3 Best Shows to Binge on Netflix This Weekend
Out of all the TV shows that Netflix has to offer heading into August 2025, these three original series are among the best choices to binge in a single weekend. Netflix has been on a hot streak with 2025 original releases, including several Emmy-nominated series such as Adolescence, Sirens, Black Mirror season 7, and Nobody Wants This. Determining what to binge feels like an easy task, but oftentimes can end up being more daunting than it seems. Vetting shows through trailers and critic reviews can be a good start, but TV shows are typically a much bigger investment of time and attention than movies, making it crucial to select the right choice. Whether you're after a raunchy comedy, a soapy small-town Western, or a layered political drama, Netflix and Screen Rant have got you covered. These are three of the best new Netflix shows to binge this weekend, starting right now.
3
Tires
After a mixed season 1 outing, Tires season 2 has developed into one of the funniest comedy shows on Netflix. Led by comedian Shane Gillis, who many may recognize as the host of the 2025 ESPYs, Tires is a workplace comedy about Shane and a group of colleagues who work at an auto repair shop in rural Pennsylvania. Gillis has emerged as one of the biggest names in stand-up comedy in recent years thanks to his success on YouTube videos, podcasts, and various comedy specials. If you like his particular brand of comedy – straightforward, edgy, and carefree – then Tires is essentially required viewing. Tires currently has 18 episodes between seasons 1 and 2, but each episode is relatively short. A vast majority of them are around 22–25 minutes, and the first season has the same runtime as a roughly 2-hour feature film. If Tires season 1 works for you, then you're in for a treat with season 2, which is not only all-around funnier with better story arcs but also has great new cast members, including Thomas Haden Church and Vince Vaughn.
In Screen Rant's review of Tires season 2, I noted how much of an improvement season 2 was compared to season 1. It should be noted that season 1 was only made because Gillis took a major financial gamble on it before it was ultimately picked up by Netflix for distribution. In the review, I mentioned how "Tires is wonderfully simple and unpretentious yet still surprisingly crafty. It has the groundedness of The Bear but not the sophistication, which works perfectly fine for the type of show it is." Additionally, Netflix has been pleased with the success of Tires season 2, so much so that season 3 is already in the works and is expected to be released sometime next year. While the humor in Tires has been considered divisive, particularly in season 1, season 2 feels much less edgy and less prone to offending viewers by comparison. If you're looking for a modern TV show that will actually make you laugh without playing it safe with the punchlines, Tires is worth taking a chance on.
2
Ransom Canyon
If a raunchy comedy is not your particular vibe heading into the weekend, then Netflix's starry Western soap drama series Ransom Canyon may be a better fit. Set in a fictional idyllic West Texas town, Ransom Canyon features an ensemble cast of characters who are all intricately interconnected through love, rivalry, and secrets of the past. Ransom Canyon is led by Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly as a rancher named Staten Kirkland and a bar owner named Quinn O'Grady, respectively. Although they're both well into adulthood, Quinn is Staten's "one who got away" from their shared high school days. Staten ended up marrying Quinn's best friend, who tragically died of cancer before the series began. If the name Ransom Canyon sounds familiar, that's because it's based on the bestselling book series by Jodi Thomas. Ransom Canyon was Thomas's first novel of her Ransom Canyon book series and was published back in 2015. Since then, Thomas has written another nine books in the series, indicating that several more seasons of the Netflix show could be in store.
Although Ransom Canyon can be called "soapy," there are also grittier elements, such as land and water disputes, bull-riding competitions, and even one episode featuring a deadly tornado. If you were a fan of last summer's blockbuster hit Twisters, a certain episode of Ransom Canyon season 1 will certainly be worth checking out. On top of the death of his wife, Staten also suffers the death of his teenage son, who tragically died in a car accident. A broken man, Staten still holds himself together through his pride as a rancher. When new information emerges about Staten's son's death, however, he stops at nothing to get to the bottom of it. It may surprise you to know that Duhamel isn't even the main heartthrob of the series. Leave that to Jack Schumacher as the ramblin' drifter Yancy Grey, who arrives in Ransom Canyon with an ulterior motive and a dark past. Not only does he provide a wealth of mystery to the series, but things often get steamy between him and his eventual love interest, Ellie Estevez (Marianly Tejada). That said, things are kept pretty PG-13 throughout Ransom Canyon, and some may even call it a family show. Several of the key characters are high school kids, such as Lauren Brigman (Lizzy Greene) and Lucas Russell (Garrett Wareing), who both have big dreams as college athletes. Ransom Canyon also has a fantastic soundtrack, so there really is something for everyone.
1
The Diplomat
Lastly, if you're looking for a show with a thick and complex plot with outstanding performances, The Diplomat is your answer. Now is actually the perfect time to get into The Diplomat if you haven't already, since season 3 is just around the corner with a set Fall 2025 release. Keri Russel received two Emmy nominations for her lead role as U.S. Ambassador Kate Wyler, who is stationed in London, England, where, presumably, negotiations and diplomacy between the two allied countries are rather formal and dull. As it turns out, The Diplomat is anything but what its premise may suggest. Kate becomes suspicious of Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge after a British Naval aircraft carrier is suddenly struck by an undetected submarine missile, killing dozens of soldiers. As the investigation into who attacked the HMS Courageous expands, Kate and her slick-talking husband Hal (played by Rufus Sewell) begin to suspect an international conspiracy.
This alleged conspiracy drives much of the plot throughout The Diplomat seasons 1 and 2. The teaser trailer for season 3 also includes an onscreen reunion between Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford, which will be sure to satisfy longtime fans of The West Wing. Not much can be said of the political without giving away crucial plot details, so if Keri Russell and political intrigue sound like something you can dig into, then The Diplomat has prepared a feast. I should note, however, that The Diplomat isn't all business, like Netflix's other successful political drama, House of Cards, and can actually be quite funny. Any of the three aforementioned Netflix shows should make for an enjoyable weekend binge to stay out of the heat this August 2025. If one's not quite your thing, check out the others, because they truly are some of the best new TV shows Netflix has to offer.
