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_CHEF’S TABLE_ (2015–2019) 6 SEASONS, 30 EPISODES Few programs have done more to elevate the “foodie” era than _Chef’s Table_, a docuseries that offers an in-depth profile of one top chef

each episode. The biographical backstories are often fascinating, with well-shot journeys to the places that shaped them. But it’s the mouthwatering cinematography and the detailed

explanations of signature dishes that keep viewers hooked. The show has also spawned a buffet table of spin-offs devoted to pizza makers, BBQ pitmasters and French cuisine (bien sûr). WATCH

IT: _Chef’s Table_ [embedded content] _THE CROWN_ (2016–2023) 6 SEASONS, 60 EPISODES The late Queen Elizabeth II had an epic life, and her 70 years on the British throne proved juicy fodder

for this equally epic six-season series. While purists have groused about the occasional dramatic liberties taken, creator Peter Morgan, 61, captured the spirit of both a monarch and an era.

The Emmy-winning show evolved with its heroine (with prim Claire Foy passing the scepter to Olivia Colman, 50, and then to a staid Imelda Staunton, 68), depicting late-20th-century history

in strokes both broad and intimate. WATCH IT: _The Crown_ [embedded content] _DOCUMENTARY NOW!_ (2015–2022) 4 SEASONS, 27 EPISODES Dame Helen Mirren, 79, hilariously introduced this faux

PBS-like anthology of supposedly classic documentaries, each an ingenious spoof of a very real nonfiction film. Fred Armisen, 57, and Bill Hader spoof the reclusive Jackie Kennedy cousins

from _Grey Gardens_, while the Muhammad Ali doc _When We Were Kings _is turned into a showdown between two Welshmen in a rock-throwing competition. Even if you don’t know the source

material, the show offers a clear-eyed take on characters who feel real despite the built-in absurdity of their circumstances. WATCH IT: _Documentary Now!_ [embedded content] _THE GOOD

PLACE_ (2016–2020) 4 SEASONS, 50 EPISODES When self-absorbed Eleanor (Kristen Bell) dies at an early age, she finds herself in _The Good Place_, along with a bunch of seemingly virtuous

do-gooders. But nothing is quite as it seems in this uproarious comedy, which features a delicious star turn by Ted Danson, 76, as an afterlife overseer, plus a heavenly host of delightful

supporting performances. WATCH IT: _The Good Place_ [embedded content] _THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW_ (2010–PRESENT) 8 SEASONS, 80 EPISODES Let us all bow down to the gingham altar! This

long-running reality series has created a new generation of bakers who know their ganache from their genoise. Plus, it’s the rare competition where the contestants seem to genuinely root for

each other – even as some secure the coveted “Hollywood handshake” from gruff judge Paul Hollywood. The show is rolling out its 15th season this fall, and the previous seven competitions

are also streaming on Netflix (along with a handful of holiday specials). WATCH IT: _The Great British Baking Show_ [embedded content] _LUPIN_ (2021–PRESENT) 3 SEASONS, 17 EPISODES  Netflix

may be based in the U.S., but some of its best programming comes from overseas (like the pandemic-era phenom _Squid Game_ from South Korea). This slick French thriller series follows a

gentleman thief (Omar Sy) driven to avenge the death of his father, who was accused of stealing a valuable necklace. The seasons unfold like prolonged installments of _Mission: Impossible_,

full of heists and edge-of-your-seat suspense, but there’s a compelling human drama, too, and Sy is an appealing hero. WATCH IT: _Lupin_ [embedded content] _THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT_ (2020) 1

SEASON, 7 EPISODES In this literary adaptation, Anya Taylor-Joy plays an orphan chess prodigy who shakes up the mostly male world of competitive chess in the 1950s and early ’60s. She

battles not only her troubled past and the very sexist present but also drug and alcohol dependency that have arisen as a self-coping mechanism. This is an absorbing yarn, with a magnetic

star-making turn by Taylor-Joy at its center. WATCH IT: _The Queen’s Gambit_ [embedded content] _RIPLEY_ (2024) 1 SEASON, 8 EPISODES Andrew Scott is a sly and reserved presence as Tom

Ripley, the sociopathic antihero of Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel, who connives and kills his way into luxe living in 1960s Italy in this show filmed in pristine black and white by _There

Will Be Blood _cinematographer Robert Elswit, 74. Steven Zaillian, 71, an Oscar winner for his _Schindler’s List_ screenplay, wrote and directed all eight episodes of this new adaptation,

and his attention to detail shines in every frame. Plus, Dakota Fanning makes a memorable impression as the expat girlfriend of Tom’s first victim who comes this close to being a target

herself. WATCH IT: _Ripley_ [embedded content] _RUSSIAN DOLL _(2019–2022) 2 SEASONS, 15 EPISODES The sandpaper-voiced actress Natasha Lyonne is a hoot in this _Groundhog Day_–inspired series

about a young woman who finds herself in a series of time loops repeating the same day over and over again. In Season 1, she keeps dying at her own 36th birthday party — searching for clues

amid the revelry to break the doom cycle. In Season 2, she’s trapped in the body of her pregnant mother — and embarks on a side quest to recover some lost gold Krugerrands. Both seasons

draw a zippy energy from the offbeat star and from scripts that are both smart and propulsively entertaining. WATCH IT: _Russian Doll_ [embedded content] _SEINFELD_ (1989–1998) 9 SEASONS,

180 EPISODES The comedy famously about nothing has had a decidedly not-nothing impact on pop culture. Close talkers. Double-dippers. Festivus. Keep it in the vault. Soup Nazi. Sponge-worthy.

Yada yada yada. The show about comedian Jerry Seinfeld, 70, and his wacky Manhattan friends introduced all these now-common phrases — and it still holds up with its wry take on urban life.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. WATCH IT: _Seinfeld_