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10 shows with perfect Rotten Tomatoes scores that you should binge watch immediately

Getting a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes is not easy, but these series have somehow pulled it off.

Alexandra Plesa
Alexandra Plesa

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In case you’re not familiar with Rotten Tomatoes, it’s a review-aggregation website for films and television shows. That means that it collects reviews from critics in both print and online and then combines them to establish a general score for the movie or, in our case, TV series. If the show gets a red tomato (Fresh), critics think it’s good. On the other hand, series with green tomatoes (Rotten) generally fail to impress.

For a show be Certified Fresh, it has to gain a score of over 75%, which ensures that the majority of critics gave it a positive rating. For it to earn a perfect score, all critics must agree that it’s worth watching, since even one bad review will impact the 100% score negatively. As a result, while individual episodes or seasons of TV series can have a perfect score, it’s more difficult for a show to maintain an overall 100% score as time goes on, especially when it’s been on the air for a while.

For instance, Game of Thrones boasts an 89% score, The Wire is at 94% and Breaking Bad is at 96%. These three shows are undoubtedly exceptional, but they show that being 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes isn’t a breeze.

Of course, ratings shouldn’t be the only factor to consider when deciding whether to watch a new show or not. It all comes down to your personal preferences. You can very well love a series that critics loathe or hate a series that they can’t stop praising. However, being 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes means that the show excels from all perspectives – acting, writing, plotting and so on. Hence, it’s a safe bet for your watchlist and you should check out at least a few episodes to see what all the fuss is about. To get you started, we’ve gathered 10 series with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score as of January 2020. Get binging!

1. Master of None

  • Year: 2015
  • Cast: Aziz Ansari, Eric Wareheim, Lena Waithe

Created by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, Master of None follows Dev, a young actor struggling to navigate romance and life in New York. The show explores deep themes like sexuality, immigration, relationships, dating and casual racism. Moreover, despite the familiar premise, it explores these topics with a lot of humour, honesty and heart.

Master of None will stay with you long after you finish watching, as it delivers poignant observations about life and culture without sacrificing its light tone. It’s also hilarious, so much so that it won’t feel like you’re watching prestige TV, but simply having a good time with a bunch of charming characters. Looking back, though, you may be surprised to find that the series also gave you a lot to think about.

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2 seasons
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2. Fleabag

  • Year: 2016
  • Cast: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Sian Clifford, Jenny Rainsford

Fleabag is a British dramedy that centres on a young woman as she navigates modern life in London. Similarly to Master of None, the show’s premise is incredibly basic. And yet, both series tell multidimensional tales about life, love and everything in between. Fleabag may start as a simple collection of moments from a single girl’s life, but it quickly evolves into a compelling story about loneliness and grief.

This is mostly thanks to its creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who is also responsible for Killing Eve, one of the best series to come out in recent years. Fleabag was adapted from Waller-Bridge's acclaimed one-woman play of the same name.

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2 seasons
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1 seasons
1 seasons

3. Little America

  • Year: 2020
  • Cast: Suraj Sharma, Conphidance, Shaun Toub

An Apple TV+ original, Little America is an anthology series, with each episode having a different plot. The one thing they have in common? They revolve around the topic of immigration in the US. In other words, each story follows a different immigrant, offering a moving and deeply human portrayal of what it’s like to leave your country behind and relocate.

Despite the subject matter, the show doesn’t get political. Instead, it’s more focused on delivering a hopeful narrative that manages to touch upon various immigration-related issues. If you’re looking for a heartwarming binge, you can’t go wrong with this one.

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4. Work in Progress

  • Year: 2019
  • Cast: Abby McEnany, Karin Anglin, Celeste Pechous, Julia Sweeney

Work in Progress revolves around 40-something Abby, who begins to re-evaluate her perspective after her misfortune and despair lead her to a transformative relationship. She is queer, suffers from mental health issues and doesn’t find navigating life a breeze. Quite the opposite.

Often hilarious and sometimes uncomfortable, this quirky show isn't for everyone. But those who resonate with Work in Progress will devour it at an impressive speed. After all, the story is universal – a misfit with a penchant for snappy one-liners looking for love.

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3 seasons
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5. Jane the Virgin

  • Year: 2014
  • Cast: Gina Rodriguez, Andrea Navedo, Justin Baldoni

Jane the Virgin is a loose adaptation of the Venezuelan telenovela Juana la Virgen. As a result, it relies heavily on telenovela tropes. But instead of taking itself too seriously, it manages to brilliantly satirise said tropes and deliver a funny and heartwarming story. Additionally, Gina Rodriguez offers a performance for the ages, lighting up every scene she’s in.

The series centres on Jane, a young virgin who accidentally becomes impregnated via artificial insemination. After breaking the unexpected news to both her religious family and devoted fiancé, Jane must learn how to cope with the pregnancy, especially after finding out that the father is a former crush.

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5 seasons
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5 seasons

6. Undone

  • Year: 2019
  • Cast: Rosa Salazar, Angelique Cabral, Constance Marie, Bob Odenkirk

Coming from the creator of BoJack Horseman, Undone is an animated series that centres on a young woman who gets into a near-fatal car accident with unexpected consequences. All of a sudden, she develops a new relationship with time and uses her newfound ability to learn more about her father’s death.

The show is surreal and immersive, to the point where it’s difficult to stop watching after only one episode. Additionally, the story is engaging and the performances tremendous, ensuring Undone a worthy place among the most ambitious and clever animated shows of all time.

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1 seasons
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7. Chewing Gum

  • Year: 2015
  • Cast: Michaela Coel, Danielle Walters, Robert Lonsdale

Chewing Gum is an odd little show. It follows Tracey, a 24-year-old virgin living in London, who spends most of her time trying to get laid, in spite of her religious background. The series is structured around fourth-wall-breaking monologues which allow Michaela Coel, the lead, to showcase her impressive acting chops and land plenty of laughs in the process.

A burst of life and colour, Chewing Gum is an awkward comedy about sex, religion and relationships. Yet, the show has an underlying sweetness that’s impossible to resist. As a fringe benefit, it will definitely make you feel better about your own sex life.

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2 seasons
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8. Vida

  • Year: 2018
  • Cast: Tonatiuh Elizarraraz, Melissa Barrera, Mishel Prada

A show about identity and the need to belong, Vida centres on two estranged Mexican-American sisters who return to their old neighbourhood following their mother’s death. After the funeral, they find out that their mum married a woman and that she left the two of them the family-owned bar. As the series progresses, the two sisters need to figure out a way to be around one another and respect their mother’s wishes at the same time.

Vida explores familial themes through a unique and thought-provoking Latino lens, which gives the show a fresh look and feel. It’s also rich in socio-political commentary, with gentrification a main plot point throughout Season 1.

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3 seasons
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2 seasons
1 seasons

9. Back to Life

  • Year: 2019
  • Cast: Daisy Haggard, Adeel Akhtar, Geraldine James, Richard Durden

Back to Life is a deliciously British dark comedy which is sure to appeal to fans of the genre. It follows Miri, a woman who returns home after 18 years in prison and attempts to rebuild her life. Given her tumultuous past, that’s no easy feat, but Miri manages to befriend Billy, who cares for the elderly woman next door.

Coming from the producers of Fleabag, the series is funny and thought-provoking, greatly benefiting from Haggard’s performance in the lead role. It often veers towards bleak territory, but it has plenty of heart to compensate for that.

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1 seasons
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10. River

  • Year: 2015
  • Cast: Stellan Skarsgård, Nicola Walker, Lesley Manville

River is a short six-part British drama, so it won’t take you too long to get through it. That’s both a good and a bad thing, since you will crave more as the end credits roll. The show centres on detective inspector John River, who is haunted by all sorts of visions of his recently murdered colleague. As he tries to figure out who killed her, his fractured mind will trap him between the living and the dead.

This excellent drama has more to offer than your typical crime show, since it deals with loss, grief and personal tragedy. With each episode, the show gets deeper and darker, taking viewers on a wild and surprising ride.

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1 seasons
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