some interesting titles that may not have become global hits but were solid for the region. Its 2026 slate is equally ambitious, and leading the charts lead the children (Ołowień dzieci), one of the country’s best historical miniseries ever.
Inspired by a horrifying true story set in 1970s Communist Poland, it stars Joanna Kulig (cold war) as an idealistic pediatrician who discovers a massive lead poisoning epidemic among children living near a local smelting plant. Confronted by a corrupt regime desperate to conceal an ecological disaster to protect its industrial image, she risks her career and life to expose him. It’s a tense, frustrating, and ultimately inspiring “contamination drama” similar to Netflix UK’s toxic city AndTo a much lesser extent, HBO ChernobylHowever you will recognize some themes from the era.
Stranger
country of origin: Germany
Style: Espionage thriller Issued: 5 February 2026
Unfamiliar. Ten million. Courtesy of Netflix © 2026
If you’re looking to scratch that spy thriller itch, Stranger There’s a show for you. Susanne Wolff and Felix Kramer play Meret and Simon Schaefer, two former agents of the German BND who run a secret safe house in Berlin under assumed identities. They think they have left their deadly past behind, but the sudden arrival of a Russian GRU agent blows their quiet life completely apart, and they once again become the target of assassins. It’s an elaborate, six-episode cat-and-mouse game full of marital secrets, shifting loyalties and pulse-pounding action across Europe. Fingers crossed, we’ll get more in the future.
Jo Nesbo’s spy hole
country of origin: norway
Style: Nordic Noir, Crime Thriller | Issued: 26 March 2026
Harry Hole. (Left to Right) Tobias Santelmann as Harry Hole in Harry Hole CR. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024
Nordic noir fans, your time has finally come. Renowned author Jo Nesbø’s iconic anti-hero, Harry Hole, has made his way to Netflix in this highly anticipated nine-episode adaptation. devil’s star. Tobias Santelmann is perfection as the brilliant but deeply troubled Oslo murder detective. As ritualistic serial murders shake the town, Harry must tackle the web of corruption while going toe-to-toe with his archenemy – utterly ruthless and corrupt policeman Tom Waller (excellently played by Joel Kinnaman).
Sadly, it didn’t become the global hit we doubt Netflix wanted it to be, but many of those who checked it out weren’t disappointed.
wonderfool
country of origin: south korea
Style: Sci-Fi, Action Comedy | Issued: 15 May 2026
Image Credit: Netflix
it won’t be a What’s on Netflix? The list is without some incredible K-dramas, and we have a bigger list planned soon, but we had to include at least a couple here.
is the first wonderfoolAn enjoyably chaotic and often melancholy superhero comedy. Based on the apocalyptic horror of late 1999, the show reunites extraordinary lawyer woo Star Park Eun-bin with director Yoo In-sik. Park plays a clueless, terminally ill young woman who plots a fake kidnapping with her two equally clueless friends. When a bizarre chemical accident miraculously revives him and grants the trio superpowers, they suddenly find themselves working alongside a mysterious city hall worker (Astro’s Cha Eun-woo) as unlikely protectors of the city of Haeseong. It’s ridiculous, sometimes absurd, with some reasonable VFX work, but this is the kind of show that isn’t afraid to take risks and it’s already garnered a loyal fanbase because of it.
sarah’s art
country of origin: south korea
Style: Mystery, Thrill Issued: 13 February 2026
K-dramas are on the other end of the spectrum sarah’s artA slick, stylish eight-episode thriller about obsession and deception. Shin Hye-sun plays Sara Kim, a woman who has built a luxurious high-society fashion empire entirely on a web of lies and fake identities. But when a body is discovered in a sewer beneath Seoul’s richest district, tireless detective Park Mu-gyeong (Lee Joon-hyuk) makes it his mission to uncover every aspect of her ever-changing story. It’s excellently produced and well acted and keeps you guessing the entire time.
Museum of Innocence
country of origin: turkey
Style: Romantic Drama Issued: 13 February 2026
Image Credit: Netflix
Our list includes a breathtakingly tragic adaptation of Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk’s acclaimed novel. Beautifully built in 1970s Istanbul, Museum of Innocence (Masumiyet Müzesi) follows Kemal (Selahattin Pasali), a wealthy, busy businessman who sparks a forbidden relationship with his poor, younger distant relative, Fusun (Eilul Liz Candemir). What begins as a fleeting romance soon turns into a lifelong, all-consuming obsession, leading Kemal to collect thousands of her everyday objects – from hair clips to cigarette butts – to build a shrine to her memories.
I haven’t read the book though, so I can’t make much comparison there, but I can tell you that it’s a deep and beautifully constructed series with each frame rich in detail, with no expense spared in making it as authentic as possible to the time period.
